World told it's 'time to act' as summit begins

Only half of the 36,000 delegates from around the world attending the UN's Copenhagen climate change conference were lucky enough to be seated yesterday for the start of the long-awaited gathering aimed at finding a replacement for 1997's Kyoto Protocol, such was the interest from nations to send delegations.

Reliable sources said a high-level team of between 70 and 100 people will accompany Premier Wen Jiabao to the conference, which a senior Chinese official described yesterday as the "start of a new round of climate negotiation".

China has already sent around 50 negotiators and 30 advisors to the milestone meeting, which began yesterday in Copenhagen's Bella Centre.