The global accord is to be agreed in Paris in December. Countries are announcing their carbon targets to take effect from 2020, with the US pledge expected next week.

"A strong and effective global agreement, that addresses carbon leakage and delivers environmental benefit, is in Australia's national interest," states an issues paper to be published today by the Prime Minister's Department.

The paper sets to rest the fear among environmentalists that the Abbott government would be overrun by climate sceptics and refuse to consider further cuts to carbon output.

It says Australia will announce its post-2020 targets by midyear.  However, the paper makes no explicit mention of the international commitment to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius.

This omission will trouble the climate policy community, although the paper does state the "Australian Government will set its post-2020 emissions reduction target within the framework" of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The publication sets the groundwork for Australia to argue for special treatment in the talks.

"Compared with other developed countries, Australia has stronger economic and population growth, and our economic structure is different," says the paper.

"Our resource and agricultural industries represent a significantly larger share of national economic output. These factors affect the emissions intensity of our exports and economy".

It goes on to say that 60 per cent of Australia's primary energy supply comes from coal, compared to the average in developed countries of 20 per cent.

"For the foreseeable future, Australia will continue to be a major supplier of crucial energy and raw materials to the rest of the world, especially Asian countries," the document says.

The paper, Setting Australia's Post-2020 Target for Greenhouse Gas Emissions, says the government is open to new policy measures to cut emissions, beyond its existing Direct Action Plan.

It invites public suggestions on what Australia's next target should be.

It acknowledges that countries will be expected to justify well in advance of Paris how their targets are "fair and ambitious in light of their national circumstances" and "how it contributes to achieving the UNFCCC's objective of stabilising emissions at a level that would avoid dangerous climate change."

In a landmark announcement with China last year, President Obama foreshadowed targets that would reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2025.

This is expected to be formalised in an announcement next week.

The EU has also announced its target: to achieve carbon emissions 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.

China has made a projection that its emissions will increase until 2030 and then fall, but Beijing has made no formal commitment yet.

David Gruen, the senior economist in the department of prime minister and cabinet who is chairing the task force reviewing Australia's targets, said last week that "nothing of value would be achieved" in the global fight against climate change "if emissions-intensive economic activity in Australia ceases, only to be replaced by more emissions intensive activity overseas which produces essentially the same goods or service".