Abstract: As expected from the focus of the climate change negotiation in the Copenhagen conference, what matters most to the follow-up international climate change negotiations will include the preparation of initial draft texts for negotiations, the further quantification of emission limitation or reduction commitments in the second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol by developed countries, the description of long-term goals and so on. The fifth assessment report (AR5) of IPCC will reinforce the scientific issues and fundamental conclusions elaborated and reached in previous reports with more convincing evidence and arguments, pay more attention to the regional aspect and give more words to the analysis of the economic costs of adaptation and mitigation, and of climate change and sustainable development. The conclusions drawn from the assessment of such issues as climate change detection and attribution, climate change impacts and key vulnerabilities, stabilization level of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, adaptation options and their cost-effectiveness, mitigation options and socioeconomic costs, responsibility-sharing mechanism and equity will be a powerful driver to the negotiation progress.

Key words: Copenhagen, climate change conference, climate change negotiations, IPCC AR5