The Queen is due to officially open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the island's capital Port of Spain.
The convention is the last major gathering before the crucial United Nations summit in Copenhagen next month.
In recognition of the importance of today's talks, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon is expected to be in attendance.
Reports suggest Mr Ban and the Danish prime minister Lars Rasmussen, who will chair the Copenhagen talks in two weeks, will present to the Commonwealth delegation what is at stake at the summit.
The long-awaited December conference is aiming to secure fresh emission targets to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, although many officials have admitted defeat already.
The crucial talks received a welcome boost yesterday with China announcing its first-ever targets for limiting greenhouse emissions.
Beijing said on Thursday it would aim to reduce its 'carbon intensity' – the amount of CO2 emitted for each unit of GDP - by between 40 and 45 per cent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.
The news came a day after the United States announced it will aim to cut emission by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020.
US president Barack Obama and China's premier Wen Jiabao also announced they would both be in attendance, following Gordon Brown's plea to his fellow world leaders to join him in personally in travelling to Denmark and increase the chances of securing official new targets.
However, critics have already expressed concern at the fact Mr Obama will only be present at the start of the summit before travelling on to Oslo to pick up his controversial Nobel peace prize.
Commenting on the importance of the CHOGM, Mr Brown said: 'The summit will be one of those unique opportunities where leaders of developed and developing countries, as well as the poorest and most vulnerable, can come together to discuss the core issues, make progress towards a deal which will help reach the two degree target.'
With half of the Commonwealth's members comprising of island states, climate change and especially rising sea levels, are of huge significance to the delegation.
The convention is the last major gathering before the crucial United Nations summit in Copenhagen next month.
In recognition of the importance of today's talks, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon is expected to be in attendance.
Reports suggest Mr Ban and the Danish prime minister Lars Rasmussen, who will chair the Copenhagen talks in two weeks, will present to the Commonwealth delegation what is at stake at the summit.
The long-awaited December conference is aiming to secure fresh emission targets to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, although many officials have admitted defeat already.
The crucial talks received a welcome boost yesterday with China announcing its first-ever targets for limiting greenhouse emissions.
Beijing said on Thursday it would aim to reduce its 'carbon intensity' – the amount of CO2 emitted for each unit of GDP - by between 40 and 45 per cent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.
The news came a day after the United States announced it will aim to cut emission by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020.
US president Barack Obama and China's premier Wen Jiabao also announced they would both be in attendance, following Gordon Brown's plea to his fellow world leaders to join him in personally in travelling to Denmark and increase the chances of securing official new targets.
However, critics have already expressed concern at the fact Mr Obama will only be present at the start of the summit before travelling on to Oslo to pick up his controversial Nobel peace prize.
Commenting on the importance of the CHOGM, Mr Brown said: 'The summit will be one of those unique opportunities where leaders of developed and developing countries, as well as the poorest and most vulnerable, can come together to discuss the core issues, make progress towards a deal which will help reach the two degree target.'
With half of the Commonwealth's members comprising of island states, climate change and especially rising sea levels, are of huge significance to the delegation.
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