Hopes for the Copenhagen climate summit in December have been boosted after it emerged that more than 60 presidents and prime ministers plan to attend.

超过60位总统和首相将要参加12月举行的哥本哈根气候峰会，这使人们对于此次峰会的预期大大加强。

The summit is seeking a new global deal on climate change

There had been concern that no strong agreement would emerge from the talks in Copenhagen.

But observers say the presence of so many leading government figures will radically¹ increase expectations.

The annual UN climate change talks are usually conducted by countries' environment ministers.

Delegations² from 192 countries will be attending the summit, which will attempt to draw up a new global climate treaty to supplant³（取代） the UN's 1997 Kyoto Protocol⁴.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who will be attending, has said a new deal would be more likely if heads of governments put their own reputations（名声，名誉） on the line.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who will be a key negotiator at the summit, has said he believes those involved in the summit are capable of reaching an agreement on climate.

"I believe there is a strong and high degree of political resolve from many of the leaders around the world to land a Copenhagen agreement," he told the BBC.

But he said reaching what he called an "operational framework agreement" was "not inevitable⁵（不可避免的）" and that the negotiations⁶ will be "very tough".

Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal and has the highest per capita（人） emissions⁷ of any developed nation, but Mr Rudd has said he wants to be part of the solution.

He says every nation will be entering the talks with dirty hands so that should not stand in the way of an agreement.

The leaders of China, the US and India - some of the world's biggest polluters - are so far not on the list to attend the Copenhagen meeting.

But the BBC's environment correspondent Roger Harrabin says the increasing number of senior leaders planning to make the journey undoubtedly⁸ increases the political stakes.

'Violated'

The news comes as a row continues over emails between climate scientists which were stolen from a British university computer.

Climate sceptics（怀疑者） say the e-mails, stolen by a hacker⁹ from the University of East Anglia, show that important data behind the climate change debate has been manipulated.

They are demanding a public enquiry（询问） into the science behind any deal in Copenhagen.

The scientists behind the research say the scientific debate about climate change is sound and have accused the sceptics of trying to undermine Copenhagen.

Kevin Trenberth, of the US National Center for Atmospheric¹⁰ Research (NCA) in Colorado, whose e-mails were among those accessed, said the timing¹¹ of the hacking¹² was "not a coincidence".

He told the Associated Press News agency 102 of his emails had been posted on the internet and he felt "violated".

Critics say the e-mails show that scientists have distorted the facts（歪曲事实） of climate change, but Mr Trenberth said the e-mails had been "taken out of context".