Labor will be watching China's development of a national emissions trading scheme to help inform its own plan to slash carbon emissions.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is in Paris to meet with international ministers and business groups on the sidelines of major United Nations climate talks.
He's been consulting on other national emissions trading schemes and is looking closely at China's planned mechanism, which is expected to be launched in 2017.
"I really get the impression that China developing a national emissions trading scheme in the next year or two years is a game changer," he told AAP in Paris on Tuesday.
Labor is in the process of developing the emissions trading scheme it will take to the next election.
It's the mechanism by which the party hopes to achieve its 2030 emissions reduction targets of 45 per cent on 2005 levels.
Mr Shorten says the Paris talks had reinforced that Labor was on the right track with its recently revealed ambition, with the target getting more attention than he had anticipated.
"People feel that Labor has moved the goal posts," he said.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed the UN climate change conference alongside around 150 world leaders on opening day on Monday.
He defended Tony Abbott's 2030 emissions reduction targets of 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels as some of the most ambitious in the G20 per capita.
He also confirmed $1 billion over five years in climate financing for vulnerable nations to come from the existing aid budget, and committed to doubling investment in clean energy technologies by 2020.
Mr Shorten believes delegates in Paris are underwhelmed with the prime minister's announcements.
"I think people are quite disappointed with Malcolm Turnbull," he told AAP.
"One person laughingly joked to me `where's Malcolm Turnbull and what have you done with him?'.
The federal government is committed to its post-2030 target but is pushing in Paris for five-yearly reviews of targets to force countries to assess their efforts and adjust accordingly.
It will review its domestic climate change policies - which includes Mr Abbott's $2.55 billion direct action plan - in 2017.
Mr Turnbull is open to looking at international credits as part of the review process but Mr Shorten believes Australia needs a full emissions trading scheme.
"(Mr Turnbull) knows he's stuck with a dud of a policy but what has surprised me is he hasn't changed it," Mr Shorten said.
The prime minister also announced Australia would become one of a handful of developed nations to ratify the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol.
Australia has already met its five per cent 2020 target but the move sends a signal of commitment to the globe and allows Australia to access carry-over or surplus emissions.
Mr Shorten says that announcement is mistimed, with the Paris conference focusing on post-2020 targets.
"It's not bringing your homework for an exam that the rest of the nations have already sat," he said.
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