Kevin Rudd says the United States, China and India are key to a new global deal on cutting carbon emissions and tackling climate change.
The former prime minister, who faced a political backlash over the failure of the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, has written an op-ed piece for the New York Times ahead of the Paris summit in December.
Mr Rudd wrote that the success of the Paris summit would require a three-part approach.
"First, the United States and China must rapidly increase collaboration on climate change both within and beyond the framework of the Paris conference," Mr Rudd said.
This should include tougher environmental and energy regulation, a price on pollution and greater investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and technological innovation.
India also had a key role, he said, as it would pass China's population in the next decade and Delhi already had air pollution levels comparable to Beijing.
Mr Rudd said coal was likely to remain the major fuel for energy generation in China and India through to mid-century.
"Investment must continue to focus on clean-coal technologies and shale-gas conversion."
The final agreement must put in place a regular review mechanism, full transparency of data and an ability to supplement the Paris agreement with further climate change action as necessary, Mr Rudd said.
Copenhagen had been a failure despite the best efforts of leaders, he said.
The Paris conference was "the next opportunity for leaders of the world's biggest economies to show real leadership in the slow-motion drama that is anthropogenic climate change".
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