Energy Secretary Chris Huhne yesterday told the Climate Change Summit in Cancun that “we’re reaching a crunch point”, but added that “a car crash of a summit is in no one’s interest”.

And Mr Huhne said that the answer to climate change success “has to be compromise”.

“We cannot do everything here,” he added. “But we can make progress on mitigation, deforestation, adaptation, finance, reporting and more. And restore momentum to the global process. Concrete steps to the treaty we want.

Mr Huhne talked up energy initiatives the coalition has taken since coming to power, including renewable energy targets and plans for a Green Investment Bank.

Mr Huhne will stay in Cancun today and therefore miss the crucial Commons vote on tuition fees. While there was a chance that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg would have called him back for the vote, climate change campaigners are said to have begged Mr Clegg to allow Mr Huhne to stay in Mexico.

Mr Huhne was reported as saying: “Nick Clegg and I have decided the importance of the talks in Cancun mean that I have to stay here to finish the vital work we have started.

Conservative climate change minister Greg Barker, however, will fly back from Cancun to vote on tuition fees.