(Climate Change Minister) Penny Wong and I sat up for three days and three nights with 20 leaders from around the world to try and frame a global agreement," he said.
"It might be easy for you to sit in 7.30 Report land and say that was easy to do. Let me tell you mate, it wasn't.
"We are fundamentally committed to climate change.
"We couldn't get the global accord that we wanted. As a consequence we need to do further work on the global front, further work on the national front, because I am absolutely passionate about acting on climate change."
Opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt likened Mr Rudd's inflamed display to former Labor leader Mark Latham.
Mr Rudd had flip-flopped on emissions trading and now his mood was volatile, too, Mr Hunt said.
"It appears that under the slightest pressure the prime minister is looking increasingly out of control," he told AAP.
"He is making wildly erratic decisions and morphing into Mark Latham, but without the conviction."
