Negotiators gather for climate talks in Madrid

Monday, 2 December 2019 11:39

The 25th Conference of the Parties (COP) begins this week in Madrid.

Negotiators from almost 200 countries will gather for key climate talks as a critical 12 month-battle against rising temperatures begins.

The UN secretary-general has warned that the world has reached a point of no return and that action must be taken promptly.

Earlier, The World Meteorological Organization announced that greenhouse gas concentrations reached their highest record level in 2018.

According to the UN Environment Programme, there is a noticeably large gap between governments' plans to cut emission and what's needed to avoid warming by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The conference, which started today, will end on Friday December 13.

More from International News

Six killed in Swiss bus blaze after person reportedly sets themselves on fire

At least six people have died, and three others were injured in a bus fire on Tuesday in a small town in western Switzerland, in what police said may have been a deliberate act following reports that a person on board set fire to themselves.
US says it destroyed mine-laying vessels as Trump warns Iran over strait

The US military says it "eliminated" 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday in a statement by its Central Command, as President Donald Trump warned that any mines laid in the strait by Iran must be removed immediately.
Britain working with allies to support shipping through Strait of Hormuz

Britain is working with allies on a range of options to support commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in the face of Iranian threats, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson said on Tuesday as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran roils oil prices.
Wildlife to replace humans on next series of UK banknotes

Images of animals will feature on the next series of banknotes from the Bank of England, as the central bank shifts away from historical figures such as William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill and Jane Austen over the coming years.