UN blasts world leaders for failing to seal £72bn-a-year deal on climate

Financial aid critical' to help developing countries limit fossil fuels - and make Cop26 a success, says UN

The head of climate change at the UN has warned that world leaders are still far away" from securing a deal to limit the disastrous effects of global heating, with less than five months to go before a key summit in Glasgow.

Time is now running out, said Patricia Espinosa, who was formerly foreign minister of Mexico but now leads the UN on climate policy. She told the Observer that although advances had been made at the G7 meeting in Cornwall last weekend, progress had not been made on honouring past commitments to find $100bn (72.5bn) a year to help developing countries invest in green technologies.