'Window is narrowing': scientists urge action at UN climate talks

Gilet jaunes protests cast shadow as concerns raised over backlash against rapid change

Scientists have laid down the gauntlet for political leaders as the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, wrestles with the challenge of cutting emissions without sparking social tensions like those seen recently in France.

The UN climate talks - known as COP24 and the most important since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015 - aim to set a new rulebook for governments to reduce greenhouse gases and to raise ambitions, after warnings of dire consequences if global warming rises more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.