COP25: youth ‘leadership’ contrasts with government inaction, says UN chief

Ahead of Madrid climate change conference Antonio Guterres says political will missing

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, contrasted the "leadership" and "mobilisation" shown by the world's youth on the climate emergency with the lack of action by governments, which were failing to keep up with the urgency of the problem despite increasing signs that the climate was reaching breakdown.

Before the start of a critical conference on the climate crisis on Monday, he said the world had the technical and economic means to halt climate chaos, but what was missing was political will.