Environmental groups said on Monday that a decade could be lost in Brussels' plan to combat change because its planned "climate law", which could tighten emission targets for member states every five years, would not kick in until 2030.
Thousands of people holding hands formed a human chain in central Brussels on Sunday to draw public attention to the need for urgent, joint action against climate change.
Last year was the fourth warmest on record, extending a scorching streak driven by a build-up of man-made greenhouse gases, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Monday.
