Swedish activist Greta Thunberg urged European leaders on Thursday to take emergency action on climate change, saying people in power had practically "given up" on the possibility of handing over a decent future to coming generations.
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the United Nations to delay until late 2021 a crucial climate summit that had been scheduled for Britain this year, officials said on Thursday.
Representatives from nearly 200 countries meet in Madrid from Dec. 2-13 to flesh out rules for implementing the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.
Governments face a struggle at a United Nations summit in Spain next week to inject momentum into efforts to curb global warming, dogged by lack of consensus, U.S. scepticism and disruptive protests demanding more action.
Britain's parliament declared a symbolic climate change "emergency" on Wednesday, backing a call by opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for "rapid and dramatic action" to protect the environment for generations to come.
Big investors must look beyond the clamour over climate change and compel companies to tackle modern slavery as well, the head of a United Nations-backed group pushing for responsible investment says.
