Greta slams 'misleading' climate pledges at chaotic UN summit

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday accused wealthier nations of inventing ways to avoid slashing ir greenhouse gas emissions, branding ir climate action "misleading" at a summit in Madrid disrupted by clashes between youth activists and security.

UN climate forum tasked with saving world from runaway global warming has become an "opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes and to avoid raising ir ambition" to act on climate, 16-year-old told delegates and observers to vigorous applause.

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"Countries are finding clever ways around having to take real action." Nations are gared in Spain's capital to finalise rulebook of 2015 landmark Paris climate accord, which aims to limit global temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius and to a safer cap of 1.5C if possible.

But consensus-based talks are bogged down in politically charged wrangling over architecture of carbon markets, timetables for review of carbon-cutting pledges and a new fund to help poor countries already reeling from climate impacts.

Laurence Tubiana, an architect of Paris deal and current head of European Climate Foundation, told AFP re was slim prospect of major progress in Madrid.

She said key issue of how ambitious countries' climate plans can be would only be settled at next year's COP26 summit in Glasgow.

"This decision needs political negotiations at highest level," she said.

Several sticking points remain even as two-week marathon negotiations enter final days.

Nations are at odds over how fight against climate change should be funded and how carbon trading schemes should be regulated.

In addition, re has been preciously little progress over issue of "loss and dam" funding -- how countries already dealing with worst impacts of climate-related extreme wear and drought should be compensated.

UN's top climate body IPCC says that safest way to hit 1.5C target is a rapid and sweeping drawdown in coal, oil and gas driving greenhouse gas emissions.

" red thread in science over past 20 years, is that we have underestimated pace of change and risks we are facing," Johan Rockstrom, director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, told plenary.

temperature tipping point for catastrophic and irreversible changes in Earth's climate system -- once thought to be 5C or 6C -- is w understood to be between 2C and 3C, he said.

Thunberg, who was awarded Time magazine's person of 2019 on Wednesday for her environmental campaigning, told negotiators that ir promises were a world apart from what was needed.

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"Recently a handful of rich countries pledged to reduce ir emission of greenhouse gases by so and so many per cent by this or that date, or to become climate neutral or net zero in so and so many years," she said.

"This may sound impressive at first glance, but even though intentions may be good this is t leadership. This is t leading, this is misleading." 

Proceedings Wednesday descended into chaos as more than 200 youth and indigeus rights activists were ejected from conference centre.

Protestors chanted "climate justice w!" and "Shame! Shame! Shame!" for several minutes before security intervened forcefully, metres away from negotiators.

UN says emissions must drop 7.6 per cent globally every year to 2030 to stay on track for a 1.5C world.

A little over 1C of warming since industrial period started, Earth in 2019 was shaken by a string of deadly wildfires, superstorms and floods made more intense by changing climate.

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Despite dozens of meetings and thousands of specialists working to implement Paris accord, global emissions have increased by four percent in years since deal was signed.

"It's disgraceful and politicians are simply t doing ir job of protecting planet," said Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa watchdog.

"Countries are dragging ir feet and y are putting us all in danger."