Activists of all ages and from all corners of the planet turned out in Madrid to tell political leaders and negotiators at a global summit in the Spanish capital that they need to take real action against climate change.

The march was led by dozens of representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples, a deference by the local environmentalists after anti-government protests in Chile, the original host of the summit, led to a sudden move of the talks to Europe for the third year in a row.

Celebrity climate activist Greta Thunberg declared from a stage "the hope is not within the walls of the COP25, the hope is out here with you."

"The current world leaders are betraying us, and we will not let that happen anymore, we will not let them get away with it anymore," Thunberg said.

A crowd of thousands responded, chanting, "Greta! Greta!"

"We say 'enough now'! And change is coming, whether you like it or not," Thunberg added.

Organisers claimed 500,000 people turned out for the march, but authorities in Madrid put the number at 15,000 without an immediate explanation for the disparity in the count.

The Swedish teen was followed on her first day in Madrid by a swarm of cameras and reporters, as well as curious members of the public wanting to film her on their smartphones, from the very first step she took out of an overnight train from Lisbon.

Madrid – 6 December 2019

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg walking onto stage

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate activist:

"The hope is not within the walls of the COP25, the hope is out here with you."

3. Greta Thunberg standing on stage in front of cheering crowd

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate activist:

"The current world leaders are betraying us, and we will not let that happen anymore, we will not let them get away with it anymore. We say 'enough now'! And change is coming, whether you like it or not."

5. Cheering crowd

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate activist:

"And we need to continue, we need to keep the momentum going, and we need to lend our voices to the people of the global South and to indigenous people, who are suffering the most from the climate and environmental emergency."

7. Thunberg leaving

8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Javier Bardem, Spanish actor:

"Politicians must live up to this moment. From - forgive me, this is very personal - from that stupid Trump (US President Donald Trump) who leaves global agreements to - forgive me, this is also very personal - to that stupid Almeida (Mayor of Madrid José Luis Martínez-Almeida) who wants to reverse Madrid Central and allow polluting vehicles to circulate through the capital."

9. Various of indigenous activists from South America protesting on stage

This year's international meeting on tackling climate change was meant to be a walk in the park compared to previous instalments.

Countries had planned to put the finishing touches to the rules governing the 2015 Paris accord, ironing out a few wrinkles left over from last December and setting the scene for a major review of their efforts next year.

But then Brazil pulled its offer of hosting the talks and stand-in Chile, rattled by anti-government protests, cancelled five weeks before the meeting.

President Donald Trump served formal notice that the United States was quitting the Paris accord, delivering a symbolic blow to one of his predecessor's signature achievements.

Scientists didn't have any good news either.

Study after study published in recent months has underscored the rapid pace of global warming and the urgent need to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing it.

Against that backdrop, the December 2-13 meeting in Madrid has gained fresh urgency.

Organizers expect around 25,000 visitors, including heads of state, scientists, seasoned negotiators and activists to attend the two-week meeting.

The main items on the agenda include finalizing rules on global carbon markets and agreeing how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

Proposals to create a worldwide market for emissions permits have been around for decades.

The idea is that putting a price on carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, and gradually reducing the available permits will encourage countries and companies to cut their emissions, such as by shifting to renewable energy sources.

Scientists and activists say the time to act is now, if the world wants to meet the goal set in Paris of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), ideally 1.5C by the end of the century.

Madrid - 27 November 2019

1. Various of sign of COP25 Climate Change Conference - Chile Madrid 2019 outside conference venue

2. Spanish flag waving

3. Entrance of COP25 conference venue 'Feria de Madrid'

4. People walking past COP25 sign inside conference venue

5. COP25 logo on wall inside conference venue

Berlin - 5 November 2019

6. Johan Rockström, co-director of Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, speaking with colleague

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Johan Rockström, co-director of Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research:

"We are having a larger risk than we previously predicted, so global warming is going faster, climate impacts are occurring earlier, and that we are approaching potentially irreversible thresholds earlier than we previously thought."

Abaco - 5 September 2019

++MUTE++

8. Drone footage of people walking through the piles of debris from demolished buildings left by Hurricane Dorian

Busovaca - 14 May 2019

9. River Lasva rushing past houses in flooded area

10. Flooded house

Santiago - 23 August 2019

11. Dried land after severe drought

12. Dead cow on dried land

Berlin - 5 November 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Johan Rockström, co-director of Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research:

"We're talking of a change that has to occur at a pace which exceeds the industrial revolution that took us here, so we are talking of another revolution in terms of decarbonising the world economy, and you know, that is not sinking in yet."

Beijing - 6 January 2017

14. Cars driving down road in smog

15. People walking along wearing masks

16. Skyline showing city shrouded in smog

Berlin - 5 November 2019

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Strefler, researcher at Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Transformation Pathways Department:

"We have waited so long with really ambitious climate protection that we need a combination of all the options that we have. We need mitigation, we need renewable energies, we need bio-energy, but we also need, for the last bit of emissions that we cannot avoid, we also need carbon removal."

Madrid - 27 November 2019

18. Sign of COP25 Climate Change Conference - Chile Madrid 2019 at entrance of conference venue

19. Participants in front of information sign inside conference venue

20. Tents outside conference venue entrance, reading (Spanish) "Welcome"

Rondonia State - 23 August 2019

21. Aerials of white smoke rising from burning Amazon forest

22. Various aerials of burned area and charred trees

Near Vila Nova Samuel - 26 August 2019

23. Firefighters walking with equipment to contain Amazon fire

24. Amazon forest burning

Geneva - 26 November 2019

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):

"There's a young girl who said that the house in on fire, and we should treat it as such. It's time to think about the house being on fire, and so yes, we absolutely need action, and action needs to be taken now. This is not something we can postpone."

Denver – 11 October 2019

26. Activists putting up banner that reads (English) "climate strike" at climate rally with Greta Thunberg

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, environmental activist:

"How dare they pretend that they are doing enough, when the politics needed are still nowhere in sight."

28. Activists with poster showing photograph of Greta Thunberg with the famous quote (English) "How dare you?"

Geneva - 26 November 2019

29. UN flag waving

30. SOUNDBITE (English) John Christensen, Director, UNEP-Danish Technology Institute Partnership:

"The IPCC, the UN climate panel, last year put out a 1.5 degree report that described the difference in terms of impacts from 1.5 up to 2, and they are really scary. And if you go beyond that, I mean, there's already been reports about a 4 degree world, and that's really something you don't want to live in. I mean, you have complete cities being flooded, you have coral reefs, eco-systems completely being destroyed. That's something, it's really hard to describe, because you don't even know what the tipping points are, I mean, if something really dramatic happens and so on. It's a place you don't want to go."

Venice - 17 November 2019

31. Various of flooding in Venice

Helheim Glacier - 14 August 2019

32. Drone footage of helicopter on the ice field of shrinking Helheim Glacier

33. Students sitting on the top of the mountain, Helheim Glacier in the background

34. Time lapse of sunset over Helheim Glacier ++MUTE++

Climate activist Greta Thunberg said Friday that hope in tackling climate change is not "within the walls of the COP25" but with the public.

The Swedish teen was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway, to join fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples, and thousands of other protesters.

"We are in the middle of a climate and ecological emergency and we need to start treat this crisis like a crisis and we need to step out of our comfort zones," she said, addressing crowds.

Thunberg was speaking after having taken part in a huge evening protest march through central Madrid.

The 16-year-old was followed by a swarm of cameras and reporters , as well as curious members of the public wanting to film her on their smartphones, from the very first step she took out of an overnight train from Lisbon.

Organizers claimed 500,000 people turned out for the Madrid march.

Authorities gave no immediate estimate.

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

Madrid - 6 December 2019

1. Wide of stage

2. Greta Thunberg greeting audience UPSOUND (Spanish) "Hello, Madrid! How are you? I'm very happy to be here."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate activist:

"We are in the middle of a climate and ecological emergency and we need to start treat this crisis like a crisis and we need to step out of our comfort zones. And that is what we are doing right now - we are stepping out of our comfort zones, telling the people in power that they must take the responsibility and protect future and present generations."

++BLACK FRAMES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate activist:

"And I can tell you the hope is not within the walls of the COP25, the hope is out here, with you."

++BLACK FRAMES++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate activist:

"And we will not let that happen anymore, we will not let them get away with it anymore. We say enough now and change is coming, whether you like it or not. Because we have no other choice. Thank-you."

6. Various of Thunberg on stage

Swedish teen Greta Thunberg joined fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples, and thousands of other protesters in a climate march on the streets of Madrid on Friday.

Thunberg was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway.

She said that calls for real action against climate change are still being “ignored" by political leaders despite their continuous praise of the global environmental youth movement she helped create.

Amid an overwhelming level of attention from cameras and other protesters she left the march shortly after it began, getting in a red car that she's been using to move around the city.

During the Dec. 2-13 talks, nearly 200 countries are meant to streamline the rules on global carbon markets and agree on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

An official directly involved in the negotiations said that despite a few setbacks, the technical negotiations were progressing, although many issues were being left for ministerial-level meetings in the summit's second and final week.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous given the sensitivity of the discussions, added that a political declaration on greater “ambition" - a buzzword at the summit - was shaping to be “difficult to achieve.”

Madrid - 6 December 2019

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Various top shots of thousands of protesters marching in Madrid near Cibeles Fountain

2. Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg in street surrounded by supporters

3. Thunberg getting into car

4. Various of climate march

5. Various of representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples during march

6. Man burning effigy

7. Wide of protest

Climate activist Greta Thunberg left Lisbon on Thursday for Madrid on her way to the United Nations COP25 conference.

The Swedish teenager arrived in Lisbon on Tuesday, after spending three weeks crossing the Atlantic on a catamaran.

Thunberg hopes her choice of transport proves it is possible to live a sustainable life.

At COP25, officials from almost 200 countries are meeting in Madrid for UN climate talks.

The European Union's new executive Commission is expected to present its long-term plan for tackling global warming - dubbed the European Green Deal - next week.

However the European Union said on Wednesday that it will likely miss its target for reducing greenhouse gases by 2030, dealing a blow to the bloc’s efforts to be a leader in the fight against climate change.

Thunberg wants senior officials gathered in Madrid to "finally understand the urgency" of climate change and cooperate internationally.

Lisbon - 5 December 2019

1. Climate activist Greta Thunberg boards train bound for Madrid

2. Thunberg onboard the train, shot through window

3. Train leaving station

Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of other young people in a march on Friday to demand world leaders take real action against climate change.

The Swedish teen was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway, to join fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples, and thousands of other protesters.

The 16-year-old was followed by a swarm of cameras and reporters from the very first step she took out of an overnight train from Lisbon.

Madrid - 6 December 2019

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Various of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg taking part in climate march

Thousands took to the streets of Madrid on Friday as part of a second wave of worldwide protests demanding swift action on climate change.

The protests were inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who spoke to world leaders this week at a United Nations summit in New York.

One of the protesters, 37-year-old protester Manuel Gomez urged everyone to take more responsibility in combating climate change.

Another protester 17-year-old David Carnero highlighted the rising sea level, warning that the world will face "an existential problem."

Other countries in the world, including cities across Europe, India, New Zealand and Canada, saw fresh protests Friday, a week after hundreds of thousands rallied worldwide ahead of the UN General Assembly.

Madrid – 27 September 2019

1. Various climate change protesters marching

2. Purple banner reading (Spanish) "This system kills"

3. Various of climate march

4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Manuel Gomez, 37-year-old protester:

"I think that each one of us should be more responsible and not hand all the responsibility to the banks and and businesses of the world because they will adapt to how we are consuming (products)."

5. Close of signs reading (English) "People rise like water" and "There is not planet B for Generation Z"

6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) David Carnero, 17-year-old protester:

"The sea level is going to rise and we are going to have an existential problem. If there is already this happening with refugees from Syria, who have had to leave their homes. I don't know what's going to happen when the sea level rises."

7. Globe on fire float among protesters

8. Protesters marching

On October 7th 2019 Paris members of Extinction Rebellion blocked streets with mass sit-ins as riot police looked on.

In Berlin people blocked the Grosser Stern, a traffic circle in the middle of the German capital's Tiergarten park dominated by the landmark Victory Column, in a protest that started in the early hours.

Members of Extinction Rebellion also set up a camp outside Chancellor Angela Merkel's office ahead of what it called an "international rebellion" starting on October 7th.

Founded in Britain in 2018, the movement, also known as XR, now has chapters in some 50 countries.

***

A wildfire raged out of control along the northern edge of Los Angeles on October 11th, forcing thousands of people from their homes as firefighters battled flames from the air and on the ground.

Police Chief Michel Moore said mandatory evacuations encompassed about 100,000 people in over 20,000 homes.

Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said the fire had grown to more than 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) and at least 25 homes had been damaged.

A middle-aged man who was near where the fire was burning went into cardiac arrest and died, the chief said, but he did not have details.

The blaze erupted around 9 p.m. Thursday along the northern tier of the San Fernando Valley as powerful Santa Ana winds swept through Southern California. Smoke streamed across the city and out to sea.

Terrazas said there were sustained winds of 20-25 mph (32-40 kph) with gusts over 50 mph (80 kph) and relative humidity levels had fallen as low as 3%.

The fire erupted in Sylmar, the northernmost portion of the valley, and spread westward at a rate of 800 acres (324 hectares) an hour into Granada Hills and Porter Ranch, part of a so-called urban-wildland interface where subdivisions crowd against the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains. The cause wasn't immediately known.

Porter Ranch, an upper middle-class suburb that was the backdrop for the 1982 movie "E.T." is no stranger to evacuations. Four years ago, a blowout at an underground natural gas well operated by Southern California Gas Co. in the neighboring Aliso Canyon storage facility drove 8,000 families from their homes.

Helicopters made repeated water drops as crews in Los Angeles attacked flames in and around homes. Water- and retardant-dropping airplanes joined the battle after daybreak. About 1,000 firefighters were on the lines.

Fire danger is high throughout Southern California after the typically dry summer and early fall, and the notorious Santa Ana winds - linked to the spread of many wildfires - bring a dangerous mix of witheringly low humidity levels and powerful gusts.

***

A spokeswoman for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California says the complex has not been damaged by a nearby wildfire that has grown to more than 970 acres (392 hectares).

The fire erupted before dawn as strong winds hit Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles.

Flames are pushing through sparsely developed hills between suburban tracts. Horses are being evacuated from small ranches.

The brush fire broke out just before dawn Wednesday near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in the Simi Valley area north of Los Angeles.

Red Cross spokesman Tom Horan says people are confused and scared as they arrived at a shelter set up in a community center in the city of Thousand Oaks, some wearing masks.

They registered with shelter staff amid the banging of cots being set up and food and water being carried inside.

Horan says the shelter can accommodate about 380 evacuees during the day and about 180 overnight. Pets must be kept outside in crates.

***

Strong winds fanned new Southern California wildfires on October 31th, burning homes and forcing residents to flee their homes in a repeat of the frightening scenario already faced by tens of thousands across the state.

The latest blazes erupted in the heavily populated inland region east of Los Angeles as strong, seasonal Santa Ana winds continued to blow with gusts of up to 60 mph (96 kph) predicted to last until the evening before they fade away.

A fast-moving fire spread into the northern neighborhoods of the city of San Bernardino, forcing the evacuation of 490 homes - approximately 1,300 people, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.

Fire Chief Don Trapp said initial assessment showed that six homes and two outbuildings were destroyed or damaged in the 200-acre (80-hectare) fire.

As winds buffeted the state this week, utilities deliberately cut power to more than a million people to prevent high winds from damaging power lines and sparking wildfires.

Southern California Edison said its safety power cuts still affected about 215,000 people by October 30th and warned that outages were under consideration for about 800,000 people.

Pacific Gas & Electric, which has staged three sweeping blackouts this week, restored power to hundreds of thousands of people Wednesday and expected to have it back for the others sometime October 31th.

The days of windstorms are not unusual for the fall season, which has seen vicious gusts propel a series of deadly and destructive California wildfires in recent years.

***

On October 31th authorities in Ventura County ordered evacuations for about 7,500 people in an area that includes roughly 1,800 buildings as the blaze threatened the small, unincorporated rural community of Somis.

Hundreds of firefighters raced to attack the blaze, which initially was fanned by moderate winds and then was fueled by tinder-dry brush in canyons. Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said more than 400 firefighting personnel were on the job. The fire grew in only a few hours to around 7,400 acres - just over 11 square miles (28 square kilometers) - before midnight.

Ventura County Fire Assistant Chief John McNeil estimated that the fire could reach around 12,000 acres before running out of fuel. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said a small drone that appeared to be "looking at photography of the fire" interfered with aerial firefighting efforts.

***

Tourists and Venetians have donned high boots and taken to raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.

Venice's tide forecast office said the water level peaked at 1.27 metres (about 4 feet 3 inches) on Novembre 12th but warned that an even higher tide was forecast for after nightfall.

The high water invaded cafes and stores.

As a precaution, authorities closed nursery schools.

San Marco Square, more usually thronged with tourists, was largely deserted.

Many hotels keep disposable knee-high plastic boots handy for tourists.

Venetians' wardrobes often include over-the-knee rubber boots.

Bad weather has dogged Italy lately, with near-daily downpours drenching much of the country.

Meteorologists predicted more heavy rain coming in late Tuesday, especially in the northeast, which includes Venice, as well as in Sicily and elsewhere in the south.

***

A picture taken from the International Space Station shows smoke stretching from the edge of Eastern Australia over the Pacific Ocean.

About 60 fires were burning around New South Wales on the morning of November 13th, with 27 uncontained while being battled by more than 1,000 firefighters, the Rural Fire Service said.

A body was found late on November 13th in a scorched forest near the town of Kempsey in northeast New South Wales, police said.

He is suspected to be a 58-year-old man who lived in a nearby shed and had not been seen since Friday when ferocious wildfires across New South Wales killed three other people and destroyed at least 150 homes.

***

Students in Berlin, Germany marched in support of the global climate strike on November 29th, joining 3,000 protests across the world.

Seventeen-year-old protester, Robin Ebelt said "the generation before us messed it up" and that he wanted to live "for another 60 years."

Fridays for Future activist, Quang Paasch said protesters needed to continue to "take to the streets" to defend the Paris Climate Agreement.

The Fridays for Future protests were originally started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg in 2018 who was outraged by the lack of government action on climate change.

The worldwide student climate marches come a few days before the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP 25, begins on December 2nd in Madrid.

***

World leaders were arriving on December 2nd for the start of a two-week international climate conference in Madrid that seeks to step up efforts to stop global warming.

The UN is warning that the efforts so far are insufficient to overcome the “point of no return” in climate change.

The summit, which moved to the Spanish capital after Chile had to pull out amid anti-government protests, aims to put the finishing touches to the rules governing the 2015 Paris accord.

That involves creating a functioning international emissions-trading system and compensating poor countries for losses they suffer from rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change.

***

Spain's Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera visited an art installation in Madrid on December 4th, which simulates pollution levels of some of the world's biggest cities.

Ribera and the Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organisation, Maria Neira, walked around the "Pollution Pods" created by British artist Michael Pinsky on the sidelines of the COP25 climate change meeting.

Safe perfume blends and fog machines inside the geodesic domes imitate the air quality of some of the world's most polluted cities - London, Beijing, Sao Paulo, New Delhi - as well as one of the most pristine environments on earth, Tautra in Norway.

Ribera said experiencing the simulated environments was "impressive" and helps understand how pollution affects people's health.

***

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Madrid on December 6th to join thousands of other young people in a march to demand world leaders take real action against climate change.

Ahead of the march, Thunberg joined a sit-in protest at the conference venue in the Spanish capital.

Madrid is hosting a two-week, United Nations-sponsored talks aimed at streamlining the rules on global carbon markets and agreeing on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

The talks come as scientific evidence mounts about disasters that could ensue from further global warming, including a study commissioned by 14 seafaring nations due to be published Friday that predicts that unchecked climate change could devastate fishery industries and coral reef tourism.

That could cause hundreds of billions of dollars in losses by 2050, says the report, adding that limiting global warming would lessen the economic impact for coastal countries, but that they also need to adapt to ocean changes.

The presence in Madrid of Thunberg was expected to shift the attention to demands for greater action by non-governmental organizations and a whole new generation of environment-minded activists.

Past appearances by the 16-year-old have won her plaudits from some leaders - and criticism from others who’ve taken offence at the angry tone of her speeches.

An advocate for carbon-free transportation, Thunberg travelled by train overnight from the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, where she arrived earlier this week after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States by catamaran.

That became necessary after a sudden change of venue for the COP25 summit following a wave of anti-government protests that hit Chile, the original host.

***

Climate activist Greta Thunberg said on December 6th that calls for real action against climate change were still being ignored by political leaders, despite their continuous praise of the global environmental youth movement she helped create.

The Swedish teenager was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway, to join fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples and thousands of other protesters.

Before marching, Thunberg said at a press conference that she hoped the COP25 summit would lead to "something concrete" and "increasing awareness among people in general".

Surrounded by three other activists from Spain and Uganda, she added: "The climate crisis is still being ignored by those in power."

The 16-year-old was followed by a swarm of cameras and reporters from the very first step she took out of an overnight train from Lisbon.

The advocate of carbon-free transportation arrived in the Portuguese capital earlier this week after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States by catamaran.

During the December 2-13 talks, nearly 200 countries are meant to streamline the rules on global carbon markets and agree on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

"We are tired of the praises that you keep giving the activists," she said. "We want you to act."

***

Swedish teen Greta Thunberg joined fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples, and thousands of other protesters in a climate march on the streets of Madrid on December 6th.

Thunberg was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway.

She said that calls for real action against climate change are still being “ignored" by political leaders despite their continuous praise of the global environmental youth movement she helped create.

Amid an overwhelming level of attention from cameras and other protesters she left the march shortly after it began, getting in a red car that she's been using to move around the city.

During the Dec. 2-13 talks, nearly 200 countries are meant to streamline the rules on global carbon markets and agree on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

An official directly involved in the negotiations said that despite a few setbacks, the technical negotiations were progressing, although many issues were being left for ministerial-level meetings in the summit's second and final week.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous given the sensitivity of the discussions, added that a political declaration on greater “ambition" - a buzzword at the summit - was shaping to be “difficult to achieve.”

***

Sweish climate activist Greta Thunberg says she was "very surprised" to be named Time's “person of the year”, despite becoming the figurehead of a global youth movement pressing for faster action climate change.

Leaving a UN climate conference in Madrid, Thunberg told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she wanted to dedicate the award to all young activists.

"I should not be the one to be person of the year, it should be everyone in the Fridays for Future movement because what we have done, we have done together," she told the AP by phone interview.

She is now planning to head home to Sweden for some rest during the holidays.

Thunberg said she was hopeful that the message being pushed by her and other activists - that governments need to drastically increase their efforts to combat climate change - is finally getting through.

***

Marathon international climate talks ended on December 15th with negotiators postponing until next year a key decision on how to regulate global carbon markets.

After two weeks of negotiations in Madrid on tackling global warming, delegates from almost 200 nations passed declarations calling for greater ambition in cutting planet-heating greenhouse gases and in helping poor countries that are suffering the effects of climate change.

But despite holding the longest climate talks ever in 25 nearly annual editions they left one of the thorniest issues for the next summit in Glasgow, in a year's time.

Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace Germany said in the meantime he hoped the European Union's 'Green Deal,' which proposes a net-zero emmisions target by 2050, would be implemented to "set a precedence for other economic regions" of the world.

02:57:20

00:00:00

Climate protests, arrests, in NLands, France, Germany

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paris - 7 October 2019

1. Members of Extinction Rebellion with flags walking on bridge

2. Pan from riot police to demonstrators, UPSOUND (French) "We are Extinction Rebellion"

00:11:22

Firefighters battle southern California blaze

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Porter Ranch, California - 11 October 2019

3. Various of firefighters spraying water on flames near homes and helicopter dropping water near homes

00:23:22

New wildfire scorches area north of Los Angeles

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Simi Valley, California - 30 October 2019

4. Medium view of smoke blowing across roadway

5. Fire burning along hillside near buildings

6. Fire burning trees and brush

00:35:22

Wildfire east of Los Angeles destroys homes

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Bernardino, California - 31 October 2019

7. Various night views of homes burning

8. Dayside views of smoldering remains of a house

00:47:22

Hundreds battle new Southern California wildfire

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Somis, California - 31 October 2019

9. Firefighters spraying fire on mountainside

10. Fire truck next to burning mountainside

11. Fire amid trees, grass

00:59:22

St Mark's Square in Venice flooded

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Restrictions: Part must credit Gaetano Guzzardi; Part must not obscure logo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Central Venice, Italy - 12 November 2019

12. Wide of San Marco Square flooded

13. Tourists carrying luggage through flood waters

14. Tourist wading through flood waters

15. Various of tourists walking through flooded area

01:15:22

Smoke from Australia fires visible from Space

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NASA

International Space Station - 13 November 2019

16. STILL: smoke from edge of Australia stretches over Pacific Ocean, red dots on picture indicate actively burning fires.

01:20:22

German climate activists rally at Brandenburg Gate

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Berlin - 29 November 2019

17. Various of protesters in front of Brandenburg Gate

01:31:22

Leaders arrive in Madrid as climate summit begins

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 2 December 2019

18. New European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arriving

01:37:21

Spanish art installation recreates air pollution

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 4 December 2019

19. Spanish Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera (black coat) and Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization, Maria Neira (with a scarf) entering cell recreating the air pollution in Beijing

20. Ribera and Neira entering cell recreating the air pollution in New Delhi

21. Banner with COP25 logo and slogan (Spanish) "#TiempoDeActuar" ("Time to act")

01:50:03

Thunberg joins sit-in protest at COP25 summit

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Madrid - 6 December 2019

22. Various of Thunberg joining sit-in protest against the lack of government action to tackle climate change

01:57:24

Thunberg calls for 'real action' on climate change

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 6 December 2019

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist

" The world leaders, the people in power, grasp the urgency of the climate crisis because right now it doesn't seem like they are."

02:10:07

Thousands join Thunberg in Madrid climate march

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Madrid - 6 December 2019

++NIGHT SHOTS++

24. Various top shots of thousands of protesters marching in Madrid near Cibeles Fountain

02:18:07

Thungberg 'very surprised' about Time award

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Location unknown - 11 December 2019

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist

" I should not be the one to be person of the year, it should be everyone in the Fridays for Future movement because what we have done, we have done together."

02:31:16

Frustration as COP25 ends without carbon deal

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 15 December 2019

26. COP25 venue, sign

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace Germany:

"US President (Donald) Trump and President (Jair) Bolsonaro from Brazil have undermined these negotiations here and if they are going to continue so next year, we need a different answer from strong economies like the European Union, together with China, together with India, to come up with a new narrative of hope for the young people out there."

The progress of the UN climate talks in Madrid are "concerning," Greenpeace International executive director Jennifer Morgan said on Monday.

Morgan said negotiators at the COP25 climate meeting seemed to be focused  "more on weakening ambition rather than strengthening it."

Morgan added that 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other young people have been an "incredible inspiration" for the conference.

She said Thunberg was doing the right thing in trying to shine the spotlight on the stories of people on the "frontline" of climate change.

Thunberg has been the centre of attention at the Madrid talks since she sailed back to Europe last week, having shunned air travel for environmental reasons.

On Friday, she left a protest march through the Spanish capital early after being mobbed by protesters and reporters.

She is urging the  media to pay more attention to other climate activists.

Morgan also expressed disappointment that few heads of state had attended the Madrid meeting, but hope EU leaders would "push themselves to deliver something that can inspire confidence in other countries and in the youth of Europe".

Madrid – 9 December 2019

1. Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan walking through conference hall

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International:

"I characterize the talks as very concerning at this moment in time, it's like we live in two different worlds – what the science is telling us, what people are asking for, and then a group of negotiators that seem to be focused more on weakening ambition rather than strengthening it."

3. Participants talking in conference hall

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International:

"I think that obviously Greta (Thunberg) and other youth leaders have been an incredible inspiration, and catalysed a whole group of young people. And I think that the media needs to do a better job at covering them, and I think that's what Greta is clearly trying to do, that's what she tried to do here in Madrid today, giving the stage to others who are living on the frontline of climate impacts, who are trying to mobilize and push their governments as well. And I hope that can be the beginning of showing the world the very, very diverse set of young people who are desperate for leadership coming from their governments."

5. Participant looking at phone in conference hall

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International:

"There has not yet been an internalisation of the emergency situation that we are in, that so few heads of state are coming to Madrid, and ready to roll up their sleeves and do what it takes to actually respond to the science. I think the Brussels conversation on what the European Union decides to do with its "Green Deal" is fundamental. So I hope that those European leaders are getting ready to push themselves to deliver something that can inspire confidence in other countries and in the youth of Europe."

7. COP25 logo

REAX FROM COP25 TO THUNBERG'S TIME AWARD

Participants in the UN's COP25 climate talks on Wednesday welcomed the decision to name teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg the Time's youngest "person of the year".

Michael Northrop, an observer at COP25 praised Thunberg's work, saying that he hoped the young climate activist could push climate change progress if governments are not willing to.

Meanwhile, Carlotta Martinez, a 21-year-old staff member at COP25 said Thunberg is doing "very great work and it's a work that everybody needs to appreciate."

Thunberg, 16, has become the face of the youth climate movement, drawing large crowds with her appearances at protests and conferences over the past year and a half.

She spent three weeks at sea to cross the Atlantic for the Madrid climate change conference, hoping to draw attention on low-carbon form of transport.

Madrid,  11 December 2019

1. Conference sign reading (Spanish/English) "#Time for Action"

2. Participants walking across conference venue

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlotta Martinez, 21-year-old staff at COP25 who lives in Madrid:

"She's doing a very great work and it's a work that everybody needs to appreciate. And also, I think that if you take into account the age of Greta (Thunberg, teenage climate activist), I think that she is like, she's a crack for me. She's a crack. And I hope that she work. She's (her) work will have a great impact in the future."

4. Logo of conference

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlotta Martinez, 21-year-old staff at COP25 who lives in Madrid:

"She has to have attention, but not like she was a celebrity because she is not a celebrity. She's an activist, a very good activist."

6. Conference booth inside conference venue

7. Posters of activist groups displayed inside conference venue

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Northrop, observer from New York City:

"Well, we're not seeing enough progress at the governmental level, so having citizens stand tall is important. Having a representative of citizens standing tall, having Greta (Thunberg) kind of provoke the reaction of moral necessity and responsibility is critical. And she's doing an amazing job at it. And, you know, everybody needs to listen, the banks, the fossil fuel developers. These are the folks that are taking us across the 2 degree (Celsius climate change) threshold. So we really need them to move. And maybe Greta can get them to move if governments can't."

9. Pacific Pavilion at conference

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sydney Welter, 23-year-old NGO worker from Columbus, Ohio in the US:

"I'm really glad attention is being brought to the issue of climate change, but I also think it's really important that other marginalized voices are also elevated. So I can't speak to who is most deserving of that, but you definitely need to elevate marginalized voices."

11. Participants passing "Time for action" logo

12. Participants inside conference venue

Sweish climate activist Greta Thunberg says she was "very surprised" to be named Time's “person of the year”, despite becoming the figurehead of a global youth movement pressing for faster action climate change.

Leaving a UN climate conference in Madrid, Thunberg told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she wanted to dedicate the award to all young activists.

"I should not be the one to be person of the year, it should be everyone in the Fridays for Future movement because what we have done, we have done together," she told the AP by phone interview.

She is now planning to head home to Sweden for some rest during the holidays.

Thunberg said she was hopeful that the message being pushed by her and other activists - that governments need to drastically increase their efforts to combat climate change - is finally getting through.

Location unknown - 11 December 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist ++OVERLAID BY STILL IN SHOT 2++:

"I was very surprised when I found out because it's so... I could never have imagined anything like that happening. It's so unexpected, so I am of course very grateful for that, very honoured because it's a huge honour so...But as I have said before, I should not be the one to be person of the year, it should be everyone in the Fridays for Future movement because what we have done, we have done together."

Madrid - 6 December 2019

++OVERLAYS AUDIO IN SHOT 1++

2. STILL of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaking during a press conference in Madrid, Friday Dec. 6, 2019. Thunberg arrived in Madrid Friday to join thousands of other young people in a march to demand world leaders take real action against climate change. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Madrid on Friday to join thousands of other young people in a march to demand world leaders take real action against climate change.

Ahead of the march, Thunberg joined a sit-in protest at the conference venue in the Spanish capital.

Madrid is hosting a two-week, United Nations-sponsored talks aimed at streamlining the rules on global carbon markets and agreeing on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

The talks come as scientific evidence mounts about disasters that could ensue from further global warming, including a study commissioned by 14 seafaring nations due to be published Friday that predicts that unchecked climate change could devastate fishery industries and coral reef tourism.

That could cause hundreds of billions of dollars in losses by 2050, says the report, adding that limiting global warming would lessen the economic impact for coastal countries, but that they also need to adapt to ocean changes.

The presence in Madrid of Thunberg was expected to shift the attention to demands for greater action by non-governmental organizations and a whole new generation of environment-minded activists.

Past appearances by the 16-year-old have won her plaudits from some leaders - and criticism from others who’ve taken offence at the angry tone of her speeches.

An advocate for carbon-free transportation, Thunberg travelled by train overnight from the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, where she arrived earlier this week after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States by catamaran.

That became necessary after a sudden change of venue for the COP25 summit following a wave of anti-government protests that hit Chile, the original host.

Madrid - 6 December 2019

1. Various of climate activist Greta Thunberg arriving at COP25 climate conference venue

2. Various of Thunberg joining sit-in protest against the lack of government action to tackle climate change

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Madrid on Friday to join thousands of other young people in a march to demand world leaders take real action against climate change.

Ahead of the march, Thunberg joined a sit-in protest at the conference venue in the Spanish capital.

Madrid is hosting a two-week, United Nations-sponsored talks aimed at streamlining the rules on global carbon markets and agreeing on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

The talks come as scientific evidence mounts about disasters that could ensue from further global warming, including a study commissioned by 14 seafaring nations due to be published Friday that predicts that unchecked climate change could devastate fishery industries and coral reef tourism.

That could cause hundreds of billions of dollars in losses by 2050, says the report, adding that limiting global warming would lessen the economic impact for coastal countries, but that they also need to adapt to ocean changes.

The presence in Madrid of Thunberg was expected to shift the attention to demands for greater action by non-governmental organizations and a whole new generation of environment-minded activists.

Past appearances by the 16-year-old have won her plaudits from some leaders - and criticism from others who’ve taken offence at the angry tone of her speeches.

An advocate for carbon-free transportation, Thunberg travelled by train overnight from the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, where she arrived earlier this week after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States by catamaran.

That became necessary after a sudden change of venue for the COP25 summit following a wave of anti-government protests that hit Chile, the original host.

Madrid - 6 December 2019

1. Various of climate activist Greta Thunberg arriving at COP25 climate conference venue

2. Various of Thunberg joining sit-in protest against the lack of government action to tackle climate change

Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg was in the northern Italian city of Turin on Friday to participate in the Fridays for Future demonstration, a global movement inspired by her activism.

Speaking to crowds of supporters, she said that as the COP25 climate summit comes to a close "world leaders are still trying to run away from their responsibilities, but we have to make sure that they cannot do that".

During a speech she gave at the summit in Madrid this week, Thunberg accused world governments of "creative PR" over their climate crisis stances.

On 11 December, 16-year-old Thunberg became the youngest person to be named Person of the Year by Time Magazine.

Turin - 13 December 2019

1. Wide of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arriving on stage in Piazza Castello

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate change activist:

"The COP25 meeting, which is happening in Madrid right now is almost over and we, unfortunately, probably, already know the outcome. World leaders are still trying to run away from their responsibilities but we have to make sure that they cannot do that, we will make sure that we put them against the wall and that they will have to do their job and to protect our future."

3. People raising hands during Thunberg speech

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate change activist:

"Yesterday many climate activists were thrown out from the COP25 so therefore we strike today, all around the world in solidarity, so yeah."

5. Man filming with smartphone

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, climate change activist:

"I remember a few months ago when I first saw the pictures from the strike in Turin and when I saw those pictures, countless of people just filling up the streets, I felt so hopeful. Millions of people saw those photographs and that they gave hope to millions of people, so thank you to the city of Turin."

7. Various of Thunberg on stage with other activists

8. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Fabiano Pagliara, from Cava de Tirreni:

"This is an issue worth of interest, therefore I believe Time (Magazine) awarded the movement and the ideas that are brought along, moreover it's the hope that needs to be awarded."

9. Climate demonstrators

10. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Emma Ballerini, from Valsesia:

"In my opinion she represents the idea that if everyone would do something (for the environment) it would make the difference, therefore its important that she has been supported with this important award."

11. Wide of demonstrators in Piazza Castello in Turin

Philip McMaster, an advocate of more sustainable life clad in Santa Claus clothing, spread his message at the UN climate conference in Madrid on Thursday.  

"SustainaClaus", as he calls himself, made a plea to parents around the world to try to become more sustainable and caring in the coming holiday seasons, and to step up action.

He echoes climate activist Greta Thunberg's message that adults and world governments are not doing enough to mitigate climate change.  

The 16-year-old Swedish teenager has become the face of a new generation of environmental activists, drawing large crowds with her appearances at protests and conferences over the past year and a half.

"SustainaClaus" is asking parents to make and share their own gifts by hand, eliminate packaging and invest in time with their children.

Parents around the world need to minimize consumption and stress, he said.

Madrid – 12 December 2019

1. "SustainaClaus" Philip McMaster addressing participants in conference hall of the UN climate conference, holding up sign with symbol for "caring currency" and stuffed animals

2. "SustainaClaus" talking in conference hall, with activist holding poster with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

3. Activists holding SDG poster

4. Participants listening to "SustainaClaus"

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Philip McMaster, advocate of more sustainable life:

"Greta's (Thunberg) message of the adults are not stepping up to the plate, adults are not doing what they are supposed to do, is absolutely true. Look at here at COP25, we've got the same problem. Year after year after year, these countries and their representatives – the representatives are only representatives of the countries – but their countries, their political systems are resisting the absolutely necessary change, the emergency footing we're in."

6. Pins on Santa Claus clothing reading "All I want for Xmas is Article 6" and "All I want for Xmas is the Paris Rulebook"

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Philip McMaster, advocate of more sustainable life:

"Have joy in the season, not this stress and pressure to buy a lot of stuff in a shopping mall. And then you get home and people don't even appreciate it. So let's stop that, let's have people have fun this holiday season, and be part of the solution."

8. Poster with lyrics of "The Panic Song"

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Philip McMaster, advocate of more sustainable life:

"(holding soft toy Panda into camera) So, the Panda is asking you to do three things: number one - smile and make other people happy, number two - change something about yourself because you can't change others, stop a bad habit and start a good habit, and number three – unplug."

10. "SustainaClaus" campaigning at UN climate conference

Activists of the "Fridays for Future" movement formed a human chain at the COP25 climate conference in Madrid on Monday.

About 50 activists staged the protest just after Swedish teen Greta Thunberg attracted dozens of journalists to a press conference with international members of the Friday's for Future youth movement on the sidelines of the meeting.

Activists chanted "people have the power" and "climate action and justice now".

Madrid - 9 December 2019

1. Various of climate protesters forming a human chain, shouting slogans and singing

Climate activist Greta Thunberg said on Friday that calls for real action against climate change were still being ignored by political leaders, despite their continuous praise of the global environmental youth movement she helped create.

The Swedish teenager was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway, to join fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples and thousands of other protesters.

Before marching, Thunberg said at a press conference that she hoped the COP25 summit would lead to "something concrete" and "increasing awareness among people in general".

Surrounded by three other activists from Spain and Uganda, she added: "The climate crisis is still being ignored by those in power."

The 16-year-old was followed by a swarm of cameras and reporters from the very first step she took out of an overnight train from Lisbon.

The advocate of carbon-free transportation arrived in the Portuguese capital earlier this week after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States by catamaran.

During the December 2-13 talks, nearly 200 countries are meant to streamline the rules on global carbon markets and agree on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

"We are tired of the praises that you keep giving the activists," she said. "We want you to act."

Madrid - 6 December 2019

1. Climate activist Greta Thunberg entering press conference room

2. Close of Thunberg on stage

3. Various of Thunberg with others participants at press conference room

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Climate activist:

"I hope, I sincerely hope, that the COP25 will lead to something concrete and that will leave also to an increase in awareness among people in general, and that the world leaders, the people in power, grasp the urgency of the climate crisis because right now it doesn't seem like they are."

5. Mid of stage

6. Thunberg listening to another climate activist

7. Thunberg listening to translation headphones

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Climate activist:

"We would love some action from the people in power, because people are suffering and dying for the climate and ecological emergency today and we cannot wait any longer."

9. Thunberg with other activists on stage

10. Close of Thunberg

11. Audience at press conference

12. Cutaway of media

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Climate activist:

"So of course there is no victory, because the only thing we want to see is real action and real action has not been happening. So of course we have achieved a lot but if you look at it from a certain point of view we have achieved nothing."

14. Audience applauding

15. Cutaway of media

16. Thunberg leaving press conference

Climate activist Greta Thunberg expressed hope on Friday UN-sponsored climate talks that kicked off in Madrid will "lead to something concrete" as she stressed the need for governments around the world to act now in the fight against climate change.

The Swedish teen said that despite mass climate protests around the world over the past year no real action has been taken.

When asked about the achievements of the global climate movement, Thunberg said that apart from raising public awareness about climate change "we have achieved nothing."

She also acknowledged that holding weekly mass protests in which school children are taking part is not sustainable, adding "we would love some action from the people in power (...) because people are suffering and dying from the climate ecological emergency today, and we cannot wait any longer."

Thunberg arrived in the Spanish capital earlier on Friday to join thousands of other young people in a march to demand world leaders take real action against climate change.

Madrid - 6 December 2019

1. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg entering room

2. Various of Thunberg and other teen activists on stage

3 . SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist:

"I sincerely hope that the COP 205 will lead to something concrete and that that will lead to also an increase in awareness among people in general and that we that the world leaders, the people in power grasp the urgency of the climate crisis, because right now it doesn't seem like they are so. So, I really hope that. And I know we will do everything we can to make sure that this is something that cannot be ignored anymore, that they cannot just hide away anymore."

4 . Cutaway

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist:

"We have been striking now for over a year and still basically nothing has happened. The climate crisis is still being ignored by those in power and we can't go on like this. It is not a sustainable solution that children skip school. We cannot go on like that. So we don't want to continue. So we would love some action from the people in power. I mean, because people are suffering and dying from the climate ecological emergency today, and we cannot wait any longer."

6. Cutaway

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist:

"I think we have achieved a lot. We have raised public awareness and we have created the opinion. And that is, that is a big step in the right direction. But of course, it's nowhere near enough. So frankly, the CO2 emissions aren't reducing, they are, in fact, increasing. In 2019 they will increase 0.6 percent. So, of course, there is no victory because the only thing we want to see is real action. And real action has not been happening. So, of course, we have achieved a lot. But but if you look at it from a certain point of view, we have achieved nothing."

8. Cutaway

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist:

"Some people, it feels like wants to maintain, they want everything to continue like now. And they are afraid of change. And change is what we, young people, are bringing. And that's why they are trying to silence us. And that is just a proof that we are having an impact, that our voices are being heard since they try so desperately to silence us."

10. Thunberg and other activists leaving stage

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived at a Madrid venue on Friday, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are due to start.

She joined a group of some 40 teens staging a sit-in there to demand real action against climate change.

Thunberg travelled to the venue by an electric car after arriving in the Spanish capital earlier in the day by an overnight train from Portugal.

Later on Friday, she is expected to join thousands of other young people in a march to call on world leaders to do more to stop climate change.

The Spanish capital is hosting two-week climate talks aimed at streamlining the rules on global carbon markets and agreeing on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

The talks come as scientific evidence mounts about disasters that could ensue from further global warming, including a study commissioned by 14 seafaring nations due to be published Friday that predicts that unchecked climate change could devastate fishery industries and coral reef tourism.

Madrid - 6 December 2019

1. Electric car carrying Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg arriving

2. Thunberg gets out of the car

3. Various of Thunberg walking toward the venue

Chile's Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt on Tuesday saluted climate activist Greta Thunberg's role in speaking out about the threat of climate change.

Schmidt, who is the COP25 climate summit's president, said that the Swedish teen "has been a leader that has been able to move and open hearts", adding that "we need that tremendous force in order to increase climate action".

She said Thunberg is "coming today to Spain", where the COP25 is being held in the capital Madrid.

Thunberg was due to be met in Lisbon by local dignitaries and other activists, having arrived earlier by catamaran after a three-week voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States.

Her representatives said they could not confirm when she would travel onward to the Spanish capital, 600 kilometres (370 miles) to the east.

She wanted a low-carbon form of transport to get to the climate meeting, which was switched at short notice to Spain from Chile due to unrest there.

The summit, which moved to the Spanish capital after Chile had to pull out amid anti-government protests, aims to put the finishing touches to the rules governing the 2015 Paris accord.

That involves creating a functioning international emissions-trading system and compensating poor countries for losses they suffer from rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change.

++STARTS AND ENDS ON SOUNDBITE / NO CUTAWAYS AVAILABLE++

Madrid - 3 December 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Carolina Schmidt, COP25 conference President and Chile's Environment Minister:

"Greta Thunberg is coming today to Spain, where we will have the COP. She has been a leader that has been able to move and open hearts for many young people and many people all over the world. We need that tremendous force in order to increase climate action, we need to face (the problem) in a faster way and a deeper way in order to really be able to beat climate change. So we need Greta here with all that force as well."

Journalist (off-screen): "(What is) your biggest hope of this summit?"

Schmidt: "The biggest hope for this summit is that we can start making a change of the velocity and in order to reach higher goals and commitments from all the countries and all the people. We cannot do this alone. We need transformation that is deep in our economy and in the way we do things, so that we have a development that is cleaner, that is low in emissions and that is resilient to climate."