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

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."

WORLD COP PREVIEW

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ POOL

RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only

LENGTH: 8:50

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Putaendo (107km north west of Santiago), Chile – 23 September 2019

1. Various of dying calf

2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Alfredo Estay, breeder:

"I do not count them because every day one dies, (or) two, three."

3. Pan of Putaendo river dried up

4. Mid of dead goat

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, United States - 25 November 2019

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer   

"We're seeing more extreme weather because we have more heat trapping gases in the air. So what that does is climate change affects the extremes. You see more droughts, you see more downpours and less of the middle."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Venice, Italy  - 17 November 2019

6.  Various of high water in Saint Mark's Square

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, United States - 25 November 2019

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer   

" In California, we have seen a five-fold increase in wildfires since the 80s, and that has been connected to climate change."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Somis, California, United States  – 2 November 2019

8. Charred avocado trees, fire fighter walks past the grove

9. Various charred avocados

10. Various damaged trees

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil  - 3 September 2019

11. Mid of forest fire

12. Walking shot through burnt forest

13. Various of firefighters and soldiers putting out fire

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 25 October 2019

14. Various of Carlos Nobre, a climate expert and member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, giving a lecture

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Nobre, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences:

"We are closer to an irreversible disaster, a collapse, with between 60 up to 70% over the whole Amazon forest, than we thought a few years ago. "

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil  - 3 September 2019

16. Various of forest fire

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 25 October 2019

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Nobre, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences:

"Many studies have indicated that deforestation plus global warming acting together might drive the forest to disappear "

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Near Vila Nova Samuel, Rondonia State,Brazil  - 25 August 2019

18. Various of burnt trees  

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 25 October 2019

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Nobre, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences:

"The length of the dry season (in the south of the Amazon) is becoming longer. In the forest areas this dry season is even longer. The forest in those areas is removing less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. And during the dry season the temperature in that area is 3 degrees warmer than 50 years ago. Part of that warming is global warming, but part is not, it is because the forest is losing its capacity to recycle water"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Near Conquista D'oeste, Mato Grosso, Brazil  - 26 August 2019

20. Aerial of some of the Nambikwara Sarare indigenous people standing looking up at drone ++Mute++

21. Nambikwara Sarare tribe seated

22. Sarare river

23. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Saulo Katitaurlu, leader of the Nambikwara Sarare tribe:

"Some years ago there were a few (fires) but now there are more. With the Amazon burning, this is the largest that ever happened and the smoke is coming here. Today the sky is clean but two days ago it was full of smoke and hot. It never happened here before, but today we have this difficulty because of that problem."

24. Various of indigenous children playing on tree

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 25 October 2019

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Nobre, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences:

"The Amazon (has) maybe 15 to 30 years before irreversibly becoming a dry savannah. So a large portion of the southern Amazon."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Canutama, Amazonas State, Brazil - 2 September 2019

26. Various drone footage of land recently burned and deforested ++MUTE ++

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Near Vila Nova Samuel, Rondonia State, Brazil - 25 August 2019

27. Various of smouldering trees and smoke

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Helheim Glacier, eastern Greenland - 14 August 2019

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

29. SOUNDBITE (English) David Holland, NYU Air and ocean scientist:

"So this is Helheim Glacier, far off to my right, in front the melange is the Helheim Fjord. And this glacier has retreated more than 10 kilometres or so in the last decade or so from that position far off from my left to where you see it today."

30. David Holland points to the edge of glacier, UPSOUND (English) "So that's where the ice is grounded on the sea floor down about 800 metres."

31. Sunset over Helheim Glacier ++TIME LAPSE++

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, United States - 25 November 2019

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer   

"Two biggest climate stories of 2019 are Greta Thunberg and Donald Trump, and they're on opposite ends."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, United States - 23 September 2019

33. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg being escorted by security as President Donald Trump arrives at the United Nations, pull-out as President Trump arrives

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, United States - 25 November 2019

34. SOUNDBITE: (English) Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer   

" Donald Trump, who still denies that climate change is real and has pulled the United States out of the Paris agreement."

POOL

Washington, United States - November 3, 2019

35.Trump approaches cameras after stepping off Marine One helicopter

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President

"You got fires eating away at California every year because management is so bad, the governor doesn't know -- he's like a child. He doesn't know what he's doing."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Somis, California, United States  - 31 October 2019

37. Firefighters spraying fire on mountainside

38. Various of fire on mountainside

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, United States - 25 November 2019

39. SOUNDBITE: (English) Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer   

"Greta Thunberg has been part of a global movement by young people, she is not the only one. She is just the visible symbol. And things have coalesced around her and her Friday strikes in just a year and a half. It went from her outside the parliament there to a global thing where millions of people are stopping work and school on Fridays."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC, United States - 13 September 2019

40. Mid shot of demonstrators singing with Greta sitting among them

41. Wide shot of demonstration

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Teen climate change activist: ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

"I am so incredibly grateful for every single one of you and I'm so proud of you ."

43. Pull out to wide shot of crowd chanting "Greta, Greta..."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 25 October 2019

44. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Nobre, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences:

"Teenagers of today are putting their fingers in the in the heads of our generation, the adults, saying you are not doing what you should do. You are really harming my future. You are putting my future at risk. And then these children also, they see their future closely linked to the sustainability of the planet."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stockholm, Sweden - 26 July 2019

45. Wide of banners and small group of young people sitting near parliament

46. Banner reading (English) "We have no Planet B"

47. Climate activist Greta Thunberg sitting on the ground next to Swedish parliament with other youth protesters

48. Wide of small group of protesters

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

"We are facing a global crisis and if we don't do anything soon then it might be too late to undo the irreversible climate breakdown. And we need to stand together, no matter where you are from or who you are. So please try to understand what is happening. We need to hold the older generations accountable and do whatever we can to show that we have had enough."

50. Close up of sign reading (English) "Ignorance is death"

51. Pan from protesters to parliament

52. Close up of sign reading (Swedish) "School Strike for Climate"

LEADIN

The climate youth movement, led by Greta Thunberg, has been one of the biggest news stories this year in which extreme weather and climate change events have often dominated the headlines.  

STORYLINE:

In September 2019 rural Chile faced its worst drought in half a century.

Farmer Alfredo Estay could only watch as his cattle died one by one.  

When the Associated Press visited Estay in September he said he had about 80 cows and a handful of calves left out of a total of 180 because hunger and thirst had starved them to death.

"I do not count them because every day one dies, (or) two, three." he said.

Chile is among the 10 most vulnerable countries in the world due to the impact of climate change.

It meets seven of the nine criteria designations established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including less rainfall and lower river flows.

Associated Press Science Writer, Seth Borenstein, explains how a warming climate affects our weather. "We're seeing more extreme weather because we have more heat trapping gases in the air. So what that does is climate change affects the extremes. You see more droughts, you see more downpours and less of the middle."

The historic Italian city of Venice is famous for its waterways, but in early November high tides inundated its famous piazzas.

It was the first time since records began in 1872 that three high tides had hit at least 1.5 metres in the same year - let alone the same week.

Venice's mayor has put the flooding damage at hundreds of millions of euros and Italian officials declared a state of emergency for the area.

Australia, Brazil and California have been plagued by devastating wildfires.

"In California, we have seen a fivefold increase in wildfires since the 80s, and that has been connected to climate change" says Borenstein.

In Somis a fire burned nearly 15 square miles (39 sq. kilometers) and continues to threaten more than 2,500 homes and other buildings, charring avocado orchards.

The Brazil Amazon rainforest was hit by a wave of fires this year prompting global outrage.

August saw the highest number of fires in the Brazilian Amazon since 2010, and a sharp increase compared to the year before.

Since the start of the year until early September there were more than 95,500 fires in Brazil, up 59% from the same period in 2018, according to Brazilian government data.

Carlos Nobre, one of Brazil's most prominent scientists, says that we're close to a "tipping point "We are closer to an irreversible disaster, a collapse, with between 60 up to 70% over the whole Amazon forest, than we thought a few years ago. "

"Many studies have indicated that deforestation plus global warming acting together might drive the forest to disappear " he adds.

Nobre, a University of Sao Paulo climate scientist, says the Amazon acts as a sink, draining heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Currently, the world is emitting around 40 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year.

The Amazon absorbs 2 billion tons of CO2 per year (or 5% of annual emissions), making it a vital part of preventing climate change.

Fires in the Amazon not only mean the carbon-absorbing forest is disappearing, but the flames themselves are emitting millions of tons of carbon every day.

The rainforest recycles its own water to produce a portion of the region's rain, so deforestation makes rains less frequent, extending the dry season says Nobre.

"The length of the dry season (in the south of the Amazon) is becoming longer. In the forest areas this dry season is even longer. The forest in those areas is removing less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. And  during the dry season the temperature in that area is 3 degrees warmer than 50 years ago. Part of that warming is global warming, but part is not it is because the forest is losing its capacity to recycle water" he explains.

Nobre estimates that if 20% to 25% of the forest is destroyed, the dry season will expand enough that it will no longer be a forest, but a savannah.

The recent fires in the Amazon are not wildfires. They were manmade and are mostly set illegally by landgrabbers who are clearing the forest for cattle ranching and crops.

Deforesting the Amazon is a long, slow process.

People clear the land by cutting down the vegetation during the rainy season, letting the trees dry out and burning them during the dry season.

Fully clearing the dense forest for agricultural use can take several years of slashing and burning.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has decreased the power and autonomy of forest protection agencies, which he says get in the way of licensing for developing land.

Brazil's indigenous population is witnessing their forest home disappearing. They say the government isn't doing enough to tackle the problem.

In an indigenous reserve near Conquista D'Oeste, Mato Grosso state, they complained that environmental officials were carrying out fewer inspections than in the past.

According to Nambikwara Sarare leaders, the fires were affecting their lives and their land, bringing disease and damaging animal life.

"Some years ago there were a few (fires) but now there are more. With the Amazon burning, this is the largest (fire) that ever happened and the smoke is coming here" said Saulo Katitaurlu, the leader of the Nambikwara Sarare tribe.

In the Arctic the ice is melting.

Summer this year has hit Greenland hard with record-shattering heat and an extreme melt.

One of the places hit hardest is here on the southeastern edge of the giant frozen island.

Helheim, one of Greenland's fastest-retreating glaciers, has shrunk about 6 miles (10 kilometres) since scientists came here in 2005.

According to several scientists, also studying melting ice in Greenland, what's happening is a combination of man-made climate change and natural but weird weather patterns.

Glaciers here do shrink in the summer and grow in the winter, but nothing like this year.

New York University air and ocean scientist, David Holland, is here to collect data to help explain why salty, warm, once-tropical water attacking the glacier's "underbelly" has been bubbling to the surface.

"So this is Helheim Glacier far off to my right, in front the melange is the Helheim Fjord. And this glacier has retreated more than 10 kilometres or so in the last decade or so from that position far off from my left to where you see it today" he said in August.

A NASA satellite found that Greenland's ice sheet lost about 255 billion metric tons of ice a year between 2003 and 2016, with the loss rate generally getting worse over that period.

Holland suspects that the warm, salty water that comes in part from the Gulf Stream in North America is playing a bigger role than previously thought in melting Greenland's ice.

And if that's the case, that's probably bad news for the planet, because it means faster and more melting and higher sea-level rise.

According to NASA scientists, by the year 2100, Greenland alone could cause 3 or 4 feet (more than 1 metre) of sea-level rise.

Two of the biggest climate stories of 2019 were the global youth climate movement and US President Donald Trump withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Trump also threatened to cut U.S. funding to California for aid during wildfires that have burned across the state during dry winds this fall (autumn).

Trump tweeted that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has done a "terrible job of forest management."

"He's like a child, he doesn't know what he's doing," said Trump.

However, the Californian state controls just a small percentage of forest land. The federal government manages most of it.

Borenstein says that both Trump and Greta Thunberg have become symbols for people who hold opposing views on climate change.

"Greta Thunberg has been part of a global movement by young people, she is not the only one. She is just the visible symbol. And things have coalesced around her and her Friday strikes in just a year and a half. It went from her outside the parliament there to a global thing where millions of people are stopping work in school on Fridays."

Nobre agrees that global leaders need to listen to the next generation.

"Teenagers of today are putting their fingers in the in the heads of of our generation, the adults, saying you are not doing what you should do. You are really harming my future. You are putting my future at risk. And then these children also, they see their future closely linked to the sustainability of the planet" he says.

Thunberg, the Swedish teenager whose social media-savvy brand of eco-activism has inspired tens of thousands of students in Europe to skip classes and protest for faster action against climate change is on her way to the climate talks in Madrid from the United States, hitching a lift on a eco-friendly sailing boat.

Since starting her "school strikes" in August 2018, Thunberg has appeared before policymakers at last year's U.N. climate conference in Poland, challeneged business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and met with Pope Francis, who praised Thunberg's efforts and encouraged her to continue campaigning.

Thunberg has arguably become the figurehead for a new generation of European eco-activists worried that they'll suffer the fallout from their parents' and grandparents' unwillingness to take strong action to combat climate change.

Thunberg, who spoke to the Associated Press in July, had a message for young people :

"We are facing a global crisis and if we don't do anything soon then it might be too late to undo the irreversible climate breakdown. And we need to stand together, no matter where you are from or who you are. So please try to understand what is happening. We need to hold the older generations accountable and do whatever we can to show that we have had enough."

The United Nations Climate talks are taking place in Madrid from Dec. 2-13.  

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