The UN Secretary-General has warned that that the “point of no return” on climate change is “in sight and hurtling toward us.”

World leaders are gathering in Madrid this morning for a major UN conference on climate change.

Representatives of almost 200 countries are attending the two-week 25th Conference of the Parties or COP25 in the Spanish capital.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the UN Secretary General António Guterres said the disaster can be averted with the right political will.

“We must stop our war against nature and science tells us that we can do it,” he said.

He said the point of no return is “no longer over the horizon” but is “in sight and hurtling toward us.”

“What is still lacking is political will,” he said.

“Political will to put a price on carbon. Political will to stop subsidies on fossil fuels. Political will to stop building coal power plants from 2020 onwards. Political will to shift taxation from income to carbon. To tax pollution instead of people.”

Earlier this year the World Meteorological Organisation warned that greenhouse gas concentrations hit new record highs last year.

The organisation has warned that climate targets must be far more ambitious if we are to have any chance of staving off climate disaster.

"We simply have to stop digging and drilling and take advantage of the vast possibilities offered by renewable energy and nature-based solutions," Mr Guterres said.

The COP25 summit runs from today until Friday December 13th.