UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that the world’s efforts to stop climate change had been “utterly inadequate” so far and there is a danger that global warming could pass the “point of no return”.

He noted that the world had the scientific knowledge and the technical means to limit global warming, but “what is lacking is political will”. “The point of no return is no longer over the horizon,” Guterres told reporters in the Spanish capital. “It is in sight and hurtling towards us.”

Speaking before the start on Monday of a two-week international climate conference in Madrid, the UN chief said the impact of rising temperatures including more extreme weather is already being felt around the world, with dramatic consequences for humans and other species.

Delegates from almost 200 countries will try to put the finishing touches on the rules governing the 2015 Paris climate accord at the December 2-13 meeting, including how to create functioning international emissions trading systems and compensate poor countries for losses they suffer from rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change.