Spain, Dec. 1 -- The UN Secretary-General has outlined the "increased ambition and commitment" that the world needs from governments during the coming days of the COP25 UN climate change conference which opens in Madrid on Monday, calling for "accountability, responsibility and leadership" to end the global climate crisis.

"My message here today is one of hope not of despair" said UN chief Antonio Guterres addressing journalists at a press conference in the Spanish capital on Sunday, after revealing the key takeaways from the World Meteorological Organisation's State of the Climate report, due to be published during COP25.

"The last five years have been the hottest ever recorded. Sea levels are at the highest in human history", he said,...