Madrid, Dec 3 (AFP/APP): Confronted with a climate crisis threatening civilisation itself, humanity must choose between hope and surrender, UN chief Antonio Guterres told the opening plenary of a UN climate conference Monday. “One is the path of surrender, where we have sleep-walked past the point of no return, jeopardising the health and safety of everyone on this planet,” Guterres said. “Do we really want to be remembered as the generation that buried its head in the sand, that fiddled while the planet burned?” Some 40 presidents and prime ministers took turns working that theme as the 12-day talks began, with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen at one point holding up a plush polar bear. “All of you, just like me, are so-called decision-makers, and probably have children or grandchildren who you love,” he said in a scolding tone. “Think about those children when you take a decision on behalf of your country.” But it was no coincidence, perhaps, that Van der Bellen’s position is largely ceremonial, and that few heads of state from the world’s major carbon polluters turned up. Notably absent were the leaders of China, the United States, India, Russia and Japan, which together account for … Continue reading Anger, hope and pleas for action at UN climate meet