Representatives from around 200 nations have begun crunch UN climate talks in Poland.
The summit comes against a backdrop of dire environmental warnings and a call for action
against the threats posed by climate change.
Delegates will seek ways of implementing the commitments made in the 2015 Paris treaty
to limit the rise in global temperatures.
This is where delegates from nearly 200 countries will be scrambling over the next two weeks
to reach a deal that can save the planet.
The meeting in Katowice - at the heart of Poland's coal region -- comes three years
after the landmark Paris accord.
The envoys gathering at COP 24 aim to produce a rule book to flesh out the broad details
that were agreed in Paris -- limiting the rise in global temperatures to between 1 point
5 and 2 degrees celcius.
The sense of urgency is palpable.
This is a very, very important conference, it takes place also in a scenario where we
have clear signals about the urgency with which we need to address the issues of climate
change.
The effects that are happening are affecting communities around the world, casualties,
destruction in so many places.
In Brussels, tens of thousands of people demonstrated to raise awareness of climate change.
And the protesters had a message for the delegates gathering in Poland.
There's obviously in the next like ten years, we have very much a window of opportunity
that we need to really grasp with both hands.
It's now or never I think if we start a plan of action now,
then like our grandchildren might still have a chance to have a planet, so we just need
to start now and just stop losing time."
And time is of the essence.
To keep global warming well under 2 degrees, experts say emissions must drop by up to 70
percent over the next three decades.
But global emissions rose in 2017, and are on track to do the same this year.
The venue for the UN climate talks in Katowice - it's shrouded in smog from a power plant
fuelled by coal.
The polluting hydrocarbon has been mined here since the 18th century.
Around 100,000 people in the region work in the coal industry.
Coal is a treasure!
If there was no coal, there would be no work.
If the mines closed, all the shops and businesses in the region would go bankrupt.
Poland will continue to generate most of its electricty from coal until 2050, meaning that
the mines of Katowice will not shut down any time soon.
Coal is what sustains Upper Silesia.
It is the primary product of this region, and of course many people here are biased
towards it.
But we know which way the wind is blowing all over the world, and which path we should
be going down.
Only 15 percent of electricity produced in Poland is from renewable sources.
Activists complain that the government has neglected to develop the alternative energy
sector.
Activists, scientists, citizens, the mining and power generation sector have all said:
We are ready for change.
The only ones who are not interested are politicians.
For Poland's government Katowice is a model green city.
It boasts a research centre for renewable energy.
A shopping mall has been built on top a closed down coal mine.
Even the conference centre that hosts the climate talks stands on the site of a former
mine.
But the fact remains: Katowice and coal are inextricably linked, and will be for
some time
to come.