UN chief warns Paris climate goals still not enough

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has taken his message urging immediate climate action to officials gathered in the United Arab Emirates, where production of hydrocarbons remains a key driver of the economy.

Guterres is calling on governments to stop building new coal plants by 2020, cut greenhouse emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade and replace fossil-fuel driven economies.

He warned of a "grave climate emergency" in remarks at a summit in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

He lauded the Paris climate accord, but says even if its promises are fully met, the world still faces what he describes as a catastrophic three-degree temperature rise by the end of the century.

Under President Donald Trump, the US has announced its withdrawal, effective next year, from the Paris agreement.