Some 100 world leaders are holding a conference at the United Nations in New York aimed at breathing new life into climate change negotiations.

Opening the meeting, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on those present to take action against the results of global warming. United States President Barack Obama said the US was determined to combat climate change, but warned that talks to agree a global accord would be difficult.

The UN summit is in preparation for the climate conference being held in Copenhagen later this year where government will try to thrash out a draft agreement to follow the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

On Monday evening, just before today's UN conference, the world's small island nations, which risk being submerged by rising seas, held a meeting in New York. They are urging the industrialised nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before it is too late.

Photo: Flickr/ Luke Redmond