BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday warned against failure of the international community in attaining the UN Vision 2030 on sustainable development and climatic change.

Merkel, addressing a virtual conference organized by the German Council for Sustainable Development, warned that failure of attaining objectives of the initiative, launched by the UN 2015, would result in enormous difficulties for the next generations.

Current efforts to cope with effects of the climatic change are insufficient, Merkel said. There are clear hurdles on the path toward attaining objectives of the vision, particularly at the levels of consumption of energy and other products, transports and the greenhouse emissions, Merkel said.

The council was established in Germany in 2001 against the backdrop of the 1992 agreement among 178 states at a UN sponsored conference in Rio de Janeiro on a program to cope with climatic changes in the 21st century.

It holds annual meetings to re-examine plans for tackling climatic changes and pollution. The current session focuses on efforts for addressing the issue of overheating and social injustice in the shadow of the coronavirus crisis.

Merkel, along with European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, addressed the 20th annual conference of the German Council for Sustainable Development.

The Council meeting was a virtual meeting focusing on climate neutrality and how Germany and Europe can become climate neutral in a socially just and economically efficient way.

During the meeting the chancellor called for more action as the current generation was "living globally at the expense of younger and future generations."

"What we have been doing so far is simply not enough," Merkel added.

Timmermans underlined the need for fast action ahead of the UN climate conference in Glasgow at the end of year.

"Accelerating environmental and digital transformation is the foundation for economic recovery," Timmermans said.

"Glasgow is not the end of the road. Commitments made must be met, any remaining gap in targets must be closed if there is still room for more," he added. — Agencies