UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Thursday called on the youth to work towards tackling the problem of climate change, which is a threat to global development and the health of the planet.

Climate change is the most important and most pressing issue which will increasingly feature in the lives of the young people and coming generations, Ban said in a video conference with a group of young people attending the Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

"Extreme weather is costing trillions of dollars and endangering lives and livelihoods all around the world," Ban said, stressing that climate change is threatening the stability of countries and economies.

The UN chief pointed out that the only answer to this problem is to "take immediate action - quite ambitious action on the ground - and for that we need cooperation among governments, civil society and business communities and all partners."

Ban also encouraged the youth to use their power as voters and consumers to support action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and strengthens resilience to climate shocks.

Global representatives gathered in Bonn on June 3 for a new round of UN climate change talks, aiming to find ways to increase the current inadequate level of global ambition to address human- generated climate change. This round of talks will end on June 14. Endi