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One of the United Nations' top climate officials says international leaders are failing to fight global warming, appealing directly to the world's voters to pressure their politicians into taking tougher action against the buildup of greenhouse gases.

Halldor Thorgeirsson told journalists Tuesday that "we are failing as an international community" and that the world is "not on track" to prevent potentially catastrophic climate change.

Thorgeirsson, a senior director with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, was speaking with two years left to go before the world powers gather in Paris for another round of negotiations over the future of the world's climate, which scientists warn will warm dramatically unless action is taken to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.