Pope Francis has urged people to pray so “the cry of the Earth” is heard at the UN climate summit getting under way in Glasgow.

Addressing the public in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday, Francis noted that it was the first day of the crucial Cop26 gathering.

He told the crowd: “Let us pray so that the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor” is heard by summit participants.

“May this encounter yield efficient answers offering concrete hope to future generations.”

Francis has made care for the planet’s environment a key plank of his papacy.

In Rome, leaders of the G20 nations – accounting for 75% of global greenhouse emissions – were negotiating commitments to contain rising global temperatures.