China Media Group (CMG) on Tuesday launched "Global Action Initiative 2021," a special event to highlight the perils of the climate crisis with an in-depth look at the unfolding catastrophe, the race against time to find new ideas and solutions, and the role of global leaders as well as today's youth.

During the event, world leaders, entrepreneurs and scientists come together to share their ideas toward a more stable and sustainable future.

Global leaders including the president of Sierra Leone and Iceland's Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, environment ministers of Ecuador and Egypt, senior officials from the IMF, World Bank, United Nations and other international organizations attended the event on day one.

Shen Haixiong, the president of CMG, delivered a kick-off speech, in which he stressed the importance of the media's role in responding to climate change, calling on media colleagues to raise public awareness of the construction of ecological civilization.

Qin Gang, Chinese ambassador to the U.S., answered questions on climate change and the need for international cooperation.

Over the next five days, the "GAI 2021" will discuss the current status and challenges of the global response to climate change in five specific areas, including "the actual impact of climate change on the global environment," "the importance of biodiversity," "media's responsibility," "individual's actions" and "young people's responsibilities and roles."