A UN chief issued an apocalyptic warning to world leaders at a global warming summit in Egypt today: “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator”.
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres told the COP27 gathering in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh that the world was in the “fight of our lives and we are losing”.
Seeking to spark far more urgent action from many nations in the battle against climate change, he stressed: “Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible.
“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”
Mr Guterres called for a pact between the world’s richest and poorest countries to speed up the transition from fossil fuels and the delivery of the funding needed to ensure poorer countries can reduce emissions and cope with the unavoidable impacts of warming that had already occurred.
“The two largest economies — the United States and China — have a particular responsibility to join efforts to make this pact a reality,” he added.
Scientists have warned for years of the approaching climate change nightmare for millions of people. But Simon Stiell, of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, stated that the crisis was now hitting with devastating floods, warmer temperatures, destroyed crops and homes and more violent weather patterns.
The past eight years are on track to be the hottest on record, with the sea level rise accelerating, the melting of Europe’s alpine glaciers shattering records and devastating floods, including in Pakistan, drought and heatwaves and unusually warm autumn weather including in Britain.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis