We're on a highway to climate hell, UN chief warns at COP27

He calls for pact to hasten shift from fossil fuels, funding to help poor nations cope

SHARMEL-SHEIKH, Egypt –United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told countries gathered at the start of the COP27 summit in Egypt on Monday that they face a stark choice: Work together now to cut emissions or condemn future generations to climate catastrophe. The speech set anurgent tone as

governments sit down for two weeks of talks on how to avert the worst of climate change, even as they are distracted byRussia’swar in Ukraine, rampant consumer inflation and energy shortages. “Humanity has a choice: Cooperate or perish,” Mr Guterres told delegates gathered at the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. He called for a pact between the

world’s richest and poorest countries to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels and funding to ensure poorer countries can reduce emissions and cope with the climate impacts that have 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 said. Despite decades of climate talks

– the Egypt COP is the 27th Conference of the Parties – progress has been insufficient to save the planet from excessive warming as countries are too slowor reluctant to act, he noted. “Greenhouse gas emissions