UN chief António Guterres warns the COP27 UN climate summit humanity must “co-operate or perish”
“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator,” he tells world leaders gathered in Egypt
UK PM Rishi Sunak will call for a “global mission for clean growth” when he addresses the summit later
His predecessor, Boris Johnson, earlier called on leaders not to go weak on net zero commitments
The UN says progress on cutting the emissions that cause global warming has been “woefully inadequate” since COP26 in Glasgow last year
The planet has already warmed 1.1C since pre-industrial times and scientists say rises must be limited to 1.5C by 2100 to avoid the worst effects
But experts predict carrying on with current policies would lead to a rise as high as 2.8C this century
Poor countries are pushing for financial compensation from rich countries responsible for most historical emissions. Global temperatures have already increased by 1.1C since pre-industrial times, and scientists believe that going beyond 1.5C would see dangerous impacts for people all over the world.
Under the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries agreed to aim to limit the temperature rise to 1.5C. But there is “no credible pathway in place” to stay within that target, according to a recent UN assessment.
If we carry on as we are, with the current policies in place, we are on track for a 2.7C increase by the end of the century, according to the Climate Action Tracker website.Under the UN process, countries have to make pledges on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they will cut. Current pledges take us to about 2.4C of warming, Climate Action Tracker said after last year’s Glasgow summit.
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Some countries have set themselves, or are discussing, longer-term net zero targets. Even under the most optimistic scenario where these are taken into account, Climate Action Tracker estimates we would still see 1.8C of warming by 2100.
If the outlook seems bleak, it’s worth remembering that when the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, we were on track for 3.6C of warming, so progress has been made.
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Richer countries should pay for the loss and damage suffered by those most affected by climate change, climate activist Mitzi Jonelle Tan says.
Tan, who is the international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, says the global north, multinational companies, and the fossil fuel industry have caused “destruction” in the lives of many across the world.
“The people in the global south, like the Philippines, are already suffering the most from the climate crisis and they need to pay for that,” she tells BBC Radio 5 Live.
But she says it’s difficult to decide how much money should be provided.
“In 2009, $100bn was promised and that’s not even enough. But yet that hasn’t even been reached,” she says.
“And what we’re seeing now with climate finance is most of it is in the form of debt. What we need is grants and not loans.”