The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has highlighted the urgent need for action at the upcoming COP28 climate talks in Dubai. In a new report, the UN has warned that countries’ commitments to reduce greenhouse gases are not enough to prevent warming well beyond safe limits.

Guterres emphasized that current trends are leading the planet towards a dangerous increase of three degrees in temperature. He criticized the failure of leadership and the betrayal of the vulnerable, calling for an increased ambition in national plans to align with 1.5 degrees and end the use of fossil fuels.

Despite efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the world continues to release record levels of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, with emissions rising by 1.2% from 2021 to 2022, largely driven by fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes. This has led experts to warn that based on current policies, the planet is on track for disastrous warming of 2.5 to 2.9 degrees by 2100.

The upcoming COP28 climate talks in Dubai will be crucial in addressing these issues and defining the necessary steps to combat climate change. Guterres called on leaders from around the world to take action and make drastic changes in order to mitigate global warming and avoid catastrophe.