World 'needs an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell' after UN report

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: 'The battle to limit temperature rise to 1.5C will be won or lost in the 2020s — under the watch of leaders today.' File photo: AP/Amr Nabil

The world “needs an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell”, after a new report suggested a strong chance we will temporarily exceed the limit scientists say is the tipping point to stave off the worst of climate change in the next five years.

This was the warning from the UN Secretary General as new datasets showed that we continue to see record temperatures recorded each month. While we will not permanently breach these key climate targets yet, it is likely at least one of the next five years will beat 2023 to be the warmest on record.