UN chief Antonio Guterres said a meeting on climate change this year in Scotland is at risk of failure because of mistrust between developed and developing countries, and lack of ambitious goals among some emerging economies.
The UN Cop26 conference in Glasgow in November aims to bring much more ambitious climate action and funds for it from participants around the globe.
Scientists said last month that global warming is dangerously close to being out of control.
"I believe that we are at risk of not having a success in Cop26," Mr Guterres told Reuters on Wednesday.
"There is still a level of mistrust – between north and south, developed and developing countries – that needs to be overcome.
"We are on the verge of the abyss and when you are on the verge of the abyss, you need to be very careful about what the next step is. And the next step is Cop26 in Glasgow."
Mr Guterres and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Monday host a meeting of world leaders during the annual high-level week of the UN General Assembly to build up the chances of success at the climate conference, being held from November 1 to 12.
"My objective and the reason why we are convening a meeting on Monday is exactly to build trust, to allow for everybody to understand that we all need to do more," Mr Guterres said.
"We need the developed countries to do more, namely in relation to the support to developing countries.
"And we need some emerging economies to go an extra mile and be more ambitious in the reduction of air emissions."
Monday's meeting, which will be both online and in person, will be closed to allow for "frank and open discussions" on how to deliver success in Glasgow, a senior UN official said.
Meanwhile, the world remains behind in its battle to cut carbon emissions and the pace of climate change has not been slowed by the global Covid-19 pandemic , the World Meteorological Organisation said on Thursday.
Scientists said last month that unless major action is taken to cut emissions, the average global temperature is likely to hit or pass the level of 1.5°C above pre-industrial times within 20 years.
"Until now, I have not seen enough commitment of developed countries to support developing countries ... and to give a meaningful share of that support to the needs of adaptation," Mr Guterres said.
Developing countries tend to be the most vulnerable to costly climate impacts, and the least resourced to deal with them.
For years, they have been struggling to secure the funds to help them prepare for climate disruptions that rich nations in 2009 pledged to increase to $100 billion a year.
So far, the money that has arrived focused on emissions reduction rather than adaptation. Of the $78.9bn in climate finance transferred by rich countries in 2018, only 21 per cent was spent on adaptation, OECD data shows.
Asked if companies that develop carbon capture technology should have to issue patent waivers so those advances can be shared, Mr Guterres said: "Any development in that area should be a global public good and should be made available to all countries in the world."
But he added: "We have not yet seen results that confirm those technologies will be a key element to solve the problem."
Mr Guterres played down the effect that the increasingly cold relationship between China and the US – the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases – would have on their co-operation on climate change.
"They are a multilateral issue," he said. "So my appeal to both the United States and China is for each of them to do their part."
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Company%20Profile
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The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
