Former US vice president Al Gore has urged governments to “stop subsidising the culture of death” as he urged greater investment in renewables.
“We continue to use the thin blue shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet as an open sewer”, spilling global warming pollution into the sky where it heats up the world, the climate activist told the Cop27 opening ceremony, adding: “It is a choice to continue this pattern of destructive behaviour.”
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres also took a fatalistic tone, telling delegates on Monday that the world was on the “highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”
Addressing Cop27 on Monday, Mr Guterres, who is famous for not mincing his words, said the world was fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos “irreversible.”
Cop27 kicked off in the Egyptian resort town on Sunday when Britain handed over the Cop presidency to Egypt. Day two will see world leaders - including French President Emmanuel Macron, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - address delegates, setting out their priorities for the summit.
