COP27: Antonio Guterres insisted humanity must either cooperate in the fight against global warming, or perish

Sharm El Sheikh: The world is on the “highway to climate hell,” the UN secretary-general warned as he delivered an impassioned speech on the opening day of the Climate Change Conference in Egypt.

Addressing world leaders gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27, Antonio Guterres insisted humanity must either cooperate in the fight against global warming, or perish.

Guterres was unafraid to call out the world’s two largest economies — the US and China — for not working together closely enough to tackle environmental issues.

He added his voice to the calls for a new pact between rich and poor countries to make deeper cuts in emissions with financial help and the phasing out of coal in wealthy nations by 2030 and elsewhere by 2040.

“At the beginning of COP27, I am calling for a historic pact between developed and emerging economies, a climate solidarity pact. A pact in which all countries make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade in line with the 1.5-degree goal,” said Guterres.

Guterres said: “Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a climate solidarity pact — or a collective suicide pact.”

He said such a pact would allow countries and international financial institutions to work together to provide financial and technical assistance to help emerging economies speed up



their transition to renewable energy.

He said it would also end dependence on fossil fuels and provide universal, affordable, and sustainable energy for all.

A UN climate change report released in advance of COP27 said that although countries were bending the global emissions curve downward, efforts are still insufficient to stop the global temperature rising to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

COP27, which will run until Nov. 18, is the largest annual gathering on climate action involving heads of state, ministers and negotiators, along with climate activists.

Wael Aboulmagd, special representative to the COP27 president, told Reuters that the event will focus on securing separate “loss and damage” funds, or compensation payments to vulnerable countries already suffering from climate-related weather extremes. 

Last May, Egypt announced its intention to position itself as an impartial arbiter while hosting this year’s summit. “It is in the interest of the process that a perception of impartiality and equal distance from everyone is maintained,” said Aboulmagd.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi used his opening address to urge countries to do more to build trust that environmental concerns are being taken seriously.