The World Leaders Summit of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) got underway on Monday in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres told countries at the start of the summit that they face a stark choice: work together now to cut emissions or condemn future generations to climate catastrophe.
"We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator. Our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible," he warned global leaders at the summit.
This year, the world has been battered by frequent extreme weather events, including heatwaves, torrential rains, floods, droughts and other natural disasters. Europe has experienced unprecedented high temperatures and heatwaves not seen in centuries, as well as frequent droughts and wildfires. One third of Pakistan has been completely submerged by historic flooding. Powerful hurricanes have made thousands of families homeless in the United States.
In recent years, scientists and heads of states have called for urgent and collective actions in addressing climate change and mitigate its devastating consequences while providing climate finance have become the focus of this year.
"We have witnessed during this year painful events in Pakistan, the African continent and various parts of Europe and America. All these events and the destruction and impact represent a lesson to be learned and alarm all over the planet ... to more precaution, and to act quickly to take all necessary measures as per our commitments and pledges," Egyptian Foreign Minister and COP27 President Sameh Shoukry said at the opening ceremony of COP27.
"Dealing with climate change problems is obligatory, not a choice," said Egyptian climate and environment expert Magdy Allam. Under the slogan of COP27 -- Together for implementation -- the host country Egypt calls on countries across the globe to convert their previous commitments on climate change from lip service to action, he said.
Current negotiations in Egypt, as well as the previous COP in Glasgow, all center around the climate goal of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius - seen as an important tipping point, beyond which impacts will become incrementally worse.
China's Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua said Sunday at a side event of COP27 that China has been actively creating a green and low-carbon atmosphere for years, encouraging the public to participate in carbon emissions reduction, and exploring to establish a pluralistic mechanism of social participation.
Under the principles of openness and transparency, broad participation, consensus and party-driven, China will work with all parties to promote the success of COP27 and contribute its wisdom and strength to building a fair, reasonable and win-win global climate governance system, Xie said.
(Cover: A picture shows an artwork at the Green Zone during the COP27 climate summit at the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre, in Egypt's Red Sea resort of the same name, November 7, 2022. /CFP)