UN chief Guterres to visit Antarctica before COP28 climate summit

United Nations(UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres will travel to Antarctica this week with Chilean President Gabriel Boric to observe the impact of rising temperatures caused by climate change on the continent, he said on Monday.

"Scorching temperatures mean Antarctic ice is melting ever-faster, with deadly consequences for people around the world," Guterres told reporters.

Guterres and Boric will be in Antarctica from Wednesday to Saturday, subject to weather conditions, the UN communications office in Chile said.

The two are set to see the Collins and Nelson Glaciers, as well as the penguins and other native species at Kopaitic Island, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Guterres will speak on his experience during UN climate summit COP28 in Dubai next week, where he will "call for action that matches the scale of the crisis we face," he said.

The UN Environment Program's annual Emissions Gap report released on Monday shows that countries' greenhouse gas-cutting pledges put Earth on track for warming far beyond key limits, potentially up to a catastrophic 2.9 degrees Celsius this century. 

Scientists warn that warming of that level could render vast swathes of the planet essentially uninhabitable for humans and risk irreversible tipping points on land and in the oceans. 

When launching the report, Guterres called for "record action" from world leaders to tackle climate change. "Leaders must drastically up their game now, with record ambition, record action, and record emissions reductions."

The task of leaders at the upcoming COP28 is to make sure that happens, he said.

(Cover image via CFP, with input from Reuters)