Before the Poland talks, several reports on the impact of climate change forecast a grim picture. Experts say global efforts to tackle climate change are way off track. CGTN's Jim Spellman reports.

The world will experience more deadly fires, more flooding and more storms if global climate change goes unchecked-- this according to a new U.N. report that finds 2018 will be the 4th hottest year on record.

PETTERI TAALAS, SECRETARY GENERAL WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION "This year is number four. And there's an expectation that next year we could see again El Nino which may mean that next year is likely to be warmer than this year has been."

The report by the World Meteorological Organization predicts man-made climate change will have massive socio-economic impacts - leading to widespread population displacement and food insecurity.

GERNOT LAGANDA WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME "We're projecting that with a two-degree warmer world, we will have around 189 million people in a status of food insecurity more than today and if it is a four degrees warmer world which is possible if no action is taken, we're looking beyond one billion more."

The U.N. findings come less than a week after a Trump administration report warning of dire consequences from man-made climate change - consequences that could shrink the U.S. economy up to 10% by the end of the century. President Trump has cast doubt on the report.

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "Yeah. I don't believe it."

"You don't believe it?"

"No, I don't believe it."

JIM SPELLMAN WASHINGTON "President Trump has incorrectly pointed to periods of cold weather as evidence global warming is not real. Researchers say that's simply bad science- they say it's long-term climate trends, not short term weather, that must be observed to understand the impact humans are having on the environment."

In 2017, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement that aims to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Next week, the remaining countries in the agreement will meet in Poland to discuss implementing the agreement.

XIE ZHENHUA CHINA'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES "It will be a key moment for tackling global climate change. We hope the summit will move ahead on the detailed discussions from the Paris agreement, properly handle financial matters, send positive signals for fully implementing the Paris agreement, push forward the green and low-carbon transformation, and build a community with a shared future."

Scientists say there is no time to waste.

JOHAN ROCKSTROM DIRECTOR, POTSDAM INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE IMPACT RESEARCH "We know scientifically that we have to bend the global curve of emissions no later than 2020. So, 2018 and 2019 are decisive years for all countries in the world to revise their plans, and really start implementing de-carbonisation policies and pathways."

Jim Spellman, CGTN, Washington.