COP27 must be turning points for hope: UN chief

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for multilateralism and diplomacy to make the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) in Egypt "turning points for hope".

"COP27 must be the place to rebuild trust and re-establish the ambition needed to avoid driving our planet over the climate cliff," the UN chief said in a press encounter.

In the last few weeks, report after report has painted a clear and bleak picture -- emissions are still growing at record levels, Guterres said, adding that temperatures are also on course to rise by as much as 2.8 degrees.

"And that means our planet is on course for reaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We need to move from tipping points to turning points for hope," he said.

It is time for a historic pact between the developed and emerging economies -- a pact in which developed countries deliver on the commitment made in Paris -- to help emerging economies speed their renewable energy transition, said Guterres.

"COP27 must be the place to close the ambition gap, the credibility gap and the solidarity gap. The world must come together to support developing countries and vulnerable communities," he said.