Cop27: UN chief warns of ‘highway to climate hell’ as Al Gore condemns ‘culture of death’ – live | Cop27

Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, is currently hosting a forest event. Though I was told earlier by the Palace that King Charles would not be appearing “in any shape or form at Cop27”, the monarch has in fact shown up – in a pre-recorded video. The event started with a film narrated by David Attenborough and featuring the king and Joe Biden. Alok Sharma, the president of Cop26, looked absorbed on his phone in his second row seat. My colleague Fiona Harvey caught the scene on camera.

Damian Carrington

The more than 100 world leaders at Cop27 have begun making statements. We can expect Rishi Sunak later on. Stay tuned for what representatives from each country have to say.

They were preceded by the UN’s chief climate official, Simon Stiell, who implored them to act fast. Time is short to prevent the terrible dangers of runaway climate change, he said. “As soon as you touch down at home, send an email to your cabinet asking: ‘How are we strengthening our climate plans this year?’”

Denis Sassou Nguesso, president of the Republic of the Congo, is first up. Cop27 must be a Cop for action, he says. After so many promises unkept the time has come to move to tangible acts, he says – at stake is our credibility and the crucial survival of humanity.

Sassou Nguesso says preserving the huge forests in Congo is vital and adds that for 40 years everyone in Congo has been urged to plant a tree every year on 6 November, the day Cop27 began.

After a weekend of back and forth between the polluting industrialised countries most responsible for global heating and the developing countries most affected by their fossil fuel addiction, loss and damage is on the Cop agenda for the first time. Pushing hard for this was Pakistani envoy Nabeel Munir, chief negotiator for the G77 plus China negotiating block, and it’s one of the principle demands for almost all developing and climate vulnerable nations.

“This is the beginning of what will be a slow and painful process, for developed and developing countries, and it wasn’t easy to get it on the agenda, but it’s there and it’s a beginning, and we wanted that to happen at a Cop hosted by a developing country,” said Munir. “It’s a big achievement that the other side is beginning to accept that what we’re saying is fair. Loss and damage is not charity, it’s climate justice.”

It will come way too late to help Pakistan rebuild after a catastrophic climate year that included drought and extreme heat events followed by unprecedented heavy rains that led to a third of the country under water. “Pakistan is a resilient country, we of course want and expect help from developing countries, but realistically we know that this won’t come from loss and damage, that fund is for the future when climate disasters hit Pakistan and other countries.

Some island nations have been pushing for loss and damage funding for 30 years, and face being wiped out by rising sea levels, yet there’s no timeline on when – or if – a loss and damage funding mechanism will be established. “It’s hard to say what an acceptable timeline is, but we must have something clear and tangible on loss and damage for Cop27 to be a success … and a final decision by Cop29 (2024) at the latest. And a recommitment from developed countries to fulfil the commitments they’ve made on climate finance.

The 2015 Paris agreement by wealthy countries to provide $100bn annually in climate finance for adaptation and mitigation for poorer nationals by 2020 has not been met, which Munir says is “technically a default” – even though no single country had agreed a particular amount. Apart from the UK, which has come under particular criticism for failing to deliver the full $300m to the e Green Climate Fund (GCF) by its September deadline. “Britain was unable to come up with that money, so that’s clearly a default,” said Munir.

Patrick Greenfield

UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said the international community has a duty to provide more support to Pakistan after flooding devastated the country in July and August, likely made worse by the climate crisis.

Speaking at a joint event in Pakistan’s pavilion along side the country’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, – the words “What goes on in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan” behind them – Guterres said countries had “a duty to massively support Pakistan in this moment”.

“There are moments in our life that are unforgettable and that mark you deeply. My last visit to Pakistan was one of these moments. To see an area flooded that is three times the size of my country Portugal, to see the loss of life, the loss of crops, livelihoods, to see the dramatic impact in the lives of people all over the country … And at the same time, to see the courage and resilience and generosity of the Pakistani people [stuck with me].

“Women and men, that have decided to leave their property, their essence, to go and rescue other people in the neighbourhood instead of protecting their own… These examples of generosity are examples that should be imitated by the international community,” he said.

Sharif said that the world must “not let helplessness become a death sentence in this race against time. What goes on in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan. Let’s stand up and say no to this before it’s too late.”.

He added:

Huge lakes of stagnant water have transformed the landscape of the south of Pakistan, where crops would have fed millions and livestock would have saved families from destitution. We are picking up the pieces as we speak.

The latest estimates have calculated the loss and damage at $30bn. Our journey to recovery will be held back by increasing public debt, rising global energy prices and no real access to adaptation finance.

We have mobilised every available resource.

At the broader level, we see to add loss and damage to the climate agenda. We hope that all countries come to Cop27 in the spirit [addressing Guterres] you champion of climate justice for all.

Patrick Greenfield

Some cafes and restaurants have run out of food and water at the Cop27, according to delegates, with long queues across the site in Sharm El-Sheikh.

“Everyone is asking where to get food. It’s really hard to find vegetarian food especially. Yesterday there was only meat options,” said one delegate from a European country.

The lack of sustenance is understood to be affecting negotiations, with no food left for delegates on Saturday during overnight talks.

“In the grab and go places, they told us there is no food left. It’s better organised than Glasgow – the queues were terrible in Scotland – but food here is a problem. It really matters!” said a delegate from an NGO waiting in a queue.

Long queues could be seen across the site, with some saying they had been waiting 45 minutes to get a snack.

“This is the third time I’ve tried to queue for food. In some places, the water has run out. I’ve still not got food,” said a woman waiting in a queue. “I’m hoping for something to keep me going for the day but there’s only croissants.”

The Cop27 presidency has been contacted for comment.

Hello! I’m Helena Horton, an environment reporter at the Guardian, and I’ll be taking you through Cop27 for the rest of the day.

While looking at the online agenda for the opening ceremony, my colleague Damian Carrington spotted that King Charles was listed as speaking. Could he be making a surprise video appearance, like that by the late Queen at Cop26 last year?

We asked the Palace, and they said he was listed in error. A spokesperson said: “I’m afraid that information is incorrect, he will not be making an appearance or statement in any shape or form, virtual or otherwise.”

The monarch was earlier advised by Rishi Sunak not to attend the climate event, despite his decades of campaigning on the subject. But the fact he was listed perhaps suggests his attendance was expected.

The king last week hosted a Cop27 event at Buckingham Palace, attended by important figures from around the world, to start off the summit.