Impact of climate crisis much worse than predicted, says Alok Sharma

Minister who led Cop26 climate talks issues stark warning on eve of landmark report from IPCC

The impacts of the climate crisis are proving much worse than predicted, and governments must act more urgently to adapt to them or face global disaster, the UK president of the UN climate talks has warned on the eve of a landmark new scientific assessment of the climate.

Alok Sharma, who led the Cop26 climate summit last year, said: The changes in the climate we are seeing today are affecting us much sooner and are greater than we originally thought. The impacts on our daily lives will be increasingly severe and stark. We will be doing ourselves and our populations a huge disservice if we fail to prepare now, based on the very clear science before us."