Humanity has ‘opened gates to hell’ by letting climate crisis worsen, UN secretary warns

Antonio Guterres opened United Nations climate ambition summit with attack on wealthy countries and the fossil fuel industry

Humanity has opened the gates to hell" by allowing the climate crisis to worsen, the secretary general of the United Nations has warned at a climate summit of leaders that saw angry denunciations of the fossil fuel industry but was undercut by the absence of many of the biggest carbon-emitting countries.

Antonio Guterres opened the UN climate ambition summit, held in New York on Wednesday, with a lacerating attack on wealthy countries and the fossil fuel industry for their ponderous response to the climate crisis.