The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that humans and nature are being pushed beyond their abilities to adapt. Over 40% of the world's population are "highly vulnerable" to climate, the study finds.

But there's hope that if the rise in temperatures is kept below 1.5C, it would reduce projected losses. Just four months on from COP26, where world leaders committed themselves to rapid action on climate change, this new UN study shows the scale of their task.

"Our report clearly indicates that places where people live and work may cease to exist, that ecosystems and species that we've all grown up with and that are central to our cultures and inform our languages may disappear," said Prof Debra Roberts, co-chair of the IPCC.

"So, this is really a key moment. Our report points out very clearly, this is the decade of action, if we are going to turn things around."

This report from the IPCC is the second of three reviews from the world's foremost body of climate researchers. The report is a stark account of the fierce consequences that the world is already experiencing, like growing numbers of people dying from heat. The report shows that extreme weather events linked to climate change like floods and heatwaves are hitting humans and other species much harder than previous assessments indicated.