The "climate time bomb is ticking," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as he urged wealthy nations to reduce emissions sooner on Monday. This was in response to a new scientific assessment that said there was not much time left to address climate change.

He claimed that in the last 50 years, temperatures have been rising at their fastest rate in 2,000 years. "It has been at least 2 million years since carbon dioxide concentrations have been this high. "The time bomb for climate change is ticking."

In a speech that was recorded, Guterres referred to the sixth "synthesis report" of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as "a survival guide for humanity" and urged developed nations to make a commitment to achieving net zero emissions by the earlier deadline of roughly 2040.

The findings of three expert assessments published between 2021 and 2022 on the physical science, impacts, and mitigation of climate change were summarized in the synthesis report. The summary report is intended to provide policymakers with clarity as they consider additional action to reduce emissions.

"We have the tools to stave off and reduce the risks of the worst impacts of the climate crisis, but we must take advantage of this moment to act now," said US climate envoy John Kerry.

After a week of deliberation in Interlaken, Switzerland, the 37-page report was distilled from thousands of pages of previous assessments.

This year's global "stocktake" on climate change, in which nations evaluate their progress, will also use the document as a guide. Nations must also update their climate commitments by 2025, according to the 2015 Paris Agreement.

According to the IPCC, emissions must be cut in half by the middle of the 2030s if the world is to have any chance of keeping temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, a major goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement.

IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee declared, "If we act now, we still have time to ensure a future that is both livable and sustainable for everyone."

Globally, extreme weather events are increasing due to average temperatures that are already 1.1 °C higher than levels between 1850 and 1900.

According to co-author of the synthesis report Frank Jotzo of Australian National University, "In the words of very senior colleagues in the IPCC, we're up the proverbial creek."

According to observers, the language surrounding finances and the anticipated effects of climate change, as well as the problem of "equity" and climate justice for poorer countries, were the main points of contention.

Additionally, some governments wished to emphasize their own preferred climate solutions, such as solar energy or carbon capture.

Additionally, some governments wished to highlight their own preferred climate solutions, such as carbon capture or solar energy.

If the world is to have any chance of achieving the necessary reductions in emissions, the IPCC advises accelerating the switch to green energy and changing eating and farming practices.

As sea levels rose quickly, Arctic ice melted, and the likelihood of catastrophic and irreversible "tipping points" increased, the report also issued a warning about more extreme weather. In addition, they claimed that almost half of humanity was already at risk from climate change.

In essence, Guterres stated that "in short, our world needs climate action on all fronts—everything, everywhere, all at once"—to combat climate change.