United Nations secretary general António Guterres has called for an historic pact between developed and emerging economies, warning that “we are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator”.

Guterres told the Cop27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, that a climate solidarity pact would be one “in which all countries make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade in line with the 1.5-degree goal”.

“The two largest economies – the United States and China – have a particular responsibility to join efforts to make this pact a reality,” he said.

Guterres said he believes such a pact is “our only hope” of meeting climate goals. “Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a climate solidarity pact – or a collective suicide pact.”