Sharma urges world to act fast to stop climate change catastrophe

BRITAIN'S climate chief has warned that the world is running out of time to stop a climate change catastrophe.

Alok Sharma, who will be leading COP26, the climate summit hosted by the UK this year - said the effects are already there with floods, wildfires and heatwaves.

"We can't afford to wait two years, five years, 10 years - this is the moment," he told the Observer in an interview.

But he defended his decision to travel to more than 30 countries in seven months.

His interview comes ahead of United Nations' report on Monday (9) by the climate change researchers.

The report is expected to give details about how world's oceans, ice caps and land will change in the next decades.

Sharma warned that if action is not taken it would be "catastrophic".

"I don't think there's any other word for it," he said. "You're seeing on a daily basis what is happening across the world. Last year was the hottest on record, the last decade the hottest decade on record."

He added: "We're seeing the impacts across the world - in the UK or the terrible flooding we've seen across Europe and China, or forest fires, the record temperatures that we've seen in North America. Every day you will see a new high being recorded in one way or another across the world."

Glasgow is set to host the COP26 summit in November - which is the UN climate change conference. Leaders from 196 countries will meet and agree to act to control climate change.

Earlier, Sharma's visit to 30 countries in seven months has been criticised. But in the interview he has defended his trips and said in-person meetings were extremely important.

"It makes a vital difference, to build those personal relationships which are going to be incredibly important as we look to build consensus," he was quoted as saying.