All is not lost, Simon Stiell, the UN's climate chief, told the Guardian last week. But the latest planetary health check from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research is a brutal reminder of how close the Earth is being pushed beyond repair. Seven of the nine planetary boundaries are now breached, with ocean acidification added to the danger list. Yet the world has proved that cooperation works: the ozone layer is healing, air pollution controls are working.
Richard Muyungi, the climate envoy and adviser to the president of Tanzania, said: Africa is ready to be part of [the global fight to stave off climate breakdown] provided we are supported with finance, technology and capacity-building. There has been an increase of investments in some areas but Africa still needs a lot of financing to be able to be part of the global solution, and to address the challenges we are facing.