The world needs ambitious solutions that will keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) goal within reach and to leave no voice behind to reach this important goal, a high-level UN official said Sunday.

The UN Climate Change Conference, also knowns as COP26, began in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday with new pledges expected to be announced in the fight against climate change.

"We have no choice but to make COP26 a success. For that, we need unity of purpose," said Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

She said the world needs to leave Glasgow with a balanced package of decisions that reflects the positions of all countries.

The devastating loss of lives this year due to extreme weather events clarifies how important it is to convene COP26 despite the impacts of the pandemic still being felt, she also underlined.

"We are on track for a global temperature rise of 2.7C, while we should be heading for the 1.5C goal," she highlighted as one of the goals of the Glasgow conference.

"Clearly, we are in a climate emergency. Clearly, we need to address it. Clearly, we need to support the most vulnerable to cope," she added.

The cost of adapting to climate change in developing nations could reach $300 billion in 2030, according to the latest report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

That figure could get up to $500 billion in 2050 if mitigation targets are not met.

What is COP?

COP, an abbreviation for the Conference of the Parties, is being attended by countries that have signed onto the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The numbered COP gatherings are hosted by a different country each year, with the very first, COP1, in Berlin in 1995.

COP26 was originally scheduled to take place last November in Glasgow, but was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic and is now being hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy.

The last conference was in Madrid, Spain in November 2019, and ended with issues unresolved, but an agreement was reached on cutting carbon dioxide emissions.

Which world leaders will attend?

Over 100 world leaders are expected to attend the conference, but the number of actually confirmed attendees is so far smaller.

Along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leaders who have confirmed their attendance includes US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The presidents of Russia and China – two countries that are among the world's top five main sources of greenhouse gases – have reportedly confirmed that they would not attend the event./aa

The past seven years are on track to be the warmest on record, with the global sea level rise accelerating since 2013 to a new high in 2021, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)'s latest report revealed on Sunday.

The WMO released its provisional report on the State of the Global Climate 2021 on the opening day of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, until Nov. 12.

Combining input from multiple UN agencies, national meteorological and hydrological services, and scientific experts, the report said this year witnessed an early temporary cooling event, but this did not negate or reverse the long-term trend of rising temperatures.

"The report draws from the latest scientific evidence to show how our planet is changing before our eyes. From the ocean depths to mountain tops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events, ecosystems and communities around the globe are being devastated," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report. "COP26 must be a turning point for people and the planet."

He said the scientists are clear on the facts. "Now leaders need to be just as clear in their actions. The door is open and the solutions are there. COP26 must be a turning point. We must act now with ambition and solidarity to safeguard our future and save humanity," he urged.

Greenhouse gas concentrations reached new highs in 2020, the WMO report revealed.

Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) were 413.2 parts per million (ppm) by increasing 149% compared to the pre-industrial (1,750) levels.

The levels of methane (CH4) were at 1,889 parts per billion (ppb) and nitrous oxide (N2O) at 333.2 ppb, 262% and 123% higher than pre-industrial levels, respectively.

The global mean temperature for 2021 was about 1.09 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average based on data from January to September, indicating that the trend has continued, according to the report.

The six datasets used by the WMO in the report placed 2021 as the sixth or seventh warmest year on record globally. However, the report said, the ranking may change at the end of the year.

The year 2016 remained the warmest year on record in most of the datasets analyzed.

"Extreme events are the new norm. There is mounting scientific evidence that some of these bear the footprint of human-induced climate change," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said.

He warned that the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas emissions would result in a temperature rise of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by 2100, exceeding the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"COP26 is a make-or-break opportunity to put us back on track," Taalas said.

Malnutrition, conflict, economic shocks increase

According to the report, around 90% of the earth's accumulated heat is stored in the ocean, and the upper 2,000 meters depth of the ocean continued to warm in 2019, reaching a new record high, however, 2020 exceeded it.

"All datasets agree that ocean warming rates show a particularly strong increase in the past two decades, and it is expected that the ocean will continue to warm in the future," it said.

Much of the ocean experienced at least one strong marine heatwave at some point in 2021, the WMO said.

The ocean absorbs around 23% of the annual emissions of anthropogenic CO2 to the atmosphere.

Global sea-level rise averaged 2.1 millimeters per year between 1993 and 2002, and 4.4 millimeters per year between 2013 and 2021, the report found.

The WMO said the increase is mostly due to the accelerated loss of ice mass from glaciers and ice sheets.

The mass loss from North American glaciers has accelerated in the last 20 years by almost doubling between 2015 and 2019 compared to 2000-2004.

"An exceptionally warm, dry summer in 2021 in western North America took a brutal toll on the region's mountain glaciers," the report stated.

From extreme rainfall to significant drought in many parts of the world this year, the report said the extreme weather conditions led to deaths, caused flooding and landslides, damaged coffee growing regions, increased agricultural losses.

A malnutrition crisis associated with drought gripped parts of the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, the WMO said.

The report also highlighted the socioeconomic impacts of rising temperatures, citing the increasing frequency and intensity of conflict, extreme weather events, and economic shocks.

"The compounded effects of these perils, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a rise in hunger and, consequently, undermined decades of progress towards improving food security," the report said.

Undernourishment reached a peak of 768 million people in 2020 with projections indicating that world hunger will fall to around 710 million this year.

However, the report said, the numbers in many countries are already higher than in 2020./aa

The UN Climate Change Conference, also knowns as COP26, began in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday with new pledges expected to be announced in the fight against climate change.

The main goal at the summit, which has convened nearly 25,000 delegates from 200 countries, will be to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by taking swift and concrete action as well as financing those steps.

The summit will be the first to assess the progress in the fight against the climate crisis, which is now widely seen as the world's greatest challenge, since the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which intends to reduce carbon emissions.

The first goal of the summit, which will conclude on Nov. 12, is to secure global net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century and to keep 1.5C within reach.

The countries are being asked “to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century.”

Another goal of the summit is to “work together to enable and encourage countries affected by climate change to protect and restore ecosystems and build defenses, warning systems, and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives.”

Mobilizing finance and working together to deliver the targets are the two other goals at COP26.

The COP26 expects broader steps from countries that contribute the most of emissions across the globe, including the US, China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, Iran, and Canada.

The current policies in the world can only achieve a 20% reduction in global emissions by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.

Meanwhile, data from the UN Environment Program (UNEP) suggests that there is a risk that global temperatures will rise by 2.7C (4.9F) by the end of the century under current policies.

The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to “well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.”

“To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century.”

Last best hope

“The world must act now to keep 1.5 alive,” said COP26 President Alok Sharma in his opening remarks.

“Six years ago, in Paris, we agreed (on) our shared goals. COP26 is our last best hope to keep 1.5 in reach,” he added.

Sharma said: “I believe we can move negotiations forward and launch a decade of ever-increasing ambition and action... but we need to hit the ground running.

“If we act now and we act together, we can protect our precious promise and ensure where Paris promised, Glasgow delivers.”/agencies

A top Iranian military official has blamed the United States and “Israel” for this week’s cyberattack on Iran's gas distribution network.

Brig. Gen. Gholam Reza Jalali, who heads Iran's Civil Defense Organization, told state TV that the massive cyberattack was part of the "wave of US-Israeli attacks" that previously targeted Iran's railway system in July 2021 and Shahid Rajaei Port in May 2020.

The attack, which took place last Tuesday and targeted the software that supports smart card payment for subsidized fuel, caused widespread disruption and chaos at gas stations across Iran.

While officials initially played it down as a "technical glitch", it was later confirmed to be a high-intensity cyberattack.

Jalali said the latest attack followed the same modus operandi as in the previous two attacks, blaming it on the US and Israel.

"In our opinion, the planners of these attacks are definitely the Americans and the Zionist (Israeli) regime," he asserted.

Giving details about the attack, which brought the country's vast fuel delivery system to a halt, the official said it targeted "the middleware" in the system, which made it difficult to thwart it.

He warned that a "serious infrastructure cyber warfare" is underway against Iran that should be "taken seriously" and "weaknesses rectified".

On Wednesday, Abolhassan Firoozabadi, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, said the attack was apparently carried out by a foreign country, without giving out names.

His statement was followed by Iran’s top security official's remarks on Twitter, saying the “enemy’s goal” of stoking unrest through the gas crisis had been foiled.

"Although the front line of passive defense was inactivated by a cyberattack, the backline thwarted the enemy's goal of rioting in Iran through coordinated and timely action of the executive, security, and media agencies," Ali Shamkhani tweeted.

Following the attack, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi called for robust measures to "anticipate and prevent" such attacks, which he said were aimed at "disrupting people's lives".

While officials at the oil ministry said the subsidized fuel has been restored at more than half of gas stations across the country, full restoration is expected to take more time./agencies

With 82 countries at risk of missing a global vaccination target by end of this year, the World Health Organization chief on Saturday urged nations that have reached 40% vaccination target to swap delivery schedules with vaccine sharing facilities.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus told a meeting of the G20 summit in Rome that 7 billion vaccine doses against COVID-19 have been administered globally, but issued caution.

“Low-income countries, most of them in Africa, have received just 0.4% of those vaccines; more than 80% have gone to G20 countries,” said Tedros.

He explained that vaccine equity is not charity but is in every country’s best interests.

“We welcome your support for WHO’s targets to vaccinate 40% of the population of all countries by the end of this year and 70% by mid-2022,” said Tedros, adding that 82 countries are at risk of missing that target.

“For most, the barrier is not absorptive capacity; it’s insufficient supply.”

Tedros called on those countries that have already reached the 40% target to swap their vaccine delivery schedules with COVAX, the global facility to achieve vaccine equity, and AVAT, the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.

When the G2O met less than a year ago, 1.5 million people had lost their lives to COVID-19, and a year later, the toll is 5 million, said the WHO chief.

“We ask you to support local vaccine production in Africa,” he said and called on countries that have promised to donate vaccines to make urgently good on those promises.

He also pleaded with G20 nations to fully fund the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, which needs $23.4 billion over the next 12 months to get tests, treatments, and vaccines to where they are needed most.

Tedros called for support for an ambitious G20 Joint Finance-Health Task Force linked to a financial fund for additional pandemic preparedness and response financing.

The WHO chief also urged the G20 nations to adopt a treaty or international agreement rooted in the constitution of WHO and invest in a strengthened, financed WHO./aa

At least three children were killed and two others wounded in a missile attack in southwestern Yemen, local sources said Saturday.

The attack hit a residential area in the Taiz province, said the sources.

Reports on social media claimed that the missile was fired by the Houthi group, while the rebels have yet to comment on the incident or claim responsibility for the attack.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government exacerbated the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates./aa

At least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured in a car bomb blast near the airport in Yemen’s southern Aden city on Saturday, according to an official.

Airport spokesman Adel Hamran told Anadolu Agency that the bomb-laden vehicle exploded at the entrance of the international airport in the port city of Aden.

Among the casualties were security officers, he also said.

Nearby vehicles burst into flames as some houses were damaged due to the blast, he stated.

There is no claim of responsibility for the attack yet.

Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen, experiences regular attacks that target government officials and public figures.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates./aa

At least eight civilians were killed in the latest attack blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s northeastern Beni territory, a local official said Saturday.

The overnight attack took place in several villages in the Ruwenzori sector, including Bulongo, Kazarahoyo, and Kidungu, in North Kivu province, according to Willy Malikidogo, chief of Kilya locality.

At Kazarahoyo, the attackers killed five civilians while in Bulongo, two people were killed, all men, he told reporters.

In another incident, a motorcyclist was shot dead in Kidungu, Malikidogo added.

“We must not give in to the enemy’s maneuver. We must join forces to fight them. Let us collaborate with the army and denounce any suspicious cases,” he urged people.

Meleki Mulala, a coordinator for civil society in the region, said the death toll could rise.

The attackers set fire to a vehicle that was parked in Bulongo before abducting three children and looting several cows from residents, Mulala said.

Last week, 18 civilians were killed and several houses were set on fire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an attack attributed to the ADF rebel group in various villages in Beni territory.

President Felix Tshisekedi declared a “state of siege” in May in Ituri and North Kivu, replacing senior civilian officials in the state with army officers in a bid to curb growing insecurity.

Some 944 civilians have been killed in North Kivu and Ituri since the state of siege was declared, according to Kivu Security Tracker, a monitor focused on violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo./aa

A major “Israeli” Internet company was hacked, causing a state of “complete paralysis”, according to “Israeli” media on Saturday.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said the Black Shadow group, believed to be Iranian, was behind the hacking of the “Israeli” Cyberserve, an “Israeli” web hosting company that has been operating since 1997.

The data seized by the hackers covers a wide range of companies such as tour operator Pegasus, the Cannes blog, and others.

The Black Shadow Group is also responsible for last year’s attacks on “Israeli” companies, most notably Shirbit Insurance and KLS Auto Finance.

On Tuesday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that another Iranian group named The Stick of Moses had leaked accurate details, including the names, addresses, ranks, and units of hundreds of “Israeli” soldiers and officers.

The attack came days after Iranian authorities reported a major cyberattack on the country’s gas station system, disrupting the sale of subsidized fuel to consumers.

Recently, the Manufacturers Association (responsible for more than 95% of industrial production in “Israel”) announced that hundreds of “Israeli” companies paid hackers more than $1 billion in ransom in 2020./aa