UN chief Guterres visits Antarctica ahead of COP 28

The two arrived at Chile’s Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva air force base and from there set off to see the Collins and Nelson Glaciers. They also stopped to see penguins and other native species at Kopaitic Island.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said the Arctic and Antarctic poles have “severely suffered” from the effects of climate change.

Guterres will speak on his experience during the UN climate summit COP28 in Dubai next week, where he will “call for action that matches the scale of the crisis we face”, according to the United Nations.

World leaders will convene for the annual conference with the aim of keeping the Paris Agreement warming target of 1.5C alive. As they stand, countries’ emissions pledges would still put the world on track to warm by nearly 3 degrees Celsius this century, according to a UN analysis released on Monday (November 20).