'Uninhabitable hell’: world headed for unmitigated climate disaster if action not taken soon, UN report says

A “staggering” rise in climate disasters has marked the first 20 years of the 21st century, and industrial nations are “failing miserably” to reduce climate-change-enhancing emissions, a United Nations agency said Tuesday, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. The UN Office on Disaster Risk Reduction issued an urgent call to countries, especially industrialized nations, to better prepare for catastrophic events of all kinds, from earthquakes and tsunamis to the new coronavirus. “Disaster management agencies have succeeded in saving many lives through improved preparedness and the dedication of staff and volunteers,” agency chief Mami Mizutori, who is also special representative of the secretary general for disaster risk reduction, said in a statement.