A five-year window to fight climate change

Hello. The UN has called for a ban on ads by fossil fuel companies. Matt McGrath and Mark Poynting explain the renewed urgency to reduce carbon emissions. In northern Israel, Lucy Williamson talks to a kibbutz resident who has been tackling wildfires caused by Hezbollah rockets. We're also hearing the accounts of D-Day veterans, 80 years after the landing in Normandy proved crucial in liberating Nazi-occupied northern Europe during World War Two.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

UN targets oil firms as climate risk grows

More than 50 people died in India at the start of the month as a brutal heat wave gripped the country. Credit: EPA

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for a global advertising ban on fossil fuel companies, accusing them of deceiving the public about climate change for decades. The remarks came as a group of leading climate scientists released an update on the risk of causing more than 1.5C (2.7F) of warming - a threshold crucial to help avoid devastating environmental changes.

How close are we to breaching the 1.5C (2.7F) climate target?

The scientists estimate that from the start of 2024 the world could only emit around 200 billion more tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) for a 50/50 chance of keeping warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial averages - meaning before 1850-1900, when we began burning vast amounts of fossil fuels to power our industries. At current rates of emissions, this "carbon budget" could be exhausted by 2029.

Is there any good news from their report?

There has been some recent progress, with particularly rapid growth in renewable wind and solar electricity. Greenhouse gas emissions are also showing signs of plateauing - but they are still at record highs. They need to fall quickly if global targets have a chance of being met, with every fraction of a degree of warming worsening climate impacts.

Why do fractions of degrees matter?

In the words of Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization: "The difference between 1.5C and say 2C could mean [...] dire consequences, for coastal communities, for fragile ecosystems, and the biodiversity that is contained within them, and for glaciers and the frozen parts of the world."

THE BIG PICTURE

Returning to Normandy, 80 years later

Jack Mortimer, who is 100 years old, returns to Sword Beach in Normandy, France, where he landed on D-Day. Credit: BBC

D-Day veteran Jack Mortimer rejects the label of "hero" for survivors like him. "The heroes are those who don't come back," he says. His testimony is one of many gathered by a special BBC project to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied troops' landing in Normandy. Find all our veterans' stories.

And finally...

A stunning photograph of steaming rice cakes, taken in a rural area of eastern China, has won a food photography prize. A rhubarb puzzle and a hanging fish are among other scrumptious snaps winning an award. Take a look - if you're not too hungry.