Earth has just fallen into a 'danger zone' unprecedented in 2 million years

A shocking report has just been released by a special advisory panel of the United Nations, which warns of a series of disasters threatening the Earth, including a once-in-a-century "great flood" that will return every year.

Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - an important advisory body of the United Nations (UN) - met in Switzerland, where glaciers are melting, to release a report with chilling figures, according to the BBC.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report was a "survival guide" for humanity.

The report found that concentrations of the global warming gas CO2 in the atmosphere are at their highest level in 2 million years. _The world is warmer than at any time in the past 125,000 years and will continue to get hotter in the coming decades.

The map shows "death zones" with dangerous temperatures for all species if the Earth continues to warm at levels of 1.5 - 2 - 3 - 4 degrees Celsius - (Photo: IPCC/BCC).

This is a "prophecy" for a future that seems only possible in movies, for example extreme coastal flooding that used to occur once a century is expected to occur at least annually at half the world's tide gauge locations by 2100.

However, the report also asserts that rapid cuts in fossil fuels could prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

It won't be easy. 'The window of opportunity to ensure a liveable and sustainable future for all is closing fast,' the IPCC wrote; while Mr Guterres added that this would require all countries to come up with plans to cut emissions to zero within a decade.

Responding to the IPCC, the chair of the Alliance of Small Island States Fatumanava-o-Upolu III - Dr Pa'olelei Luteru - said: "While our people are being displaced from their homes and climate commitments are not being met, the fossil fuel industry is benefiting with billions of dollars in profits."

How the Earth is "heating" by region with different average increases - (Photo: IPCC/BCC).

IPCC authors are optimistic that significant changes can be achieved, pointing to major drops in energy prices due to the development of solar and wind power.

They also argue that changes in diet, food waste and switching to low-carbon transport could significantly cut emissions from many sectors.

But the report also acknowledges that in addition to achieving net zero emissions as soon as possible, large-scale use of CO2 removal technology will be _needed .