The latest on COP27 -- this year's annual UN summit on climate change

When youre in one, stop digging. Gore called for massive amounts of private capital to be unlocked in order to fund the transition to clean energy, saying this would provide the trillions, not billions, needed. Egyptian authorities closed off several roads on Monday around the venue where the UN climate summit is taking place in the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Former US Vice-President Al Gore made an impassioned call Monday for leaders to “choose life over death” by ending the use of fossil fuels that are stoking climate change.

Gore, a long-time environmental campaigner who was among the first to raise the alarm about climate change, told leaders at this year's UN climate summit in Egypt that they should turn away from destructive behaviour, insisting that “we have other choices” in the form of renewable energy.

“We need to obey the first law of holes,” he said. “When you're in one, stop digging.” Gore called for massive amounts of private capital to be unlocked in order to fund the transition to clean energy, saying this would provide the trillions, not billions, needed.

___ Egyptian authorities closed off several roads on Monday around the venue where the UN climate summit is taking place in the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Nearly 50 heads of states or governments on Monday have taken the stage the first day of “high-level” international climate talks.

As the leaders headed to the conference, police closed off some roads and redirected some routes. Delegates and journalists arrived late to their events.

Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, arrived late at Bloomberg/Sustainable Energy for All event which was held at a luxury hotel in Sharm.

“I apologise for being late,” he told the event participants. “They closed all the roads and you've never seen as many empty roads in your life.” ___ Environmental campaigners warned Monday that the fossil fuel industry has been “emboldened” by the current global energy crunch and efforts by some countries to invest in new gas projects, particularly in Africa.

Tasneem Essop of the Climate Action Network claimed fossil fuel companies were attending the current UN climate talks in Egypt “in numbers” to influence negotiations.

She urged the United Nations to put in place policies that prevent those companies from taking part in the annual meeting in future, alleging that they are engaged in “a massive greenwashing exercise”.

___ Nigeria's Environment Minister Mohammed Abdullahi called for wealthy nations to show “positive and affirmative” commitments to help those developing countries that are the hardest hit by climate change.

He said Monday that even though nations are “strongly divided”, there must be “urgent and decisive action from the countries most responsible for the emissions and, of course, climate change”.

“The blame game should stop,” he said, adding that the country would be “aggressive” during negotiations about financing and reparations for vulnerable countries.