Climate-driven disasters are reaching “nightmare proportions” due to humanity’s “addiction” to fossil fuels, a top UN official warned on Tuesday. “The climate alarm is blaring from every direction,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in a statement. “With the mercury set to soar again this week, the awful costs of this climate crisis – both human and economic – are now reaching national emergency levels.” Indeed, smoke from wildfires can travel thousands of kilometres, crossing borders, oceans and continents. Early warnings are keyWMO said that reliable monitoring, forecasting, cross-border data sharing and early warnings are critical to protect lives, livelihoods and ecosystems.