That was the warning on Wednesday of scientists who took part in a special United Nations study of the ocean and the atmosphere.

In its special assessment report, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that global warming is destroying oceans and frozen lands on the Earth, directly threatening most of humanity. Disappearing glaciers, rising sea levels, "dead zones" in the ocean, and toxic algae are some of the negative impacts on oceans and ice shelves. Global warming threatens to reduce fish populations, destroy renewable sources of freshwater, and form dangerous typhoons that destroy big cities every year. These effects will be irreversible.