COP27 is soon to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, with leaders deliberating on the crucial action needed to curb the worst impacts of climate change. We talk with Prof Mark Howden, Vice-Chair of the IPCC, and Mr Choi Yeeting, Kiribati Presidential Advisor for Climate, to discuss the updated climate science impacting Pacific countries since the last COP meeting in Glasgow, setting the scene for what is at stake in Egypt.