The top UN climate official used jarring, controversial framing in a stark speech in London on Wednesday, claiming we only have "two years left to save the world."

Why it matters: Simon Stiell's speech laid out the stakes for meeting the Paris targets before multiple international gatherings, elections and deadlines, starting with World Bank-IMF spring meetings next week.

Yes, but: The headline of his talk at the Chatham House think tank is garnering the most attention.

• His presentation risks straying into the land of climate doomers, but it is about the timeline of the Paris Agreement, not evidence showing the globe has a two-year window to avert climate catastrophe.
• The accord calls for countries to submit their next national climate targets by 2025, covering the period out to 2035.
• Stiell made the case for stronger pre-2030 targets to be made ASAP, noting current plans "in aggregate would barely cut emissions at all by 2030."

Zoom in: Significantly, Stiell also called for a "new deal" on climate finance to be negotiated at COP 29 in Baku.

• It would provide vastly more abundant and flexible funding to help countries withstand climate impacts and transition away from fossil fuels, he said.
• In a message with relevance to the U.S., he said demand-side measures, such as carbon pricing, are needed to "speed up the decline of fossil fuels."
• He also warned against governments, and voters, deemphasizing climate ahead of pivotal elections.

The bottom line: Stiell sees a time crunch approaching that could have long-lasting repercussions.