Folk icon Joan Baez is convinced the planet is doomed and unstoppable global warming will destroy the human race.

The singer/songwriter is adamant efforts to tackle climate change are futile "little victories" and insists mankind cannot be saved.

She tells Mojo magazine, "I've never been an optimist, not since I was 15. I'm a realist, which I think is much closer to pessimism than optimism. This world is f**king falling apart, and I don't think it even matters who's quibbling with who.

"Global warming's going to get us and that's going to be it. That's something I don't want to say around young people, but what I can say is, 'Little victories and big defeats,' because if we recognise what it is we're up against we can still function and be decent and compassionate and do for others. Maybe that's the best that can happen right now."