UN Secretary-General António Guterres has delivered a powerful call to action to world leaders, highlighting the intensifying climate crisis and the urgent need for an immediate response. Addressing the General Assembly, Guterres emphasized that while the climate crisis accelerates, so do the potential solutions, with clean energy no longer a future concept but a current reality. He made it clear that no government or industry can halt the shift towards renewable energy, although some attempts to do so pose economic dangers and miss a crucial opportunity for progression.
Fossil fuels, according to Guterres, are increasingly a losing investment, as the majority of new power capacity introduced last year was derived from renewable sources. He pointed out that renewables not only offer a cheaper, faster, and more sustainable option for new power but also create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and offer protection against the volatility of oil and gas markets. Despite this, clean energy investment remains uneven, with fossil fuels receiving public subsidies that heavily outweigh those for clean energy.
Guterres stressed the injustice that those least responsible for climate change suffer its harshest consequences. He highlighted that scientific evidence still supports the possibility of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the century’s end, but the window for action is rapidly closing. In anticipation of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, he urged the G20 to spearhead stronger national climate strategies and accelerate actions in energy, forests, methane, and industrial decarbonization.
A critical part of his address was the call for a credible plan to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance by 2035, particularly for developing countries. Guterres urged the immediate doubling of finance for adaptation to at least $40 billion this year and the rapid deployment of proven tools to unlock more concessional finance. He also emphasized the need to capitalize significantly on the Loss and Damage Fund.
Conclusively, Guterres implored governments, financial institutions, philanthropies, civil society, and the private sector to collaboratively pursue climate justice and action. He reminded that the choice lies with each stakeholder to utilize available solutions and tools to enact meaningful change. This address underscores the critical nexus at which the world stands; poised between inaction and the potential for transformative climate solutions that align with global economic and environmental stability.