United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has criticized the influence of the fossil fuel industry on global climate policymaking, urging governments to accelerate the transition away from coal, oil and gas and strengthen efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Addressing the leaders' summit at the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya on Wednesday, Guterres accused fossil fuel interests of distorting climate science, delaying policy decisions and weakening accountability.
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs,” he told world leaders. “The dinosaurs did not have a lobby. But fossil fuels do.”
He called for a faster, fairer and more orderly transition to renewable energy, warning that existing climate commitments remain insufficient to address the growing climate crisis.
Guterres's remarks highlighted the continuing struggle to translate international climate commitments into concrete action.
At COP28 in Dubai in 2023, countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action during the critical decade.
However, progress towards implementing that commitment has remained uneven, with governments facing political, economic and industry-related pressures over reducing fossil fuel dependence.
The UN chief argued that powerful fossil fuel interests continue to obstruct the policies needed to accelerate decarbonization.
He stressed that the transition must also protect workers, vulnerable communities and developing economies from disproportionate economic and social costs.
His intervention came as leaders of China, the United States and India, the world's three largest greenhouse gas emitters, were absent from the summit.
Although their absence does not mean the countries are unrepresented in the negotiations, it highlights the challenge of securing stronger political leadership from major economies.
Their domestic energy policies and emissions commitments remain crucial to achieving global climate targets.
For developing countries, the actions of major emitters also have implications for climate finance, technology transfer and support for adaptation.
Guterres also framed the renewable energy transition as an economic and energy security priority.
He said approximately three-quarters of humanity live in countries that import fossil fuels, exposing their economies to international conflicts, volatile energy markets and sudden increases in fuel prices.
Heavy dependence on imported coal, oil and gas can increase pressure on national budgets, inflation and household expenditure.
Expanding renewable energy and improving energy efficiency could help countries reduce exposure to external shocks while cutting emissions.
However, developing economies need adequate financing, technology and international cooperation to ensure that the transition does not undermine affordable and reliable energy access.
Guterres warned that current national climate commitments fall significantly short of what is required to limit global warming.
He said global emissions need to decline by approximately 6% annually, while existing national climate plans, including commitments conditional on international support, would deliver at best only around one-third of the necessary reductions.
Even if current pledges were fully implemented, the world could face warming of more than 2.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, he warned.
Such a trajectory would intensify extreme heat, floods, droughts, sea-level rise and other climate-related disasters, placing vulnerable populations at greater risk.
The warning reinforces concerns that current climate action remains inconsistent with the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement.
Guterres's message carries particular significance for Bangladesh, a climate-vulnerable country facing rising temperatures, coastal erosion, salinity intrusion, cyclones and increasingly unpredictable rainfall.
These challenges threaten agriculture, public health, water security, livelihoods and long-term economic development.
For Bangladesh and other developing countries, the global transition away from fossil fuels must be accompanied by predictable climate finance, affordable clean-energy technologies and stronger international support for adaptation.
A just transition must recognize differences in countries' economic capacities and development needs, ensuring that vulnerable economies are not left to shoulder the costs of a crisis they contributed relatively little to creating.
Concluding his address, Guterres urged governments to confront their dependence on fossil fuels and match their climate commitments with decisive action.
“It's time to kick the habit and end the fossil-fuel addiction,” he said.
Delivering a final message to political leaders, he added: “It's make or bake time.”
His intervention has renewed pressure on governments at COP31 to move beyond declarations, accelerate renewable energy deployment and deliver meaningful emissions reductions.
As negotiations continue in Antalya, the challenge remains whether political commitments can translate into the financial resources, policies and practical action needed to protect the planet and its most vulnerable communities.
