Guterres calls on countries to set clear timelines for transition away from fossil fuels

“We are the first generation with the tools to end the fossil fuel age – and the last who can avert climate catastrophe,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, calling on countries to draw up credible roadmaps with clear timelines to transition away from fossil fuels.

The appeal came in the middle of High-Level Week at UN Headquarters in New York, where the UN Climate Summit 2026 brought together leaders from major economies, vulnerable countries and major energy producers – alongside consumers – to push for faster climate action and greater cooperation. “The world is crying out for climate justice – in mitigation, in adaptation, in finance. We must answer that call with action,” Mr. Guterres urged.

The UN chief decried the fact that greenhouse gas emissions continue rising when they should be plummeting. “Fossil fuel expansion continues – defying science, economics, and common sense,” he said, adding that fossil fuel companies are “banking windfall profits – while everyday people foot the bill.”

Scientists now expect the world to temporarily exceed the 1.5°C limit for warming above pre-industrial levels set under the 2015 Paris Agreement. The challenge, the UN chief said, is to make that overshoot as small and as short as possible.

Read more>>

Source: The UN