United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has accused oil and gas interests of obstructing global efforts to tackle climate change, urging world leaders to end dependence on fossil fuels.
Guterres made the call on Wednesday while delivering a speech during the High-Level Segment for Heads of State and Government at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, at the Antalya Expo Center in Antalya, Turkey. He urged world leaders at COP31 to “end the fossil fuel addiction”.
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs, but that won’t happen on its own. The dinosaurs did not have a lobby, but fossil fuels do,” he said.
The UN chief criticised the influence of the oil and gas industry on climate policies, accusing fossil fuel interests of distorting scientific evidence, delaying government action and avoiding accountability.
He also urged governments to tax the windfall profits of oil companies, arguing that the industry continues to benefit financially while contributing to environmental destruction.
“The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us,” Guterres told world leaders at the summit.
The two-week COP31 conference, which began earlier this week and runs until November 20, is taking place amid growing concerns over extreme weather events, including heatwaves and wildfires in Europe and deadly floods in Nepal.
However, expectations for major breakthroughs remain low as countries grapple with energy market pressures and geopolitical tensions arising from conflicts involving the United States, Iran and Russia.
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Since agreeing in 2023 to transition away from fossil fuels, the main drivers of climate change, countries have struggled to translate the commitment into concrete action at subsequent annual climate negotiations.
Guterres, who has made climate action a central priority since assuming office in 2017, is attending his final UN climate summit before his tenure ends in December.
Several world leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, are expected to address the high-level segment of the conference.
However, the absence of several prominent leaders has raised concerns about the level of political commitment to the negotiations.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are among those not attending.
US President Donald Trump is also absent, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is represented by Vice President Han Zheng.
The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies and biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, making their participation crucial to international climate negotiations.
COP31 host Turkey is promoting a voluntary initiative aimed at accelerating the electrification of transport, buildings and industry, with a target of increasing electricity’s share of global energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035.
Meanwhile, climate campaigners have welcomed the expected participation of Brazilian President Lula, who has championed efforts to reduce deforestation.
The conference is scheduled to end on November 20, with governments facing renewed pressure to turn climate commitments into concrete action.
CHANNELS TV
