The United Nations chief has urged every country to plan a clear exit from fossil fuels. Speaking at a climate summit in New York, António Guterres asked for credible roadmaps with firm timelines. He noted that emissions keep rising when they should be falling sharply. Fossil fuel expansion, he said, continues to defy science, economics, and common sense. He also warned that scientists now expect the world to temporarily pass the 1.5-degree warming limit. The task is to keep that overshoot as small and as short as possible.
The message also offered a map of solutions. Renewable energy, he argued, is now the cheapest and fastest source of new electricity almost everywhere. He called for tripling renewable capacity, doubling energy efficiency, and ending deforestation. Growing electricity demand, including from artificial intelligence, should be met with clean power. He asked wealthy nations to mobilize at least 300 billion dollars a year for developing countries. The G20, responsible for about 80 percent of emissions, must lead the way.