COP31: Guterres calls for urgent action in the face of the climate crisis

At the COP31 climate summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged world leaders to end their reliance on fossil fuels, highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis. He criticized the fossil fuel industry for obstructing the energy transition and distorting scientific facts. Guterres emphasized that current emission reduction commitments are inadequate, risking a temperature rise of 2.5°C by century's end. He called for a new 'climate justice pact' to support vulnerable nations and proposed taxing the extraordinary profits of oil companies to fund climate recovery efforts. Guterres stressed the need for global cooperation to accelerate the energy transition and warned that the climate crisis is advancing faster than policy responses.