New York: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has renewed his call for a rapid and equitable transition to clean energy, highlighting a record $2 trillion investment in renewables last year—$800 billion more than in fossil fuels.
Speaking on Friday at the Energy Transition Roundtable in Belém, Brazil, ahead of COP30, Guterres declared that “the fossil fuel age is ending” and urged world leaders to triple renewable capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030 to avert a climate catastrophe.
Underscoring the urgency of the moment, Guterres told global leaders that “the global energy landscape is changing at lightning speed.”
He pointed to data showing that green energy sources accounted for 90% of new power capacity last year, with investment in renewables far outpacing fossil fuels.
“The renewables revolution is here,” he said. “But we must go much faster – and ensure all nations share the benefits.”
This call for acceleration was paired with a warning: even with current national climate plans, global temperatures are projected to rise beyond 2°C above pre-industrial levels — a threshold that could trigger widespread climate disruption.
“That means more floods, more heat, more suffering – everywhere,” Guterres cautioned. To avoid this, he emphasised that emissions must decrease by nearly half by 2030, reach net zero by 2050, and then become net negative.
He then outlined five key areas for action. First, he urged governments to align laws, policies, and incentives with a just energy transition, including the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies.
He emphasised the need to “put people and equity at the centre of the transition,” with targeted support for communities reliant on oil, coal, and gas — especially youth and women.
“Invest in grids, storage, and efficiency,” he added.
“Renewables are surging, infrastructure must catch up – fast.” Guterres also called for clean energy to power all new electricity demand, including the growing needs of AI-driven data centres.
Finally, he emphasised the importance of securing large-scale financing for developing countries, noting that Africa currently receives only 2% of global clean energy investment.
“We must support developing countries to implement their commitment to transition away from fossil fuels,” he said, calling for stronger cooperation, investment, and technology transfer tailored to each country’s capacity and needs.