UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres today called for a "dedicated global platform for honest dialogue on transitioning away from fossil fuels", in order to push forward a global energy transition.
"This platform must bring together producers and consumers, developed and developing countries, public and private financial institutions and civil society," Guterres told a ministerial meeting hosted by energy watchdog the IEA today. The platform should deliver a transition plan for the world that "aligns investment, energy security and climate goals", he added.
Almost 200 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels at the UN Cop 28 climate summit, in December 2023. It was the first time that language around reducing all fossil fuels had appeared in a Cop text, but progress on the topic has since faltered.
Geopolitical uncertainty has pushed energy security further up the agenda for many policymakers, though many note that renewable energy provides energy sovereignty and is cheaper than fossil fuelled alternatives.
A shift away from fossil fuels "cut emissions, strengthen energy security, power development, and build lasting stability", Guterres said. The past three years, over 2023-25, have been the hottest on record, a group of science and weather agencies found last month. The rate of atmospheric CO2, the single largest contributor to global warming, is accelerating, "primarily driven by human-caused emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation," UK weather agency the Met Office said earlier this month.
"Those who lead this transition will lead the global economy of the future. Yet some fossil fuel interests remain hell-bent on slowing progress; Spreading disinformation; pretending that a transition is unrealistic or unaffordable… The world's addiction to fossil fuels is one of the greatest threats to global stability and prosperity", Guterres said.
"The IEA has helped make the clean energy transition undeniable", Guterres said today. But his comments may provoke ire from the US. The country's energy secretary Chris Wright said yesterday that if the IEA remains "so dominated and infused with climate stuff, then we're out".
