UN chief and world leaders push for fossil fuel phaseout at Cop summit

UPDATE - follow-up to Cop31 live: 'The dinosaurs did not have a lobby. Fossil fuels do' – UN chief:

Summit Speeches

António Guterres warned world leaders at the Cop summit that fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs because they have a powerful lobby protecting them. The UN chief urged nations to end their fossil fuel addiction and speed up emission cuts, calling the current moment "make or bake time." Meanwhile, London mayor Sadiq Khan warned that UK heatwaves could cost London over twenty-five billion pounds in lost productivity over the next decade. City Hall analysis estimated that 2026 heatwaves already cost the capital about two point five billion pounds.

Global Leaders

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticised the greedy mindset that sacrifices ecology for the economy and warned that excessive consumption is causing a deep existential crisis. Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva lamented that global focus has shifted away from climate toward weapons and tariffs, while noting Brazil will adopt national roadmaps to end fossil fuels and deforestation. Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed highlighted his country's ban on petrol and diesel car imports and tree-planting efforts, while noting that high borrowing costs hinder developing nations from building climate resilience.

Context

Annual UN climate summits bring together global leaders to negotiate emission targets and coordinate responses to rising global temperatures. Developing nations frequently highlight how high international borrowing costs prevent them from funding necessary green transitions and climate defences.