Guterres urges COP31 hosts to turn fossil fuel exit pledges into action in Antalya

A call to turn pledges into a plan

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, told delegates at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Tuesday, 10 November, that accelerating the move away from fossil fuels is essential if warming is to stay within 1.5 degrees Celsius. He said the time for treating that shift as taboo had long passed.

“It is long past time to stop treating the transition away from fossil fuels as taboo or intractable.”

Guterres said the task now is to organise, finance and deliver the transition rather than keep debating it. Countries differ in their dependence, capacity and starting points, he argued, but every path has to head the same way. Importing nations should cut their exposure while widening access to clean energy, and producers should diversify their economies and prepare for shifts in income, industry and jobs. He added that national action alone will not be enough in an interconnected global market, and called on developed countries, development banks and other partners to coordinate finance, technology and support.

What the Brazilian roadmap asks

Brazil presented a roadmap at the session, a document prepared by the COP30 presidency that hosted talks in Belém last year. Guterres asked that by 2028, when countries reach the Paris Agreement's global stocktake, each show what it has done to cut fossil fuel use or production, what it will do next and how it will measure progress. He wants national roadmaps with clear timelines, responsibilities and financing needs written into regulations, budgets and infrastructure decisions. The Brazilian text is not binding, sets no targets or deadlines for any country, and is not formally part of the COP31 negotiating agenda. Ana Toni, who led the negotiations in 2025, told the Associated Press the goal is to break a large challenge into smaller, workable steps, and she urged countries to stop building new fossil fuel power plants that risk becoming obsolete assets.

The cost of dependence

Guterres linked the Middle East conflict to the price of relying on fossil fuels. He cited a rise of about 26% in gasoline prices and 38% in diesel prices across 130 countries. Nine oil companies are expected to earn more than $95 billion in three months, which he put at over $1 billion a day. He also said the European Union has paid more than €100 billion in extra fossil fuel import costs since the conflict began, without receiving any additional fuel in return. To pay for the transition and shield households from the next price shock, he proposed taxing the extraordinary profits of fossil fuel companies, and he backed investment in clean power, grids, storage and efficiency.

Gasoline26%

Diesel38%

Gasoline

26 %

Diesel

38 %

Data from the article text

Reactions in Antalya

Turkey and Australia co-host COP31, and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was extolling his country's oilfields early on Tuesday ahead of his appearance at the summit on Wednesday. Guterres's presentation with Brazilian officials drew backing from former US secretary of state John Kerry, UN climate negotiator Simon Stiell and Mexican diplomat Patricia Espinosa. Australian minister Chris Bowen, who is responsible for the COP31 negotiations, confirmed that consultations with countries are under way on whether electrification should be included in the final decision. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg attended the summit for the first time since 2021 and told reporters:

“Cops have become greenwashed circuses. That is the reality.”

The conference is scheduled to run until 20 November, and Guterres will step down as UN secretary-general at the end of this year.