BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 12. No business or government can stop the clean energy revolution, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres as he addressed the opening of the COP29 World Leaders' Climate Action Summit in Baku, Trend reports.
Doubling down on fossil fuels, Guterres said, is simply “absurd.” He declared, “The clean energy revolution is here. No group, no business, and no government can stop it. But you can and must ensure it is fair, and fast enough to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”
“It’s time to deliver,” Guterres said, emphasizing the urgency of turning promises into action. “At COP28, all of you agreed to move away from fossil fuels; to accelerate net zero energy systems, setting milestones to get there; to boost climate adaptation; and to align the next round of economy-wide national climate plans – or NDCs – with the 1.5-degree limit.”
Pointing to overwhelming public support, Guterres noted that “a poll by the University of Oxford and the United Nations Development Programme finds that eighty percent of people around the world want more climate action.” This sentiment, he said, is echoed by scientists, activists, and young people alike. “They must be heard, not silenced.”
Guterres highlighted the rapid economic shift in favor of renewable energy, underscoring that “last year – for the first time – the amount invested in grids and renewables overtook the amount spent on fossil fuels.” He called this transformation both inevitable and unstoppable, adding, “Almost everywhere, solar and wind are the cheapest source of new electricity.”