Outgoing United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on world leaders to keep climate action at the centre of global governance, warning that climate change threatens peace, economic development and the livelihoods of communities worldwide, The Guardian reported.
Speaking at his final climate press conference as UN chief at the COP31 climate summit on Friday, Guterres said, “You cannot build peace on a burning planet.” He added that poverty eradication and a better future for younger generations would remain difficult without protecting natural ecosystems.
Guterres, whose term ends in December, said climate change could not be treated as an isolated issue because of its wider impact on global stability and development. He warned that climate disasters were reversing decades of development gains, increasing displacement, worsening competition for land and water, and pushing countries further into debt.
He also stressed that climate action was central to every aspect of the United Nations’ work and urged his successor to maintain it as a global priority.
As the summit progressed, most of the more than 90 world leaders who attended its opening sessions had returned to their countries by Friday, leaving negotiators to focus on key issues, including electrification of the global economy, a just transition away from fossil fuels and support for affected workers.
The Australian co-presidency of COP31 released a document outlining proposals raised by participating countries since the start of the negotiations. The document is expected to provide the basis for the first draft of the summit’s final negotiated outcome, known as the cover decision.
Among the proposals under consideration are a target to generate 35% of global final energy consumption from electricity by 2035, commitments to reduce methane emissions, progress towards phasing out fossil fuels and increased climate finance for developing countries affected by climate disasters.
Previous climate summits have delivered significant commitments through their final decisions. COP28 in Dubai in 2023 called for a transition away from fossil fuels, while COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 included an agreement to phase down coal use.
