During London Climate Action Week that concluded on Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out that a fossil fuel-based development model “has no future” and the world cannot depend on a system that is driving both the climate crisis and the energy crisis, hinting at the recent global fuel fallout of the Iran war.
The sharp criticism by the UN head has encouraged countries and civil societies that have been demanding immediate cutting down of generation and use of fossil fuel globally to contain climate change.
“A model powered by fossil fuels…has no future. We cannot double down on a system based on fossil fuels that is driving both the climate crisis and the energy crisis,” said Guterres in his speech amid the sweltering heat in London.
Tale of two crises
“Crisis brings clarity. And here in London – the city of Dickens – it is clear that our world is facing a Tale of Two Crises. A climate crisis pushing us deeper toward higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points … And an energy crisis exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons,” said the UN head.
Guterres explained that while “on the surface, these crises may seem separate, …they share the same destructive origin: fossil fuels”.
He argued that the answer to the situation is “A fast, fair transition to clean energy – and a surge in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing climate harm.” Guterres pointed out that the world has just lived through the 11 hottest years ever recorded, and reminded that London and various other places have been recently experiencing the hottest day of the year, with higher temperatures in pipeline. “London isn’t just calling – it’s cooking,” said the official, lining up data to validate his claim.
“Around the world, climate disasters are becoming more frequent, more destructive, and more costly; and the World Meteorological Organization has warned (that) we have seen nothing yet. El Niño is not just knocking on the door. It risks blowing the house down,” he said, explaining how the vulnerable are being hit the hardest.
Agreed Celsius limit to overshoot soon
“Ten years ago, world leaders agreed in Paris to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Now scientists say average annual temperatures will exceed that threshold in the coming years,” said Guterres.
He pointed out that the task before the world is “to strictly limit the overshoot, shorten its duration, and bring temperatures down below 1.5 degrees Celsius as fast as possible. ” He explained: “…the higher and longer the overshoot, the greater the risk of crossing planetary tipping points that trigger irreversible change.”
The official listed what is happening in the world as a direct consequence to climate change. “Coral reef systems pushed towards collapse, the accelerating loss of ice sheets in Greenland and the West Antarctic – locking in sea-level rise that would reshape coastlines, displace millions, and threaten the existence of some island nations; the weakening of major ocean circulation systems that regulate weather and rainfall, and, parts of the Amazon rainforest shifting toward savanna-like conditions” will all be part of the impact, he said.
“The Earth’s tipping points are like objects in a car mirror: they are far closer than they appear,” warned Guterres.
Mother of all energy shocks
“At the same time, we are confronting a second crisis… conflict in the Middle East has unleashed the mother of all energy shocks. The International Energy Agency tells us its scale rivals the oil upheavals of the 1970s,” reads his speech, a copy of which is with The Plurals.
He explained that for many developing countries, the development is not just an energy crisis: “It is a debt shock. A food shock. A development shock.”
Guterres claimed that these twin crises have once again exposed the limits of an outdated model of development based on fossil fuel.
While condemning the model , the UN official has echoed what the environmentalists have long been saying: “(This is) a model in which those who did the least to cause these crises pay the highest price.”
A clean way out
“The good news is – unlike every past energy crisis – we now have a clear way out…Renewables are the cheapest, fastest and most scalable source of new electricity in most of the world,” said the UN official. “Since 2010, the cost of solar has plummeted by almost 90 per cent, onshore wind by more than 70 per cent, and battery storage by 95 per cent,” he added.
“Solar recorded the single largest annual increase of any electricity source in history… More than 90 per cent of new renewable power added globally is already cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternatives”, added the expert.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, existing renewable energy capacity saved the world economy USD 480 billion in avoided fossil fuel costs in 2025 alone.
Guterres reminded that even the market is embracing green power as “clean energy investment is attracting almost twice as much as fossil fuels”. He claimed: “Much of this momentum is from fossil fuel-importing countries determined to break free from unstable and unpredictable energy markets.”
Hinting towards the embargoes placed by the sparring countries on Hormuz strait during the West Asia war, the official said, tongue in cheek: “There are no embargoes on sunlight and no blockades on the wind,” adding that energy independence cannot be built on fossil fuel dependence; and renewables are the cornerstone of true energy security.
“Electrifying transport, buildings and industry is among the fastest ways to cut emissions and break reliance on imported fossil fuels,” said Guterres.