United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press conference, during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, Nov 20, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Anderson Coelho)

UN chief pushes COP30 for deal on roadmap away from fossil fuels

With less than 48 hours to go of this years climate summit, the United Nations chief says they are "down to the wire". 

· CNA · Join

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

BELÉM: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Thursday (Nov 20) for a deal from the COP30 climate summit on the hotly-disputed subject of weaning the world off fossil fuels.

The summit in the Amazon city of Belém, Brazil, missed a self-imposed Wednesday deadline for a deal to secure agreement among the nearly 200 countries present on issues including how to increase climate finance and shift away from fossil fuels.

"I welcome calls for a just transition mechanism and the growing coalition asking for clarity on the transition away from fossil fuel," he told a press conference at the summit.

SUMMIT ENDS ON FRIDAY

There are less than 48 hours until the scheduled end of the summit to find a consensus, which host nation Brazil has framed as a crucial step to ramping up climate action and demonstrating that there is broad support to accelerate turning decades of promises and pledges into concrete action.

"One thing is clear, we are down to the wire, and the world is watching Belém," Guterres said. "I strongly appeal to all delegations to show willingness and flexibility."

The future of fossil fuels has become a focal point for the two-week negotiation.

Taking their cue from Brazil, dozens of countries including both developed and developing nations have mounted a push for a road map setting out how countries should transition away from fossil fuels.

Others, including some fossil fuel producing nations, are resisting.

The COP28 climate summit in 2023 agreed, after protracted discussion, to a transition, but nations have not mapped out how - or when - it will happen.

"I am perfectly convinced that a compromise is possible," Guterres added.

Source: Reuters/fs

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here

Related:

Türkiye set to host COP31 climate summit, Australia to lead government talksBELEM, Brazil: Türkiye will host next year's UN climate summit while Australia will lead the conference's negotiations among governments, under a compromise deal taking shape in talks in Brazil, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday (Nov 20).The annual COP conferences are the world's ma20 Nov 2025Decades-long contracts chain Asia to coal-fired powerSoutheast Asia has 50 per cent to 100 per cent of coal-fired power capacity locked in purchase agreements with about nine to 18 years left on average, according to data from a coalition pushing for a phase-out of the fossil fuel.20 Nov 2025Big Tech-led demand for carbon removal credits fuels supply crunch(Corrects tons of carbon to be removed by project in paragraph 27 to 18,500 from 9,000)By Simon Jessop, Susanna Twidale and Virginia FurnessBELEM, Brazil :Surging demand for high-quality carbon removal credits from tech giants to offset their AI-driven emissions is helping fuel a shortage that experts18 Nov 2025