UN chief says 'immediate and drastic' emissions cuts needed to avert
climate change catastrophe
[November 14, 2026]
By SUZAN FRASER, TAMMY WEBBER, SETH BORENSTEIN and ANTON
L. DELGADO
ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — The world must immediately and drastically cut
fossil fuel emissions to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate
change, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Friday at
his final climate summit, urging the world to “follow the science” and
face hard facts.
“You cannot build peace on a burning planet," Guterres told reporters,
stressing that climate change is central to the U.N.'s work because it
contributes to geopolitical instability by driving hunger and
displacement, pushing countries into debt and fueling competition for
land and water.
“You cannot eradicate poverty when climate disasters keep throwing
people back into it,” he added. “You cannot promise young people a
better future while destroying the natural systems on which that future
depends. And you cannot speak seriously about justice when those who did
least to cause this crisis suffer first and worst.”
World leaders meeting in Turkey for the annual U.N. climate talks are
trying to reach consensus on concrete actions to address climate change,
which is fueling more intense and deadly heat waves, droughts, floods
and other disasters, and help countries at greatest risk including
island nations that also are losing land to rising seas.
Electrification goals emerge as point of contention
Achieving reductions in emissions is setting up a point of contention at
the climate talks, especially around electrification. A goal introduced
this year would increase the share of electricity in total global energy
consumption from roughly 21% to 35% by 2035, preferably from renewable
energy such as solar and wind.
But it does not require that electricity be generated by renewable
sources — something Guterres said is essential — meaning coal and other
fossil fuels could be used, at least initially. Climate TRACE, which
tracks global emissions via satellites, found that prioritizing clean
energy would cut global emissions 14% compared to 7% if fossil fuels
also are used for electrification.
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said it's
more important that as many countries as possible sign on to the pledge,
which works best without a clean energy requirement.
But environmental groups say that electrification will only have a real
impact if fossil fuels are omitted.
“Electrification must end fossil fuel dependence, not be an end in
itself,” said Jasmin Duregger from Greenpeace's Global Gas Campaign.
Vulnerable nations seek more compensation as warming takes a toll
Leaders from countries ravaged by climate change — mostly poorer,
vulnerable countries that contributed little to the problem — also are
calling for more money to deal with climate disasters and adapt to a
warming world. Leaders of small island nations, who say climate change
is a life-or-death matter for their people because rising seas are
engulfing their lands, have been the most vocal at this year’s summit,
COP31, saying a U.N. fund created for compensating vulnerable nations
must be urgently strengthened.
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a news
conference at the COP31 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026,
in Antalya, Turkey. (AP Photo/Ismail Koceroglu)
Guterres said wealthier countries that have contributed most to
climate change “must deliver the finance they have promised” at past
summits but also contribute much more.
“Let us be clear about the scale of the gap,” he said. “Even
tripling adaptation finance would meet less than 30 percent of what
is needed.”
Progress stalls, top-emitting countries skip summit
Progress is difficult without the cooperation of all nations,
“particularly the biggest emitters,” Guterres said.
A report released Thursday by the independent nonprofit Climate
Action Tracker found that progress in slowing global warming has
essentially stalled for the past five years. That means the world is
sure to overshoot the goal set in the 2015 Paris Agreement of
limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)
above pre-industrial temperatures.
Climate change is caused primarily by greenhouse gases emitted by
burning gas, oil and coal, and countries have established plans to
reduce those emissions. But even if they fulfill all their promises
— a big if — the globe will end the century 2.6 degrees Celsius (4.7
degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial times, the report
said.
“Our responsibility is to keep it as small as possible, for as short
a time as possible and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees as
quickly as we can,” by cutting emissions about 6% per year for
several years, Guterres said, calling the overshoot “a recipe for
catastrophe.”
But some of the top-polluting countries stayed away from this year's
summit, most notably the United States — the world’s second-largest
polluter after China and the largest historical polluter.
It's the second year in a row the U.S. skipped the summit, after
President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from climate negotiations.
“Facts are facts,” Guterres said. “No country can protect itself
from climate change alone. We share one planet, and whether we like
it or not, we share one fate.”
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Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan, Borenstein from Kensington,
Maryland, and Delgado from Bangkok.
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