UN chief calls for accountability from polluters at final climate summit

António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, has called for fossil fuel companies to be held accountable. He wants these companies to pay for the damage their actions have caused poorer countries due to climate change. This marked a significant point at his last UN climate summit in office.

Mr Guterres held his final press conference at the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) in Antalya, Turkey. This was his last event as the head of the UN.

The former prime minister of Portugal has been with the UN since January 2017. He will leave the post on 31 December when his second five-year term ends.

Mr Guterres spoke to civil society representatives who came together on Friday to say goodbye. They honored him with an award for using the UN’s platform to challenge powerful industries.

“You have given a voice to this injustice like no other leader,” said Louise Hutchins, who leads the Make Polluters Pay International Coalition.

The event was lively, with attendees chanting “make polluters pay.” Some speakers even asked him to return to a future climate summit wearing a badge from an NGO.

Mr Guterres mentioned that the UN’s loss and damage fund is now in place but is “funded at a ridiculous level.” He pointed out that those who pollute the least are paying the highest price.

He encouraged civil society to push harder to help governments understand that changes are necessary. In his final address to COP leaders on Wednesday, he urged governments to tax the windfall profits of oil companies. He wants the funds to help vulnerable countries recover.

He also suggested a climate justice compact to assist countries in moving away from fossil fuels, stressing that the climate crisis is moving faster than the world can keep up with.

Mr Guterres told the leaders that he will not be the secretary-general next year, but he said, “I will not stop telling the truth.”

At Friday’s press conference, he insisted on an immediate and sharp cut in emissions by major polluters. “You cannot build peace on a burning planet,” he stated.

As of now, there is no announcement about Mr Guterres’ successor. The new secretary-general will start on 1 January 2027 and will lead the UN into the next climate summit (COP32) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, later that year.