UN Chief Says Nations Clinging to Fossil Fuels Are 'Sabotaging' Their Own Economies

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Tuesday that fossil fuels represent "the greatest threat to energy security today" and warned that countries clinging to the primary driver of the climate emergency are "sabotaging" their own economies—and futures.

Guterres said the international community is "on the cusp of a new era," pointing to record investments in green energy around the world.

"The clean energy future is no longer a promise. It's a fact," said Guterres. "No government, no industry, no special interest can stop it. Of course, the fossil fuel lobby of some fossil fuel companies will try—and we know the lengths to which they will go. But I have never been more confident that they will fail—because we have passed the point of no return."

"Countries that cling to fossil fuels are not protecting their economies—they are sabotaging them," he continued. "Driving up costs, undermining competitiveness, locking in stranded assets, and missing the greatest economic opportunity of the 21st century."

Guterres' remarks coincided with the release of a new U.N. report showing that "solar and wind are now almost always the least expensive—and the fastest—option for new electricity generation."

"The plummeting costs mean that solar and wind have become the fastest-growing sources of electricity in history, and growth in renewable energy is now outpacing that in fossil fuels in the power sector," the report states. "In 2024, renewables made up 92.5%
of all new electricity capacity additions and 74% of electricity generation growth."

Jean Su, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's energy justice program, said in a statement that the report underscores "just how much economic and environmental promise lies in the renewable energy transition, and how badly the U.S. is blowing it."

"The Trump administration is blocking affordable clean energy when the U.S. should be leading the charge," said Su. "With the federal government's twisted time warp trying to force Americans back to the age of coal and oligarchs, states need to take the reins and turbocharge the renewable energy transition. That means ramping down dangerous oil, gas, and coal production and use, boosting solar and storage, and making polluters pay for their devastating climate damage."

The report was published a day before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to hand down a landmark advisory opinion on countries' legal obligations to address the climate emergency, which is wreaking increasingly destructive havoc across the globe as rich nations—led by the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump—continue to expand oil and gas operations.

"This case is about more than just the level of ambition required from individual states in their future climate action," said Joie Chowdhury and Sébastien Duyck of the Center for International Environmental Law ahead of the ICJ ruling. "It is about reckoning with historical responsibility. It is impossible to effectively and equitably address the climate crisis without looking at its origins and drivers."

"Legal arguments presented by a majority of countries in the proceedings affirm a critical truth: Past emissions matter, and loss and damage already endured must be recognized and repaired—not as charity, but as legal obligation," they added. "This means not only halting harmful practices, but also delivering climate reparations."