Report: Laura Marques | COP30 Brasil
Voice-over: Nycolas Verly
Reporter: UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning on Tuesday: countries that continue to rely on fossil fuels are making a costly economic mistake.
Guterres: Countries clinging to fossil fuels are not protecting their economies—they are sabotaging them. They are driving up costs, undermining competitiveness, locking themselves into stranded assets, and missing the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century.
Reporter: Figures from a recent study by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) support Guterres’s statement. Last year, the world invested USD 2 trillion in clean energy—USD 800 billion more than in oil and gas. Most strikingly, renewable energy is already cheaper than fossil fuels in 90% of cases, Guterres noted.
The UN chief also pointed to the war in Ukraine as a stark reminder of the risks of fossil fuel dependency, which drives up both energy and food prices
Guterres: This leaves economies and people at the mercy of price shocks, supply disruptions, and geopolitical turmoil. Just look at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—a war in Europe triggered a global energy crisis. Oil and gas prices soared. Electricity and food bills followed.
Reporter: The good news? Renewable energy is now on the verge of overtaking fossil fuels in terms of installed capacity worldwide. According to IRENA data, nearly all new power plants built in 2023 were powered by clean energy—a historic milestone in the global energy transition.
Still, the Secretary-General emphasized the need to accelerate the energy transition. With the climate crisis at the doorstep, Guterres urged all countries to submit more ambitious climate action plans ahead of COP30—the conference that Brasil will host in 2025
English version: Tadeu Azevedo (POET/UFC)
Proofreading: Michel Emmanuel Félix François (POET/UFC)