Africa: UN Chief Urges World Leaders to Tackle Fossil Fuels At COP31

What the report says

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used his address at COP31 to press governments to move faster against fossil fuels, criticizing the influence of the oil and gas industry and urging leaders to speed up the shift away from coal, oil and gas. The climate summit opened in Turkey this week and is set to run until November 20, with the main sessions taking place in Antalya, according to RFI’s report distributed by AllAfrica.

The article says Guterres told assembled leaders that the climate crisis is advancing faster than governments are responding. He also called on countries to tax windfall profits from oil companies. His remarks came as the conference opened amid pressure from recent extreme weather, including heatwaves, wildfires and flooding in different parts of the world.

RFI reported that attendance by several prominent leaders was limited, which has lowered expectations for major breakthroughs. Among those absent were leaders from key economies, while the United States is not taking part at the political level and China is represented by a senior official. The report also noted that Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among the more prominent attendees.

The article adds that negotiations remain complicated by geopolitical tensions and energy-market concerns. Turkey, as host, is promoting a voluntary push to expand electrification, while European officials are emphasizing that any transition should rely on cleaner power sources. The overall context is that countries remain divided over how quickly to phase down fossil fuels and how to balance climate goals with energy security and development needs.