Remarks of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, to journalists following Leaders Session on Climate and the Just Transition, convened on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, by the Secretary-General and President Lula of Brazil.
The Leaders Session was a closed-door virtual session, attended by a cross-section of world leaders, including from some of the world’s largest economies and most climate-vulnerable countries.
Participants included Chair of the African Union (AU) – Mr. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola; Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – Ms. Mia Amor Mottley, SC, MP, Prime Minister of Barbados; Mr. Gabriel Boric Font, President of the Republic of Chile; Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China; Mr. António Costa, President of the European Council / Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic; Mr. William Samoei Ruto, C.G.H., President of the Republic of Kenya; Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia; Ms. Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands; Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) – Mr. Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau; Mr. Han Duck-soo, Acting President and Prime Minister of Korea; Mr. Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of the Government of Spain; Ms. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania; Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye; and, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
Excerpts:
May I first express to the Government and people of Türkiye my full solidarity in this difficult moment.
President Lula of Brazil and I just concluded a unique meeting with a cross-section of world leaders focused on climate action and a just transition.
The gathering included 17 participants at level of heads of state and government representing some of the world’s largest economies — including China and the European Union — and some of the world’s most climate vulnerable countries.
We also had leaders currently chairing important regional partnerships — the African Union, ASEAN, and the Alliance of Small Island States and CARICOM, along with many others.
It was among the most diverse meetings of heads of state focused exclusively on climate in some time.
Yet I heard a unifying message.
Yes, our world faces massive headwinds and a multitude of crises.
But we cannot allow climate commitments to be blown off course.
We must keep building momentum for action at COP30 in Brazil — and today was an important part of that effort.
We don’t have a moment to lose.
No region is being spared from the ravages of accelerating climate catastrophes.
And the crisis is deepening poverty, displacing communities, and fuelling conflict and instability.
At the same time, countries are waking up to a clear fact:
Renewables are the economic opportunity of the century.
Dissenters and fossil fuel interests may try to stand in the way.
But as we heard today, the world is moving forward. Full-speed ahead.
No group or government can stop the clean energy revolution.
Science is on our side — and economics have shifted.
Prices for renewables have plummeted and the sector is booming — creating jobs and boosting competitiveness and growth worldwide.
The pathway out of climate hell is paved by renewables.
They offer the surest route to energy sovereignty and security, and ending dependence on volatile and expensive fossil fuel imports.
We also know collective climate action works.
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the projected global warming-curve has been bent down — from over four degrees of temperature rise within this century, to 2.6 degrees if current national climate action plans are fully implemented.
But that is catastrophic so we must go further and faster.
Today, I urged leaders to take action on two fronts.
First — to step up efforts to submit the strongest possible national climate plans well ahead of COP30.
And leaders today committed to put forward ambitious and robust plans as soon as possible what was a strong message of hope.
These new climate plans offer a unique opportunity to lay out a bold vision for a just green transition over the next decade.
They should align with 1.5 degrees and set emissions-reduction targets that cover all greenhouse gases and the whole economy as several today mentioned clearly.
Most importantly, they should help speed-up a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewables…
Link national energy and development strategies with climate goals…
And signal to policymakers and investors alike a total commitment to achieving global net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Second — as leaders turbocharge their own transitions, I urged them to scale-up support for developing countries.
Those least responsible for climate change are suffering from its worst effects.
Africa and other parts of the developing world are experiencing faster warming —and the Pacific islands are seeing faster sea-level rise — even while the global average itself is accelerating.
Meanwhile, despite being home to 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, Africa has only around 1.5 per cent of installed solar capacity – and receives just two per cent of global investment into renewables.
We need to change this — fast.
At COP30, leaders must deliver a credible roadmap to mobilise $1.3 trillion a year for developing countries by 2035.
Developed countries must honour their promise to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion a year, by this year.
And we need significantly increased contributions and innovative sources of finance to support the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage.
Across all these fronts, we will keep up the push — including at a special event in September in the final weeks to COP30.
As today’s meeting made clear, we cannot, must not, and will not let up on climate action.
Question & Answer Session
Amelie Bottelier from AFP news agency: You said no group or government can stop the revolution of clean energy. Do you have specific countries in mind- especially the United States? And more generally, what is your message to President Trump, who clearly said that he wants to push for more extraction of fossil fuels?
Secretary-General: Well, the United States is a market economy. It’s not the government that determines the volume that is produced by fossil fuels or that is produced by renewable energy. And we have in the United States, because the economics are clear today, the cost of renewables is cheaper than the cost of fossil fuels. In the United States, we see the private sector with a very dynamic action, and we see many governments that committed themselves to the same objective. So, I think we need to look into the United States in the complexity of the US society and not only in the positions taken by the leaders of the country.
Felipe from TV Globo Brazil: I would like to know if China was in this meeting. And if there was any progress that would make you confident that countries will release their NDCs by September or maybe before?
Secretary-General: China was in the meeting. And China has not only announced that they would produce their Nationally Determined Contribution, but President Xi said that those Nationally Determined Contributions would cover all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases. It’s the first time that China clarifies this point, and this is extremely important for climate action. Thank you.