UN chief urges world governments to end fossil fuel subsidies

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on governments around the world on October 16 to end financial support for polluting fossil fuels, Euronews reported. Speaking at an event in Yerevan, Armenia, Guterres said that subsidising fossil fuels is subsidising suicide and urged leaders to redirect those savings toward people and the planet. [1]

According to Euronews, the UN chief delivered his address ahead of the COP17 UN biodiversity summit scheduled for next week. Guterres warned that governments are spending money on the wrong things while fossil fuels continue to damage biodiversity and heat the planet. [1]

Euronews reported that new data shows expanding fossil fuel production in Türkiye and Australia, two countries that are hosting the COP31 climate conference. Earlier this month, finance ministers in the European Union also called for a phase out of fossil fuel support. [1]

International efforts to manage fossil fuel usage remain under debate globally. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the European Commission recently proposed delaying new methane monitoring standards on fossil fuel imports from January 2027 until May 2029 following industry pressure. [4]