Speaking at the COP30 Leaders’ Summit in Belém today, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell reflected on the global journey from Rio to Paris – and issued a clear call for faster, fairer delivery of climate action and finance.
Stiell highlighted how the world’s climate response, though far from complete, has already changed the trajectory of global warming. The clean energy transition, he noted, is now booming.
“Last year, two trillion dollars flowed into renewables – twice as much as fossil fuels,” said Stiell. “Ninety per cent of new power capacity worldwide was renewable.”
Yet even as progress accelerates, the Executive Secretary warned that countries must act together to ensure all nations can benefit from the clean energy revolution. “Climate plans and climate finance,” he said, “are the spark that can accelerate action, driving green growth and resilience for every nation.”
Referencing the Baku to Belém Roadmap, Stiell said the goal of scaling climate finance from $300 billion to $1.3 trillion a year by 2035 must become a reality. “This is shared interest, not charity – an investment in stability and prosperity,” he said, emphasizing the multiple dividends of every climate dollar invested: jobs, cleaner air, health, security, and resilience.
“Ten years on, we must prove it again – by making this extraordinary framework work faster and fairer, for everyone, everywhere.”
At the Belém Leaders’ Summit today, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the world is in the midst of a “renewables revolution.”
“Last year, 90 per cent of new power capacity came from renewables,” he noted. “Clean energy is now the cheapest source of new electricity almost everywhere - and creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels.”
Yet current national commitments still put the world on a course of more than 2°C of warming. Guterres outlined five urgent priorities to change that: align laws and subsidies with just energy transitions; protect workers and communities; invest in grids and storage; ensure new demand, including from AI, is met with clean power; and unlock affordable finance for developing countries.
He warned that overshooting 1.5°C is inevitable in the short term - “but what matters is how high and for how long.” Global emissions must nearly halve by 2030, reach net zero by 2050, and move to net negative thereafter.
“The fossil fuel age is ending,” he concluded. “The clean energy future is rising. Let’s make the transition fair, fast and final.”
Today in the heart of the Amazon, President Lula took a hugely important step, with the Tropical Forest Forever Facility - a new push to make standing forests more valuable than cleared land.
Writing on LinkedIn, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell welcomed the new initiative, saying it "creates long-term, predictable support for the countries and communities who protect them."
He added: "Forests are the lungs of our planet. They protect biodiversity, store carbon, regulate rainfall, sustain livelihoods, and help keep the 1.5 degree goal within reach. Every economy depends on them. That’s why the Tropical Forest Forever Facility is so important. Because it begins to match financial incentives with reality."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called today's launch "a statement of solidarity and hope." Read his full remarks here.
Addressing world leaders at the opening of the Leaders’ Summit in Belém, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made the case that a clean energy revolution has taken hold.
“Solar and wind are now the cheapest sources of power – and the fastest growing sources of electricity in history,” he said. “Last year, almost all new power capacity came from renewables. The clean-energy economy is creating jobs and driving development. It is reshaping geopolitics – delivering energy security and price stability. And it is connecting millions to clean and affordable energy for the first time.”
The Secretary-General noted in his speech that the economics have shifted. In 2024, investors poured 2 trillion US dollars into clean energy – 800 billion more than fossil fuels.
“Clean energy is winning on price, performance, and potential – offering the solutions to transform our economies and protect our populations,” he said.
He also called on world leaders to move faster – and move together, adding that this COP must ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery.
The two-day World Leaders Climate Action Summit kicks off today bringing together heads of state and government, ministers, and leaders of international organizations to discuss pressing climate change challenges and commitments.
The Summit is part of the official activities of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), which runs from November 10 to 21. Convened by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the meeting represents a key milestone in the process of mobilization and international dialogue on the climate agenda. Both the Summit and COP30 provide a platform for world leaders to raise ambition, translate climate pledges into concrete, real-economy outcomes.
Throughout both days of the Leaders' Summit, heads of delegation will take the floor in the Plenary Hall to deliver their formal speeches on climate. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations will address the Leaders’ Summit today.
The opening plenary will be streamed on UN Web TV from 10:30 – 17:30 Belém time today here.
Due to logistical and security adjustments, the Brazilian organizing committee will now require a specific national credential for access to the Belém Climate Summit (November 6 and 7).
Media accreditation by the secretariat will ONLY be accepted for the 10th through the 21st of November.
Applications for the Leaders Summit must be submitted before Friday, October 31, 2025 at 18:00 Brasilia time (BRT; GMT-3).
Please find more information including a link to the Presidency’s accreditation system here.
Please direct any questions to: press.leaders.cop30@itamaraty.gov.br.
Due to logistical and security adjustments, the Brazilian organizing committee will now require a specific national credential for access to the Belém Climate Summit (November 6 and 7).
Media accreditation by the secretariat will ONLY be accepted for the 10th through the 21st of November.
Applications for the Leaders Summit must be submitted before Friday, October 31, 2025 at 18:00 Brasilia time (BRT; GMT-3).
Please find more information including a link to the Presidency’s accreditation system here.
Please direct any questions to: press.leaders.cop30@itamaraty.gov.br.