UN chief urges governments to end fossil-fuel subsidies as climate suicide

At an event in Yerevan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that continuing to subsidise fossil-fuel production is equivalent to subsidising suicide, because it accelerates global warming and harms biodiversity. He criticised governments for spending on the wrong priorities and urged a complete phase-out of such handouts, suggesting the saved funds be used for people and the planet. The remarks were made ahead of a UN biodiversity summit in Armenia, where almost 200 countries will negotiate financing for nature.

Guterres also launched a report indicating that the world remains off track to meet the 2030 biodiversity targets set in a landmark pact. The United Nations estimates that about US$2.6 trillion in public subsidies each year damage nature and climate. The summit will focus on closing this financing gap.