UN chief: Fossil fuel exit must remain priority to reach 1.5C goal

The commitments made at this year's UN climate talks, which failed to yield a binding plan to phase out planet-warming fossil fuels, have drawn a muted response from UN Secretary General António Guterres.

"I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed," Guterres said in a statement after the conference in Brazil drew to a close on Saturday.

While the UN chief praised the roughly 200 countries represented at the annual climate conference for reaching consensus "in a period of geopolitical divides," he said that the agreements adopted were not nearly far-reaching enough to prevent further global warming and thus irreversible tipping points.

Guterres acknowledged that nations had "delivered progress," including a pledge to significantly increase climate aid to poorer countries to help them adapt to the effects of global warming, targeting a tripling of funds by 2035.

However, he said that limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels - a goal set in the 2015 Paris climate accords - "must remain humanity's red line."

"That requires deep, rapid emission cuts – with clear and credible plans to transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy."

European countries had pushed for a more concrete plan in Brazil to turn away from fossil fuels, building on pledges made at last year's climate conference in Dubai. However, the specifics of timing and implementation were left unspecified at COP30, with countries backing only a voluntary initiative to accelerate national efforts.