United Nations Secretary-General Lambasts Fossil Fuel Companies on Global Stage
For immediate release
Antalya, Türkiye – António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, addressed countries at the United Nations climate change negotiations today. He particularly highlighted how Big Oil profits while people around the world suffer from war, instability, high prices, and climate chaos.
Meanwhile, new polling conducted by YouGov shows significant support from people in key countries where Big Oil companies are headquartered (United States, Uniwted Kingdom, France) for new laws to be passed to phase out fossil fuel production by oil and gas companies.
Key quotes from António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
“Fossil fuel interests keep making a killing … while killing our planet.”
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs. And that won’t happen on its own. The dinosaurs did not have a lobby. Fossil fuels do. And their strategy is simple: Distort the science. Delay policy. Delay action. Delay accountability.”
“Those who profit most from fossil fuels must help foot the bill for the damage they have caused. In the last quarter alone, the nine largest oil companies pocketed $95 billion in profits. Meanwhile, the Loss and Damage Fund has received around $600 million. That is what these companies made in about 14 hours. It’s time for governments to tax these windfall profits – and use them to help vulnerable countries recover. Polluters must pay.”
David Tong, Industry Campaign Manager, Oil Change International, said:
“Trusting big oil to solve the climate crisis is like trusting big tobacco to cure lung cancer. Fossil fuel companies actively undermine a renewable energy future while trying to wring as much profits as possible out of fossil fuels while cashing in on conflict. It’s time to tax fossil fuel companies’ superprofits to pay for a transition to publicly owned renewable energy, governments must cut ties with fossil fuel companies and limit their influence on politics, and we must hold polluters accountable – legally and otherwise – for the damages they cause.”
Note to Editors: Oil Change International has spokespeople available on the ground at COP31 for interviews, as well as remote spokespeople available in alternative timezones for those journalists not in attendance in Antalya.