Fossil fuels “have run out of road,” despite best efforts of lobbyists, says UN chief

Fossil fuels have “run out of road”, the head of the United Nations said on Tuesday, with the price of renewable energy now so cheap the energy transition cannot be stopped – despite the best efforts of oil, gas and coal lobbyists and their supporters.

Speaking ahead of the release of two UN reports on the energy transition, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said nine in ten renewable projects globally are cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives.

He said that renewable energy is now driving growth in large, developed economies, including in core oil producing regions such as Texas. A combination of national security – “no embargoes on wind” – and easy access – “you can’t build a coal plant in someone’s backyard” – meant renewables were “here to stay”.

“The clean energy future is no longer a promise. It’s a fact,” he said. “No government. No industry. No special interest can stop it.”

Solar was once four times the cost of fossil fuel equivalents, but according to new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency cited by Guterres, solar now costs two-fifths the price of oil, gas and coal.

Offshore wind developments are now half the price – 53% – cheaper than fossil fuels.

Guterres said he expected “the fossil fuel lobby will try” and their supporters in government will try to derail the transition but the world has now “passed the point of no return” in its adoption of renewable energy but warned the world needed to move faster to embrace the technology.

Climate scientist Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, says the latest data showed the future is “based on renewables” and that governments “must send a clear signal” in their upcoming climate commitments to “go even faster.”

“Any investment in new fossil fuels now is a fool’s gamble, while joining the race to renewables can only bring benefits – not just jobs and cheaper energy at stable prices, but energy independence and access where it’s needed most,” Hare said.

“Developing regions like Africa have huge energy access needs, and even bigger renewable resources, what they need now is international finance to share in the renewables revolution.”

“The push to develop new gas resources in places like Western Australia and Brazil runs completely counter to this trend and risks slowing down the uptake of renewables as well as overshooting 1.5°C Paris Agreements limit.”

The UN chief was speaking days before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to deliver its advisory opinion on the obligations of states to respond to climate change.

This opinion will address two basic questions: What are the obligations of governments under international law and what are the legal consequences for states that have caused significant harm to the atmosphere and environment?

The opinion was prompted by a campaign from students and youth organisations in Vanuatu in 2019 which pressured their government into seeking clarification on what states should be doing to protect them. The UN requested the advisory opinion in March 2023 with the support of 132 member states including Australia and New Zealand.

The ICJ opinion follows a decision by a single judge of the Australian federal courts last week that ruled against the applicants in a lawsuit brought by Torres Strait Islanders who alleged the government had breached a duty of care to them by failing to take climate change seriously.

Though the court found the government had paid “scant regard” to climate science when setting its targets, and had systematically adopted goals that represented the lowest possible ambition, it found there was no remedy under Australian law.

Last week, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced Australia would support a “first of its kind in the world” study of methane emissions from coal mines.

Coal mines are responsible for 40m tonnes of methane emissions globally. Methane – commonly referred to as “gas” or “natural gas” – is a potent greenhouse gas emissions that is 80 times more harmful than CO2 in the atmosphere over a 20-year-period.

A spokesperson from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said it will involve “controlled releases” of methane over a site designed to simulate an operational open-cut coal, with the specific site yet to be determined.

The Australian Government has provided funding to UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) for a study to better understand the capability of new approaches for measuring fugitive methane emissions from open-cut coal mines,” they said. “This aligns with Australia’s efforts to reduce emissions and build new clean energy industries.

“The study will help all countries better understand and manage open-cut coal mine fugitive methane emissions.”

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