UN chief says fossil fuel industry must cut methane for warming “relief”

UN chief António Guterres called on Tuesday for stronger action to cut emissions of planet-heating methane, taking aim at the fossil fuel industry’s practices and profits, and pointing to coal, oil and gas as the root of today’s climate and energy crises. In a major speech at London Climate Action Week, with the British capital under a heatwave warning, the UN Secretary-General said countries had not done enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with what is needed to keep warming below the globally agreed goal of 1.5C. “The task before us is to strictly limit the overshoot, shorten its duration, and bring temperatures down below 1.5 degrees Celsius as fast as possible,” Guterres said. One way of doing that, he added, is by cutting methane emissions first. He noted that methane – a potent greenhouse gas that traps around 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide – is responsible for around one-third of global warming but breaks down in the atmosphere within a decade or two. “That means that aggressive cuts could produce visible temperature relief within a generation,” the UN chief emphasised, launching a global call to action on methane covering fossil fuel production, agriculture and organic waste disposal. Jun 18, 2026 News Bonn climate talks end in “gridlock” on adaptation and emissions-cutting Splits between developed and developing countries over finance and science held back progress on key areas of climate action, leaving disappointment and much work for COP31 Read more Jun 18, 2026 Clean Energy Frontier Warning against ‘consumer club’ as G7 forms critical minerals alliance G7 countries want to reduce their reliance on China for minerals and protect supplies from geopolitical interests but experts see few benefits for developing nations Read more Of the three main sources of methane, he singled out the fossil fuel industry, where he said “the most immediate gains can be made”. He cited the International Energy Agency