Did the UN secretary-general withdraw support for alternative energy?
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that phasing out coal as an electricity source is “the single most important step” to restrain expected increases in average global temperatures.
At a March energy conference, Guterres called on governments and businesses to cancel all coal projects and “end the deadly addiction to coal,” halt international financing of coal projects and shift investment towards renewable power sources, like solar, which he calls a more economic alternative.
Making solar generation equipment does consume fossil fuels, but the emissions impact from manufacturing is offset by the “clean” electricity produced by the equipment over following decades. The time taken for “payback” has continued to shorten with changes in manufacturing and materials as demand for solar equipment has grown.
