UN climate chief warns political division is undermining fight against ‘economic security emergency’
UN climate chief Simon Stiell warns political divisions are undermining climate action, calling rising temperatures a continent-wide economic emergency for Europe.
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, told the European Parliament’s environment committee that framing climate change as a partisan issue contradicts reality, as extreme heat this summer has caused mass evacuations, infrastructure failures and economic losses across Europe. He described the situation as a ‘continent-wide economic security emergency,’ highlighting disruptions to power stations, trade routes and food production that have driven prices higher. Stiell also cited devastating floods in the Himalayas and heat-driven power outages in North Africa, warning that climate impacts are increasingly forcing migration within and across borders.
The UN climate chief linked Europe’s economic struggles directly to fossil fuel dependency, citing a study estimating this summer’s extreme weather cost the continent 180 billion euros in lost productivity and disrupted food, energy and transport systems. He warned of another winter fuel crisis for households and businesses, stating that weak climate action worsens inflation, living costs, sovereignty and economic growth. Stiell argued the clean energy transition provides a solution, noting renewables now supply around half of Europe’s power and solar generation alone saved over 30 billion euros in avoided gas imports during the first six months of the Middle East conflict.
Stiell emphasized that global clean energy investment reached over two trillion dollars last year, double that of fossil fuels, and called on the European Union to prioritize implementation at the upcoming COP31 conference in Türkiye. He stressed the need for international cooperation to avoid global warming exceeding four degrees Celsius, noting current policies still point to a 2.6-degree rise, far above the 1.5-degree limit agreed in 2015.
A recent UN Environment Programme report indicated the 1.5-degree limit will be temporarily breached even with concerted action, but Stiell urged focus on methane reduction, food security and urban resilience. He framed climate action as a shared priority, stating that inflation, security, health, jobs and prosperity all depend on addressing the crisis, and called for progress over reopening past agreements.