In October 2026, António Guterres publicly accused oil companies of "boiling our planet" and demanded that governments end fossil fuel subsidies. A few weeks later, he launched the Global Grids Accelerator, an initiative to accelerate investment in clean energy in Africa and Southeast Asia. On 9 November, TIME included him in its list of 100 most influential climate leaders of 2026.
This reckoning comes in the final weeks of Guterres's second and final term as UN Secretary-General. His mandate expires on 31 December. Over a decade in the post, he repeatedly called the climate crisis "the defining challenge of our time," warned of an "era of global boiling," and insisted on moving away from fossil fuels. In November, at COP31 in Turkey, he repeated the phrase "moment of truth" three times during a 20-minute interview with AP.
Guterres has no veto power or budget to compel. His instrument is his voice. Over the years, he has consistently used it to keep climate at the center of the global agenda, even when the topic lost popularity. He emphasized the disproportionate impact of climate change on poor countries and demanded a just transition. This was consistent with his earlier experience: in the 1990s, as Prime Minister of Portugal, he promoted long-term investment in green energy.
The public image of a steadfast climate defender matches documented practice. He criticized "immoral" companies for their "grotesque greed," and launched initiatives on AI transparency and renewable energy. Opponents sometimes called his rhetoric too harsh, but the facts show that he did not change his position under pressure from short-term political interests.
Being included in TIME100 Climate 2026 is not merely an award for the past. It is a recognition that in a system where real power is distributed among states, a persistent, uncompromising voice can influence the agenda more than formal levers. Guterres is leaving, but his final warnings about the "age of climate extremes" and the need for action now ring out precisely because he could not and would not soften them.
As a man who has watched political cycles push long-term threats aside for decades, he chose the role he could not ignore: to speak the truth while there is a podium. It did not change the world overnight, but it made it impossible to look away entirely.
