Much of its proposals are directed towards developing countries, fossil fuel importers and Small Island Developing States, groups to which the Dominican Republic belongs
Santo Domingo – António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, proposed a Climate Justice Pact at the COP31 Leaders Summit, held in Antalya, Turkey, based on four pillars: a just transition away from fossil fuels, the protection of people, sufficient and affordable financing, and cooperation to combat fragmentation.
In his speech, the executive stated that emissions in 2025 reached record highs and that the last four years have been the hottest on record. He noted that science now considers it inevitable that warming will exceed the 1.5-degree limit set in the Paris Agreement, and that the world retains the ability to decide how high, how long, and how damaging that excess will be.
Fuel importing countries
The Secretary-General indicated that three-quarters of humanity live in countries that import fossil fuels, exposing them to price shocks they neither caused nor can control. In his view, recent conflicts demonstrate that this dependence leads to chronic insecurity and a cost-of-living crisis.
He argued that clean energy is now the cheapest source of new electricity in most parts of the world.
He recalled that ten years ago solar energy generated 1% of the world's electricity and that last year it covered almost three-quarters of the growth in global demand, and indicated that, of every 100 cars sold a decade ago, one was electric, and that this year the proportion will approach one in three.
Energy transition
Based on the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report, Guterres stated that by 2035 global renewable energy capacity must at least triple compared to 2025, and that coal-fired power generation without emissions capture must be reduced by at least 75%. By 2040, he added, coal must be virtually phased out and oil and gas consumption must fall by about a third.
He called on each government to align its policies, investments, and infrastructure plans with those goals, starting with national roadmaps for the transition that protect workers and affected communities.
He specifically mentioned: no new coal projects, no new oil and gas infrastructure that would push the 1.5-degree target further away, reduction of methane emissions, accelerated expansion of renewables, grids, storage and clean electrification, and protection of forests, oceans and biodiversity.
Cost of money for developing countries
Guterres pointed out that emerging and developing economies, excluding China, are home to almost two-thirds of humanity, but receive less than a fifth of global investment in clean energy, and that most pay two to three times more to borrow.
He warned that if these countries do not have access to affordable clean energy, fossil fuels will take their place and lock in emissions for decades.
Regarding financing, he called on developed countries to lead the way in providing at least $300 billion annually by 2035 and to submit concrete plans, with interim targets, to at least triple adaptation funding by that time. He insisted that the $1.3 trillion target be translated into resources that actually reach developing countries.
He urged multilateral development banks to exceed the commitment made in Baku of $120 billion annually by 2030, to lend more, mobilize private investment, take on more risk and use innovative instruments tailored to the needs of vulnerable developing countries.
He also called on donors for an ambitious replenishment of the Green Climate Fund and the Loss and Damage Response Fund, and included South-South cooperation as a way to expand access to technology and finance.
Tax on oil profits
Guterres stated that in the last quarter the nine largest oil companies made $95 billion in profits, while the Loss and Damage Fund has received around $600 million, an amount equivalent to what those companies earn in about 14 hours.
He proposed that governments tax these windfall profits and allocate the resources to the recovery of vulnerable countries. "The polluter must pay," he said.
Adaptation and early warnings
The Secretary-General stated that, with rising temperatures, adaptation is a matter of survival. He called for a new generation of national adaptation plans, supported by the international community, for developing countries, and for every person on the planet to be covered by an early warning system and every community protected from floods, droughts, and rising sea levels. When adaptation reaches its limits, he added, loss and damage relief must be swift and accessible.
Message to small island states
Guterres closed his speech with a message to those on the front lines of climate action: young people, scientists, indigenous peoples, civil society and Small Island Developing States, whom he called "the conscience of this struggle".
He announced that he will step down as secretary general next year and assured that he will continue to support the cause as a defender and ally.
Dominican Republic's logbook on climate change
The country has a National Climate Change Policy, established by Decree 269-15, and a National Adaptation Plan for Climate Change 2015-2030, whose coordination corresponds to the National Council for Climate Change and Carbon Market (CNCCMC), which is chaired by President Luis Abinader and whose executive vice president is Max Puig.
The Dominican Republic does not yet have a general climate change law; an analysis by Participación Ciudadana dated June 2025 identified five legislative initiatives on the subject, none of which were approved.
In its 2020 national contribution, the country pledged to reduce its projected greenhouse gas emissions by 27% by 2030; of that total, 7 points were to be covered with national resources and the rest depended on external support.
In September 2025, Max Puig reported in New York that the national effort had achieved a reduction of close to 11% of projected emissions, above the portion assumed with own funds.
In June 2026, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, headed by Paíno Henríquez, presented the updated version of that commitment, known as NDC 3.0: a 28% reduction by 2030, of which 8.5% will be covered by national resources and 19.5% will be conditional on international financing, and a 32% reduction by 2035.
The document estimates investments exceeding US$23.719 billion and includes 41 adaptation measures in seven priority sectors.
In the energy sector, Joel Santos, Minister of Energy and Mines, reported in May 2026 that there are more than 25 projects under development that will add more than 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy, with the goal of these sources contributing 30% of electricity generation by 2030.
In March of that year, it asked Congress to approve the energy efficiency bill. In transportation, the country signed a ministerial declaration at COP30 in Belém to decarbonize the sector, aiming to reduce its energy consumption by 25% by 2035, and in May 2026, it assumed the co-presidency of that initiative in Leipzig, representing the Global South, through Sara González Troncoso, technical director of the CNCCMC.
In adaptation, the Ministry of Public Health, headed by Víctor Atallah, launched in March 2026 the National Health and Climate Change Adaptation Plan, developed with technical support from the Pan American Health Organization and funding from the European Union.
In April, Gloria Ceballos, director of the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (INDOMET), announced a system, developed with telephone companies, to send weather alerts directly to the cell phones of the population.
In the multilateral sphere, Carol Franco, advisor to the Ministry of Environment, assumed the presidency of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in June 2026.
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