During a press conference on Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres pleaded that countries must “cease and desist” and start to phase out fossil fuels altogether, as opposed to simply lowering emissions. He touched on the impact that oil, coal and gas have had on the planet’s steadily-increasing temperature, urging fossil fuel companies to stop what he described as a "knee-cap" on climate progress. “We are hurdling towards disaster, eyes wide open,” Guterres said.