World must 'accelerate' clean energy transition: COP31 president

The global energy crisis has underscored the need for the world economy to transform and 'accelerate the transition to clean energy', the Turkish president-designate of the COP31 climate conference said Thursday.
Oil prices have soared since the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran in late February and Tehran subsequently closed the Strait of Hormuz, fuelling calls for the world to ditch its reliance on fossil fuels.
'The world is facing the biggest energy crisis in it's history today,' Murat Kurum told a meeting on the energy transition at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris.
'We now know clearly that the global economy must transform its energy paradigm,' said Kurum, who is also Turkey's climate minister.
'And the most critical step is to accelerate the transition to clean energy,' he added.
IEA chief Fatih Birol said oil prices, which topped $126 per barrel on Thursday, were 'putting a lot of pressure in many countries'.
'Our world is facing a major energy and economic challenge,' said Birol, adding that his agency, which advises its member countries on energy policy, was monitoring the situation.
The meeting in Paris was being in held as part of preparations for the UN's COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey.