India must abandon coal and move towards renewable energy sources, the UN secretary-general said on Friday.

Antonio Guterres told a digital audience that India is at a crossroads and should avoid committing to new coal projects after 2020.

Read more: India wedded to coal even as solar prices plummet

"India can become a true global superpower in the fight against climate change if it speeds up its shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy," he said.

India's subsidies for fossil fuels are some seven times bigger than its subsidies for clean energy. With the coronavirus pandemic putting sustainable development at risk, Guterres urged India to start using clean energy as it could benefit millions worldwide.

Guterres said eliminating fossil fuel usage would result in a life expectancy increase of 20 months, as well as prevent roughly 5.5 million deaths annually around the world. 

Coal industry is 'going up in smoke'

Investing in fossil fuels is "bad economics," Guterres continued, pointing toward why the world's largest investors are moving away from coal. 

"They see the writing on the wall," he said. "The coal business is going up in smoke."

In recent years, India has been praised for its commitment to renewables. Since signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, the world's fifth-largest economy has increased solar capacity almost ninefold while it has also pledged to radically cut emissions.

Guterres was quick to add his voice to the chorus of approval, lauding India for raising the proportion of renewable energy in its total consumption to 24%, up from 17%.

However, it is the country's reliance on coal that the UN finds alarming. The Indian government expects to add another 64 gigawatts (GW) of coal plant capacity to its system over the next decade.

In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India would open 41 (now reduced to 40) state coal pits to commercial mining by private companies for the first time since the 1970s. 

But UN chief Guterres underlined that renewable energy must continue to grow, and coal use gradually phased out. 

"Today is the time for bold leadership on clean energy and climate action. I call on India to be at the helm of the ambitious leadership we need," he said.