Guterres added that it was time to move into "emergency mode" to end fossil fuel subsidies, phase out coal, put a price on carbon, protect vulnerable communities, and deliver on $100 billion in climate finance commitments.
"We did not achieve those goals at this meeting," he said. But we have laid some foundations for progress going forward."
Guterres also expressed his expectations to young people, indigenous communities, women leaders and all those leading climate action.
"I know you're disappointed. But the path forward has not always been smooth. Sometimes we take detours. Sometimes there are difficulties and dangers. But I know we'll get there eventually. We are engaged in the most important battle of our lives, and it must be won. We will never give up, we will never back down, and we will keep going."
Protocol outline
The outcome document, known as the Glasgow Climate Convention, calls on 197 countries to report on their progress towards greater climate goals at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties in Egypt next year.
The outcomes of the conference solidify the global consensus to commit to accelerating climate action in this decade.
At the last minute, China and India proposed changes to the language on phasing out coal. The wording of the draft text circulated earlier in the day was "phasing out unabated coal-fired power generation and inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels." The wording of the final text adopted on Saturday was revised to "phase down" coal use.
The President of the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties, Alok Sharma, was emotional and close to tears as he briefed participants on this latest development.
Mr Sharma apologised for "the way the process evolved". He said he understood that some delegations would be "deeply disappointed" that stronger language was not included in the final agreement.
The outcome document also asks the government to set a more urgent timetable for updating its emissions-reduction plan.
On the thorny issue of financing by developed countries to support climate action in developing countries, the text stresses the need to "mobilize climate finance from all sources to reach the level needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, including significantly increasing support to developing country Parties to bring the total amount to more than $100 billion per year".
1.5 degrees "weak pulse"
Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: "Negotiations are never easy... This is the essence of consensus and multilateralism. "
For every commitment announced in the past two weeks, she said, there was an expectation that implementation plans and implementation details would follow.
She says there has been some progress in taking action on adaptation. She urged people to "enjoy what has been achieved, but also prepare for the future."
Meanwhile, Sharma, president of COP 26, said delegations could say "credibly" that they had kept the 1.5 degree Celsius warming target within reach.
"But its pulse is very weak. It will only survive if we keep our promises, if we translate them into rapid action to meet the expectations set out in the Glasgow Climate Convention to raise ambition by 2030 and beyond, and to close the huge gaps that remain. We have to."
He then again quoted Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados. Motley had said earlier in the meeting that for Barbados and other small island states, "two degrees of warming means a death sentence." In response, Sharma asked delegates to continue their efforts to get financing flowing and facilitate adaptation action.
'We have made history in Glasgow,' he concluded.
"We must now ensure that the next steps we need to take will translate into reality the solemn commitments we made at the Glasgow Climate Convention," he said.
Results' not the worst '
At the last plenary session of the General Assembly to take stock of progress, many countries lamented that the agreed package of decisions did not go far enough. Some called it "disappointing," but overall they recognized that it was balanced to reach an agreement at this time, given the differences among countries.
Nigeria, Palau, the Philippines, Chile and Turkey, among others, indicated that they generally supported the text, despite its imperfections.
On a bittersweet note, the Maldives' chief negotiator said, "This is an incremental step, but it does not correspond to the required progress." For the Maldives, the promise is too distant. This agreement does not give us hope."
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said the text "is a strong statement" and assured delegates that the United States would constructively engage in conversations on loss, damage and adaptation, two of the thorny issues to get countries on the same page.
The lead negotiator from New Zealand said, "This text represents a 'not the worst' outcome."
Other major achievements of COP 26
In addition to political negotiations and leaders' summits, COP 26 brought together some 50,000 participants to exchange innovative ideas, solutions, participate in cultural events, and build partnerships and alliances online and in person.
Many encouraging announcements were also made during the meeting. Most notably, the leaders of more than 120 countries representing 90% of the world's forest area pledged to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.
Then there is the methane pledge, led by the United States and the European Union, under which more than 100 countries have agreed to reduce their emissions of the greenhouse gas by 2030.
At the same time, more than 40 countries - including major coal users such as Poland, Vietnam and Chile - agreed to abandon coal. Coal is one of the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions.
The private sector has also shown a strong willingness to cooperate. Nearly 500 financial services firms agreed to align their investments of $130 trillion in assets under management, about 40 percent of the world's total, with the principles set out in the Paris Agreement, including limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In addition, to the surprise of many, the United States and China pledged to promote climate cooperation over the next decade. In a joint declaration, they said they had agreed to take steps on a range of issues, including methane emissions, the transition to clean energy and decarbonisation. They also reaffirmed their commitment to keep to the 1.5C target.
On green transport, more than 100 governments, cities, states and major businesses have signed the Glasgow Declaration on Zero Emission Cars and Vans to end sales of internal combustion engine vehicles in major markets around the world by 2035. At least 13 countries have also pledged to end sales of fossil-fuel-powered heavy-duty vehicles by 2040.
The past two weeks have also seen a number of "smaller" but no less inspiring commitments, including the creation of the 11-nation Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. Countries such as Ireland, France, Denmark and Costa Rica, as well as some local governments, launched the coalition to set an end date for national oil and gas exploration and extraction.
A brief review of climate action
In short, the convening of COP 26 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is one of the latest and most important steps in the decades-long effort by the United Nations to help avert the looming climate emergency.
In 1992, the United Nations organized a major event called the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, at which the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted.
In the treaty, countries agreed to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere" to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. Today, 197 countries have acceded to the treaty.
Every year since the treaty came into force in 1994, the United Nations has convened a global climate summit, or "Conference of the Parties" (COP), for almost every country in the world.
This year was supposed to be the 27th annual summit, but the 26th COP, which should have been held last year, was pushed back to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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