United Nations Headquarters in New York City on September 21, 2021.
Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images North America
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Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images North America
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a global pact on Sunday that includes an explicit call to phase out fossil fuels – which have been a sticking point in discussions on climate change for decades.
The call to move away from fossil fuels has been limited in the “Pact of the Future” – a broad plan for the 193 member states of the United Nations to work together on several challenges, from escalating conflicts to rising poverty to climate change. Warning that inaction on various issues threatens to push people around the world “into a future of perpetual crisis and destruction,” the document also lays out a framework for digital cooperation and artificial intelligence governance.
In a press release, the UN said the agreement was years in the making. The goal is to solve current problems, as well as anticipate future problems. This was achieved at the opening of the “Future Summit” two days before the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, which began on Tuesday.
The provision echoes commitments agreed by countries last year at the UN climate conference in Dubai. At the time, not everyone was happy with the final agreement. Critics of the deal say it lacks a clear path to phasing out fossil fuels and point to a “litany of loopholes” in the final text.
While Sunday’s pact outlined 56 broad actions to tackle the world’s biggest challenges, the UN said “follow-up action” was needed to ensure those commitments were met.
The UN calls for action on fossil fuels
In the Pact for the Future, the signatories agreed, “We are deeply concerned about the slow progress in tackling climate change,” and openly expressed concern about the growth of greenhouse gas emissions.
The pact calls for a re-commitment to the Paris climate agreement, which sets out the goal of moving away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.
More specifically, the country called for “tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling the global average increase in energy efficiency by 2030,” as well as “accelerating efforts to reduce unstoppable coal.”
It also encourages the spread of electric or other zero-emission vehicles and calls on countries to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies “as soon as possible.”
Climate activists applaud the pact but say it is not enough
Alex Rafalowicz, executive director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, praised the pact for tackling fossil fuels, but added that national commitments are not enough and countries must agree on a clear global plan on how to tackle fossil fuel production. at.
“Neglecting to take action that addresses the causes of the climate crisis is a lost opportunity to address one of the greatest threats of our time,” Rafalowicz said in a statement. “The time for half measures and false solutions has passed.”
Romain Ioualalen, global policy campaign manager for the international Oil Change, said the real impact of the pact will only happen if countries come up with a plan on how to phase out fossil fuels. Ioualalen added that rich countries should take the lead.
“Only through concrete financial commitments and binding and swift action to phase out fossil fuels can we secure a livable future within 1.5°C,” said Ioualalen, referring to the global warming benchmark set by the Paris Agreement.
For the director of the International Center for Climate Politics Catherine Abreu, the elimination of fossil fuels is “a new standard for climate action” that all countries must take responsibility for.
“From now on, any country that claims climate leadership will be tested by this: do you have a fossil fuel transition plan? And for rich producing countries, the test includes support for developing countries to make the transition,” Abreu said in a statement . .
