UN pact reaffirms transition away from fossil fuels key to fighting climate change: Experts

New Delhi: The United Nations' Pact for the Future adopted on Sunday has once again placed the fight against fossil fuels at the center of the global response to the climate crisis, policy experts said.

During the vote at the start of the Summit of the Future in New York, 143 countries committed to “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner”.

Seven countries, including Russia, Belarus and Iran, voted against the text, while 15 countries abstained.

In the adopted version, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the COP28 agreement to "triple global renewable energy capacity and double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements" by 2030.

They also pledged to accelerate efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power.

The inclusion of the phrase "transition away from fossil fuels" was a contentious issue during the negotiations, having been removed from the draft text weeks ago before being reinserted.

Reacting to the outcome, International Climate Politics Hub Director Catherine Abreu said, “Fossil fuel phaseout is the new standard for climate action. The Pact for the Future has solidified a global agreement to replace coal, oil, and gas with renewables and energy efficiency.

"From now on, any country claiming climate leadership will be judged on whether they have a fossil fuel transition plan. For wealthy producing countries, this also includes supporting developing nations in making their transition.” Romain Ioualalen, Global Policy Manager at Oil Change International, said, “Today, countries have once again placed the fight against fossil fuels at the core of the multilateral response to the climate crisis. But words are not enough; we need urgent action. Countries must adopt national climate plans (NDCs) that immediately halt fossil fuel expansion and include plans to phase out fossil fuels." He said that wealthy nations must lead the way and commit to a new climate finance goal of at least USD 1 trillion annually at COP29.

Only through concrete and binding financial commitments and rapid action to phase out fossil fuels can countries secure a livable future within 1.5 degrees Celsius, he said.

The Summit of the Future was first proposed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his "Our Common Agenda" report published in September 2021.

The report was a response to Member States’ request for ideas on how to better address present and future challenges.