Dive Brief:
- A group of 77 global leaders and Nobel laureates are raising concerns about the omission of language concerning a phase out of fossil fuels from the latest draft of a United Nations climate pact. The pact is to be the focus of discussions at a UN-backed September summit.
- In a letter released Tuesday, the group — which includes former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who serves as the chief advisor of Bangladesh — said it was “gravely concerned” that the latest iteration of the Pact for the Future did not mention fossil fuels at all.
- The initial negotiating text or “Zero Draft” released in January mentioned “accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems” and “setting a deadline for eliminating fossil fuel subsidies.” Recent revisions to the draft text, however, have removed all references to fossil fuels.
Dive Insight:
The latest draft text of the climate pact, revealed July 17, calls for “accelerating action on the basis of the best available science” in lieu of a call for fossil fuel abatement.
However, the draft advocates for working toward an “ambitious outcome” at the upcoming COP29 climate summit and setting quantified climate finance goals in addition to “building” on the outcome of last year’s inaugural Global Stocktake. The United Nations-backed global assessment of the progress made toward achieving the Paris Agreement’s goals concluded that 22 gigatons of greenhouse gasses must be removed within the next seven years to keep the Paris Agreement goal within reach.
“The extraction and burning of fossil fuels is the primary cause of the climate crisis, fueling extreme weather, fires, lethal heat, droughts and flooding that are threatening lives and livelihoods around the planet,” the group wrote in the Aug 13 letter.
Fossil fuels — especially coal, oil and gas — account for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and almost 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions, making them the largest contributor to global climate change, according to recent data from the United Nations. The Environmental Protection Agency also found in 2022 that burning fossil fuels accounted for 74% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
The Nobel Prize winners and leaders commended the UN for hosting the upcoming Summit of the Future, which will congregate world leaders to reach a consensus on how to improve present circumstances and “safeguard the future.” But the group said the summit’s primary goal can only be achieved through world leaders committing to a “fast and fair transition away from fossil fuels.”
The group said such a transition can only occur if nations cooperate to end the expansion of oil, gas and coal extraction; negotiate an equitable timeline to phase out fossil fuels that “complement[s] and implement[s]” the Paris Agreement; and scale the financing needed to ensure that countries and communities can switch to a future that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels.
“If the Summit of the Future does not address the threat of fossil fuels, it will not be worthy of its name, risking undermining a once-in-a-century opportunity to restore trust in the power of international cooperation,” the letter stated.
The group’s ask is also in line with the COP28 agreement struck between nearly 200 countries last year. The landmark climate agreement called for “transitioning away” from fossil fuels and accelerating renewable energy production, marking the conclusion of two weeks of contentious negotiations and several draft proposals.
