The United Nations recently issued a mandate to its 193 member states calling for a transition away from polluting forms of energy. The climate initiative was part of a larger 42-page "blueprint for addressing some of the world's biggest challenges," according to Euronews.
Called the Pact for the Future, Euronews reported the agreement is one of the "most wide-ranging international agreements in a long time," tackling topics that include poverty, international conflict, human rights, and climate change. The pact details 56 "actions" UN member states must tackle to address pressing global challenges.
Notably, Action 9 calls on member states to strengthen their "actions against climate change" and reaffirm a commitment to the 2016 Paris Agreement. Objectives within this climate-minded action include "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner," highlighting the urgent need for cleaner energy systems.
In a speech announcing the mandate, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted how the climate crisis is "destroying lives, devastating communities, and ravaging economies" around the globe.
"We are here to bring multilateralism back from the brink," Guterres said in the meeting. "Now it is our common destiny to walk through it. That demands not just agreement, but action."
According to the International Energy Agency, polluting energy sources represent 81% of the total energy supply globally. Energy sources like coal, oil, and gas produce carbon when burned, which is the main driver of planetary warming. These dirty energy sources are also the core cause of human health impacts, marine pollution, ecosystem damage, and more.
Euronews reported the Pact for the Future has been in the works for years — and is a cause of much contention between world leaders. At last year's 28th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, some member states reportedly expressed concern about the UN issuing guidance on polluting forms of energy. Early drafts of the agreement reportedly dropped references to fossil fuels altogether, according to Euronews.
Even with the inclusion, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative says the pact marks a "tug-of-war" between nations vulnerable to climate change and fossil fuel-producing member states.
Member states will individually choose how to implement the pact in their climate plans, leaving the agreement's impact up to individual nations. According to Euronews, some climate activists are concerned this could cause nations dependent on dirty energy to try to exploit loopholes in the pact. To prevent this, climate activists are calling for the UN and member states to create concrete plans to completely divest from fossil fuels.
Greenpeace International executive director Mads Christensen said in a statement that the pact is a "good first step" but called it the "bare minimum" of needed climate action.
"This is a positive signal for the road ahead, but the real work is in implementation, and political leaders must now turn this promise into action," Christensen said. "Halfway through this critical decade, this pact must actually deliver a future the people want — a safe climate and a future free of fossil fuels."
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