Nations Back Green Energy Shift at U.N.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a global pact on Sunday that included explicit calls to phase out fossil fuels — a move that has been a stubborn sticking point in climate change talks for decades. This groundbreaking agreement, known as the "Pact of the Future," represents a significant shift in the global approach to tackling climate change, signaling a potential turning point in the fight to avert catastrophic consequences.

The pact, a broad plan for the U.N.'s 193 member nations to collaborate on a range of challenges, including escalating conflicts, rising poverty, and climate change, outlines a clear path for moving away from fossil fuels. Warning that inaction on these issues threatens to push people around the world "into a future of persistent crisis and breakdown," the document also lays out a framework for digital cooperation and artificial intelligence governance.

The U.N. stated in a press release that the agreement, reached at the opening of the two-day "Summit of the Future" in advance of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly, was years in the making. The goal was to address the problems of today as well as anticipate the troubles of tomorrow.

The provision echoes a commitment agreed by nations last year at the U.N. climate conference in Dubai. However, despite the agreement, not everyone was satisfied with the final text. Critics argued that it lacked a clear path toward phasing out fossil fuels and highlighted a "litany of loopholes" in the final text.

While Sunday's pact outlines 56 broad actions to address the world's biggest challenges, the U.N. emphasized the need for "follow-up action" to ensure that the commitments are followed through. The Pact of the Future explicitly raises concerns with the continued growth of greenhouse gas emissions and calls for reaffirmed commitment to the Paris climate agreement, which laid out goals to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.