NEW YORK, 13 August 2024 - As governments prepare to gather for this September’s Summit of the Future – a high-level UN meeting that aims to “deliver a better present and safeguard the future” – recent negotiations have removed two words from the draft outcome: fossil fuels. 

The first draft of the outcome – the Pact for the Future – urged “accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels”, a position the world agreed to at the UN Climate Talks last year. However, in recent negotiations, any text mentioning “fossil fuels” or a “just transition” was removed entirely. 

In response to this glaring omission, a distinguished group of 77 former world leaders and Nobel laureates have sent a powerful letter to governments just weeks before they meet at the UN Headquarters in New York, stating that they were “gravely concerned that the draft Pact for the Future does not even mention fossil fuels, one of the greatest threats facing the world today.” 

The letter's signatories include Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Mary Robinson, the Former President of Ireland, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and Stefan Löfven, the Former Prime Minister of Sweden. Together, they made it clear that “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.”

Stefan Löfven, Former Prime Minister of Sweden and President of the European Socialists, stated: "The omission of fossil fuels from the draft Pact for the Future is another stark failure to confront one of the greatest threats to our planet and humanity. World leaders should be unequivocal when it comes to acting decisively and collectively to prevent further climate impacts, and instead, they are deciding to bury their heads in the sand. Only through unwavering international cooperation to phase out fossil fuels can we safeguard our common future."

Oil, gas and coal are the primary causes of the climate crisis and create disastrous health, social, and environmental impacts that the signatories describe as "carnage." Their letter highlights the risk of fossil fuel expansion undermining progress toward the world’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

While the summit has garnered widespread support and will bring together governments, UN agencies, civil society organisations and academics to chart a collective course towards a resilient and equitable future, the signatories warn that efforts to increase international cooperation must also address the threat of coal, oil and gas exploration – pointing to the nations seeking to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty as an example of the leadership required in this critical decade.

Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize 1997, said: “Our letter underlines an essential truth: without a future free of fossil fuels, there will be no future on this planet. The consensus is global and unequivocal: our survival depends on an equitable phase out of fossil fuels. The omission of this crucial issue from the Pact for the Future reveals a dangerous ongoing complacency that keeps jeopardising our chances of a livable planet. Governments must heed our call to action and ensure that their global commitments respond to the reality of the climate emergency: unless fossil fuels are tackled, there is no future to safeguard.”

Sir Richard J. Roberts, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1993, added:  “Not mentioning fossil fuels in the Pact for the Future will represent a further failure of the climate strategy of those in power, and of their moral responsibility to preserve Humanity. The world's leaders must put in place genuine international cooperation and financial support to phase out oil, gas and coal. A group of 13 pioneering countries is championing the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to prioritise the well-being of people and the planet over short-term profits from fossil fuels. By committing to an equitable transition away from fossil fuels, we can pave the way for a peaceful, fair and sustainable future for all".

This letter to governments negotiating the Pact for the Future from former world leaders and Nobel laureates was supported by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, a global campaign aiming to foster greater international cooperation on the just transition away from coal, oil and gas extraction. The full letter and list of signatories is available here.