After two weeks of intense negotiations, the UN Climate Change Conference in Nairobi has produced what many are calling the most significant climate agreement since Paris 2015. A total of 142 nations have signed the Nairobi Accord, committing to the complete elimination of coal-fired power generation by 2040.
The agreement is accompanied by the establishment of a $500 billion Global Energy Transition Fund, to which developed nations will contribute based on their historical emissions. India and China, the world's largest coal consumers, have signed with specific provisions allowing them until 2042.
"This is the beginning of the end for coal," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Future generations will look back at this moment as a turning point in humanity's fight against climate change."
Environmental groups have largely welcomed the agreement, though some have criticized it as not going far enough. Greenpeace called the 2040 timeline "ambitious but necessary," while urging nations to accelerate their individual timelines.
