Energy is essential to economic development. Energy provides mobility, heat, and light; it is the fuel that drives the global economy. But the production and use of coal, oil, and gas cause air pollution and climate change, harming public health and the environment. Our Energy & Climate team works with the UN and other partners to help move the world toward a safer, cleaner, more equitable and climate-friendly energy future.

This is a critical year. In 2015, world leaders are working with the UN toward two outcomes that will shape the future for generations to come: the creation of the next set of global goals to follow the Millennium Development Goals in September in New York, and the culmination of critical climate change negotiations in December in Paris.

Sustainable Energy for All is an initiative launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and co-led by World Bank President Jim Kim, balances three global objectives for 2030:

• Ensuring universal access to modern energy services. 

• Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency. 

• Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

This powerful shared vision can link climate change and development goals and attract broad international support for both.

Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. Unchecked, it will put not only development but all of humanity at risk. Sustainable Energy for All provides a framework for addressing climate change through increased use of renewable energy and energy efficiency within a framework of sustainable development. It is exactly the right approach for the 21st century – enabling economic prosperity for all without wrecking the environment on which we all depend. The UN Foundation supports the UN’s leadership on energy and climate change – through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Sustainable Energy for All.