Al Gore: Every nation in the world has signed an agreement that includes a transition away from fossil fuels. Our verdict: False.
Al Gore made the claim on 12 November 2026, in comments reported by Al-Monitor about Saudi Arabia's veto power at climate talks.
Our verdict
False
Al Gore said every nation in the world has signed an agreement that includes a transition away from fossil fuels. This is false: the Paris Agreement has 198 parties, not every nation, and COP decisions are adopted by consensus of parties rather than signed by every country.
What we found
The claim is not accurate. It is true that a major climate decision agreed at COP28 in Dubai does include explicit language on "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems", as shown in the draft decision text published by the UNFCCC. But that decision was adopted by consensus of the parties to the Paris Agreement, not signed by every nation individually. The UNFCCC itself describes participation in the Paris Agreement as "near-universal", and its list of parties shows 198 parties, not all nations. A UNFCCC document on global climate policies also states that the Paris Agreement has not been ratified by all nations. So the idea that every country on Earth has signed on to such an agreement does not hold up.
The evidence
2 contradict and 1 support the claim, of 7 sources.
- Background
Al-Monitor reported that Al Gore said the transition away from fossil fuels is a firm part of the set of agreements that every nation in the world has signed on to. [1]
- Contradicts the claim
A UNFCCC document on global climate policies says the Paris Agreement has not been ratified by all nations, which contradicts the claim that every nation has signed on to agreements on fossil fuel transitions. [2]
- Contradicts the claim
The UNFCCC's page on the outcome of the first global stocktake refers to "near-universal" climate action under the Paris Agreement, rather than agreement by every nation in the world. [3]
- Background
The UNFCCC's list of parties shows 198 parties to the Paris Agreement, indicating near-universal but not universal participation. [4]
- Supports the claim
The COP28 global stocktake draft decision includes explicit language calling for "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems". [5]
- Background
The Glasgow Climate Pact from COP26 includes language calling for a transition towards low-emission energy systems and the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. [6]
- Background
The COP27/CMA4 decision includes language calling for a transition towards low-emission energy systems. [7]
What we could not confirm
- We did not exhaustively verify the current ratification status of all 193 UN member states.
- We did not check whether any other international agreement outside the UNFCCC framework contains a fossil fuel transition and has been signed by every nation.
- We did not assess whether the "transition away from fossil fuels" language is legally binding or how it has been implemented.
How we checked
We looked at the original Al-Monitor report of Al Gore's comments, UNFCCC documents on the Paris Agreement and COP decisions, and the UNFCCC's list of parties to the Paris Agreement. We reviewed 7 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.al-monitor.com · Gore blasts 'insane' Saudi veto power at climate talks · November 12, 2026
- [2]unfccc.int · From Global Policies to Phase Out Fossil Fuels To a Sustainable Union · July 30, 2025
- [3]unfccc.int · Outcome of the first global stocktake | UNFCCC
- [4]unfccc.int · Parties | UNFCCC
- [5]unfccc.int · Outcome of the first global stocktake. Draft decision -/CMA.5. Proposal by the President
- [6]unfccc.int · COP26 cover decision · November 13, 2021
- [7]unfccc.int · Draft decisions 1CP27 1CMA4. Proposal by the President · November 19, 2022
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