4. Fossil Fuel Treaty – Letter from Nobel Laureates.pdf

Nobel Laureates’ Statement to Climate Summit World Leaders: Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground

NOBEL LETTER

As Nobel Laureates from peace, literature, medicine,

physics, chemistry and economic sciences, and like so many people around the globe, we are seized by the great moral issue of our time: the climate crisis and commensurate destruction of nature.

Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement. Failure to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature limit of 1.5°C risks pushing the world towards catastrophic global warming. Yet, the Paris Agreement has no mention of oil, gas or

Climate change is threatening hundreds of millions of lives,

coal. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry continues to plan

livelihoods across every continent and is putting thousands of

new projects. Banks continue to fund new projects. According

species at risk. The burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil, and gas –

to the most recent United Nations Environment Programme

is by far the major contributor to climate change.

report, 120% more coal, oil, and gas will be produced by 2030

We write today, on the eve of Earth Day 2021 and the

Leaders’ Climate Summit, hosted by President Biden, to urge you to act now to avoid a climate catastrophe by

than is consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C. Efforts to meet the Paris Agreement and to reduce demand for fossil fuels will be undermined if supply continues to grow.

stopping the expansion of oil, gas and coal.

The solution is clear: fossil fuels must be kept in the ground.

We welcome President Biden and the US government’s

Leaders, not industry, hold the power and have the moral

acknowledgement in the Executive Order that “Together, we

responsibility to take bold actions to address this crisis. We call

must listen to science and meet the moment.” Indeed, meeting

on world leaders to work together in a spirit of international

the moment requires responses to the climate crisis that will

cooperation to:

define legacies. Qualifications for being on the right side of history are clear.

•

in line with the best available science as outlined by the

For far too long, governments have lagged, shockingly,

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and United

behind what science demands and what a growing and powerful people-powered movement knows: urgent action is needed to end the expansions of fossil fuel

Nations Environment Program; •

production; phase out current production; and invest in

local pollution, environmental and health costs associated with extracting, refining, transporting and burning fossil fuels. These costs are often paid by Indigenous peoples and marginalized communities. Egregious industry practices have led to human rights violations and a fossil fuel system that has left billions of people across the globe without sufficient energy to lead lives of dignity. For both people and the planet, continued support must be 2

given to tackling climate change through the United Nations

manner that is fair and equitable, taking into account

their respective dependency on fossil fuels, and capacity to

The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for almost 80% of addition to being the leading source of emissions, there are

Phase out existing production of oil, gas and coal in a the responsibilities of countries for climate change and

renewable energy.

carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution. In

End new expansion of oil, gas and coal production

transition; •

Invest in a transformational plan to ensure 100% access to renewable energy globally, support

dependent economies to diversify away from fossil fuels, and enable people and communities across the globe to flourish through a global just transition. Fossil fuels are the greatest contributor to climate

change. Allowing the continued expansion of this

industry is unconscionable. The fossil fuel system is global and requires a global solution – a solution the Leaders’ Climate Summit must work towards. And the first step is to keep fossil fuels in the ground.