5. Fossil Fuel Treaty – Letter from Academics.pdf

2,185 scientists and academics call for a Fossil Fuel NonProliferation Treaty

OUR LETTER

We, the undersigned, call on governments around

According to the most recent Production Gap Report, this

the world to adopt and implement a Fossil Fuel

requires an average decline in fossil fuel production of at least

Non-Proliferation Treaty, as a matter of urgency, to

protect the lives and livelihoods of present and future generations through a global, equitable phase out of

fossil fuels in line with the scientific consensus to not exceed 1.5ºC of warming.

a global solution. We call on governments to urgently commence negotiations to develop, adopt and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty laying out a binding global plan to: End new expansion of fossil fuel production in line with the best available science as outlined by the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme •

Phase out existing production of fossil fuels in a

manner that is fair and equitable, taking into account the respective dependency of countries on fossil fuels, and their capacity to transition;

•

is vital that the global transition towards a zero carbon world is equitable, based on countries' fair share of expected climate their capacity to act. This means richer countries must reduce production of fossil fuels at a faster rate than poorer countries that require greater support to transition, including through the redirection of finance and subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In addition to climate impacts, new research shows that the air pollution caused by fossil fuels was responsible for almost 1 in 5 deaths worldwide in 2018.5 These significant health and environmental impacts are derived from the extracting, refining, transporting and burning of fossil fuels and are often borne by vulnerable and marginalised communities. At the same time, centralised, fossil fuel-generated energy often concentrates power and wealth into the hands of a select few, bypassing the communities in which extraction occurs.6

Invest in a transformational plan to ensure 100%

access to renewable energy globally, support fossil fuel-dependent economies to diversify away from fossil fuels, and enable people and communities across the globe to flourish through a global just transition.

The current dominant approach to tackling climate change focuses on policies that restrict greenhouse gas emissions and the demand for fossil fuels, for example by fostering the growth of substitutes for fossil fuels such as renewable energy and electric vehicles.7 But there has been limited focus on

The scientific consensus is clear that human activities are

policies aimed at constraining the production and supply of

primarily responsible for global climate change, and that the

fossil fuels at the source.

climate crisis now represents the greatest threat to human civilization and nature.1

Yet efforts to reduce demand for fossil fuels will be undermined if supply continues to grow. Continued

The burning of fossil fuels - coal, oil, and gas - is the greatest

production means either that fossil fuels will continue to be

contributor to climate change, responsible for almost 80% of

burnt for energy - pushing the world towards catastrophic

carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution.

global warming - or that the industry and countries reliant

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To keep warming to below the temperature goal of 1.5ºC, as reflected in the scientific literature and the IPCC’s special report on 1.5ºC, global greenhouse gas emissions need to be at least 45% lower globally by 2030.3 2

industry is planning to increase production by 2% per year.4 It

action, their historical contribution to climate change and

The fossil fuel system and its impacts are global and require

•

6% per year between 2020-2030. However, the fossil fuel

on fossil fuels will face massive stranded assets, stranded workers, and stranded economies, as government revenue streams currently relied on for development and public sector employment and essential public services evaporate.

While the Paris Agreement lays an important foundation

[1] World Economic Forum, “The Global Risks Report 2020,” Insight Report

for action on the demand-side of the equation, without

(World Economic Forum; Marsh & McLennan; Zurich Insurance Group;

international cooperation and policy processes focusing on the

National University of Singapore; Oxford Martin School; Wharton Risk

supply of fossil fuels, countries will continue to overshoot their

Management and Decision Processes Center, University of Pennsylvania,

already insufficient emissions targets.8

2020); IPCC, “Summary for Policymakers,” in Global Warming of 1.5°C. An

Given the significant historical contribution of fossil fuels to

IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-

climate change, and the industry’s continuing expansion plans,

Industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in

we are calling for a solution commensurate with the scale of

the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate

the problem. Phasing down coal, oil and gas in line with 1.5ºC

Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty (World

requires global cooperation, in a way that is fair, equitable

Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2018), http://www.ipcc.

and reflects countries’ levels of dependence on fossil fuels, and

ch/report/sr15/.

capacities to transition. This, in turn, should be underpinned

[2] Global Carbon Project (2020) ‘Supplemental data of Global Carbon Budget

by financial resources, including technology transfer, to enable

2020 (Version 1.0)’ [Data set]. From Friedlingstein et al (2020) ‘Global Carbon

a just transition for workers and communities in developing

Budget 2020’. Earth System Science Data, 12 (4): 3269-3340.

countries and a decent life for all. In this context, we add our voices to the call from civil society, youth leaders, Indigenous Peoples, faith institutions, cities and sub-national governments for a global treaty to address fossil fuels.9

[3] IPCC, above n 2 [4] SEI et al., “The Production Gap: The Discrepancy between Countries’ Planned Fossil Fuel Production and Global Production Levels Consistent with Limiting Warming to 1.5°C or 2°C,” 2019, http://productiongap. org/; International Energy Agency, CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion 2018, CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion (OECD, 2018), https://doi. org/10.1787/co2_fuel-2018-en. [5] Vohra K et al (2021) ‘Global mortality from outdoor fine particle pollution generated by fossil fuel combustion: Results from GEOS-Chem’. Environmental Research, 195: 110754. [6] Burke M and Stephens J (2018) ‘Political power and renewable energy futures: a critical review. Energy Research & Social Science, 35: 78-93; LDC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative (2017) Framework. Accessed from http://ldcreeei.org/arei_publications/ldc-reeei-framework/. [7] Fergus Green and Richard Denniss (2018) ‘Cutting with both arms of the scissors: the economic and political case for restrictive supply-side climate policies’. Climate Policy, 150: 73-87. [8] Olhoff A and Christensen JM (Eds.) (2019) ‘Emissions Gap Report 2019’. United Nations Environment Programme, https://www.unenvironment.org/ resources/emissions-gap-report-2019 [9] For the full list of endorsements, visit: www.fossilfueltreaty.org/endorsements

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