For immediate release

This week’s Leaders Climate Summit was a missed opportunity to drive a landmark year for climate action. While stronger climate goals by a number of countries is a welcome signal, the overall approach from heads of state was underwhelming, particularly as the promised targets had few clear policies and lacked the necessary international finance and technology transfers to drive the emissions cuts required by science.

Most conspicuously, fossil fuel production continues to be a dangerous blind spot in the international system. The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, took the opportunity to focus on the effort his country has taken to plan for the transition from coal mining, and recognise the global call to stop fossil fuel expansion. The announcement of Canada, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States to launch a Net-Zero Producers Forum also highlights the centrality of fossil fuel production to addressing climate change. But we remain wary that this forum will be focused on untested and ineffective technologies that seek to consolidate the power of vested fossil fuel interests rather than seriously taking up the challenge of planning for a global transition from these climate-destroying fuels.

Tzeporah Berman, Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative said:

“The Net Zero Producers Forum is worrying because all of these countries continue to expand fossil fuel production and pour billions of dollars into technologies to reduce emissions ‘per barrel’ rather than to manage an equitable decline of overall emissions and production. If your house is on fire you don’t add more fuel. To keep the world safe we need these leaders to focus on securing access to renewable energy and the electrification of transport for everyone, not propping up a dying industry. We need global cooperation to phase out fossil fuels not to lock them in further.” 

Governments around the world are still approving plans that would increase coal, oil, and gas production by 2% annually; whereas the recent UNEP Production Gap Report tells us that 6% reductions are required , taking us far off track to limit warming to 1.5C. Failure to stop fossil fuel expansion and plan for a global just transition for the phase-out of production undermines any efforts to meet the Paris Agreement and reduce demand for fossil fuels.

In this critical lead-up to COP26, heads of state must work together to address coal, oil and gas production directly. This is a clear call already recognized by science, and demanded by people-powered movements across the globe. This week, His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama and 100 other Nobel Laureates signed our letter calling for international cooperation to end fossil fuel expansion, equitably plan for the phase-out of fossil fuels, and resource a global just transition.

We will not rest until these important issues are at the top of the international agenda - they are essential to a fair and effective response to the climate crisis. 

Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, a US National Climate Strategist based in Baltimore said:

“There’s no such thing as a net zero oil producer. It belies the concept. We have to get to zero emissions to survive which means we literally need to keep fossil fuels in the ground. This forum will only be useful if it leads to a transparent, fair, and accelerated phaseout of fossil fuel production, which is a central plank of the proposal for a global fossil fuel non proliferation treaty. Otherwise, this is next level greenwashing from some of the world’s largest polluters, and the world can’t take it.”

Harjeet Singh, Strategic Advisor: Global Partnerships for the Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty Initiative, said:

“There is a huge gap in terms of how we’re supporting the just transition. And that is why the Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty is really important. We are putting a global just transition at the heart of it. With the Paris Agreement, there is so much talk about the cake itself but we haven’t talked about how to cut the cake. Who gives money? Who takes up the responsibility? Who does how much? For many leaders, it is too convenient to talk about just the cake and not how to cut it.”

Lidy Nacpil, Coordinator of Jubilee South – Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JSAPMDD), said:

"We call on all governments to immediately end support for the expansion of fossil fuel and all other harmful energy - coal, gas and oil - plus clear targets with timelines for a swift and just transition out of fossil fuels and into 100% clean and renewable energy systems in line with meeting the Paris goal of keeping temperature rise below 1.5C. Without these, any claims of commitment to ambitious climate action would be little more than rhetoric. We also urge all governments to pursue a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, a bold much needed move that will be a springboard for a fossil fuel free future."

Kandi Mossett White, Coordinator, Native Energy & Climate Campaign at Indigenous Environmental Network, USA:

“The United States and other national governments are setting “net zero” targets, as part of the actions they are taking in the context of the Paris Agreement, and in the context of their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) reporting process. Government “net-zero” targets are really just accounting tricks.“Net-zero” emissions pretend to “remove” pollution with false solutions to climate change to justify polluting more. Furthermore, “net-zero” emissions and carbon neutrality inherently imply that the reduction of carbon and other greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions can be met through carbon market systems and techno-fixes. However, these techno-fixes are expensive, unproven, unjust and do not address the root causes of climate change nor support environmental justice. Investing in America means making a just transition away from a fossil fuel economy. First and foremost, if we are to stop climate change, we must create a plan to keep fossil fuels in the ground that includes cutting off subsidies, tax breaks and carbon pricing loopholes.”

Gregorio Mirabal, elected leader of the Congress of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), said:

“I want to say that here, in the Amazon, every two days, a defender is killed for protecting our forest. Every six seconds, a tree falls because of deforestation due to illegal mining as well as gas and oil exploitation. If the extractivist system keeps expanding, the blood of the Amazon will be contaminated, its bones destroyed and we are going to die, not just us as Indigenous Peoples, but all of us as human beings. We still have time to stop it. Therefore, we ask President Biden and leaders across the world to adopt an international agreement to stop fossil fuels expansion.”

Mitzi Jonelle Tan, convenor and international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), said:

“What we’re seeing are these world leaders who continue to wave their targets, like net zero by 2050, like magic wands that will solve things. Your magic wands won’t do anything for us because your targets are still insufficient, full of loopholes and vague without any concrete plans and actions. We’re still seeing so much support for fossil fuel industries despite knowing that the industry is leading us to our destruction.”

Teresa Anderson, climate policy coordinator at ActionAid International, said:

"To say this new Net Zero Fossil Fuel Producers' Forum smells fishy would be an understatement. Pinning hopes on unproven technologies that may never work, instead of actually phasing out fossil fuels, is a recipe for climate failure. Bringing emissions down to net zero while continuing to burn coal, oil and gas would require carbon offsetting through tree plantations so vast there isn’t enough land on the planet to support them. Net zero rhetoric is being used by corporations and industries to sound green while carrying on polluting. If the world is to have a chance of avoiding runaway climate breakdown, we need to stop greenwashing fossil fuels and start phasing them out."

FOR PRESS

Further insight into why a focus on global cooperation to address the fossil fuel industry is a prerequisite of climate action is on display from advocates from Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon and North America, as well as India, the Philippines, and Councillor Paul Koretz on the news. Los Angeles is the first US city to endorse the treaty in our official side event to the World Leaders Summit on Climate. For media enquiries please contact media@fossilfueltreaty.org

About the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative

The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is spurring international cooperation to end new development of fossil fuels, phase out existing production within the agreed climate limit of 1.5°C and develop plans to support workers, communities and countries dependent on fossil fuels to create secure and healthy livelihoods. Cities such as Vancouver and Barcelona have already endorsed the Treaty with more considering motions to endorse. Hundreds of organizations representing thousands more individuals join the call for world leaders to stop fossil fuel expansion.

For more information on the Initiative, please visit the website, explore our Campaign Hub and view the introduction video.