UK cities demand fossil fuel phase out as government fails to lead

Following the lack of climate leadership at COP26, seven cities across the UK commit to ending fossil fuel expansion and equitably transitioning to renewable and low-carbon energy. The past few months saw a rush of municipal-level endorsements of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. This includes the host country’s capital of Edinburgh, which has come out calling for a global just transition away from fossil fuels.

Along with Edinburgh’s endorsement, six other councils across the UK also joined the global call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: Amber Valley Borough, Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Cambridge, Lewes and the London Borough of Lambeth. 

These UK cities all recognize the urgency to equitably transition from fossil fuels to renewable power. In fact, the first to endorse in the UK - Amber Valley Borough - is an ex-coal mining community that has since started working with the local university to offer green tech jobs and degrees. The Cambridge motion, initiated by Councilor Hannah Copley, also set an action to write both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and COP26 president Alok Sharma, calling on them to support a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

Despite this groundswell of advocacy from local councils, the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson continuously fails to address the primary cause of the climate crisis while touting their climate credentials. Instead of managing a phase out of fossil fuels, the UK is set to approve six new oil and gas fields before the end of 2022, claiming that these are in line with their net zero strategy. This follows the UK having granted access to hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists to the negotiation halls in Glasgow, making them the largest delegation in attendance. 

Against this backdrop of empty rhetoric and political failure - while the current UK energy price crisis and the war in Ukraine reinforce the urgent need to end our dependence on fossil fuels - UK cities are calling on the national government to act and leading the way by joining a global movement of activists, climate leaders and frontline communities around the world calling for coal, oil and gas to be left in the ground. This includes cities around the world such as Barcelona, Sydney, Los Angeles, Toronto and most recently Amsterdam.

Birmingham Councillor Lisa Trickett said : “I am pleased that Birmingham City Council has passed a motion calling on the Government to adopt the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation treaty. Here in Birmingham we are taking bold action to tackle the climate crisis, but it is clear that the Government needs to do more at a national level to speed up the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. As the latest energy crisis shows, it is vital that the UK develops clean, sustainable and reliable sources of energy that will both power our country and tackle the climate crisis.”

Just as nuclear free cities played a pivotal role in building momentum towards the Nuclear Ban Treaty, local governments are now standing up as critical advocates in the global campaign for a Fossil Fuel Treaty. They are not alone, joined in the effort, alongside 170 Parliamentarians, 101 Nobel Laureates, 1,300 civil society organisations, 3,000 academics and more than 150,000 individuals across the globe. 

To join the cities campaign for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, visit our website or view our cities resources to explore how you can call on your own council to endorse the Fossil Fuel Treaty.