26 June 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen has officially called for the negotiation of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, making the capital of Denmark the 113th local government worldwide to formally back the proposal.

Copenhagen is the latest city to advocate for nation-states to negotiate a new international mechanism framework that would aim to end the expansion of fossil fuels and phase out oil, gas and coal extraction by managing and financing a global just transition for workers and communities to prosper in a renewable energy-powered future. The momentum of the Fossil Fuel Treaty initiative is growing, and the proposal is now being spearheaded by 13 nation-states from the Pacific, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean, and pressure is now building on European states to join the initiative.

The endorsement of the Fossil Fuel Treaty proposal is the latest in a wave of major climate ambitions from the Danish capital. Under Mayor Hæstorp Andersen’s leadership, the City of Copenhagen is developing a new climate plan for 2025–2035 with clear aspirations of becoming carbon-positive and strong ambitions to reduce consumption-based emissions. The city’s yearlong climate action has also led to recognition of the Lord Mayor on the latest TIME100 Climate-list in 2023.

Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen,  said; “In Copenhagen, we have led a massive transformation of our energy system over the past decades. We have invested in better and more sustainable energy sources. Taking the necessary steps away from fossil fuels. Today, 99% of Copenhagen is supplied with cheap district heating mainly from renewable energy sources. Ambitious climate policies like this have been decisive in creating a green capital recognized to be one of the world’s best cities to live in. We need much more green energy globally, and we need to phase out fossil fuels. Time is running out. Therefore, it has been a no-brainer for Copenhagen to sign the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Alex Rafalowicz, Executive Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said: “Lord Mayor Hæstorp Andersen’s vision and commitment to climate leadership should be globally applauded. For the transition away from this planet warming fuels we will need global action at every level. Cities have an important and historic role to play in advancing policy locally and calling for the necessary international action. I hope Copenhagen’s announcement today will spur more cities and countries to join the growing call for a treaty.”

Lord Mayor Hæstorp Andersen is Vice Chair of the C40 Steering Committee, providing strategic direction for a global network of nearly 100 cities committed to addressing the global climate crisis. Copehagen’s endorsement reflects C40’s key mission to help get the world off fossil fuels by halving fossil fuel use in cities by 2030 and doing so in a fair way. During COP28, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who endorsed the Fossil Fuel Treaty in 2022, and Freetown Mayor Ivonne Aqi-Sawyer, co-chairs of the C40 network, wrote an open letter that demanded national governments to curb the undue influence of the fossil fuel industry, to move public money from fossil fuels to a just and clean energy transition, and to partner with them to accelerate action and prosperity. 

Sadiq Khan, Co-Chair of C40 Cities and Mayor of London, said: “Fossil fuels are the primary contributors of extreme temperatures and abnormal weather that increasingly plagues the world’s cities, as well as the air pollution that chokes our streets. We welcome Copenhagen’s endorsement of the Fossil Fuel Treaty, joining London as well as other C40 cities such as Paris, Los Angeles, Lima and Austin who are united in calling for a rapid, managed and fair phase-out of fossil fuels.”

Copenhagen joins European capitals such as London, Paris, Rome, Dublin, Amsterdam and Tirana in forming a cohort of bold climate leaders who, alongside their local initiatives at the city level, are elevating their voices to demand more careful planning and international cooperation to meet the twin challenges of phasing out fossil fuels rapidly enough to avoid catastrophic climate change, while ensuring an equitable and just transition. This is in alignment with the results of a recent survey of 92 European Mayors, where climate action was by far the top priority for 2024. 

The endorsement comes as momentum builds for nation-states to join initiatives tackling the root cause of the climate crisis such as seeking negotiation of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), an international alliance of governments and stakeholders launched and co-chaired by the governments of Denmark and Quebec, working together to facilitate the managed phase-out of oil and gas production.

Only a few weeks ago, UN Secretary General António Guterres delivered a major speech in New York, where he reiterated the need to phase out fossil-fuels, calling fossil fuel companies “godfathers of climate chaos”, proposing a fossil-fuel ad ban, and highlighting that even “the economic logic makes the end of the fossil fuel age inevitable.” Guterres underscored that “every city, region, industry, financial institution, and company must also be part of the solution.”