September 20, 2024 - Ireland – Two days before the opening of the Summit for the Future - a high-level United Nations meeting to be held in New York, on September 22 and 23, aimed to “deliver a better present and safeguard the future” - Fridays for Future Ireland and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative joined forces for the global climate strike. Activists took the streets of Dublin to urge the Irish government to take new concrete steps for a fossil free future. This begins by opposing any new national fossil fuel infrastructure and joining the 13 countries already leading the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty - a new binding agreement to phase out oil, gas and coal production in an equitable manner.

With the latest UN Pact for the Future failing to deliver a concrete roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels and Shannon LNG pushing for a fossil gas terminal in Kerry, there has never been a more critical time for Ireland to demonstrate genuine climate leadership by supporting the global efforts to secure negotiating mandate for a Fossil Fuel Treaty. 

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, said: “As young people and concerned citizens take to the streets as part of another global climate strike, we ask all governments, particularly our own in Ireland, to act with the urgency the climate and nature crisis demands. It’s unacceptable that young people still have to take to the streets to demand the action that should have long been underway. The youth of Ireland, and indeed the world, understand that phasing out oil, gas, and coal is not a choice, it is an absolute necessity. We need to stop funding what is harming us. If the Summit of the Future is truly to safeguard our collective future, governments must meet this call with real, decisive climate action. By supporting the transition away from fossil fuels, including endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Ireland can step up as the leader that this moment so urgently demands."

Ireland has indeed taken significant measures to tackle fossil fuel dependence, from introducing an anti-fracking bill to banning new licences for fossil fuel exploration and setting an ambitious plan to power 80% of its energy with renewables by 2030. As a member of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance and the Global Methane Pledge, Ireland has also demonstrated its commitment to global climate action. While these steps are welcome, they are not enough. To become a true climate leader, Ireland must endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and halt new fossil fuel infrastructure that could lock the country into costly, polluting gas for decades. 

Dearbhla Richardson, Ireland Campaign Lead for the Fossil Fuel Treaty, said: "As we stand on the brink of climate catastrophe, Ireland's youth are rising up with a resolute demand for a future free from fossil fuels. Without significant fossil fuel reserves of our own, we are constantly vulnerable to global market shocks. True energy security can only come from renewable energy power generated domestically, not from finite fossil fuels that tie us to a volatile financial system. Now is not the time to lock-us into further fossil fuel infrastructure, which is why we say no to Shannon LNG. Not now, not ever. We will not be silenced until our voices are heard and our leaders set a bold example for the world. Ireland’s unwavering commitment to climate action means endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty if we want any hope of keeping 1.5 alive.”

Saoirse Exton, youngest advisor to the UN Secretary General, stated: "If governments are truly committed to protecting humanity and the planet, any Pact for the Future must include a global plan to phase out fossil fuels — quickly and fairly. We have heard enough empty promises and false solutions. Some countries must rise above this legacy of inaction and take bold, genuine climate action. The need for leadership has never been more urgent and Ireland has already demonstrated its capacity to lead on the global stage, from championing the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of Genocide to advancing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Now, Ireland must step up once again, taking the lead in tackling one of the greatest threats of our time by joining the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.”