Santiago, Chile, March 5, 2025 -The Chilean Parliament has just approved a resolution urging the government to support the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative. Resolution 1375, presented by deputies Gonzalo Winter Etcheberry, Clara Sagardia Cabezas, Marisela Santibáñez Novoa and Consuelo Veloso Ávila, was endorsed by the Chilean Chamber of Deputies with 80 votes in favor.

In a context where climate denialism threatens to gain ground in the region, Chile has the opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to climate justice, taking a key step towards becoming the second Latin American country to support the Treaty proposal. This initiative seeks to establish a new legally binding mechanism to end global dependence on oil, gas and coal extraction, responsible for 86% of CO2 emissions in the last decade and the main drivers of the climate crisis.

During his speech before the Parliament, Deputy Gonzalo Winter, one of the authors of the resolution, said: “President, the situation is dramatic, science proves it year after year, and the plans for coal, oil and gas extraction until 2030 double what would be compatible with the 1.5 degree limit established by the Paris agreement to which Chile is a party. All of the above has led to global civil society movements that have initiated a campaign for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty supported by more than 3,000 civil society organizations from more than 120 countries. This agreement proposes to this House that we become part of what we owe, not only to the country and the world, but especially to our children and future generations. Because what we are doing with the proliferation of fossil fuels and with the situation that the governments of the world continue to finance and subsidize the extraction of fossil fuels, is to obtain a welfare that will result in discomfort for your children and for my child, when the temperature rises and the earth becomes uninhabitable for human beings”.

By supporting this treaty, Chile would strengthen its climate diplomacy, aligning itself with initiatives such as the PPCA and BOGA. It would also contribute to increasing pressure on the Global North to assume its climate responsibilities and would gain access to financing mechanisms that promote a just transition away from fossil fuels.

Finally, it would set a precedent in the region, positioning Chile as a reference in the construction of an energy transition that avoids green extractivism and protects local communities from similar exploitation models but painted green.

Felipe Pino, Program Coordinator, NGO FIMA, said: “Congress has taken a key step today for Chile, both economically and environmentally. We depend on imported fossil fuels, which makes us vulnerable to market crisis and climate change. Although we have made progress in promoting renewable energies, this does not ensure that they will displace fossil fuels from our energy matrix. The Non-Proliferation Treaty is strategic: it ensures our independence from the fossil fuel extractivist system in crisis and a firm and planned step towards a just energy transition, without looking back. We hope that this request is welcomed by President Gabriel Boric, and that we take a leading role in this campaign to build a prosperous future for our citizens, one that guarantees access to sustainable and affordable energy for all.”

Laura Muñóz, Latin America Campaigner for the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty, said “The Chilean Parliament's decision sends a powerful signal: the nations most affected by climate collapse are not only demanding justice, but are building a new energy model based on equity and sustainability. With this step, Chile moves closer to joining the growing bloc of Southern countries making it clear that the transition cannot be limited to a race for clean energy, but must include a definitive end to the extractivist system that has brought us to the brink of collapse.”

The movement to negotiate a Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty is led by a bloc of 16 countries from the Global South that includes Colombia, Timor Leste, Pakistan, the Bahamas as well as most of the Pacific island states, which are on the front lines of the climate crisis. The initiative is also supported by the World Health Organization, the European Parliament, 3,000 scientists, 101 Nobel laureates, 130 cities and subnational governments (including the state of California), more than 3,500 civil society organizations from 123 countries, more than 850 elected officials from more than 85 countries, 25 banks and 1 million people.