The City of Sydney unanimously calls on the Australian and New South Wales Governments to phase out coal, oil and gas.

PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 16 August, 2021

SYDNEY - Today, the City of Sydney unanimously endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, a global initiative that aims to address the source of 80% of the CO2 emissions that cause climate change: fossil fuels. 

The council motion, proposed by Lord Mayor Clover Moore, calls on the Australian and New South Wales Governments to immediately end the expansion of new coal, oil and gas projects and phase out existing fossil fuel production in a manner that is fair and equitable. 

Sydney joins a growing number of communities across the globe calling for a phase out of fossil fuel production. These include Barcelona, Los Angeles, Toronto, and the Australian Capital Territory who have also endorsed the proposal for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Sydney committed to becoming carbon neutral in 2007 and was the first major city in Australia to declare a climate emergency in 2019. By adopting the “Code Red For Humanity Motion'', the Sydney City Council goes a step further and responds to last week’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by calling for a managed phase out of coal, oil and gas – the primary cause of the climate crisis. 

Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney said: “The IPCC’s recent sobering, terrifying report, eight years and millions of expert hours in the making, reiterates the desperate need to phase out fossil fuel use, with a global just transition.

Australia is a country on the front line of climate change – recent devastating drought, catastrophic bushfires, and severe storms have proven that. We are also a wealthy nation and the largest per-capita emitter in the OECD. And yet, we are a country without legislation on climate change or a meaningful commitment to reducing emissions and transitioning to renewable energy.

If we are to limit global warming and halt dangerous runaway climate change, we need large-scale, rapid and sustained emissions reductions and we must reach net zero emissions as soon as possible. It is time for Australia to join the growing global movement to phase out fossil fuels faster, fairly and forever.”

Just as Nuclear Free Cities played a critical role in building momentum for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, municipal governments like the City of Sydney are now calling for a global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

While last week’s IPCC report was heralded as a “death knell” for the fossil fuel industry, national governments plan to expand fossil fuels at levels that would result in 120 percent more emissions than what is in keeping with the limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. The expansion of fossil fuels continues unchecked as there is currently no international mechanism to manage a fair and fast transition away from coal, oil and gas. The Paris Agreement does not even mention the substances once and in the five years since it was signed, the fossil fuel industry has continued to expand significantly.

The proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is critically needed as a complement to the Paris Agreement, to facilitate the international cooperation required to manage a fair and fast global transition away from coal, oil and gas. 

Rebecca Byrnes, Deputy Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative said: “Fossil fuels have long been the elephant in the room at international climate talks. They are responsible for the vast majority of CO2 emissions, but a failure of regulation at the national and international level has resulted in countries making climate commitments with one hand, while ramping up fossil fuel extraction with the other. As the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia plays an oversized role in this problem.

The City of Sydney has shown leadership in recognising the need for international cooperation on fossil fuel production and calling for the Australian government to do its fair share in tackling the root cause of climate change.”

Momentum around the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is growing. globally. Recently, the Dalai Lama and 100 other Nobel Laureates called on world leaders to end fossil fuel expansion. This was followed by 1,300+ scientists and academics who have explicitly called for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In Australia, the campaign is supported by a number of civil society organisations including Greenpeace Australia Pacific, the Australia Institute, 350.org Australia, Friends of the Earth Australia, Fridays for Future Australia and School Strike 4 Climate.

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. 

The proposed Treaty draws on lessons from global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and ban ozone-depleting chemicals, landmines and other threats to humanity. It will advance action under three pillars:

1. Non-Proliferation: Don’t Add to the Problem
   An immediate end to the expansion into new reserves of coal, oil and natural gas would limit the globe’s production of carbon emissions (which if left alone would create more than twice over the limit set by the United Nations and other organizations).

2. Fair Phase-Out: Get Rid of the Existing Threat
   Since already operating oil and gas fields and coal mines contain more carbon than can be burnt under a 1.5°C target, phasing out those current stockpiles is a much-needed step to keep the world under the Paris Agreement’s temperature limits.

3. Just Transition: Accelerate an Equitable Transition
   Every worker, community, and country must be taken into the deepest consideration on the way to fast-tracking all solutions. Only a proactive plan to enable economic diversification, implement renewable energy and other reliable, cost-effective low-carbon solutions will be able to meet the needs of a sustainable future.

For more information on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, please visit the website and view the introduction video.

Media contacts:

For Australian media enquiries: Michael Poland, Global Engagement Director, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty michael@fossilfueltreaty.org +61 419 581 748

For enquiries outside Australia: Jemma De Leon, Communications Strategist, Climate Access jemma@fossilfueltreaty.org +1 909 536 9714