20th January 2023 - Warsaw has signed a motion calling for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, a global mechanism that aims to explicitly address the source of 86% of CO2 emissions that cause climate change: fossil fuels. Warsaw is officially the first in the nation and in Central Europe to join this call. It is a strong move from the capital of a country where fossil fuels still account for 85% of total energy supply, with coal holding the largest share.

Marek Szolc, Member of the Warsaw City Council, said: “The role of cities in achieving climate neutrality is crucial. The Warsaw City Council's support for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative is an important signal that we have a consensus in the city on a course of action. But we cannot stop at declarations. Warsaw still doesn't have an official greenhouse gas reduction target formalised in a city document, and the unofficial one - a 40% reduction by 2030 - won't be met with the current trend of declining emissions.”

Seble Samuel, Cities Lead for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty campaign, said: “Momentum behind this treaty is undoubtedly growing rapidly and it’s promising to see a capital city like Warsaw join. We hope this leadership is a signal for the capital to inspire the country to secure its energy independence via a path of a fair and just energy transition”.

The vote is the result of two generations of Polish activists - from the youth movements Wschód and Fridays for the Future as well as Parents for Future - who appealed to the authorities in Warsaw to get to know the new initiative and to join it. 

Kamila Kadzidłowska from the Rodzice dla Klimatu - Parents for Future movement Parents for Climate, said: “The capital of "Coalland", as Poland is known internationally, is joining the anti-fossil fuel movement. This is a breakthrough in its popularisation in Europe. Warsaw is raising the bar. Now it's time for other cities, such as Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw, and for a change in national policy. It's time to end Poland's dependency on fossil fuels.”

Dominika Lasota, Fridays For Future  climate justice activist from the Inicjatywa “Wschód”, said: “Warsaw's accession to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is also a signal to climate movements. A commitment to climate justice and collective pressure on the authorities makes sense. Even  general declarations give us a basis to demand more concrete steps in the future.”

The war in Ukraine has altered Europe's energy landscape, prior to which Poland largely relied on Russia for its energy needs. 75% of Poland’s imported coal came from Russia before the war. Many in Ukraine, neighbouring countries and beyond have stressed that the world should not simply replace Russian-produced fossil fuels with fossil fuels from other countries.

Svitlana Romanko, founder and director of Razom We Stand in Ukraine, said: "The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a powerful political instrument to achieve the fossil fuel phase out that we hope can end the fossil fuel addiction that backs up war, conflict and climate injustice. The past year has shown us the importance of joining forces to both fight fossil fuel dictatorship and exacerbated the energy and climate crisis. We believe that great leadership of Warsaw will inspire other capital cities, Kyiv included, to stand against prolonging the fossil fuel era."

In addition to recent support from nation states like Vanuatu and Tuvalu, the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty has been endorsed by more than 70 cities and subnational governments around the globe, including London, Lima, Los Angeles, Kolkata, Paris and the Hawai’i State Legislature. The three pillars of the proposal have been called for by 101 Nobel laureates, over 500 parliamentarians, 3,000 scientists and academics as well as 1,800 civil society organisations.