Fifty years ago, the world needed a treaty to defuse the threats posed by nuclear weapons. Today we need a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty because climate change, like nuclear weapons, is a global existential threat.
(This post is sourced in part from the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty website.)
Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT)
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the warming of the planet well below 2°C—preferably 1.5°C—in comparison to pre-industrial levels. While the Agreement begins to limit emissions, it doesn’t even mention coal, oil or gas. And the 2030 emissions reduction targets—NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions)—set by member nations still put the world on a global warming path 3-4°C degrees hotter than pre-industrial times. In other words, it will not get us there.
The lastest IPCC Report findings are a “code red for humanity” said António Guterres, secretary-general of the U.N. “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable.”
The main cause of the climate crisis—the code red—is fossil fuels. Coal, oil and gas are responsible for almost 80% of all carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution. Hence the world needs bold and immediate action to begin the phase-out of fossils.
Phasing out fossil fuel production, and fast-tracking progress towards safer and more cost-effective alternatives, will require unprecedented international cooperation. We need a global plan with fast-track solutions to end the proliferation of fossil fuels. A binding treaty that will commit all parties to that goal is essential.
Introducing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
September 25, 2020
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The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a concept that is gaining traction around the world. Hundreds of organizations, cities, companies and individuals have endorsed this movement. Click here to view endorsements.
FFNPT off to great start in Canada
“On July 15th Toronto City Council took a big step in response to the climate emergency by voting in an overwhelming majority to endorse the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative which takes aim at the source of 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions,” wrote Lyn Adamson in her Climate Fast blog piece.
“Canada’s largest city became the second to endorse the treaty; Vancouver was the first in the world to back the global treaty initiative last year,” reports The Energy Mix. “No city, province, or country can make this energy transition alone,” FFNPT Initiative Chair Tzeporah Berman said in a release.
Groups in the capital City of Ottawa are organizing to push Council to follow Vancouver and Toronto and become the third city in Canada to join the drive to stop the expansion of fossil fuels.
A binding fossil fuel treaty will phase out fossil fuels faster and fairly while supporting workers, communities and countries during a just transition to clean energy and a safer environment for future generations.
If you believe the world needs a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, please take these actions:
Endorse the call for a Treaty
Read the letter from Nobel Laureates
View the open letter from Scientists & Academics
ICYMI:
IPCC: The Most Sobering Report Card Yet On Climate Change
Red Alert: Climate Pledges Falling ‘Far Short’ of Paris Agreement Targets
Canada’s Lame Response to the IPCC Report
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