Campaign for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty gains momentum — Global Issues

Gas pump in Rome. Source: Paul Virgo/IPSby Paul Virgo (Rome)Thursday 03 November 2022Inter Press Service

ROME, Nov 03 (IPS) – When it comes to moral affirmations, Vatican support is a bit of a drag. For example, the international campaign for a legally binding fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty took a major step forward in July when Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, gave it his full support.

“The planet is already 1.2°C hotter (compared to pre-industrial levels) but every day new fossil fuel projects are accelerating our race to the abyss,” said the Czech-Canadian prelate.

“Enough is enough. All new exploration and production of coal, oil and gas must be halted immediately, and existing fossil fuel production must be halted as a matter of urgency.

“This must be a just transition for affected workers to environmentally sound alternatives. The proposed fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty promises much to complement and enhance the Paris Agreement.”

The name of the proposed treaty has a familiar ring to it, being inspired by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which came into force in 1970 and was successful in reducing the threat of nuclear war.

Supporters of the proposed deal say that fossil fuels, like nuclear bombs, pose an existential threat to humanity because they are the main cause of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis.

“Fossil fuels have been equated with weapons of mass destruction because they threaten our ability to protect livelihoods, security and the planet,” Rebecca Byrnes, deputy director of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, told IPS.

“Fossil fuels have been responsible for 86% of CO2 emissions over the past decade. So, despite our efforts over the past 30 years, emissions have continued to rise, and that hasn’t changed since the Paris Agreement was signed seven years ago.”

Under the Paris Agreement, the international community has agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels needed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and otherwise “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels to keep level.

But Byrnes said governments currently plan to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels consistent with limiting global temperature rise to a 1.5-degree threshold by 2030, and 10% more than theirs own climate promise.

She therefore argued that a separate agreement dealing specifically with fossil fuels is needed to stop states from making empty promises on climate policy.

“We need both national action and international cooperation to explicitly stop the expansion of fossil fuel production and therefore emissions,” she said.

“Tackling only half of the equation has enabled countries and companies to claim climate leadership while directly or indirectly supporting new coal, oil and gas exploration projects.

“In countries that are particularly dependent on fossil fuel profits for government revenue and economic development, fossil fuel supply is now a demand driver.

“It will not be possible to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, and therefore the emissions from fossil fuels, without first breaking this tie to fossil fuels through phase-out, economic diversification measures and finding new development opportunities.

“A fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty will complement and implement the Paris Agreement by directly addressing the supply side of the equation and supporting fossil fuel dependent developing countries in this transition.”

One of the positive aspects of the agreement would be that it would help end the perverse situation in which states are sometimes forced to pay compensation to polluters when they stop fossil fuel projects due to the protection that companies enjoy legal mechanisms such as the Energy Charter Treaty.

“A fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty will mitigate the risk of legal liability for state governments in both national courts and international tribunals by providing a legal justification for phase-out policies,” Byrnes said.

Critics have suggested the plan is simply too ambitious to ever come to fruition.

The treaty campaign may have the Vatican on its side, but the fossil fuel lobby has powerful allies, plenty of money, and it hasn’t shied away from using its influence to cast doubt on the climate crisis and halt or delay emissions cuts.

“Part of the criticism we’re getting of the idea of the treaty is that it’s unworkable and we don’t have time to negotiate that,” Byrnes said.

“The same has been wrongly said about arms contracts.

“But we don’t have time for more of that. We know that oil-producing countries are unlikely to enthusiastically embrace a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and the fossil fuel industry has enormous influence.

“But the tobacco industry did so at a time before the formation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

“Even the creation of the contract concept sparks new ambitions and new discussions.”

Indeed, the contract campaign is in full swing.

It is endorsed by over 100 Nobel Laureates including the Dalai Lama and dozens of the world’s largest cities such as London, Barcelona, Paris, Montreal, Lima, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles.

In September, the World Health Organization joined the multitude of international organizations supporting the campaign.

“The modern dependency on fossil fuels is not just an act of environmental vandalism. From a health perspective, it is an act of self-sabotage,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Vanuatu was the first nation state to call for a fossil fuel deal in President Nikenike Vurobaravu’s speech at this year’s United Nations General Assembly.

And on October 20, in a resolution, the European Parliament called on nation states to “work on the development of a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty,” outlining its demands for COP27.

“The world has seen treaties bear fruit as the world had to manage, restrict and phase out dangerous products, including weapons of mass destruction, ozone-depleting substances and tobacco,” Byrnes concluded.

“Today we see oil and gas fueling war in Ukraine and elsewhere, and posing a paramount threat that requires us and world governments to rally behind a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.”

The campaign website supports calls for a non-proliferation treaty on fossil fuels.

Additionally, the Parents For Future Global network of climate parenting groups has launched a letter for people to sign online to express their support.

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