According to the IPCC, the burning of coal, oil, and gas has been responsible for 86% of CO2 emissions in the past decade. Just 100 companies account for more than 70% of emissions. These emissions also come with the costs of local pollution, environmental degradation, and health impacts associated with extracting, refining, transporting, and burning fossil fuels.
These costs are disproportionately paid by those who are most vulnerable to, and least historically responsible for, the consequences of climate change-lives lost, homes and farms destroyed, and millions of people displaced. It is our moral imperative to protect those most in need and to uphold the human rights of future generations by employing renewable sources of energy.
The science surrounding the most urgent danger facing humanity is undeniable: to be good caretakers of our common home, we must act and phase out the production of fossil fuels. Several faith institutions around the world have already divested from fossil fuel companies, and now we are taking the next step in calling on governments to plan a global transition.
The current scale of the climate crisis requires a cooperative global solution that directly addresses the fossil fuel industry. We call on governments to urgently commence negotiations to develop and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, laying out a binding global plan to:
* End expansion of any new coal, oil, or gas production in line with the best available science as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme; Phase out existing production of fossil fuels in a manner that is fair and equitable, taking into account the respective dependency of countries on fossil fuels and their capacity to transition;
* Ensure a just transition to 100% access to renewable energy globally, support dependent economies in diversifying away from fossil fuels, and enable all people and communities, not least the Global South, to flourish.
* We hail from many faiths and beliefs, but together, we can remedy the decades of negligence to safeguard our coexistence with this earth. Just as our beliefs are entrenched in religious and spiritual teachings, our response to the climate crisis must be deeply rooted in science and equity to heal the planet and people.
* We have a narrow window of opportunity to act, which is why we are joining the growing chorus of Indigenous Peoples, civil society leaders, youth, cities, lawmakers, academics, and scientists calling for a global treaty to phase out fossil fuels and support a just transition powered by renewable energy and a sustainable future for all.
