A fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. We’d like to see that!

Over 2,000 scientists and academics are calling on world leaders to commit to a treaty to stop expanding fossil fuel production.

Here’s where you can sign on to endorse the treaty.

The open letter to the UN General assembly says:

Given the significant historical contribution of fossil fuels to climate change, and the industry’s continuing expansion plans, we are calling for a solution commensurate with the scale of the problem.

Phasing down coal, oil and gas in line with 1.5ºC requires global cooperation, in a way that is fair, equitable and reflects countries’ levels of dependence on fossil fuels, and capacities to transition.

This, in turn, should be underpinned by financial resources, including technology transfer, to enable a just transition for workers and communities in developing countries and a decent life for all.

Professor Lesley Hughes from Macquarie University, emeritus professor Will Steffen at the ANU, and Tim Flannery signed on.

Pressure is also building from the medical profession. The AMA, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and the Royal Australian College of Physicians wrote to the Prime Minister saying:

As doctors, we understand the imminent health threats posed by climate change and have seen them already emerge in Australia. The 2019-2020 bushfire season in Australia saw parts of the country afflicted by the poorest air quality in the world, with large numbers of the population enduring weeks of bushfire smoke and the related adverse health impacts

In other news, the Australia Institute’s National Energy Emissions Audit finds that despite the rapid growth in wind and solar generation in recent years, Australia’s resulting reduction in emissions for electricity generation has been lower than reductions in the US, Japan, the UK and the EU from 2011 to 2019.

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