Time for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, or will they CoP out?

A guest blog by Stephen Pennels

The coming of Storm Ashley this week is chicken feed compared to the recent problems across the world with cars washed down streets, in country after country. 

Sheffield has had its share of floods over the years, in 1991 the Sheaf left a branch on platform 5 of the station.  But we benefit from living in a rich country that can put itself back together again.  Nobody’s crops are wiped out leaving their children starving when Sheffield experiences flooding! 

But as climate and weather know no boundaries, humanity must act quickly and internationally.  We need to be bold and use our innovative skills for everyone. We need a sustained “Climate War Effort”!

In a few weeks the annual UN Climate Conference (CoP29) will convene with calls to cut greenhouse gas emissions; this year it’s in Baku, Azerbaijan, the world’s first petrostate! 

Our government is being lobbied on all sides- by contrarian climate deniers, banks and financiers making their billions investing in fossil fuel projects, and businesses promising solutions… if they can just have a bit more time (and government money)!  There will be snake oil salesmen with techno-fixes like carbon capture and storage that almost (but still don’t) work at scale beyond the lab-test model. 

And there will be plenty of dodgy accountants making a fast buck by double-counting credits and hiding debits (off-shoring responsibility for emissions), twisting words and setting the terms and agenda with smoke and mirrors such as “Net Zero” (meaning, “not zero, but someone else can pay for it”) and “blue hydrogen” (meaning “fossil fuel methane gas cooked with the carbon captured and stored- if it doesn’t go wrong”). 

Against this there are charities and businesses arguing that they should be funded to “preserve nature”, “plant trees”, or “restore the rainforest”.  This sounds laudable until one looks deeper and discovers that often their “nature reserves” have resulted in Indigenous people who, leaving no impression on their environment, are cleared away and terrorised as “poachers”.  

More worthy are lobbyists calling for the free transfer of low/neutral carbon technologies so that low-income countries can afford to take action.

Profiteering fossil fuel companies and others responsible for trashing our climate and environment should pay from their profits. These funds have been inflated during the Russian war in Ukraine. 

The “Loss and Damage Fund”, established in 2022, seeks to provide compensation for needy and vulnerable countries’ lost income and to finance coping with increasing risks and incidents of climate-related disaster-some ultimately facing complete destruction as small island states face rising sea levels washing them off the map. 

Last year’s CoP28 opened with pledges of a breath-taking $700m; however, that’s only 0.2% of what is needed each year  In the same year, Cristiano Ronaldo received $260m and Messi $135m.  The Loss and Damage Collaboration states: “…the combined profits of the world’s biggest oil companies – ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, TotalEnergies and Chevron – amounted to around $200 billion USD in 2022. The windfall profits of the fossil fuel companies causing the climate crisis would cover the needs of the Loss and Damage Fund many times over.”  

 It seems polluters have not only plenty of money, they also have plenty of privilege and enjoy the government’s cowardice.  

If we listen to those most impacted we find calls by Pacific Island States for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty; ending the expansion of fossil fuel exploitation, establishing a fair and differentiated phase-out of fossil fuel production- providing support for those less responsible; and ensuring a just transition so while diversifying and transitioning from fossil fuels no worker, community or country is left behind. 

This means families in Dhaka or Dronfield do not suddenly find their cooker lacks fuel, taxi drivers in Sharrow or Senegal are supported in replacing cabs, and oil workers in Aberdeen, Alberta and Arabia are not suddenly thrown out of work as their industry crashes without planned scale-down. 

As yet there is no text to sign up to.  That’s good.  Our government should be involved in formulating it, providing an economy which is fair, stable, sustainable and secure; respecting the genuine needs of all. 

Already the World Health Organisation, over 100 Nobel laureates, thousands of academics and scientists, the EU, some US states, cities and even Colombia- an oil-producing country- have backed the initiative.

Countries dependent on fossil fuel production like Nigeria must be helped to diversify their economies from over-dependence on literally burning a resource that is finite- common sense anyway!  

Our government should listen to those arguing for international justice, not “just us” to restore the climate leadership Labour established with its pioneering 2008 Climate Act. 

Of course, some won’t sign up, but not doing the right thing because others aren’t is silly.  Blaming China for burning coal is a classic distraction- they are already producing 40% of global Solar generation.  

Much can be achieved if there is the will.  Our forebears demonstrated this during World War Two.  Let’s not CoP out.  Let’s do it! 

You can encourage the government and request a response by asking your MP to convey your concerns, emailing through https://www.writetothem.com

You can see if your MP has supported the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty here.

As I write, none of the Sheffield MP’s are on the list.