With the United Nation’s Summit of the Future opening in New York this Sunday (22 September), world leaders meeting there must take ambitious action on fossil fuel phaseout – according to a letter signed by leaders of states, regions and cities from across the globe.
There is expectation that world leaders will be clear in the summit’s Pact for the Future – a blueprint for upgraded multilateral governance in an age of crisis – that a just transition away from fossil fuels is urgently needed. The letter’s signatories now want global leaders to turn these words into urgent, real-world action. They demand that heads of state recognise the need to transition away from oil, gas and coal as urgent – by ending fossil fuel subsidies and funding a just energy transition.
The letter from a group of 15 mayors, governors and subnational leaders from five continents, representing more than 40m people, makes clear that heads of state must urgently take fossil fuels head on and without delay, stating: ‘… we must banish fossil fuels to the past and curb their undue influence in the present. We cannot and will not be fooled by the smoke and mirror tricks played by those who want us to sleepwalk into our own extinction.
At a time when we need faster, fairer action, G20 nations continue to pour billions into fossil fuel subsidies. It’s time to stop propping up these polluting industries and use these funds to scale up local and equitable climate action instead. This is the most effective way to cut emissions and will create a third more jobs than if we continue with business as usual.’
Organised by NGOs Climate Group and C40 Cities, the letter is being signed by the mayors Jaume Collboni (Barcelona, Spain); Michelle Wu (Boston, US); Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (Freetown, Sierra Leone), Dr Eckart Würzner (Heidelberg, Germany); Giuseppe Sala (Milan, Italy); Valérie Plante (Montreal, Canada); LaToya Cantrell (New Orleans, US); and Anne Hidalgo (Paris, France) – and regional leaders Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy Thekla Walker (Baden-Württemberg, Germany); Governor Kim Tae-heum (Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea); Prince Bassey Edet Otu (Cross River State, Nigeria); Member of the Executive Council for Environment Sheila Mary Peters (Gauteng, South Africa); Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks Benoit Charette (Québec, Canada); President Salvador Illa (Catalonia); and Governor Mauricio Kuri González (Querétaro, Mexico).