Polish capital Warsaw has endorsed the proposal for a non-proliferation treaty, a positive signal for a country still heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
For the first time, a capital city in Central Europe has joined the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. The city in question is Warsaw, the capital of Poland. On 20 January 2023, the Polish town joined the group of more than 70 other cities in the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Warsaw’s accession to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is also a signal to climate movements. A commitment to climate justice and collective pressure on the authorities makes sense. Even general declarations give us a basis to demand more concrete steps in the future.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is an international climate policy proposal to create a new treaty to manage a just global transition away from fossil fuels. It is meant to complement the Paris Agreement and is inspired by similar treaties, such as those on landmines and nuclear weapons.
The proposal’s three main pillars are non-proliferation with a stop to new exploration and production, a fair phase-out with wealthy countries with historical responsibility for climate change transitioning fastest, and a peaceful transition that leaves no worker or country behind.
In addition to Warsaw and the other cities, governments and subnational governments have already endorsed the treaty, along with WHO and health institutions, parliamentarians, 101 Nobel Laureates, Civil Society organizations, academics and scientists, Fairchild institutions, youth leaders, and individuals.
The role of cities in achieving climate neutrality is crucial. Warsaw City Council’s support for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative is an important signal that we have a consensus in the city on a course of action. But we cannot stop at declarations. Warsaw still doesn’t have an official greenhouse gas reduction target formalised in a city document, and the unofficial one – a 40% reduction by 2030 – won’t be met with the current trend of declining emissions.
Other cities in the continent have endorsed the treaty. Barcelona was the first in Europe to do so in January 2021 and the second in the world to support after Vancouver, Canada. Warsaw is the first Polish city and the first Central European capital to join in calling for an end to fossil fuels and a fair transition.
Momentum behind this treaty is undoubtedly growing rapidly and it’s promising to see a capital city like Warsaw join. We hope this leadership is a signal for the capital to inspire the country to secure its energy independence via a path of a fair and just energy transition.
This commitment is made more significant by the fact that 85 per cent of Poland’s total energy supply comes from fossil fuels, with coal accounting for the lion’s share, which makes the Central European country’s energy sector’s carbon intensity the second-highest among the International Energy Agency (IEA) country members.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
The climate impact of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico’s oil and gas production could be higher than government inventories indicate.
ReconAfrica hunt for oil and gas threatens vital waterways home to the world’s largest elephant population and endangered wildlife
Despite environmental warnings, the Tanzanian government is set to build a dam in the heart of the Selous Game Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Researchers from the IFM at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia have tested a novel method for removing silicon from used solar panels.
The Congolese government is allowing energy firms to bid for access to its vast oil and gas reserves, risking terrible ecological and climate effects.
The US government has approved ConocoPhillips’s controversial Willow Project to drill for oil in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve.
Environmental activists say the EACOP pipeline will damage Uganda’s iconic fragile ecosystem and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.
The EU has banned the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2035. From then on, new cars and vans sold in the EU must run on other fuels.
Environmental activists have accused Eskom of emitting toxic chemicals that are costing thousands of lives and changing rainfall patterns.
