The United Nation’s Summit of the Future opens in New York on Sunday, September 22, 2024, and world leaders meeting there must take ambitious action on fossil fuel phaseout, says a letter signed by leaders of states, regions and cities from across the globe.
At the end of August, governments reinstated a commitment to transition away from fossil fuels in the third revised draft of a new United Nations pact, after nearly 80 Nobel prize winners and former world leaders hit out at the removal of a specific mention of fossil fuels from an earlier revision.
The latest draft states: “We decide to reaffirm all elements of our call on parties to the Paris agreement in the UAE consensus to contribute to global efforts in a nationally determined manner, taking into account the Paris Agreement and their different national circumstances, pathways and approaches, as set out in in paragraph 28 of the UAE consensus…to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”
A letter from a group of 14 mayors, governors and subnational leaders from five continents, representing more than 40 million 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); and Governor Mauricio Kuri González (Querétaro, Mexico).
