'Planet Wreckers' Report
Thank you to Jocelyn Elson-Riggins for drawing attention to this report, highlighted in the newsletter extract below from Oil Change International.
Last week, global leaders convened at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit in New York City, with the intention to present ambitious climate plans ahead of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai this December. What happened, however, was a different story.
Days after half a million people around the world marched and took action to demand the phase-out of fossil fuels, certain leaders continue to ignore science and the will of their people. Rather than taking responsibility, countries historically responsible for the climate crisis, like the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, and Australia, failed to show up. Why? Because they know their climate plans are nowhere near ambitious. Two weeks ago, we released a high-profile report titled Planet Wreckers, revealing that five Global North countries (the United States, Canada, Australia, Norway, and United Kingdom) are responsible for a majority of planned expansion from new oil and gas fields through 2050. In particular, the United States is responsible for over one-third of all projected oil and gas expansion through 2050.
Additionally, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the only leader among the Top 5 Planet Wreckers to attend the summit, his government failed to introduce any new fossil fuel phase-out policies, which is unconscionable when Canada is projected to be responsible for 10% of new oil and gas expansion through 2050.
The report has gotten a lot of traction over the past two weeks, including on the floor of the United Nations where Trudeau was criticized for his country’s fossil fuel expansion. Check out some more of the coverage and then share the articles. (The New Yorker, National Observer, Common Dreams) While the Planet Wreckers largely failed to introduce meaningful climate policies at the so-called Climate Ambition Summit — Pacific governments and other countries organized a press conference offering solutions as to how industrial nations can take concrete action to phase out fossil fuels in a way that is fair, fast, and forever.
Hon. Kausea Natano, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu said:
“The longer we remain addicted to fossil fuels, the longer we commit ourselves to mutual decline. Tuvalu is proud that we are working alongside our Pacific neighbours, the European Parliament, and the World Health Organisation to develop a comprehensive multilateral framework that addresses the climate crisis at its root cause”
Additionally, Gabriel Boric, the President of Chile said:
“The climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis so we need to leave fossil fuels behind. That in very specific terms means we have to react to the greenwashing that major businesses are undertaking. They continue with that greenwashing and they’re stepping it up, and in some cases their greenwashing efforts are supported by countries.”
Attention now shifts to the COP28 climate talks in the UAE, where all eyes will be on the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other wealthy fossil fuel producers to implement real fossil fuel phase-out solutions.
Alex Ortiz
Communications Officer
Oil Change International