This is a critical moment in the climate fight. In a year of deadly climate impacts, Irvine City Council needs to take immediate action on climate change, as well as calling for greater global leadership on a just transition away from dirty fossil fuels.
Our city council has a deep and rich history of leading demands for world leaders to take action on global crises. In the 1990s, Irvine was the first city in the U.S. to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in compliance with the Kyoto Protocol in order to protect the ozone. Just last year, the city committed to a zero carbon economy by 2030.
Now we must join a global call for international cooperation to phase out a new set of weapons of mass destruction: fossil fuels.
We call on the Irvine City Council to join other major cities including Los Angeles, Toronto, Barcelona, and Sydney in compelling world leaders to negotiate and ratify a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty with three key pillars:
1. Non-proliferation – end the expansion of new coal, oil and gas production
2. Phase-out – wind down existing fossil fuel production to meet the Paris Agreement target of 1.5ºC
3. A Just Transition – ensure no worker, community or country is left behind by supporting economic diversification and expansion of 100% access to clean energy globally
The Irvine City Council must pass a resolution endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty as a matter of urgency, and write to the President of the United States Joe Biden and Climate Envoy John Kerry calling on them to support a global transition away from fossil fuels.
Urge local lawmakers to support a new global Treaty to protect our climate and the health and safety of Irvine from the risks of fossil fuels.
Thank you!
The teams from Sunrise OC, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, and SAFE Cities at Stand.earth