Sign the Lofoten Declaration for a Managed Decline of Fossil Fuel
Production around the World
The Lofoten Declaration was written in August 2017 at a gathering in the
Lofoten Islands of Norway of academics, analysts, and activists, all of whom
recognize that globally we have a window of opportunity – and a strategic need –
to limit the expansion of the oil and gas industry, in order to achieve the
Paris climate goals. We invite other organisations worldwide to join the
call.
Why is it called the Lofoten Declaration? The oil industry is
lobbying hard for the seas around Lofoten to be opened to oil drilling – which
would be devastating to the climate and to Lofoten's natural beauty – but
activists have successfully managed to block these plans for years. This
strategy must be expanded around the world to oppose the oil and gas
industry.
Sign-ons are due by close of business on Friday, 25 August
2017. Please contact col...@priceofoil.org with any
questions.
Sign here: http://bit.ly/LofotenSignOn
THE LOFOTEN DECLARATION – Climate leadership requires a managed decline of
fossil fuel production
Global climate change is a crisis of unprecedented scale, and it will take
unprecedented action to avoid the worst consequences of our dependence on oil,
coal, and gas. Equally as critical as reducing demand and emissions is the need
for immediate and ambitious action to stop exploration and expansion of fossil
fuel projects and manage the decline of existing production in line with what is
necessary to achieve the Paris climate goals.
Clean, safe, and renewable
fuels are already redefining how we see energy and it is time for nations to
fully embrace 21st century energy and phase out fossil fuels.
The
Lofoten Declaration affirms that it is the urgent responsibility and moral
obligation of wealthy fossil fuel producers to lead in putting an end to fossil
fuel development and to manage the decline of existing production.
We
stand in solidarity with, and offer our full support for, the growing wave of
impacted communities around the world who are taking action to defend and
protect their lives and livelihoods in the face of fossil fuel extraction and
climate change. It is a priority to elevate these efforts. Frontline communities
are the leaders we must look to as we all work together for a safer future.
A global transition to a low carbon future is already well underway.
Continued expansion of oil, coal, and gas is only serving to hinder the
inevitable transition while at the same time exacerbating conflicts, fuelling
corruption, threatening biodiversity, clean water and air, and infringing on the
rights of Indigenous Peoples and vulnerable communities.
Energy access
and demand are and must now be met fully through the clean energies of the 21st
century. Assertions that new fossil fuels are needed for this transformation are
not only inaccurate; they also undermine the speed and penetration of clean
energy.
We recognize that a full transition away from fossil fuels will
take decades, but also, that this shift is an opportunity more than a burden. We
are in a deep hole with climate. We must begin by not digging ourselves any
deeper.
Research shows that the carbon embedded in existing fossil fuel
production will take us far beyond safe climate limits. Thus, not only are new
exploration and new production incompatible with limiting global warming to well
below 2ºC (and as close to 1.5ºC as possible), but many existing projects will
need to be phased-out faster than their natural decline.
This task
should be first addressed by countries, regions, and corporate actors who are
best positioned in terms of wealth and capacity to undergo an ambitious just
transition away from fossil fuel production. In particular, leadership must come
from countries that are high-income, have benefitted from fossil fuel
extraction, and that are historically responsible for significant
emissions.
We call on these governments and companies to recognize that
continued fossil fuel exploration and production without a managed decline and a
just transition is irreconcilable with meaningful climate action. We also note
that there are tremendous leadership opportunities for these countries to
demonstrate that moving beyond oil, coal, and gas – both demand and production –
is not only possible, but can be done while protecting workers, communities, and
economies.
Signed,
Amazon Watch
Asian Peoples Movement on
Debt and Development
The Australia Institute
Center for International
Environmental Law
Environmental Defence
Friends of the Earth England,
Wales and Northern Ireland
Global Witness
Greenpeace
Health of Mother
Earth Foundation
Heinrich Böll Foundation
International Institute for
Sustainable Development
Natur og Ungdom
Naturvernforbundet
Observatorio
Petrolero Sur
Oil Change International
Rainforest Action
Network
Stand.earth
West Coast Environmental Law
...and many more
still to come...