(CNN) – As the world’s most powerful leaders prepare to meet at the virtual climate summit convened by US President Joe Biden, the Dalai Lama and 100 other Nobel laureates, they have a clear message for them: Keep fossil fuels underground.
These 101 Nobel laureates wrote a letter to Biden and those attending Thursday’s meeting urging them to take concrete steps to phase out fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate change.
“Fossil fuel burning is responsible for nearly 80% of carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution,” said the letter, shared exclusively with CNN, adding, “It is inconceivable that the continued expansion of this industry is allowed “.
The signatories make it clear that they believe it is up to those present to take action. “Leaders, not industry, have the power and moral responsibility to take bold steps to address this crisis,” they say.
The winners point to three steps they believe world leaders should take: stop any expansion of oil, gas and coal production; phase out existing fossil fuel production in a fair and equitable manner; and invest heavily in the global transition to renewable energy.
“The extraction, refining, transportation and combustion of fossil fuels are not only the main source of emissions, but also involve local pollution, environmental and health costs. These costs are often paid by indigenous peoples and marginalized communities, ”the letter said.
Coordinated by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, the letter has been signed by some of the world’s foremost scientists, pacifists, and writers.
Tawakkol Karman, Elfriede Jelinek, and the Dalai Lama are some of the letter’s signatories.
The long list of signatories also includes Jody Williams, who received the 1997 Peace Prize for her campaign to ban landmines; women’s rights activist and 2011 Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee; Frances H. Arnold, awarded the 2018 Chemistry Award for Performing the First “Directed Evolution” of Enzymes; Harald zur Hausen, Prize for Medicine and Physiology 2008, who discovered that the human papillomavirus causes cervical cancer; Elfriede Jelinek, Literature Prize 2005; and Christopher Pissarides, Economics Award 2010.
The call for the elimination of fossil fuels is not new. The United Nations (UN) says such a measure is necessary if humanity is to stop catastrophic man-made climate change.
The goal of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement is to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and as close to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels as possible.
To achieve this, the world must reduce fossil fuel production by about 6% each year between 2020 and 2030, although current projections show an annual increase of 2%, according to the UN Output Gap Report.
The UN said last year that the world is on track to produce 120% more fossil fuels by 2030 than scientists say it is allowed to prevent the planet from warming by more than 1.5 ° C, and 50% more fossil fuels.% More than we can burn. heat up to 2 ° C.
And while the pandemic caused global greenhouse gas emissions to drop slightly last year, a new report released this week by the International Energy Agency claims the recovery is already taking place.
The report estimates that carbon emissions from energy consumption are on track to increase by 1.5 billion tons by 2021 as strong coal consumption in Asia, and China in particular, outpaces the rapid growth of renewable resources. This would be the second largest annual increase in energy-related emissions in history.
The letter’s authors say efforts to meet the terms of the Paris Agreement and to reduce demand for fossil fuels will be undermined if supply continues to grow.
“The fossil fuel system is global and requires a global solution, one that the Leaders’ Climate Summit must work on,” they wrote. “And the first step is to keep fossil fuels underground.”