Climate justice

Make Polluters Pay

In May the open-access academic journal One Earth published a paper making the case that the world’s biggest fossil fuel firms owe $209bn (£169bn) a year in climate reparations. The paper covers a wider group of corporations than our report on reparations owed by the ‘big five’ global north firms, and is a useful contribution to what is becoming a wider debate about making polluters pay for climate damage.

The Loss and Damage Fund, agreed at last year’s UN climate talks in Egypt, is important for being able to deliver the financial element of any climate reparations. There is a transitional committee which is mandated to make proposals on how the fund will be delivered to COP28 in December. In order to help influence this process, the Make Polluters Pay coalition, which we’re part of, will be running a day of action again in September, although this year with more emphasis on who should pay, now that the principle of ‘loss and damage’ has been won at the UNFCCC.

Make Polluters Pay action day

On Saturday 23 September, and in the week running up to it, the coalition is calling for decentralised actions and activities around the country, although the national organisations involved will also organise something centrally in London and Scotland (location tbc). These will also coincide with international actions.

We’re in the process of producing support materials, but local group activities for the day, which could include:

• A protest at an appropriate target.

• Public outreach with petitioning, maybe with a creative aspect.

• A public meeting or event.

You might want to think creatively and visually about how to communicate the central message that polluting corporations, who are most responsible for the climate crisis, should be made to pay reparations for the damage they have caused in global south countries.

If it’s useful for groups we can run a creative brainstorming Zoom call, like the one we ran before the Energy Charter Treaty day of action last year. This would give you an opportunity to share ideas and ask questions too. If you’re interested in this or for advice and support, email daisy.pearson@globaljustice.org.uk.

A treaty to end fossil fuels

In addition to making polluters pay, we also need to end the fossil fuel era completely. That’s why we’re adding our voice to the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

This is a proposal by a network of campaign groups around the world for a new international agreement that would commit countries to end the extraction of oil, gas and coal in line with international commitments to keep global warming below the 1.5°C threshold. Already endorsed by Pacific island nations, Colombia and the European parliament, the treaty attempts to fill a gap in the way that the climate emergency is being tackled internationally.

Current UN climate negotiations focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by each member state – but without specific reference to phasing out fossil fuels. Meanwhile the fossil fuel industry continues to extract oil, gas and coal. What is really needed is an international plan to end new fossil fuel exploration and phase out existing fossil fuels as quickly as possible as part of a global just transition. That’s what the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty would do.

In Scotland, we think there’s an opportunity for the Scottish government to be one of the early endorsers of the proposal and are launching a campaign for it to do so. We are also keen that activists and local groups lobby local councils to officially endorse the treaty as a means of raising awareness and putting additional pressure on the Scottish government. We’ve included a background briefing with this edition of Think Global. It’s can also be found at globaljustice.org.uk/resources

Find out more

On Thursday 6 July, 7.30-9pm, we’ll be holding an online webinar where you can hear more about the global campaign for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and what we can do in Scotland. And we’ll also be producing a pack of campaign resources and ideas for local activities. Look out for an email on both these things soon, or contact Jane on jane.herbstritt@globaljustice.org.uk for more details.

Key resources

Making polluters pay climate reparations

Two-page briefing (February 2023)

Make polluters pay A5 petition leaflet (updated January 2023).

Reparations and climate justice Eight-page briefing (September 2022).

See globaljustice.org.uk/resources and order from activism@globaljustice.org.uk