Over 130 legislators call to stop global LNG expansion
Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future
PRESS RELEASE
BAKU, 18 November 2024 – More than 130 legislators from around 30 countries called today on world leaders to place an immediate moratorium on liquified natural gas (LNG) expansion worldwide.
Led by German Member of Parliament (MP) Lisa Badum and Canada Senator Rosa Galvez, the parliamentarians stated in their Global Legislators’ Call Against the Proliferation of LNG Infrastructure that despite the COP28 deal to transition away from fossil fuels, “several countries continue to pour billions of dollars into new fossil fuel infrastructure, creating extremely harmful and unnecessary overcapacities and threatening to push our climate targets even farther out of reach.”
“I’m glad that our parliamentary call against LNG has been supported by over 130 parliamentarians from around the world. It is a global signal that LNG poses a great risk for our future. We need to stand united in this critical matter,” said Representative Badum.
“Renewables should be the main priority. Unconventional fossils are even worse. In the end, it’s not about a lack of technical solutions, but of political will and the struggle against lobbying from oil companies,” said Senator Galvez.
Originally initiated ahead of COP28 in 2023 by Representative Badum, Senator Galvez, and United States Senator Ed Markey, the number of signatories of the Global Legislators’ Call against LNG has skyrocketed from just 25 in less than a year.
“The United States is set to double fossil gas exports in the next five years. But supercharged LNG exports will be a new energy tax courtesy of Donald Trump on all American households,” Senator Markey said over the weekend.
The world is heading towards an LNG supply glut, according to the IEA and IEEFA, while demand in Europe and Asia is slowing.
“If we can put all that money in LNG projects, why can’t we put it in renewable energy? The potential for clean energy sources is everywhere in the country, while the evidence of LNG’s harmful impacts is growing. I’m a climate enthusiast and I will fight from the parliament to advise the government to move in the right direction,” said Tanzania MP Nusrat Hanje.
“Bolivia is 70% dependent on fossil fuels. During the last decades, governments bet on fossil fuels. And this is exactly the situation that we are telling other countries to avoid. We are facing a crisis but there is now the opportunity to change things. We have the capacity but we need political will,” said Bolivia Senator Cecilia Requena.
“Parliamentarians in Uganda urge our government to pursue a fossil-free future. But it needs to be done step by step, and transparency should always be at the center, globally and nationally. Uganda is moving forward but we need the rest of the world in the same direction,” said Uganda MP Biyika Lawrence Songa.
“We all know that the infrastructure built today must be aligned with climate commitments. Fracked gas and the so-called natural gas are causing invaluable harm to the planet, to society and to the economy,” said Austrian MP Lukas Hammer.
ABOUT:
Founded in 2022, Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future (ParlFossilFree) has become a leading voice in global climate diplomacy. The network aims to advance parliamentary action on fossil fuel phaseout and renewable energy transition through legislative initiatives, inquiries, and collaboration with international organizations. Access the ParlFossilFree press kit here.
CONTACT:
(Baku) Isa Rodrigo, isabelperodrigo@gmail.com, +63 926 734 5712
(Remote) Denise Fontanilla, media@parlfossilfree.org, +63 917 851 4890
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