Global Parliamentarians Call for Immediate LNG Moratorium, Urge Stronger Action on Energy Transition Following Pact for the Future Adoption
NEW YORK, 23 September 2024 — Global parliamentarians hailed the adoption of the Pact for the Future yesterday by the UN General Assembly even as they called for more definitive action on climate action and energy transition, including by releasing an international letter addressed to the US government - the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) - to reject new LNG exports.
“We welcome the Pact for the Future echoing the urgency of COP28 energy decisions, although we must aim higher for a just and livable future: a full, fast, fair and funded phase-out of ALL fossil fuels and a massive scale-up of renewable energy systems,” according to Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future, a network of over 900 legislators across 95 countries.
“The US, Wall Street, and the rest of the world’s biggest economies and companies can and must move first and fastest to fulfill the COP28 decision to transition away from fossil fuels. They must show greater ambition and urgency on climate action and the energy transition, in order for climate-vulnerable countries and communities to have a fighting chance to survive and thrive,” said Colombia Member of Parliament (MP) Juan Carlos Lozada.
“Fossil fuel financiers are committing ecocide. Four hundred Indigenous communities in Brazil alone are directly affected by fossil fuel projects and climate change. We despair to see floods and fires and desertification in our country and across the Amazon, supercharged by ever-increasing CO2 emissions . We must stop fossil fuel expansion in Brazil and around the world. We must transform the economy to one that does not kill us,” said Brazil MP Célia Xakriabá.
“Bolivia is also on fire, not only because of climate change but because we have been dominated by extractivism since colonial days, expressed in current unsustainable public policies. It seems hard to take a different path toward development but it is possible. We do need more mechanisms, in order to future-proof Bolivia and other similar countries, such as the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty,” said Bolivia Senator Cecilia Requena.
The international letter was released today through an initiative led by German MP Lisa Badum and United States Senator Edward Markey. The letter, directed to President Joe Biden and US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and signed by over 100 parliamentarians from around the globe, calls for an immediate end to new LNG export approvals in the US. The letter sets the stage towards the call for an immediate moratorium on new LNG infrastructure worldwide ahead of COP29.
“Fossil fuel executives use our allies as an excuse as they work to keep our world hooked on gas and paying a premium toward their profits. I’ve partnered with over 100 lawmakers around the world to dispel this falsehood – from Europe to Asia to Africa to the rest of the Americas, countries are cutting their dependence on and demand for gas, investing in green technologies instead. Already, there is an oversupply and overbuild of LNG infrastructure that benefits Big Oil at the expense of consumer pocketbooks, health outcomes, and environmental protection. Together, international lawmakers are saying loud and clear: the world doesn’t need U.S. LNG exports.”, said United States Senator Ed Markey.
“Germany and the United States’ international allies do not need more LNG. What we need is a global moratorium on LNG expansion and exports. As we assess our collective progress in the fight against climate change, and as we prepare for the international climate conference in November, we cannot ignore the devastating impacts of LNG. Supplying Europe with fracking gas cannot be used as an excuse for Big Oil’s greed. Europeans have already united to reduce fossil fuel demand—more dirty fuels are not the solution. Over 100 parliamentarians from around the world have signed our letter to President Biden, urging him to reject new U.S. LNG export projects. Our shared vision for climate, environmental, and energy justice is within reach. I look forward to continuing this critical work with Senator Markey and our global allies to achieve a fossil-free future.” said German MP Lisa Badum.
“Striking a balance between economic development and accelerating a just transition to renewable energy is still a challenge not just in Tanzania but across Africa. The letter against LNG lays out how a looming oversupply, coupled with a slowdown in Asian and European demand, threaten the economic viability of already-delayed LNG projects in my country and elsewhere,” said Tanzania MP Nusrat Hanje.
“The COP28 and Summit of the Future outcomes on energy transition must drive home the point to the US, Canada, and other allies that LNG is a huge economic and environmental risk. Investments must flow instead to more affordable and reliable energy sources, which happen to be clean and renewable,” said Canada Senator Rosa Galvez, who co-signed the letter.
CONTACT
Pablo Rodriguez Bothe, pablo@parlfossilfree.org
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