Reports

This briefing identifies the three mutually reinforcing pillars of action to operationalise Paragraph 28(d) of GST-1: (i) monitoring and reporting; (ii) national action; and (iii) financial and technical assistance. Unlike the predominant approach to climate mitigation, which tend to be emissions-based, implementation of paragraph 28(d) of the GST-1 should focus on transitioning the sources of energy, from fossil fuels to renewables, across the economy through planning and investment.

Despite the clear urgency to phase out fossil fuels, countries have repeatedly failed to agree on timelines and transition plans to reduce their dependence. The focus remains on curtailing smokestack and tailpipe emissions rather than reducing supply, while industry-backed terms such as “unabated” fossil fuels and “inefficient” subsidies leave the door open for continued fossil fuel production.

Despite this undeniable success, significant greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to almost half a billion tonnes of CO2 are occurring each year, linked to unregulated fluorochemical industrial processes. This briefing explores additional measures that can be taken under the Montreal Protocol to contribute to averting the climate crisis.

The global call to action on climate change is clear – to have any chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C, we must reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to at least 43 per cent below 2019 levels by 2030.1

The Urgent Need for a Fossil Fuel Treaty – Briefing to the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (CoP28)