The elephant in the room: fossil fuel non-proliferation

The authors propose a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FF-NPT) based on three pillars: non-proliferation of new reserves, disarmament of existing infrastructure, and financing low-carbon alternatives. This proposal addresses the gap in the Paris Agreement, which does not mention fossil fuels despite their role as the primary cause of the climate crisis. The authors highlight that 80% of coal, oil, and gas reserves are un-burnable if warming is to be kept below 2°C, and they point to existing national moratoria in countries like New Zealand and France as evidence of growing political momentum for supply-side climate policy.

• The Paris Agreement fails to mention fossil fuels, despite the burning of these fuels being the primary driver of the climate crisis.
• Current energy trends conflict with climate science; while the IPCC SR15 calls for a 45% cut in carbon emissions by 2030, global demand for oil, gas, and coal is increasing, with fossil fuels comprising 81% of energy use.
• Carbon Tracker estimates that 80% of existing coal, oil, and gas reserves must remain un-burnable to limit global warming to below 2°C.
• The proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FF-NPT) would be structured around three pillars: non-proliferation (no new reserves), disarmament (managed decline of existing infrastructure), and peaceful use (financing low-carbon alternatives via a Global Transition Fund).
• There is existing political momentum for supply-side policies, evidenced by oil exploration and production moratoria in countries including New Zealand, France, Belize, and Costa Rica.

APA

Newell, P., & Simms, A. (2019). The elephant in the room: fossil fuel non-proliferation. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/the-elephant-in-the-room-fossil-fuel-non-proliferation/

Chicago

Newell, Peter, and Andrew Simms. The elephant in the room: fossil fuel non-proliferation. Climate Strategies, 2019. https://climatestrategies.org/the-elephant-in-the-room-fossil-fuel-non-proliferation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Newell |first1=Peter |last2=Simms |first2=Andrew |title=The elephant in the room: fossil fuel non-proliferation |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=16 July 2019 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/the-elephant-in-the-room-fossil-fuel-non-proliferation/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{newell2019elephant, author = {Newell, Peter and Simms, Andrew}, title = {{The elephant in the room: fossil fuel non-proliferation}}, publisher = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/the-elephant-in-the-room-fossil-fuel-non-proliferation/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }