FUELLING FAILURE

The report asserts that fossil fuels are the primary driver of climate change and air pollution, negatively impacting every UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). It highlights specific failures, such as the $5.9 trillion spent on fossil fuel subsidies in 2020 and the 8.7 million premature deaths caused by fossil fuel pollution annually between 2012 and 2018. To address these issues, the authors propose a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty based on three pillars: a worldwide moratorium on new exploration, an equitable phase-down of existing projects, and financial and technological assistance for a just transition.

• Fossil fuel production and combustion negatively impact all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), acting as the primary driver of climate change, air pollution, and biodiversity loss.
• Global financial priorities are misaligned with poverty eradication and energy access, with fossil fuel subsidies reaching $5.9 trillion in 2020, while the annual cost for universal energy access is only $41 billion.
• Fossil fuel pollution and climate change have severe health and social consequences, including 8.7 million premature deaths annually from 2012 to 2018 and the potential to push 122 million more people into extreme poverty by 2030.
• Continued investment in fossil fuel exploration threatens to lock economies into emissions for decades, with expected spending of $527 billion on fossil gas and $405 billion on oil exploration by 2030.
• The proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty would implement a worldwide moratorium on new extraction, an equitable phase-down of existing projects aligned with the 1.5°C goal, and a fair transition through finance and technology for dependent economies.

APA

Daley, F., & Lawrie, C. (n.d.). FUELLING FAILURE. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Fuelling-Failure-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Daley, Freddie, and Charlie Lawrie. FUELLING FAILURE. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, n.d. https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Fuelling-Failure-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Daley |first1=Freddie |last2=Lawrie |first2=Charlie |title=FUELLING FAILURE |publisher=Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative |url=https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Fuelling-Failure-Summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{daleyndfuelling, author = {Daley, Freddie and Lawrie, Charlie}, title = {{FUELLING FAILURE}}, institution = {Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative}, url = {https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/s/Fuelling-Failure-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }