We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe

The statement contends that declarations of climate emergencies by global North governments are insufficient if they continue to fund fossil fuel infrastructure and rely on 'false solutions' like carbon markets and geoengineering. It advocates for a system change that treats energy as a human right and ensures a just transition to 100% renewable energy, emphasizing that rich nations must provide financial support to countries with less capacity to compensate for historical pollution and facilitate adaptation.

• The author characterizes certain climate strategies as 'false solutions' because they prioritize corporate profit over genuine crisis resolution. These include carbon markets, offsetting, mega-hydro, nuclear, bioenergy, geoengineering, and carbon-capture and storage.
• The document asserts that governments in the global North are failing to take their 'fair share' of action despite being most responsible for current heating due to pollution since the Industrial Revolution.
• A 'system change' approach is proposed, which would redefine energy as a human right and a common good controlled by the people in the public interest, rather than a commodity for corporate profit.
• Achieving 100% renewable energy requires a just transition for workers and communities, with a warning that 'green new deals' could potentially increase neo-colonial resource extraction from the global South.

APA

admin (2019). We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/

Chicago

admin. We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe. Friends of the Earth International, 2019. https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=20 September 2019 |url=https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2019have, author = {admin}, title = {{We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }