Cities and businesses call for the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels

The document argues that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C requires an immediate stop to burning fossil fuels, urging governments to halve global fossil fuel use by 2035 and stop new fossil fuel project investments. It highlights the role of cities and businesses in this transition, noting that solar and wind are already cheaper than new fossil gas electricity in most C40 city locations. Examples of city-level action include fossil gas bans in new buildings in several US cities and renewable energy targets in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Seoul. Additionally, over 200 companies with nearly US$1.5 trillion in revenue are calling for clear phase-out timelines, 100% decarbonised power, and the reform of fossil fuel subsidies.

• To limit global average temperature rise to 1.5°C, the authors argue that the world must stop burning fossil fuels and that governments must commit to an urgent phase-out and increased renewable investment.
• The authors advocate for meeting International Energy Agency goals to halve global fossil fuel use by 2035 and immediately cease investment in new fossil fuel projects, alongside tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.
• The document asserts that no current or near-future technology can extract carbon emissions from fossil fuels at the necessary scale, pace, and cost to serve as a viable solution.
• Solar and wind power were cheaper than new fossil gas electricity generation as of 2022 in countries containing almost all C40 cities, including China, Canada, the UK, the EU, and the USA.
• Specific city-level decarbonisation efforts include fossil gas bans for new buildings in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle; Los Angeles' plan to phase out three fossil gas plants for 100% renewable energy by 2035; Mexico City's installation of 787,000m2 of solar panels by 2024; and Seoul's target of over 1 million rooftop solar systems.
• More than 200 companies with combined revenues of nearly US$1.5 trillion, including Nestlé, Bayer, Unilever, JLL, Mahindra Group, Iberdrola, and Volvo Cars, are urging governments to phase out unabated fossil fuels, triple renewable electricity capacity, and reform fossil fuel subsidies.

APA

Watts, M., & Mendiluce, M. (2023). Cities and businesses call for the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/cities-and-businesses-call-for-the-urgent-phase-out-of-fossil-fuels/

Chicago

Watts, Mark, and Maria Mendiluce. Cities and businesses call for the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels. We Mean Business Coalition, 2023. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/cities-and-businesses-call-for-the-urgent-phase-out-of-fossil-fuels/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Watts |first1=Mark |last2=Mendiluce |first2=Maria |title=Cities and businesses call for the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=9 December 2023 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/cities-and-businesses-call-for-the-urgent-phase-out-of-fossil-fuels/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{watts2023cities, author = {Watts, Mark and Mendiluce, Maria}, title = {{Cities and businesses call for the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels}}, publisher = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/cities-and-businesses-call-for-the-urgent-phase-out-of-fossil-fuels/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }