Energy and climate change
The world’s energy system has destabilized the climate, while leaving a billion people without electricity. We can address the twin crisis of climate breakdown and energy poverty by ending dirty energy, transitioning to 100% renewables, and ensuring the poor have access, through a global transition that curbs pollution, creates new jobs and empowers people and communities.
The climate and energy crises are linked
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The world’s energy system has destabilized the climate, while leaving a billion people without access to electricity.
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This is the result of a model of centralised dirty energy that pollutes the atmosphere with greenhouse gasses, while failing communities who need access to safe, clean and affordable energy.
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Addressing this requires a rapid and just transition to 100% renewable energy, focused on increasing energy access for the poor and improving lives.
End dirty energy
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As a first step governments must phase out subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and pledge to divest fully from fossil fuels by 2020.
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There should be an outright and immediate ban on fracking; and a global moratorium on new fossil fuel exploration and extraction techniques effective immediately.
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There should also be an international moratorium on new coal projects effective immediately.
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And an end to the excessive and wasteful energy consumption by corporations and wealthy elites.
Support clean renewable energy
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Developed countries should pledge a just and equitable transition to 100% renewables by 2030.
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Energy systems must be transformed away from centralised, corporate-controlled fossil fuels and other harmful energy sources to a clean, safe systems with diverse forms of ownership.
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The new energy model should empower people and promote local control and community ownership, where households, cooperatives, communities, hospitals, schools and companies can be both producers and consumers of energy.
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Support is needed for global efforts for a just and equitable transition that enables energy democracy, creates new job opportunities, encourages distributed renewable energy, and protects workers and communities most affected by extractive economies.
Ensure energy efficiency and sufficiency
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Energy must be used in the most efficiency and least wasteful ways possible.
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Corporations and wealthy elites must end their excessive and wasteful energy consumption
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The energy use of wealthy and middle-classes will need to reduce even with clean, renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures in place
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Energy use by poor people will need to increase. The world must converge at a responsible level of energy use that allows for sufficiency and well-being of all, within nature's limits.
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Ensure technology is appropriate
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Energy technologies must be socially, economically and environmentally appropriate. This means certain technologies should not be promoted:
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Large-scale bioenergy is a major force of deforestation, habitat loss and land- grabbing.
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Small hydro can provide decentralized community energy, while large scale hydro is responsible for the mass displacement of people and habitat destruction.
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Nuclear power and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are neither renewable nor sustainable.
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Demand accountability from wealthy countries, corporations and people
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Countries, corporations and people most responsible for emitting greenhouse gases, and for obstructing and delaying progress on averting the worst effects of this crisis, must be held accountable.
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They should bear the greatest responsibility in paying the costs of a global, just, and equitable transition to a 100% fossil fuel free future.
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Wealthy countries should fund a global "Marshall" plan to enable developing countries to directly leapfrog to 100% renewable energy systems.
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For more information see:
Campaign to Demand Climate Justice