To: Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and Incoming COP21 President Laurent Fabius
Kick big polluters out of climate policymaking
We call on you to take immediate action to protect the COP21 climate talks happening in Paris next month, and all future negotiations, from the influence of big polluters. Given the fossil fuel industry’s years of interference intended to block progress, push false solutions, and continue the disastrous status quo, the time has come to stop treating big polluters as legitimate ‘stakeholders’ and to remove them from climate policymaking.
Why is this important?
Today, we are facing the prospect of the destruction of life as we know it and irreversible damage to our planet due to climate change. But the world’s largest polluters have prevented progress on bold climate action for far too long.
The corporations that got us into this impending climate disaster don’t get to set the agenda for how to fix it.
We call on the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- including the U.S. government -- to protect the U.N. climate talks and climate policymaking around the world from the influence of big polluters. The world is looking to the next round of negotiations, in Paris next month, for decisive action on climate. This is a pivotal moment to create real solutions. And the momentum of a growing global movement can secure a strong outcome from the Paris talks and ensure leaders take bolder action to address the climate crisis.
But the fossil fuel industry and other transnational corporations that have a vested interest in stopping progress continue to delay, weaken, and block climate policy at every level.
We can't let that happen. Take action today to send a clear message to world leaders: it's time to kick big polluters out of climate policy!