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Signing the Paris agreement: next nail in the coffin
The formal signing of the Paris Agreement on April 22 could be the next nail in the coffin of the fossil fuel industry if governments actually follow through on their commitments.
The growing and vibrant climate movement is forcing governments to bow to the pressure to break free from fossil fuels.
However, there is still a dangerous gap between what the governments are signing up to, what they are doing and the real ambition we need to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
The only way to achieve this is by keeping coal, oil and gas in the ground. As a movement we will continue to hold governments accountable, ensure they ratify the treaty, go well beyond their current targets and accelerate the transition to 100 percent renewable energy.
We also need to maximize the current political momentum to push for more. Break Free, a wave of global mobilization planned for this May, is at the forefront of this and marks an unprecedented moment of local and international groups undertaking bold mobilizations to stop fossil fuel projects on six continents; demonstrating their resolve to transition off fossil fuels and build the new kind of economy that we know is possible – centered on a just transition to 100 percent renewable energy systems.
The fossil fuel industry is pushing our climate to the brink faster than anyone expected, as record temperatures are proving, along with extreme weather related events.
We are all at risk from a warming planet, so we are left with no choice but to scale up nonviolent direct action. As the transition from dirty energy to clean and efficient energy systems grows stronger and faster, communities and private citizens around the world will continue to hold decision makers accountable to their promises, and to science.
About the author
May Boeve is executive director of 350.org, "the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. But solutions exist. All around the world, a movement is building to take on the climate crisis, to get humanity out of the danger zone and below 350. This movement is massive, it is diverse, and it is visionary. We are activists, scholars, and scientists. We are leaders in our businesses, our churches, our governments, and our schools. We are clean energy advocates, forward-thinking politicians, and fearless revolutionaries. And we are united around the world, driven to make our planet livable for all who come after us."
