 | COP 28 Petition
COP 28 Petition
Empowering Change:
A Petition Inspired by Laudate Deum and Laudato Si’ for COP28
To Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE President of COP28
Sign the Petition
1. Accelerate the Transition to Clean Energy and Make It Just
Laudate Deum reminds us that our world urgently needs a shift away from fossil fuels. We ask you to prioritize a rapid and monitored transition to clean energy sources. COP28 must be a turning point and not only another conference. The urgency of the climate crisis puts us at risk of repeating the historical mistakes of colonialism, exploitation, and inequalities. To address this urgency, we must listen to the time-tested traditions that have peacefully coexisted with our sister, Mother Earth, for centuries and transition to clean energy.
2. Commit to Concrete and Binding Agreements
We’ve had enough of vague commitments. We call for concrete and binding agreements that hold nations accountable for their actions. Let the world remember COP28 as a conference that achieved practical change. We cannot continue business as usual at the expense of our Earth and the poor. We must create public policies that encourage the emergence of new lifestyles, innovative production and consumption methods, and, in essence, cultivate a fresh, harmonious connection between humans and nature. We advocate for binding agreements that facilitate the pursuit of renewable energies as a true opportunity for the comprehensive development of every individual rather than an excuse for ongoing ecosystem exploitation.
3. Develop and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Recognizing that numerous coal mines and oil and gas wells are currently in operation, steering the world toward falling short of the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target, we must take responsibility. To avert the most severe consequences of the climate crisis, we must hold ourselves, our neighbors, and our governments accountable and collaboratively take decisive action. The Paris Agreement must be complemented by a binding treaty to “end the fossil fuel era” and coordinate efforts to transition to a post-extractive economy gradually. Instead, our infrastructure promotes outdated technologies, sustaining the never-ending cycle of production and consumption and perpetuating the persistent demand for energy. The growing demand for metallic minerals, as well as animals and plants across our forests, is putting pressure on the environment and posing a new threat to biodiversity and affected populations, particularly in the Global South.
4. Embrace the Human and Social Dimension
Climate change is not only an environmental issue; it’s a human and social crisis. Laudate Deum emphasizes this. Please acknowledge that this challenge requires involvement from everyone. A fair energy transition must consider a human rights approach, prioritize the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, and empower people to exercise sovereignty and determination in all endeavors related to comprehensive human development.
5. Avoid Delay – Act Now
Time is running out. Scientific evidence and Laudate Deum warns us of the disastrous consequences of delay. And the cost of inaction will only grow. We implore you to act swiftly. Energy justice is attained through the equitable distribution of energy sources in democratic territorial processes involving affected people, guided by the principle of restoring communities historically impacted by the socio-technical complexities of energy. These processes involve different ways of exercising power and its abuse.
6. Recognize the Interconnected Nature of the Crisis
Let’s not focus solely on technical fixes. Laudate Deum calls us to see the interconnected nature of our global problems. Address the deeper issues of our global system. A change in the energy matrix is insufficient if it is not part of an integral transformation process that includes changes in the organization, ownership, and distribution of energy production and consumption systems.
7. Ensure Transparency, Climate Funding and Oversight
Finally, let transparency, honor commitments, and oversight mark COP28. Establish mechanisms to monitor progress, financial loss, and damage, finance flows for adaptation and mitigation, and hold nations accountable for their commitments. The illegitimate and unpayable public debts of Global South nations are harming the environment and infringing on the sovereignty and rights of people. These debts also impede the necessary action to care for the common home, achieve a just energy transition, and ensure a full life for all people. The combining of risky and resource-exploiting economic approaches is making the situation worse.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, we entrust our hopes and dreams for a better world to you. Will you honor and ennoble humanity by taking these vital steps at COP28? The world is watching, and our future depends on your leadership.
With hope and urgency,
We gather not as experts or officials but as concerned citizens of our common home. We’ve witnessed various climate conferences, some marked by progress, others by disappointment. As COP28 approaches, we look to you with a simple plea: act decisively for our world’s future, echoing Pope Francis’s message in Laudate Deum.
News
COP 28: It’s not just about words
At the end of COP 28, Friar Eduardo Agosta Scarel, senior advisor to the Laudato Si’ Movement and member of the Holy See delegation present in Dubai, shares his reflections and conclusions.
LSM statement on COP 28: outcomes are an insufficient response to the climate urgency with diluted commitments to fossil fuel transition
Read the LSM statement on COP 28: an insufficient response to the climate urgency with diluted commitments to fossil fuel transition.
Canada COP 28 Statement in light of Pope Francis’ recent Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum.
Canada COP 28 Statement in light of Pope Francis’ recent Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum to Ambassador Stewart