Fossil fuel treaty backed

Vanuatu is calling on other nations to join it in establishing a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty to phase down coal, oil and gas production. The treaty has been proposed as an international mechanism to address the source of 86% of the CO2 emissions that cause climate change. Vanuatu’s President Nikenike Vurobaravu made the historic call at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, and repeated it at the 2022 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park overnight. ‘‘Every day we are experiencing more debilitating consequences of the climate crisis,’’ he said. The call for the treaty has already been endorsed by more than 65 cities and other bodies around the world, including London, Paris, Los Angeles, Kolkata, Lima, the Hawai’i State Legislature, the Vatican, and the World Health Organisation.