Non-Proliferation Treaty to ban fossil fuels: Vanuatu’s big plea does little to arrest climate change

Source: The post is based on the article “Vanuatu’s big plea does little to arrest climate change” published in The Hindu on 4^th November 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Climate change

Relevance: About the Non-Proliferation Treaty to ban fossil fuels.

News: The President of Vanuatu, a small Pacific island, wanted the UN General Assembly to adopt a universal Non-Proliferation Treaty to ban the use of fossil fuels across the world.

Vanuatu represents a strong and vocal group of small island developing states.  Many including the Mayor of Kolkata (the capital of one of the largest coal-producing States in India) have lent their support to such a treaty.

About the previous instances of phasing out of coal

Last year at the Glasgow climate conference, there was a call for phaseout of coal. India argued that a phaseout was unfair to countries that were heavily dependent on coal power in the medium term.

So, the call was toned down from phaseout to phase down of unabated coal power and inefficient fuel subsidies.

What are the challenges in implementing a Non-Proliferation Treaty to ban fossil fuels?

a) A call to end fossil fuels through a mandate in the UN has very different implications than when it is presented under the UN Climate Change Convention, b) The UNGA treaty will dilute the legal responsibility of the polluting countries to reduce their emissions on the basis of responsibility, capability and national circumstances, as required by the Climate Change Convention, c) The treaty will also make no provision for technological and financial innovations that are necessary to ensure the transition.

Why targeting coal through Non-Proliferation Treaty to ban fossil fuels is not desirable?

1) Coal phasedown is not the only way to reduce global emissions. This is because a substantial share of rising global emissions is accounted for by the unsustainable levels of consumption of natural resources and lavish lifestyles led by the consumers in developed economies, 2) Coal is the mainstay of primary energy supply in many countries such as India and forms the basic and essential component of their energy system, 3) A plan to drastically reduce coal fired power may create insurmountable difficulties in securing the progress of developing economies towards key sustainable development goals, 4) While the developed economies have full access to alternative sources of energy the developing nations are handicapped.

What needs to be done instead of creating a Non-Proliferation Treaty to ban fossil fuels?

A just transition needs to be built on the promise that green energy and a green future will be available to all.

Consumers in countries that consume at an unsustainable pace and contribute to rising emissions have a much greater responsibility to clean up the planet and support the growth of green energy. For instance, the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement in India.

Building climate-resilient infrastructure in developing and growing countries has to be given as much importance as phasing down coal and investment in energy innovations and alternative technologies.