Typhoon Haiyan killed thousands of people as it ripped through the Philippines. One of the strongest storms on record, Haiyan turned homes to rubble, and its floodwaters swept children from their mothers. We need to stop fueling climate change by giving handouts to the world's top polluters.
World leaders are at the UN Climate Change conference, watching as climate change devastates the Philippines. While lives are lost in storms like Haiyan, world governments are still giving tax breaks and subsidies to fossil fuel companies. According to the International Energy Agency, governments subsidized fossil fuels to the tune of $563 billion in 2011! It's time to demand serious action on climate change.
The clean energy industry gets subsidies that amount to less than 20% of those given to fossil fuels. This terrible disparity means we are investing in climate changing energy sources instead of renewable energy every day.
It has been over twenty years since the world committed to take action on climate change. That's one of the reasons the climate envoy from the Philippines is doing a hunger strike until the conference takes meaningful action. Please ask the United Nations to take meaningful action at the UN Climate Conference and commit to ending dirty energy subsidies.
To the leaders of the United Nations Climate Conference:
I am writing to join the call demanding meaningful action at the Warsaw Climate Conference.
Typhoon Haiyan is the latest in an alarming pattern of ever-larger storms that are fueled by climate change. Haiyan killed thousands of people as it ripped through the Philippines. We need to stop fueling climate change by giving handouts to the world's top polluters.
With the world watching and grieving the devastation in the Philippines, now is our chance to take bold action on climate change. I am asking you to make a commitment to abolish government subsidies to fossil fuel industries.
It is estimated that in 2011 alone the United States subsidized fossil fuels with over $500 billion of taxpayer money. The world's richest countries are subsidizing the very activities fueling dangerous climate change, and creating barriers to investment in low-carbon development.
We the undersigned demand you lead on this issue, and end the subsidies. Until this is done we won't be able to work towards a solution to the calamity that is climate change.
Thank you.
