More than 130 parliamentarians from 30 countries issued a collective call at COP29 in Baku, urging world leaders to implement an ‘immediate moratorium’ on liquified natural gas (LNG) expansion worldwide.
Led by German MP Lisa Badum and Canadian senator Rosa Galvez, the ‘Global Legislators’ Call Against the Proliferation of LNG Infrastructure’ states that continued investment in LNG risks derailing global climate targets by fostering overcapacity in fossil fuel infrastructure.
Parliamentary call
It notes that while consensus was reached at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels, “several countries continue to pour billions of dollars into new fossil fuel infrastructure, creating extremely harmful and unnecessary overcapacities and threatening to push our climate targets even farther out of reach,” said Badum.
“I’m glad that our parliamentary call against LNG has been supported by over 130 parliamentarians from around the world,” she added. “It is a global signal that LNG poses a great risk for our future. We need to stand united in this critical matter.”
The Global Legislators’ Call Against the Proliferation of LNG Infrastructure was initially launched at COP28, and the number of signatories has increased from 25 to 130 in the space of a year.
“Renewables should be the main priority. Unconventional fossils are even worse. In the end, it’s not about a lack of technical solutions, but of political will and the struggle against lobbying from oil companies,” Galvez added.
Reports from the IEA and IEEFA suggest that the world faces an impending LNG supply glut even as demand in Europe and Asia slows.
A united voice
Parliamentarians from countries including Uganda, Bolivia, Austria and Tanzania reiterated the call, with Tanzanian MP Nusrat Hanje noting, “If we can put all that money in LNG projects, why can’t we put it in renewable energy? The potential for clean energy sources is everywhere in the country, while the evidence of LNG’s harmful impacts is growing. I’m a climate enthusiast and I will fight from the parliament to advise the government to move in the right direction,”
Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future was founded in 2022, and seeks to advance parliamentary action on fossil fuel phaseout and renewable energy transition through legislative initiatives, inquiries, and collaboration with international organisations. Read more here.
