African religious leaders, environmentalists push for fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Religious leaders and climate activists in Africa announced Friday (Sept. 20) their support for an international treaty to halt the production and use of fossil fuels, a major cause of climate change, modeled on nuclear non-proliferation treaties.

“As people of faith, we have a moral obligation to protect God’s creation,” said Ashley Kitisiya, Africa coordinator of the Laudato Si’ Movement, a global network of Catholics working to mitigate climate change in the spirit of Pope Francis’ encyclical of the same name. “The Fossil Fuels Treaty gives us a tangible way to act on that obligation by advocating for the protection of our environment for future generations.”

Kitisiyia was speaking at a press conference organized as part of the Season of Creation, an event celebrated annually by Christian denominations and Christian climate activists from September 1 to October 4. After Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios declared September 1 as a day of prayer for creation in 1989, the World Council of Churches and Roman Catholic leaders joined the movement and sponsor prayer and activities to draw attention to the issue of climate change.

The 2024 conference theme, “Hoping and Acting with Creation,” calls Christians and the entire world to reflect on what the organizers believe is our sacred responsibility to care for the Earth.

The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative began in September 2022, when Vanuatu, a tiny Pacific island nation, called for negotiations for such an agreement at the UN General Assembly. In December of that year, Tuvalu, another South Pacific nation, made a similar call at the plenary session of the UN Climate Change Conference.

Since then, momentum has picked up, with the Vatican, the European Parliament and 101 Nobel laureates all backing it. “We are making progress, but there is still so much to do. We need to continue building momentum, engaging more faith communities and pushing governments and international bodies to recognize the urgency of this treaty,” Kitisiyya said Friday.

Maasai elders Santomu Sitonik (from left), Moses Kipaliash and Nchooka Meruoyo pose with a poster during an interfaith news conference on fossil fuels in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, September 20, 2024. (Photo by Fredrick Nzwili)

Maasai elders Santomu Sitonik (from left), Moses Kipaliash and Nchoonka Murkuku pose with a poster during an interfaith news conference on fossil fuels in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, September 20, 2024. (Photo by Fredrick Nzwili)

Papa Prince, an African campaigner for the initiative, explained at a media event that while 13 Pacific nations led the initiative, it was open to all nations. “It will be fully discussed once we have a significant number of heads of state at the table. We are very open to countries that are willing to negotiate,” he said. “I call on African countries to join the discussion. We call on faiths to help support it.”

The treaty is based on three pillars: a global transition to renewable energy sources; non-proliferation, which focuses on ending the expansion of new coal, oil and gas production; and a just phase-out, which focuses on phasing out current fossil fuel production.

According to Prince, over the past decade, the burning of fossil fuels has caused 86% of carbon dioxide emissions globally, contributing to the continent’s climate catastrophe. He explained that the fossil fuel sector in Africa is largely foreign-owned, while most of the fuel extracted is exported to foreign markets. Reports indicate that industrialized countries are responsible for most of the carbon dioxide emissions.

Still, despite decades of coal, oil and gas extraction on the continent, 600 million people in Africa have no access to electricity or energy.

On September 10, Catholic Bishop Leonard Ndjadi Ndjate, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the treaty is an ethical imperative for the good of humanity.

“Indeed, given the multiple threats to human health, well-being and fulfillment, it is morally upright to take a clear stand against the proliferation of fuels. We cannot afford to be indifferent to the dangers that threaten human life,” he said at an online conference organized by Laudato Si’ Movement Africa.

Ndjate is responsible for ecological ministry and environmental protection in the archdiocese, which is located in the Congo Basin, one of the world’s largest carbon sinks. He has called on governments to prepare to ratify the treaty and for developed countries to provide resources for the transition to renewable energy.

“We now need a treaty that provides broad consensus on halting the expansion of new coal, oil and gas projects and managing the global transition away from fossil fuels,” the bishop said.