Oil and gas companies will spend more than $500 billion this year on identifying, extracting and producing new oil and gas supplies to return record profits to shareholders, according to the International Energy Agency. Less than 5% of their production and exploration investments have been spent on clean energy sources in recent years.

Island nations, which are losing land mass because of rising sea levels, point out that the United Nations has refused to utter the words “fossil fuels” in its planning. Tuvulu and Vanuatu have taken the lead in asking for our support in calling for an International Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. So far six nations, 84 cities, 101 Nobel laureates, over 2,000 organizations and over 600,000 individuals have endorsed the treaty.

The time for clever words is over. We cannot proceed with transition to clean energy without an abrupt decrease in fossil fuel development. We, an interdependent community of life forms, are united in our interests in arresting climate change as swiftly as possible. We must rapidly and justly transition off fossil fuels.

Please join us on Monday at the Portland City Council, either in person or via link from Portland’s website, and offer public comment in support of the International Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. There will be Earth Protectors outside the building at 3:30 p.m. with signs and information.

I thank everyone for their support for our common life support system.

Grace Nichols
Portland

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