UCC first Irish university to back fossil-fuel non-proliferation treaty call

University College Cork (UCC) has become the first Irish university to support the call for a fossil-fuel non-proliferation treaty.

The treaty is a global initiative to accelerate and manage the end of the fossil-fuel industry by expediting an equitable phase-out of oil, gas, and coal, and to encourage a just transition towards safer and cleaner energy sources.

The initiative was launched by a group of Pacific Island nations and calls for a binding global plan to end the expansion of fossil-fuel production, to phase out existing production of fossil fuels fairly and equitably, and to support fossil-fuel-dependent economies in diversifying away from them.

It has gained support from a host of groups, including the World Health Organization, as well as governments, scientists, and academics.

UCC’s call for the treaty was proposed by UCC’s student body and by UCC president Professor John O’Halloran.

Welcoming the announcement, director of major partnerships at the treaty, Ali Sheridan, said: “Universities and academic institutions have a vital, and critical, role to play in shaping a world that thrives within planetary limits, and it is commendable to see the commitment of UCC in helping to secure a fossil-fuel-free future.”

Associate vice-president of sustainability at UCC, Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir, said: “It is very timely that we support the call for a fossil-fuel non-proliferation treaty.

“The clear feedback from our UCC delegate team attending Cop28 is that more urgency is needed in order to achieve the necessary levels of greenhouse-gas emissions reduction to halt the climate breakdown we are experiencing.

“Climate science is clear on what is needed: To urgently reverse the current growth of fossil fuels globally, followed by rapid and deep reductions.”