How to: Lobby your local council to endorse the fossil fuel treaty

Type: How to guides
Date: 8 June 2023
Campaigns: Climate

The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a bold idea from civil society organisations, parliamentarians and individuals around the world who recognise the urgent need for a fast, fair and managed global phase out of oil, gas and coal.

Twelve countries from four different continents have already endorsed the treaty and the call for a treaty is being led by those countries most affected by climate change already – the Pacific islands states Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Fiji and Tonga. It has also be endorsed by the European Parliament and the World Health Organisation.

More than 100 councils and cities across the world have now backed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty including councils in Edinburgh, London and Brighton.

If your local council has not signed up, then why not speak to you local councillors and persuade them to put forward a motion to endorse the treaty? This is a great way of creating awareness of this bold and important idea. It is also a step towards our goal for the First Minister of Scotland to publicly endorse the treaty.

This local council campaign pack includes a ‘how to’ guide, a template letter to local councillors, a draft motion, and a press release (for when you are successful in getting your local council to pass the motion!). Scroll to the bottom of this page to access those resources.

Other resources available from this website include:

The global campaign website is also a useful place to look for further information: fossilfueltreaty.org

We recently held a zoom teach-in on how to lobby your local council to put down a motion on the fossil fuel treaty. Edinburgh Green Councillor Ben Parker gave us lots of hints and tips. Below is an edited version of the teach-in (30 mins) which will give you some useful pointers on how to get started on lobbying your council.