Over 2000 CSOs reject Belém 4X pledge on sustainable fuels, urge parties to reject ‘Dubious Distractions’
By Samuel Ogunsona
A coalition of over 2,000 civil society organizations has rejected the Belém 4X Pledge on Sustainable Fuels, warning that it poses serious risks to the climate, communities, and the environment.
The pledge, co-sponsored by Brazil, Italy, and Japan, and supported by India, calls for countries to expand the use of “dubious sustainable” fuels globally by at least four times 2024 levels by 2035.
The coalition, Climate Action Network (CAN) argues that the pledge is a dangerous distraction from a Just Transition and would undermine efforts to phase out fossil fuels and decarbonize power and transport with renewables.
Hikmat Soeriatanuwijaya, Asia Senior Partnerships and Outreach Officer, Oil Change International, said, “The Belem 4X Pledge uses the language of sustainability to justify continued fossil fuel use. Southeast Asian communities already know this playbook. Japan has been driving dangerous distractions like ammonia and hydrogen co-firing and CCS in Indonesia under the guise of decarbonization.”
CAN refutes the idea that bioenergy can be a universal and significant “climate solution” and only supports renewable-based hydrogen and its derivatives that are produced using solar and wind energy primarily and that are used close to the source of production.
Marie Cosquer, Analyst Food Systems and Climate Crisis, Action Against Hunger, noted, “Large scale biofuels have in many contexts a track record of being linked to human rights violations, such as land grabbing from smallholders or Indigenous Peoples, and contributes to spikes in food prices and the financialization of land, while big industrial agro-corporations see their power consolidated.”
Ruairi Brogan, Senior Policy Officer – Bioenergy and BECCS, RSPB, added, “Growing biofuels can rely on harmful agricultural and forestry practices which place pressure on land use, food sovereignty and biodiversity through promotion of monoculture plantations, GMOs and pesticides.”
The groups urge leaders attending the Belém Climate Summit to prioritize phasing out all fossil fuels and decarbonizing power and transport with renewables, rather than scaling up expensive and risky technologies that place undue pressure on the climate, communities, and the environment.
