Health groups call for global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty

Fossil fuels — coal, oil and natural gas, primarily — remain the dominant energy sources for much of the world, with their accompanying infrastructure of mines, drilling and production wells, pipelines and various forms of transportation. But they have become more problematic as governments struggle to address climate change and pivot to energy sources that do not result in carbon dioxide emissions.

While the United States and other industrial nations have made significant strides since the 1970s in the control of conventional pollution from energy production, growing understanding of the impact of carbon dioxide and other emissions on the world’s climate has increased the urgency of converting the world’s economy to renewable, less-polluting energy sources. Worldwide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions had been complicated by rapid economic growth in countries such as China and India, growth literally fueled by coal and petroleum products. Those countries have more recently joined the global effort to address climate change, and the United States —which abruptly reversed direction under the Trump administration — has made clear its intention under President Biden to rejoin the global community on the issue.