After thousands of us signed petitions and sent letters to MPs, it finally happened: the UK is leaving the dangerous and destructive Energy Charter Treaty – the ECT.

The ECT is a dangerous and destructive treaty that allows fossil fuel giants to sue countries for taking climate action.[1]

And not just in theory. In 2021 the Netherlands were sued by coal giant RWE and Uniper for €‎2.4 billion for passing a climate law banning coal-fired power plants! 

The UK leaving it is a huge win for our movement and our planet.

This is amazing news, but the fight’s far from over. The Government is continuing to hand out more oil and gas licences for the North Sea. And energy companies and fossil fuel giants are continuing to make record profits while the rest of us face skyrocketing energy bills and a cost of living crisis.

“The Energy Charter Treaty is a clear and present danger to phasing out fossil fuels, and transitioning to renewable and affordable energy for all. This is a time when governments should be taking ambitious and necessary action to speed up that transition, rather than being held hostage to anti-democratic international arbitration that favours the interests and profits of fossil fuel companies.

The sooner the treaty is confined to history, the sooner we can get on with the task at hand of reversing those financial flows, and make those companies pay for the just energy transition we need, rather than compensating them for delaying it. While we welcome the UK’s news, nothing short of a full withdrawal by all remaining European countries will suffice, and we will continue putting pressure alongside our allies until this happens.”

Nicolò Wojewoda, 350 Europe Director

But this news shows that people power works. Campaigning for climate action works. So let’s keep pushing, let’s keep taking action – together.

Sources: 

1: Politico: ‘EU moves to quit energy investment treaty’