Green Party of the United States Urges COP31 to End Use of Fossil Fuels

As the world's governments gather in Türkiye for the 31st Conference of Parties (COP) on climate, the strong rebuke by American voters to the draconian politics of Donald Trump offers hope that the US will not always be such an impediment to action needed to address the climate emergency. The U.N. acknowledged last month that the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, once seen as the central accomplishment of the Paris climate gathering (despite US opposition), is effectively dead.

Green Party of the United States
gp.org

For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2026

For More Information:
Gloria Mattera, Media Coordinator, [email protected] | 202-804-2758
Mark Dunlea, EcoAction Committee Chair, [email protected] , 518 860-3725

Without the US wielding vetoes at the behest of fossil fuel executives, hopefully world leaders in the next few weeks at COP can reach agreement on phasing out fossil fuels, electrifying the world's economy, committing to robust climate reparations to the global South while making corporate polluters pay, and ending deforestation. Individual nations need to adopt stronger action plans (Nationally Determined Contributions) to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Action is also needed to halt the escalating negative impact of data centers, often centered on the development of artificial intelligence which at a minimum needs far stronger controls. The world also needs to reject nuclear power, biofuels, and carbon capture and sequestration as false climate solutions.

"While Republicans engage in climate denial and the Democrats embrace climate hushing and an All of the Above energy strategy that includes more fossil fuels and nuclear power, the Green Party continues to advocate for a rapid transition to 100% clean, renewable energy and a rapid shutdown of fossil fuel use," stated Mark Dunlea, Chair of the EcoAction Committee of the Green Party of the United States.

Brazil, the host of last year's COP, recently published the first global roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels in the hopes of pushing countries at COP31 to move from negotiating agreements to implementing targets agreed upon in the Paris Agreement. Brazil also released a roadmap for ending deforestation that nearly 100 countries supported at COP30.

The Green Party is encouraged by 57 countries of the "coalition of the willing" that met in Santa Marta, Colombia in April 2026 to begin drawing up a roadmap to end fossil fuels. If enough countries withdraw their buying power from fossil fuels, it will send an unmistakable signal to governments and financial markets worldwide that staying invested in fossil fuels would become even more of a money-losing proposition. While the US government will likely remain gridlocked in the near future, individual states can step up and take steps to eliminate fossil fuel use.

"As government leaders gathered for what is increasingly a trade show for the fossil fuel and extractive industries, the world's window to avoid climate collapse is rapidly closing. Extreme weather is accelerating while seven of the planet's nine life boundaries have been breached. The sixth great extinction of species continues to worsen. We need our political leaders to finally become champions of the inhabitants of the planet, rather than doing the bidding of a handful of oligarchs who prefer authoritarian rule," said Cassandra Lems, national party co-chair.

As of late 2026, the US oil and gas industry has spent $119 million on federal lobbying with $188 million spent on behalf of candidates (almost all of the latter to Republicans). The final number for 2024 was $250 million being spent on candidates.

The Green Party strongly opposes the "Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026," the so-called permitting reform legislation that is a wish list for Big Tech and the plastics and fossil fuel industries.. The Act passed a key Senate procedural vote on November 9, even after President Trump said he would veto the bill if it included support for wind power.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org
202-804-2758

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