“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”   Isaiah II  

This petition was revised on July 4th 2007 – the swords and ploughshares, the claim on military budgets,  these have been added.

Introduction Only a weak and poorly funded international agreement now stands between humans and self-inflicted climate change calamity: a fledgling treaty called the Kyoto Protocol.  It must be renewed and strengthened if it is to save us.  Above all else, it needs a proper understanding of climate change as global security problem; better funding –  enough to meaningfully assist those less able to bear the costs of climate management; clear and firm climate management objectives sufficient to the urgency of the challenge as judged by science and not politics;   a wider range of policy instruments to effect change; more international goodwill to boost trust and ongoing co-operation.    Governments of the world have so far shown themselves incapable of rising to these challenges.  That’s why the existing Protocol is so weak. It will only become stronger if people demand it. Good citizens must urge their states to become good international citizens. Our ten point petition begins to show the way.

Change War or Climate Change Peace – Part I: Spoiling for war! Petition text We, the undersigned citizens of the world, urge that all national governments ratify the Kyoto Protocol (or its successor treaty) and apply their full authority to its extension and improvement by   recognising that climate change causes not just devastating economic or environmental  problems but is also likely to be a huge global security problem that causes ruinous war over dwindling life-support capacity. notes recognising that investment  in planetary life-support capacity is more likely to improve human security every-where than ongoing  global investment in weaponry; notes recognising, therefore, that climate change management has a legitimate claim on the world’s  US$1.35 trillion national security and defence budgets  accounting for some 2% of world GDP.  notes
diverting one quarter of national defence budgets to future  Kyoto Protocol implementation  and creating a global investment and  insurance fund  to assist in the management of redeployed funds.  notes incorporating clear, firm and scientifically informed targets into climate treaty instruments that  cap atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions at 450 parts per million (This should limit global temperature increase to 2.0o C and be achievable on the basis of 80% emission cuts by 2050.) notes sharing the costs of  climate change management fairly  between generations, between rich and poor nations and between rich and poor people within nations. notes conducting themselves generously in international negotiations not just for the sake of fairness but to build trust and social capital between nations not accustomed to high levels of co-operation. notes making creative use of the full range of public powers and policy tools necessary to the climate change planning task.  This includes strategic taxes and subsidies, tough regulation, bold public investment in infrastructure, education and research in addition to user-pays/market-based instruments such as carbon trading. notes acknowledging that climate change policy failure will leave future generations with more expensive adjustment and planetary repair work at best, and with irreparable material damage, political disintegration and human tragedy on global scales at worst. notes trusting their citizens and each other by supporting honest, informed and relevant public discussion and debate nationally and globally. notes