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2m signatures demand fossil fuel companies pay for climate damage – EnviroNews
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Campaigners from around the world are set to deliver petitions bearing more than two million signatures to the United Nations next week, demanding that governments make fossil-fuel companies contribute to the costs of climate-related damage.
The global action, scheduled for Monday, September 21, 2026, at the UN Visitors Plaza in New York, comes as world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week following a season marked by devastating wildfires, floods and other climate-related disasters.
Leaders of 350.org, Greenpeace International, Oxfam International and Fossil Free Media will formally present the petitions to Selwin Hart, Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action at the United Nations. They will be joined by frontline campaigners and representatives of communities affected by climate disruption.
Speakers at the event include Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar, 350.org Executive Director Anne Jellema, Fossil Free Media Executive Director Jamie Henn and Greenpeace International Executive Director Mads Christensen.
The campaigners say the growing number of signatures reflects increasing public concern over what they describe as an imbalance between the costs of climate change borne by communities and the profits generated by fossil-fuel companies.
“We pay. They profit. It’s time to change that,” is the central message of the campaign.
They are calling on governments to introduce binding measures requiring fossil-fuel companies to contribute to the costs associated with climate damage. Proposed measures include climate-damage taxes, surtaxes on fossil-fuel profits and fines that would help finance recovery, climate adaptation and a just transition to cleaner energy.
The campaign comes against the backdrop of continued global energy insecurity and economic exposure to volatile oil and gas markets. Campaigners argue that continued dependence on fossil fuels leaves communities and economies vulnerable to both price shocks and escalating climate impacts.
They also point to recent scientific assessments warning that global temperatures are set to exceed the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels. A new United Nations Environment Programme report, according to the campaigners, has reinforced concerns that the world will breach the threshold in the coming years, increasing pressure for accelerated emissions reductions and a faster transition away from fossil fuels.
For the campaigners, however, reducing emissions is only part of the challenge. They argue that those who have benefited from fossil-fuel production should also contribute more to addressing the consequences of climate change.
The petition presentation will take place as governments prepare to address issues of global security, resilience and economic stability at the UN General Assembly. It also comes less than three months before international negotiations on climate finance at the UN climate talks in Turkey and discussions on a Global Tax Treaty in Kenya.
Campaigners say these processes provide opportunities to address what they describe as persistent gaps in climate finance, particularly the resources available to developing countries in the Global South to respond to climate impacts and transition to cleaner economies.
They maintain that climate finance should not continue to depend primarily on public budgets while fossil-fuel companies continue to generate substantial revenues from activities associated with greenhouse-gas emissions.
The groups are also linking the “Make Polluters Pay” campaign to a broader call for renewable energy investment, arguing that reducing dependence on oil and gas can strengthen energy security while helping to limit future climate damage.
They say meaningful discussions about security and climate justice must address both the causes of climate disruption and the financial burden it places on vulnerable communities.
The campaigners’ central demand is therefore twofold: accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels while establishing mechanisms through which fossil-fuel companies contribute to financing the recovery, adaptation and social protection needed in a warming world.