CLIMATE campaigners staged co-ordinated protests across the world today, demanding that governments shift public money from fossil fuels towards renewables and impose permanent windfall taxes on excess oil and gas profits.

Organised by the 350.org campaign, demonstrations took place in countries including Japan, Indonesia, France, Canada, Turkey, Brazil and Australia, calling for an end to fossil fuel dependence and the provision of affordable renewable energy for all.

The group warned that fossil fuels “receive an estimated $12 trillion (£8.8trn) annually in implicit and explicit subsidies worldwide, including the unpriced costs of pollution, climate damage and public health impacts.

“In effect, households are paying three times: through their energy bills, through their taxes and through the unpriced climate damage to their homes, health and future.”

This week’s landmark conference in Santa Marta, Colombia – involving 57 countries representing one-third of global GDP – “proved that many countries were ready to advance the economic transformation necessary to transition away from fossil fuels,” 350.org said.

Its head of campaigns and network Savio Carvalho added: “People are being squeezed by soaring energy costs while oil majors pocket scandalously huge first quarter profits – and that covers just one month of wartime gains.

“We pay, they profit – until we break free from fossil fuels.

“The lesson is clear: the less reliant we are on fossil fuels, the more protected ordinary people are from price shocks. Renewables have surged ahead as the cheapest option available, while fossil fuels have become a shock-prone liability. It’s time to make Big Oil pay and shift power back to the people.”