STRONGEST-EVER LANGUAGE ON FOSSIL FUELS FROM WORLD’S LARGEST CONSERVATION NETWORK
Dear friend,
A Landmark Victory for Climate and Nature: IUCN Members Back a Potential Treaty to Phase Out Fossil Fuels
We are thrilled to announce a landmark victory from the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. Motion 042, a resolution WWF International submitted with ten co-sponsors, has been successfully adopted by the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network.
This is a game-changing moment. For the first time, the IUCN has formally acknowledged the urgent gap in international governance for fossil fuel production. Crucially, the motion has the strongest-ever language on fossil fuels and explicitly names a potential Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty as a key instrument to manage a global phase-out of coal, oil, and gas and ensure a just transition.
With this vote, the IUCN becomes the first environmental-focused multilateral body to join the growing chorus for a treaty, standing alongside the World Health Organization, the European Union, and 17 nation-states. This powerfully links the phase-out of fossil fuels with the protection of biodiversity and calls for Amazonian States and Members to declare a ‘fossil fuel non-proliferation zone’ prohibiting fossil fuel exploration and extraction while ensuring participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This sets a strong precedent for major upcoming summits, including COP30 in Brazil.
This victory was powered by allies like you, but it is just the beginning. Now, the real work starts. We are moving into a critical new phase to turn this resolution into global action, and we need your support more than ever.
In the coming months, we will be working closely with IUCN commissions to guide the implementation of this motion. We will also be launching advocacy campaigns to engage countries ahead of the First International Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels in 2026.
This is our moment to build on this incredible momentum. We ask you to stand with us, amplify this message, and prepare to engage in the strategic advocacy ahead.
COP30 started this week in Belém, at the heart of the Amazon, and is our collective chance to recognise the need to accelerate a global just transition to phase out oil, gas and coal, making it a turning point for climate justice. This is the moment governments must deliver real global leadership to end fossil fuel dependence, build a world rooted in justice and equity, and protect what we love: our communities, our shared future, and the planet we call home.
CHICAGO & PITTSBURGH FORMALLY JOIN THE CALL FOR A FOSSIL FUEL TREATY
Two more major American cities have officially called for a Fossil Fuel Treaty. Chicago and Pittsburgh's City Councils, representing a joint total of 3 million people, have both recently passed resolutions in support of a Fossil Fuel Treaty thanks to local youth-led campaigns.
In the same resolution, the Chicago City Council also reaffirmed its commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement, underlining how a new international framework on phasing out coal, oil and gas production can function as a crucial step towards addressing the climate crisis.
The 4th Senior Official Meeting of the countries participating in discussions towards a Fossil Fuel Treaty took place on the sidelines of the pre-COP, where heads of delegations from around the world meet to align on key issues for the COP30 agenda.
Representatives of the Participating Nations offered feedback on the planned strategic pathway towards a Fossil Fuel Treaty, prepared for COP30, and discussed plans for the First International Conference for the Phase Out of Fossil Fuels, hosted by Colombia in April 2026.
FAITH ORGANIZATIONS COMING TOGETHER FOR CLIMATE ACTION
At the Raising Hope conference, Prof. John Sweeney (Climatologist, Emeritus Professor, Maynooth University) emphasized that faith groups should urge their governments at COP30 to support the Fossil Fuel Treaty, a bold step to align policy with justice, protect our common home, and turn hope into reality.
Community, faith, and grassroots voices together can shift the balance from vested interests to people and planet.
“Unlike the US, other countries are also showing an increasing interest in international climate negotiations. Colombia last month offered to host the first-ever International Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels in April 2026, after countries pushing for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty called for such a meeting.”
“Describing the COP climate meeting as having become more like a “festival for the oil-producing countries”, Talia said Tuvalu is also exploring a range of alternative initiatives, from a push to create the world’s first fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty to seeking to add its entire cultural heritage to the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
"An international coalition of more than 1,400 governmental and civil conservation organizations has called on its members to increase efforts to curb fossil fuel extraction and work toward a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.”
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