The need to transition away from fossil fuels has been present in the climate and scientific agenda over the past decade. Any attempt to act on the climate crisis implies leaving oil, coal and gas behind. But the new oil wars triggered by the United States came to remind the world that the dependence on fossil fuels is not only a matter of climate; it is also associated with political instability, price volatility and energy insecurity. Impacts like the 50% increase in gas prices within days of the attacks on Iran reinforced the call from civil society and the scientific community across the globe to move away from fossil fuel dependence.
In parallel, the rise of authoritarian governments across the globe is threatening an energy transition grounded in justice for workers and communities. This is taking different shapes: political projects based on the “drill baby drill” imperative and climate denialism; those that turn their back on multilateralism and international cooperation; and governments that jump on the renewables bandwagon because it implies short-term economic gains, while replicating dynamics of dispossession, injustice, and new ecological harm.
This wave of authoritarianism that attempts to block climate action has been met with a ‘coalition of the willing’: governments and organizations –grouped in initiatives like the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance or the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative– committed to advancing an equitable transition away from fossil fuels.
Thanks to the joint efforts of social movements and committed countries, we have recently seen at least three historic milestones in this long-overdue conversation: the creation of the Belém Action mechanism at COP30, the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, and the Advisory Opinions on climate change issued by the International Court of Justice and the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights.
Under this scenario, we seem to be witnessing a paradox where institutional and legal progress to advance just transitions is unprecedented, while the geopolitical context seems to distance us from translating those standards into reality. To explore that tension and the possibilities around it, the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO) organized the cycle of public webinars Holding the Line: just energy transitions amid democratic backsliding. These were three conversations between INCLO members from Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Hungary and India, together with experts from academia and civil society in the lead-up to COP31 and the second Fossil Fuel Conference in Tuvalu. The combination of local and global perspectives opened discussions about possible pathways for bringing global advances on just transition to national and local contexts, amid democratic challenges.
Each of these sessions addressed a crucial aspect of the transition: governance, finance, and human rights. This report synthesizes the main ideas and proposals that came up during the three sessions. With this effort we aim to bring together local and global reflections about the challenges we face today, but also shed light on potential avenues to keep advocating for a transition centered on people’s rights.
