At IUCN, a step forward to recognize fossil fuels' threat to nature

Ralph Regenvanu is Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management.

From the coral reefs of the Pacific to the rainforests of the Amazon, nature is issuing a stark warning. 

The same three forces accelerating climate breakdown are also driving species to extinction, poisoning oceans, and devastating the ecosystems that sustain all life on Earth. These forces are coal, oil, and gas.

Every stage of fossil fuel production—from extraction to combustion—wrecks the ecosystems that sustain us. It scars landscapes, pollutes rivers, and fuels air pollution. 

Fossil fuels are responsible for more than half of ocean acidification and over 86% of carbon emissions in the past decade—making them a leading cause of both the climate and biodiversity crises. Still, fossil fuels remain absent from the world’s main environmental agreements. 

The Paris Agreement focuses on emissions, not extraction. The Convention on Biological Diversity protects species, but not from the industrial expansion that wipes out their habitats. Conservation efforts have been so focused on the symptoms, that they have neglected the root cause. This week, that finally changed. 

Last week, at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, the world’s largest environmental network made history by adopting Motion 042, the strongest multilateral language ever passed on fossil fuel extraction and supply. 

For the first time, a major international body has formally recognised fossil fuel extraction and production as a threat to nature. The motion, supported by the government of Vanuatu and co-sponsored by a number of environmental non-governmental organizations including the World Wide Fund for Nature International (WWF) International, fills a critical governance gap. It calls on the governments and international institutions to confront the impacts of fossil fuels at the source, not just at the smokestack. 

It urges the development of a pathway to transition away from coal, oil, and gas in a fair and equitable way, while protecting workers and communities through a just transition. It also encourages the establishment of fossil fuel exclusion zones in areas of high biodiversity, such as the Arctic, the Amazon, coral reefs, and protected marine ecosystems. 

Importantly, Motion 042 explicitly acknowledges that there is no coherent global framework to manage a fair and fast wind-down of fossil fuels. It calls on States to address the gap in the international governance of fossil fuel supply through a range of instruments and legal mechanisms—including a potential Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

This marks the first time in history that a major multilateral institution has recognised the potential need to develop new global frameworks to manage fossil fuel phase-out. Motion 042 was adopted alongside Motion 038, which further stresses the implementation of goals under the Paris Agreement, including a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, and Motion 141, which welcomed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion affirming that States have legal duties to prevent climate harm and protect the rights of future generations. 

Taken together, these decisions mark a turning point. We cannot achieve our conservation goals with our current energy policy. Nature cannot be protected while the world continues to dig, drill, and burn. 

Phasing out fossil fuels is one of the most effective conservation actions humanity could take. It would drastically reduce extinction risks, halve the land lost to floods and fires, and free up billions of dollars currently spent on fossil fuel subsidies—funds that could protect forests, oceans, and wildlife. Ending fossil fuel dependence is a fundamental step toward protecting biodiversity. 

The recent Advisory Opinion of the ICJ also strengthens the case for new international frameworks to manage a global fossil fuel phase-out. A Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, now backed by seventeen countries, including Colombia and Vanuatu, over 140 cities, thousands of civil society organizations, and more than a million individuals, is one of the proposals gaining momentum. 

By adopting Motion 042, the IUCN engages one of the world’s most respected environmental institutions in that historic effort. It has made clear that conservation strategies cannot ultimately succeed in a world still expanding fossil fuel infrastructure. Protecting mangroves while expanding offshore drilling is a contradiction. 

Funding coral restoration while approving new gas terminals is self-defeating. Trying to halt nature loss without confronting fossil fuels is like trying to put out a fire while pouring petrol on it. Motion 042 sends a powerful message just weeks before global leaders gather at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The world needs a fast, fair, and funded fossil fuel phase-out consistent with climate science and biodiversity protection. 

The IUCN has taken a step forward. Now, governments must follow. Future generations will judge us not by what we promised, but by what we built. To build a future for nature, we must put fossil fuels in our past.