Catalina Roig, da Cobertura Colaborativa da NINJA na COP30

The main cause of global climate change is the use of fossil fuels: more than 80% of total carbon dioxide emissions come from coal, oil, and gas. Although this fact is widely known, throughout the various climate summits there has been very little progress in eliminating fossil fuel production. Meanwhile, CO₂ emissions continue to rise.

In response to this situation, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT) was created — a global initiative aimed at fostering international cooperation to phase out the use of coal, oil, and gas.

The FFNPT was launched in 2020 with the goal of complementing the 2015 Paris Agreement, inspired by the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Its main objectives are:

  • Non-proliferation of fossil fuels, putting an immediate end to the exploration and expansion of new reserves.
  • Fair and gradual phase-out, through various mechanisms such as setting extraction limits and eliminating production subsidies.
  • Promotion of a just energy transition.

The treaty has been endorsed by 17 countries across four continents, although none of them have legal or financial obligations under the agreement. Most signatories are small island nations in the Caribbean and the Pacific — such as Antigua and Barbuda, Vanuatu, and Tuvalu — which are among the most affected by climate change. In South America, the only signatory is Colombia, the region’s second-largest oil producer after Brazil. Another signatory is Pakistan, the fifth most climate-vulnerable country in the world, suffering from increasing heat waves and flooding.

In addition, the treaty is supported by more than 140 cities — including Belém — as well as by companies and civil society organizations.

Although Brazil has not taken an official position regarding the treaty, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that “despite our difficulties and contradictions, we need roadmaps to justly and strategically reverse or eliminate, and overcome our dependence on fossil fuels, mobilizing the necessary resources to achieve these goals.” In his opening speech at this climate summit, he also announced the creation of a fund financed by oil exploration revenues to support adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

At this COP30, the initiative seeks to build consensus for recognizing, among the outcomes, the importance of the First International Conference for the Progressive Phase-out of Fossil Fuels, which will be held in Colombia in 2026. It also calls to “listen to the peoples of the Amazon, who have clearly expressed their desire for the Amazon to be a fossil-fuel-free zone,” and for governments “to agree on prioritizing the end of expansion and the progressive phase-out of extraction in Indigenous and traditional community territories, as well as in areas of high biodiversity.”

The importance of keeping oil underground: the case of Yasuní

One of the main criticisms raised by the FFNPT is that the Paris Agreement does not directly mention fossil fuels and has failed to reduce their production since it was signed in 2015. In this sense, one of the main tools promoted in climate negotiations — the use of alternative energy sources — has not replaced fossil fuels but rather been added to them.

Although only recently have climate summits begun to recognize fossil fuels as one of the main drivers of climate change, various studies show that ending fossil fuel extraction is crucial to achieving the 1.5°C goal. One such study indicates that, to reach this target, about two-thirds of fossil fuel reserves must remain unexploited. This would not only help reduce emissions but also protect areas of immense biodiversity — such as the Amazon — from the devastation caused by extraction.

An example of this was the popular referendum held in Ecuador in 2023, after more than a decade of struggle, to stop oil exploitation in the ITT area of Yasuní National Park. This region is home to the Tagaeri-Taromenane Indigenous peoples, who live in voluntary isolation and are protected under international law, as well as being one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. The referendum marked a historic milestone: it was the first time that an oil-producing country decided, through a direct popular vote, to cease exploration of an oil reserve.