WEBINAR. Building a path towards the Transitioning away from Fossil Fuels: Commitments for a Just and Achievable Transition

A collaboration between CANLA, Earth Charter International, World’s Youth for Climate Justice, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and GGON LAC

Introduction

2025 has marked a turning point in the international architecture of climate and human rights. With the publication of the Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR)—both actively promoted by World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ)—the world now has, for the first time, a clear and binding interpretation of States’ obligations in the face of the climate crisis. This includes the need to phase out fossil fuels, protect the human rights of present and future generations, and act in accordance with the principles of non-regression, precaution, and intergenerational justice.

In this historical context, and leading up to the Conference on Transitioning from Fossil Fuels to be held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24–29, this webinar proposes a dialogue that articulates three pillars:

1. The global movement against the expansion of fossil fuel dependence proposes a mechanism to halt this dependence and enable just transitions.
2. World’s Youth for Climate Justice as a key actor that transformed international law in 2025, consolidating intergenerational justice as an operational principle for climate action.
3. The Earth Charter as a universal ethical framework to guide decisions toward a just transition.

The meeting seeks to link ethics, law, and climate policy, demonstrating how the Earth Charter and Advisory Opinions create a common ground to strengthen the global call for fossil fuel non-proliferation and accelerate a just and intergenerational transition.

Objetivo General

To explore how the movement for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Advisory Opinions of the ICJ and the IACHR, and the Earth Charter can be articulated to promote ethical, legal, and political commitments leading up to the Conference to be held in Santa Marta, Colombia (April 2026). Specific Objectives

General Objective

• Identify points of convergence between the Earth Charter, Advisory Opinions, and the proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
• Strengthen the regional narrative and the role of these initiatives in building a global framework for climate justice.
• Offer strategic recommendations for advocacy leading up to the 2026 Treaty Conference.

Preguntas

1. Is it possible to phase out dependence on fossil fuels, and why is it urgent to do so?
2. How do the decisions of the ICJ and the IACHR legally obligate States to abandon fossil fuels?
3. What conditions and actions are necessary to move toward a real, just, and ethical energy transition? How can the Earth Charter and its principles be used as a compass for a just transition?
4. What is expected to happen at the conference in Colombia regarding the phase-out of fossil fuels? And what should be prioritized to move towards a just and legally robust transition?