New legal rulings, diplomatic coalitions and policy processes are converging on a global transition away from fossil fuels. A UNSW workshop unpacks how this momentum is building — and what it means for COP31.
A new global effort to coordinate the phase-out of fossil fuels is beginning to take shape — spanning legal rulings, diplomatic coalitions and emerging policy roadmaps ahead of COP31.
At a UNSW-hosted workshop in March, researchers, policymakers and legal experts came together to map this shift and identify where influence over the transition now sits.
The sessions below unpack the key developments — from international law to Australia’s role and the practical challenge of winding down fossil fuel production.
The case for ending fossil fuels is no longer confined to climate targets — it is now being framed as a matter of human rights, public health and economic systems.
Opening the UNSW workshop, UN Special Rapporteur Prof Elisa Morgera set out why fossil fuels must be understood as a systemic driver of harm across climate, biodiversity and inequality — and why this demands a coordinated global transition.
Efforts to phase out fossil fuels are moving beyond the UN climate talks, with new legal rulings, treaty proposals and diplomatic coalitions reshaping the landscape.
In this session, Dr Wesley Morgan, Prof Jacqueline Peel, Rebecca Byrnes and Annette Zou map the emerging global architecture — from the proposed fossil fuel roadmap to the legal implications of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion.
Australia sits at the centre of the global fossil fuel system — and under growing pressure to change course.
This session examines how domestic law, export dynamics and political economy shape Australia’s role, with Michael Poland, Gillian Moon, Prof Sue Harris-Rimmer and Rebecca Burdon unpacking the tensions between economic dependence and international obligations.
If the direction of travel is clear, the harder question is how to actually deliver a phase-out of fossil fuel production.
Joseph Sikulu, Annika Reynolds, Dr Amanda Cahill and Dr Nikola Casule focus on implementation — from Pacific-led renewable transitions to economic diversification and the real-world challenges of moving beyond extraction.
With COP31 approaching, attention is turning to how to coordinate action across fragmented global processes.
This session brings together Alofipo So’oalo Fleur Ramsay, Dr Fergus Green, Prof Robyn Eckersley and Dr Simon Bradshaw to map the next phase — including the growing case for “no new fossil fuel projects” and new forms of multilateral cooperation.
As momentum builds, the question is no longer whether to transition away from fossil fuels, but how — and on whose terms.
In closing, UN Special Rapporteur Prof Surya Deva and Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative President Kumi Naidoo link fossil fuel phase-out to human rights, development and global justice, outlining what leadership will require in the years ahead.
This workshop was organised as part of the Australian Climate Accountability Project at the UNSW Australian Human Rights Institute and in partnership with the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response.