Holding the Line: Just energy transitions amid democratic backsliding
Join us for a three-part webinar series.
The need to transition away from fossil fuels has been present in the climate and scientific agenda over the past decade. But the new oil wars triggered by the United States came to remind the world that the dependence on coal, oil and gas 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 (Global Witness, 2026) reinforced the call from civil society and the scientific community across the globe about the need 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 Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance or the Fossil Fuel Treaty– 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 Just Transition Mechanism at COP30, the First Conference on Fossil Fuel Phaseout, and Brazil’s roadmap away from fossil fuels.
All of these are important steps toward moving from conversation to implementation, but they still need to be filled with substance and brought into the reality of national and local agendas. In the lead-up to COP31 and the second Fossil Fuel Conference in Tuvalu, INCLO is organizing the cycle of public webinars Holding the Line: just energy transitions amid democratic backsliding. These will be three conversations between civil society actors and academics from the Global North and South to explore possible pathways for bringing global advances on just transition to national and local contexts, amid democratic challenges. At the close of the series, a short online publication will be released with the main reflections from the conversations, which could serve as inputs for future submissions.
- WEBINAR #1: The governance of just energy transitions
Date: August 25th, 9 AM EST /1 PM UTC
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JSUK3WfdSpuPwa5BECuu-g
- Global milestones in JT: what has been achieved in the global scenario (Belem Action Mechanism, TAFF Roadmap, Santa Marta workstreams, etc) and what is still to be done –Ayshka Najib, Women and Gender Constituency
- National phaseout policies across the globe: lessons and blind spots –Peter Newell, Sussex University
- Unjust transitions in authoritarian contexts: the cases of Argentina and Hungary. Is there a way to land global commitments in these scenarios? –Manuel Tufró, CELS (INCLO member from Argentina) and Attila Szabó, HCLU (Inclo member from Hungary)
- WEBINAR #2: Counting the cost: funding a just energy transition
Date: September 22nd
- Human rights-based climate finance: transforming financial rules to fund an equitable phaseout –Maria Ron Balsera, Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)
- Debt distress and fossil fuel reliance: challenges and recommendations for carbon-dependent economies —Amiera Sawas, Fossil Fuel Treaty
- How to fund the transition in a carbon-dependent economy: the Colombian case in the new political scenario – Dejusticia (INCLO member from Colombia)
- WEBINAR #3: Human rights as a driver of just energy transitions
Date: October 27
- Advisory Opinions on Climate Change: implementation strategy–Mariana Campos, World’s Youth for Climate Justice
- Taking legal obligations from Courts to action: the Australian ‘Hard Truths’ case – Jack McLean, HRLC (INCLO member from Australia)
- How to land the advisory opinions in the Brazilian post-election scenario – Thales Machado, Conectas (Inclo member from Brazil)
- The role of human rights in Modi’s energy transition —Snigdha Tiwari, Human Rights Law Network (INCLO member from India)
- How can human rights shape a just transition – Mateo Adarve, Oxfam (co-author of this case-study report)