Summary

This article explores anti-fossil fuel norms, which set behavioral standards for phasing out the practices and processes that prop up the fossil fuel supply chain. The authors detail some of the unintended consequences of anti-fossil fuel norms – intended to help the planet meet the Paris Agreement – arguing that the concerns of marginalized communities must be incorporated into these norms to maintain their legitimacy and increase their chances for success among a wide range of audiences.

The article is published in Global Policy (closed access)

Anti- fossil fuel norms

The world must rapidly and substantially shift away from fossil fuel reliance to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. For transition of this scale to occur, governments and people must increasingly adopt a set of moral and behavioral norms that pave the way, these anti-fossil fuel norms (AFFNs) have emerged as a key tool in international climate governance.

In this article for Global Policy, SEI and Mistra Geopolitics researchers highlight four key AFFNs and the potential pitfalls that might erode support for each, namely among marginalized communities whose lives and livelihoods could be disrupted by a global wind-down of fossil fuel extraction and use. They analyze:

• phasing out coal-fired power;
• phasing out oil and gas;
• ending public financing for fossil fuels; and
• reforming fossil fuel subsidies.

The authors argue that policymakers and non-governmental organizations must anticipate the equity concerns associated with each norm and account for them when framing these messages to the public and developing policy.

Key findings

Citation

Nazareth, A., Shawoo, Z., Verkuijl, C., & van Asselt, H. (2024). Fuelling injustice? Safeguarding equity in anti-fossil fuel norms. Global Policy. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13451