Imagining a World After Fossil Fuels

Since the industrial revolution began, fossil fuels have dominated our world systems. Oil, coal, and gas have shaped economies, geopolitics, infrastructure and of course, the climate. These fuels exacerbate global warming by contributing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, resulting in climate fluctuations and often leading to disasters where marginalized communities (the majority in the Global South) face the brunt of it. 

Small island nations are under the very real threat of flooding due to sea level rise; individuals living close to fossil fuel plants are dealing with high incidence of asthma and cancer due to these pollutant particles; and farmers across Africa and South Asia are losing crops to droughts and erratic rainfall, threatening food security and livelihoods. In Arctic regions, melting permafrost is destabilizing homes and releasing even more carbon. Meanwhile, Indigenous communities from the Amazon to the Niger Delta are resisting oil extraction that poisons their water and desecrates sacred lands. These examples illustrate the deep, interconnected harms of fossil fuel dependence.

As these harms intensify, movements around the world are rising to confront the fossil fuel industry head-on. One powerful example of this resistance took place during New York Climate Week 2024, where the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature - a leading voice in the fight for justice for Mother Earth - organized a Tribunal declaring the “End of the Fossil Fuel Era”. The Tribunal is a people-led court exposing the crimes of extractive industries where testimonies were given by individuals from severely affected communities, detailing how fossil fuels have drastically impacted their lives. 

Roishetta Ozane, a mother of six and grandmother of one, is trying to make the world a better place for her children. She spoke on the Louisiana Sacrifice Zone, which is surrounded by more than a dozen fossil fuel polluters, sharing some alarming truths:

 “Our air smells like rotten eggs; we are losing a football field of wetlands every hour; groundwater levels are receding at an alarming rate, leaving us with a diminishing supply of drinking water; our communities are plagued by above average poverty rates [and] cancer rates, with toxins in the air exacerbating our health crisis.”

Meanwhile, Yolanda Esguerra - a seasoned activist from the Philippines - testified against oil spills in the Verde Island Passage, stating:  

“We believe that the rights of [the] ecosystem and all its inhabitants have been violated. The oil is still impacting all of the marine life and the community of people around the VIP… The VIP is home to critically endangered hawk nose turtles, majestic whales, graceful manta rays… up to 300 species of coral reef, 32 species of mangroves and 20 species of seagrass. It has affected 13,000 fisher folks in the area and 200,000 people.”

These testimonials, whilst both unique, can be considered similar to cases throughout the world. More witnesses gave details from instances in Africa, Canada, the USA, Argentina, and India. Each case demonstrates the huge injustices being executed in a criminal manner by the fossil fuel industry. While these stories reveal the scale of destruction, they also point to the urgent need for coordinated international action.

One such effort gaining momentum is the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a solution-focused approach to these issues that is inspired by nuclear disarmament treaties. It has three pillars: non-proliferation, fair phase-out, and a just transition. Endorsed by a growing alliance of governments, cities, health professionals, scientists, and civil society groups, the treaty represents a radical but necessary shift in how the world approaches climate policy - treating fossil fuels as a threat to humanity, rather than just a means for financial gain. 

What makes the treaty especially powerful is its moral clarity and its centering of climate justice. Frontline nations - many of whom have contributed the least to global emissions but suffer the most from climate impacts - have emerged as key champions of it. Countries like Vanuatu and Tuvalu, along with major cities such as Paris, London, and Los Angeles, have endorsed the call for a fossil fuel treaty, recognizing that existing agreements like the Paris Accord fail to directly address fossil fuel supply. As the climate crisis accelerates, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty offers a bold and unifying vision: a coordinated global exit from fossil fuels that is science-based whilst also equitable and anchored in solidarity.

A just transition matters as it allows us to avoid new forms of exploitation, such as lithium mining without consent. It allows for reparations, contributing to the land back movement, and shifting power – not only technologies. It centers the voices and leadership of Indigenous peoples, frontline communities, and workers, ensuring that the shift to a greener economy is not only ecological but also equitable. Rather than replicating colonial and extractive systems in new forms, a just transition reimagines our relationship to land, labor, and each other - rooted in care, consent, and collective liberation.

With justice as the foundation, we can begin to reimagine the systems around us. Energy can move to decentralized, renewable, and community-owned grids. Transport can transform into walkable cities, electric buses, more bike lanes available and clean shipping. Food and farming can change to regenerative agriculture and local food systems. Our economy can become circular, care-centered. Meanwhile, governance can take form with more local autonomy, participatory democracy, and Indigenous leadership. 

Around the world, communities are already building this post-fossil fuel era, envisioning justice on their own terms. Real-life examples include initiatives such as C40 Cities, where a network of mayors are committing to science-based climate action, reducing emissions while advancing equity and public health. In Paris, the city has become a haven for pedestrians, creating walkable streets with plenty of tree cover and prioritizing bikes and public transport over cars.

Local communities such as the Indigenous-led Renewable Energy Alliance in Canada are developing clean energy projects rooted in sovereignty and self-determination. Cooperatives around the world are reclaiming energy production, food systems, and housing to serve people rather than profit. These success stories are aligned with the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s spirit, taking into account and honouring the lives of people and the planet.

These examples show us that transformation is not only possible, but already underway. However, real change also demands accountability from those who have caused the most harm. Fossil fuel companies must begin putting in place reparations for the destruction they have caused, and cease producing any more pollutants which serve only the interests of a wealthy few whilst endangering the many. The time of fossil fuels is ending, and whether by design or disaster, we can now choose regeneration and resilience - heading instead towards a future that breathes freely.