Before that Train has Passed: Incorporating Biodiversity and EHRD in the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels

This contribution to the conference on Transitioning away from Fossil Fuels focuses on thematic pillar 3 which addresses the advancement of international cooperation and climate diplomacy. The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative represents an opportunity to align climate ambition with human rights and biodiversity stewardship. We consider this stage of the process a crucial waypoint for responding in a systematic way to the root causes of climate change, biodiversity loss and the pollution crisis. Drawing on experience from previous negotiations, we argue that a successful integration of relevant elements in a new treaty depends on their explicit inclusion at the negotiating table early on. While time is of the essence, accelerating the process towards a just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels risks overlooking important considerations. In this submission, we therefore call for the explicit and systematic inclusion of the following elements in the ongoing dialogues: 1) Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs)[1], 2) Biodiversity and 3) the Right to a Healthy Environment.