New Delhi: Climate crisis will hit the poorest and most marginalised the hardest — those who have contributed least to the problem and have the least resilience to changing weather patterns, said top representative of a global campaign advocating for a new treaty to phase out fossil fuels.
In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, Alex Rafalowicz, Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative, said that in terms of the formal agreements reached at COP30, “we are still drastically off track” in confronting the climate crisis.
“To stop the acceleration of these disasters, we need a genuine plan to phase out fossil fuels and to end deforestation. COP30 did neither. So at the highest level, we must be honest, we are off track,” Rafalowicz said.
The United Nations climate talks in Brazil reached a subdued agreement recently that pledged more funding for countries to adapt to the wrath of extreme weather.
But the catch-all agreement does not include explicit details to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen countries’ inadequate emission cutting plans, which dozens of nations demanded.
Noting India’s dependence on fossil fuels, Rafalowicz told PTI that the first step in addressing any dependency is acknowledging it and committing to move beyond, even without every pathway detail in place.
“We can discuss a reasonable pathway that ensures continued access to energy, especially for people who currently lack it, and that ensures just transition plans for workers in fossil fuel sectors. This is precisely the conversation Colombia and the Netherlands want to begin. India, given its ambition for renewable energy, would be very welcome,” the director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative told PTI.
When asked what factors influenced the absence of a fossil fuel language in the global Mutirão text at the UN climate talks, Rafalowicz emphasised that political will, public pressure, and lobbying — all influenced COP negotiations.
He also cited the UK’s shift to support the just transition mechanism after sustained public and trade union pressure as an example of how government positions can change, and stressed that coal, oil, and gas remain the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions — framing the climate challenge as a fossil-fuel crisis.
“We must acknowledge the huge number of industry lobbyists at these conferences. One in 25 attendees represented fossil fuel-related industries or corporations. Their interest is to limit action. Eighty-six per cent of the cardon dioxide trapped in our atmosphere over the past decade has come from coal, oil and gas. If we cannot address these three products, we cannot address the climate crisis. It is fundamentally a fossil fuel crisis,” he said.
Highlighting that fossil fuels have never delivered sustainable development, Rafalowicz expressed concerns over the destruction of ecological limits and fossil fuels causing significant harm — from polluted city air to Amazon oil spills and escalation of other climate impacts.
When asked if nations who are major producers of fossil fuels can derail their goals, he said, “They can try, and they can slow progress, but they cannot derail the transition that is already underway. Renewable energy installation is almost surpassing annual increases in demand.”
Electric vehicles are rapidly replacing petrol vehicles, and oil consumption is expected to decline quickly, he added.
Rafalowicz further said the central questions are whether the transition can be made quickly enough to avert severe climate impacts and whether it can be achieved fairly.
He warned that leaving the shift entirely to market forces would allow “powerful players” to gain the most, resulting in a slow and inequitable transition that would not serve India’s interests or those of many other countries.
Such an approach, he added, may benefit elites in the United States, Saudi Arabia or Russia, but not the majority of people.
Speaking about Colombia and the Netherlands co-hosting first international conference on the just transition away from fossil fuels, Rafalowicz said that the event was announced alongside about 24 countries during COP30, and 15 other countries meet the criteria of having a strong vision for getting off fossil fuels.
“I expect around 40 countries from every continent. Colombia envisions technical dialogues to develop best practices for overcoming fossil fuel dependence and to propose changes to the international system to accelerate the transition,” he said.
This includes discussions on new legal avenues, the International Court of Justice’s decision, the COP Presidency’s roadmap on phasing out fossil fuels, and the possibility of establishing a new treaty focused specifically on fossil fuels.
The first international conference on the just transition away from fossil fuels is slated to be held on April 28 and 29 in 2026, in the port city of Santa Marta, Colombia.
