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In an unprecedented decision, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on October 16 adopted Motion 042, making it the first multilateral body to explicitly name fossil fuel production as a threat to nature.
The motion—passed during the IUCN World Conservation Congress—calls for governments and civil society to confront the root causes of the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises through supply-side measures, marking the strongest language on fossil fuels ever adopted in a global conservation forum.
Motion 042 urges states to phase out coal, oil, and gas; halt new extraction projects; and ensure a just transition for workers and communities. It also encourages exploration of new international instruments, including a potential Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, to address what the IUCN calls a “critical gap in global governance” on fossil fuel supply.
“This is a historic moment for global conservation,” said Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management.
“For the first time, the IUCN has recognised what science has been telling us for decades: we cannot protect nature while expanding fossil fuels. With this vote, the conservation movement has joined the Pacific’s call for a just and equitable phase-out of coal, oil, and gas. This is the courage the world needs ahead of COP30.”
The motion was tabled by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and co-sponsored by civil society and Indigenous organisations including BirdLife International, the Coordinadora de la Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). It reaffirms IUCN’s conservation role by prioritising ecosystem protection at the source of extraction and opposing new fossil fuel expansion.
“This is a turning point for the global conservation movement,” said Fernanda Carvalho, Head of Policy for Climate and Energy at WWF International.
“By addressing fossil fuels as a root cause of biodiversity loss, IUCN members have aligned the climate and nature agendas. We will only reverse these crises through bold, integrated and innovative strategies such as a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
The vote also follows the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) recent advisory opinion, welcomed under IUCN Motion 141, affirming states’ obligations to prevent climate harm and protect the rights of present and future generations. Another adopted motion, Motion 038, calls for implementing the Paris Agreement’s goals—particularly transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems “in a just, orderly and equitable manner.”
Harjeet Singh, strategic advisor to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said the IUCN’s stance exposes a long-ignored gap in international climate governance.
“The IUCN has finally named a root cause of the climate and biodiversity crises: fossil fuels. There’s no existing global plan to phase out coal, oil, and gas—and that’s exactly why we need a Fossil Fuel Treaty. This decision adds real momentum to global demands for climate justice ahead of COP30.”
Indigenous voices also hailed the outcome as long overdue recognition of the destruction caused by fossil extraction. Fany Kuiru Castro, general coordinator of COICA, said:
“For Indigenous Peoples, this vote is a recognition of our lived reality—you cannot protect nature while expanding fossil fuels. Oil and gas extraction has destroyed our territories and violated our rights for generations. There is no conservation without Indigenous rights, and no climate justice without a full and fair phase-out of fossil fuels.”
The decision comes less than a month before COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where governments will face renewed pressure to align climate, biodiversity, and energy policy. Observers say IUCN’s stance could shape negotiations by framing fossil fuel phase-out as not only a climate imperative but also a conservation necessity.
Environmental groups view the move as a “moral and scientific alignment” of two global agendas long treated separately. “This decision raises the bar for all multilateral processes,” said a senior delegate present at the Congress. “It tells governments the conservation community is no longer silent on fossil fuels.”
With the momentum from Motion 042, Motion 038, and Motion 141—and the ICJ advisory opinion—the path to COP30 in Belém now carries a clear message: protecting nature means phasing out fossil fuels, fast and fair.