Call to Protect Biodiversity from Oil and Gas

A public statement signed by Indigenous Peoples, civil society organizations, and social movements calling for an immediate halt to new oil and gas activity and a managed decline of existing operations to protect global biodiversity.

• Oil and gas activities threaten biodiversity across all operational stages, including exploration, production, transportation, and end use, by destroying habitats and polluting air, water, and soil.
• The document highlights a 'vicious cycle' where fossil-fuel-driven climate destruction and toxic pollution increase threats to biodiversity and reduce ecosystem resilience, with climate change making the impacts of spills and drilling more severe.
• Biodiversity loss from oil and gas activity is particularly devastating for Indigenous Peoples, as it threatens their food security, cultural practices, and knowledge systems.
• The Amazon, specifically the mouth of the Amazon River, is identified as a critical ecosystem facing significant biodiversity threats from deforestation, habitat destruction, and water pollution caused by oil and gas activity.
• Over 30% of new oil and gas projects are offshore, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) expansion posing a severe threat to the Verde Island Passage (VIP) in Southeast Asia, described as the 'Amazon of the Oceans' and a global epicenter for marine shorefish biodiversity.
• The signatories call for the establishment of fossil fuel free zones in the Amazon Rainforest (including the mouth of the Amazon River) and the Verde Island Passage.
• The statement urges leaders to adopt a decision to immediately halt new oil and gas activity in areas of high biodiversity importance as part of a just phase-out of fossil fuels to meet 2050 goals regarding ecosystem integrity and resilience.
• The document advocates for equitable international cooperation and the creation of enforceable mechanisms, such as a Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty, to ensure countries with the greatest historical responsibility for biodiversity loss lead the phase-out.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Call to Protect Biodiversity from Oil and Gas. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CBD-COP16_CSO-Public-Statement-Biodiversity-threatened-by-oil-and-gas-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Call to Protect Biodiversity from Oil and Gas. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CBD-COP16_CSO-Public-Statement-Biodiversity-threatened-by-oil-and-gas-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Call to Protect Biodiversity from Oil and Gas |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CBD-COP16_CSO-Public-Statement-Biodiversity-threatened-by-oil-and-gas-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndcall, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Call to Protect Biodiversity from Oil and Gas}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CBD-COP16_CSO-Public-Statement-Biodiversity-threatened-by-oil-and-gas-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }