Los fundamentos jurídicos para la eliminación progresiva de los combustibles fósiles

The document asserts that the phase-out of fossil fuels is a legal requirement derived from customary international law, human rights law, environmental law, and the law of the sea. It emphasizes that states must employ all available means to prevent significant climate damage, prioritize emissions reduction at the source over speculative technologies, and ensure a just transition, particularly for the least developed countries and small island developing states. The authors argue that these obligations are 'erga omnes' and should prevail over investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms.

• States have binding obligations under multiple sources of international law to phase out fossil fuels, including customary international law, human rights law, environmental law, and the law of the sea.
• Under customary international law, states must use all available means to prevent significant transboundary environmental damage, which requires reducing the production, consumption, licensing, and subsidies of fossil fuels.
• The UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement require the phase-out of fossil fuels to achieve the goal of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations and limiting temperature increases to 1.5 °C.
• International human rights law necessitates the phase-out of fossil fuels because a healthy environment is a prerequisite for the enjoyment of other human rights.
• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) obligates states to reduce fossil fuel production and use, as greenhouse gas emissions are a form of marine pollution.
• States must prioritize proven measures that reduce emissions at the source over speculative technological interventions that may have unquantified risks or cause irreparable harm.
• Developed states, due to their historical contributions and greater resources, must adopt more stringent measures and provide financial and technological support to developing countries, least developed countries (LDCs), and small island developing states (SIDS) for a just transition.
• Climate protection obligations are 'erga omnes' (owed to the international community as a whole) and should take precedence over legal obligations to limited actors, such as foreign investors under investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Los fundamentos jurídicos para la eliminación progresiva de los combustibles fósiles. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fossil_fuel_phaseout_legal_letter_santa_marta_SPA.pdf.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Los fundamentos jurídicos para la eliminación progresiva de los combustibles fósiles. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fossil_fuel_phaseout_legal_letter_santa_marta_SPA.pdf.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Los fundamentos jurídicos para la eliminación progresiva de los combustibles fósiles |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fossil_fuel_phaseout_legal_letter_santa_marta_SPA.pdf.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndlos, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Los fundamentos jurídicos para la eliminación progresiva de los combustibles fósiles}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fossil_fuel_phaseout_legal_letter_santa_marta_SPA.pdf.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }