Drawing the Line and Holding It: What existing moratoria, bans, and restrictions reveal about transitioning away from fossil fuels

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes a global database of fossil fuel production restrictions, identifying 58 active measures across 25 countries and 27 subnational jurisdictions. It examines the trajectories of these policies, noting that while restrictions have grown exponentially over the last decade, they remain politically fragile and susceptible to rollbacks during periods of high energy prices or government changes.

• The global landscape of fossil fuel production restrictions has expanded, with 58 active measures identified across 25 countries and 27 subnational jurisdictions. These restrictions include bans on new coal mining, moratoria on oil and gas licensing, and prohibitions on specific extraction techniques like fracking or exploration in specific areas.
• Despite short-term market signals such as the 2022–2023 energy crisis and high oil and gas prices, the number of production restrictions has followed an exponentially growing trend over the last ten years. This suggests governments are increasingly prioritizing long-term demand trends, stranded asset risks, and climate action over short-term price spikes.
• Subnational governments often act as primary drivers of production restrictions, moving faster or further than national governments. In the United Kingdom, fracking bans in Scotland (2015) and Wales (2018) preceded a national ban in 2019 and subsequent 2025 regulations aimed at stopping new oil and gas licensing.
• Production restrictions follow two divergent paths: some are strengthened and embedded in legal instruments over time, while others are repealed or weakened. For example, Canada's offshore Arctic oil and gas licensing ban evolved from a 2016 joint leaders' statement to a 2019 executive order. Conversely, 15 policies in the database have been rolled back or repealed, often due to government changes or energy security concerns.
• The legal form of a restriction significantly impacts its durability. Simple policy statements are more easily reversed than stronger instruments like executive decrees or regulations. In the United States, litigation is currently delaying new fossil fuel investments because the Trump administration's rollbacks of Obama and Biden-era restrictions are being challenged in court.
• Many restrictions are based on protecting areas of exceptional natural, cultural, or ecological value, such as the Amazon, the Arctic, and the Great Lakes. Colombia recently restricted fossil fuel and mining in the Amazon to link biodiversity conservation and Indigenous rights with climate goals.
• Production restrictions primarily limit future expansion rather than current output, meaning they may not lead to immediate production declines without complementary policies like just transition planning and fiscal reform. Some regulations also contain loopholes; for instance, the 2017 fracking ban in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos still allows the supply of silica sand for fracking elsewhere in Argentina.

APA

Parra, P. A. Y., & Jones, N. (2026). Drawing the Line and Holding It: What existing moratoria, bans, and restrictions reveal about transitioning away from fossil fuels. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/existing-moratoria-bans-restrictions-fossil-fuels

Chicago

Parra, Paola Andrea Yanguas, and Natalie Jones. Drawing the Line and Holding It: What existing moratoria, bans, and restrictions reveal about transitioning away from fossil fuels. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/existing-moratoria-bans-restrictions-fossil-fuels.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parra |first1=Paola Andrea Yanguas |last2=Jones |first2=Natalie |title=Drawing the Line and Holding It: What existing moratoria, bans, and restrictions reveal about transitioning away from fossil fuels |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=1 April 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/existing-moratoria-bans-restrictions-fossil-fuels |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parra2026drawing, author = {Parra, Paola Andrea Yanguas and Jones, Natalie}, title = {{Drawing the Line and Holding It: What existing moratoria, bans, and restrictions reveal about transitioning away from fossil fuels}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/existing-moratoria-bans-restrictions-fossil-fuels}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }