How to address fossil fuel production under the UNFCCC

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute argues that meeting the Paris Agreement's temperature goals requires an explicit phase-down of fossil fuel production, not just consumption. It outlines six mechanisms within the UNFCCC framework—including NDCs, long-term strategies, and the global stocktake—that Parties can use to integrate supply-side restrictions and transition support into their climate commitments.

• The Paris Agreement currently does not mention fossil fuels, which the authors suggest may have been an effort to be inclusive of all CO2 sources and to accommodate major producing nations. However, the brief argues that keeping warming "well below 2°C" and limiting it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels will necessitate a phase-down of coal, oil, and natural gas production and consumption.
• Some nations have already implemented supply-side restrictions: India utilizes a tax on coal production, China has been closing outdated coal mines, and Costa Rica has implemented a moratorium on the extraction and exploration of oil.
• Parties can use Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to set fossil fuel supply targets. While most of the top ten producers currently discuss extraction only in terms of economic impacts or efficiency, they could instead include production phase-down targets, pledges to remove subsidies, moratoria on new infrastructure, or taxes on exports.
• Long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LTSs) provide a non-binding opportunity for nations to plan a managed decline of fossil fuels by 2050. This includes identifying infrastructure consistent with a phase-down and developing strategies for worker transitions.
• The UNFCCC's global stocktake, which begins in 2023 and occurs every five years, could be used to track fossil fuel extraction. This would help determine which reserves can be used while remaining aligned with the Paris Agreement's temperature goals, using data from Parties, non-state actors, or IPCC reports.
• The UNFCCC can provide technical and capacity-building support via the Paris Committee on Capacity Building. This support could include tools for estimating fossil fuel subsidies, designing subsidy reform, and assessing the emissions implications of restricting supply.
• To align finance flows with low greenhouse gas emissions, the brief recommends moving away from "brown" finance by removing fossil fuel subsidies and excluding fossil fuel infrastructure from climate finance eligibility.
• Developed countries are encouraged to provide financial, technological, and expert assistance to developing countries to facilitate the shift away from extraction. This includes shifting funding from fossil fuel investments to alternative energy and establishing "just transitions" funds for worker retraining.

APA

Piggot, G., Erickson, P., Lazarus, M., & van Asselt, H. (2017). How to address fossil fuel production under the UNFCCC. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sei-2017-pb-how-to-address-fossil-fuel-production1.pdf

Chicago

Piggot, Georgia, Peter Erickson, Michael Lazarus, and Harro van Asselt. How to address fossil fuel production under the UNFCCC. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2017. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sei-2017-pb-how-to-address-fossil-fuel-production1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Piggot |first1=Georgia |last2=Erickson |first2=Peter |last3=Lazarus |first3=Michael |last4=van Asselt |first4=Harro |title=How to address fossil fuel production under the UNFCCC |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2017 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sei-2017-pb-how-to-address-fossil-fuel-production1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{piggot2017how, author = {Piggot, Georgia and Erickson, Peter and Lazarus, Michael and van Asselt, Harro}, title = {{How to address fossil fuel production under the UNFCCC}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sei-2017-pb-how-to-address-fossil-fuel-production1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }