Media Briefing: UNGA & Climate Week 2026

New York, New York- The 2026 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and New York Climate Week come at a moment of devastating climate impacts and profound geopolitical instability. Wars reshape global politics and energy prices are volatile. Many countries face rising debt burdens and economic uncertainty alongside escalating climate impacts. Increasingly, governments are recognizing that these challenges stem from continued dependence on fossil fuels. 

As governments prepare for COP31 in Türkiye, the conversation is shifting. The question is no longer whether countries should transition away from fossil fuels, but how, and whether governments will plan that transition before the next fossil fuel crisis forces their hand and unleashes further chaos.

The defining question ahead of COP31 is whether governments will build the public institutions, financing mechanisms, and policy frameworks necessary to deliver that transition fairly and at the speed required.

Countries that continue expanding fossil fuels remain exposed to volatile energy markets, conflict, rising living costs, stranded assets, and worsening climate impacts. Those that develop credible, publicly led just transition roadmaps, supported by public investment and international cooperation, will be better positioned to strengthen energy sovereignty, stabilize their economies, and protect people from future crises. 

And yet, while many countries are accelerating their transition to renewable energy, a few Global North countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Australia, continue to expand fossil fuel production. Already the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas and the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, the U.S. under Trump has accelerated fossil fuel development, expanded exports, gutted environmental protections, and obstructed renewable energy deployment. It has paired its fossil fuel agenda with an anti-democratic assault on migrants and civil society. It has also tied its foreign policy to the pursuit and control of oil, from the attacks on Iran, to its assertion of control over Venezuelan oil reserves, demonstrating that fossil fuels are central to global instability and threats to national sovereignty. 

The Trump administration, in its anti-science, pro-war, pro-industry push, is a global bad actor. We need global push back and show of strength from countries that are ready to tackle this challenge. We hope to see that from the UNGA. 

Key Moments During Climate Week

September 22–28: Rapid response to UNGA speeches
Oil Change International will monitor announcements and provide rapid analysis.

September 23: United Nations High-level Event on Climate Action and the Just Transition
Oil Change International will monitor announcements and provide rapid analysis.

September 23, 8 AM, Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (46th and 2nd ave)
Frontline led action and photo opportunity ahead of the UN High Level Event on Climate Action. Representatives from New York’s Nepali diaspora (DRUM!), Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), US frontline activists from New York and around the country, and other civil society.  

September 24:

New briefing: TotalEnergies’ LNG imports put Europe at risk
Oil Change International will release new research examining where TotalEnergies sources the LNG it imports into Europe and what those supply relationships mean for the region’s energy security, affordability, and climate goals. Findings are available to journalists under embargo until 6 AM CET | 00:00 ET on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Report authors are available for advance briefings and interviews.

Recent Research

Behind the Barrel The Oil Traders Fueling Israel’s Genocide traces how two little-known commodity traders—Vitol and Heritage Petroleum DMCC—have become significant suppliers of crude oil shipped to Israel since late 2023. 

Pay, Baby, Pay: Why Trump’s Energy & AI Dominance Agenda Means Higher Bills for Everyone
argues that expanding U.S. LNG exports and rising gas demand could significantly increase energy costs for households in both the United States and LNG-importing countries. 

Statement

Romain Ioualalen, Oil Change International Global Policy Campaign Manager, said: 

“Fossil fuel dependence will never bring security. It harms people, creates conflict, leaves countries exposed to volatile prices, while the fossil fuel industry cashes in. Real security requires a fast, fair, and funded phaseout of coal, oil, and gas and a shift to reliable, affordable renewable energy.

“The world has already agreed to move in that direction, what is needed now is less talking and more doing. There is momentum to build on. Governments agreed at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels, the United Kingdom ended new oil and gas licensing, and nearly 60 countries gathered in Santa Marta this year to develop practical plans for a phaseout. At UNGA and COP31, governments must come equipped with national roadmaps on how  to accelerate and manage the urgent decline of fossil fuel use and production, how  to diversify their economies from fossil fuel dependency, and how to protect workers and communities during that transition. Governments have a choice: plan a fair and equitable transition, or let fossil fuel interests continue to profit from climate and economic chaos. The main message of Climate Week must be that the Trump administration’s fossil fuel expansion will not dictate the world’s future.”

Interview Opportunities

Oil Change International experts are available for interviews throughout UNGA and Climate Week, with additional regional experts available upon request. We can also connect reporters with frontline community leaders in New York who are fighting fossil fuel projects across the United States. To arrange an interview, contact Valentina Stackl, Communications Director, at [email protected]

U.S. Fossil Fuel Policy, the Trump Administration, and Fossil Fuel Subsidies

• Allie Rosenbluth, U.S. Campaigns Manager (in New York, available in person)
• Collin Rees, U.S. Campaigns Manager (in New York, available in person)

Climate Diplomacy, Country Commitments, Roadmaps, COP31

• Romain Ioualalen, Global Policy Campaign Manager (available remotely, CET)

Public Finance and Just Transition

• Laurie van der Burg, Global Public Finance Campaign Manager (available remotely, CET)

Energy Security & Geopolitics + Energy Markets, LNG & Affordability

• Lorne Stockman, Research Director (in New York, available in person)

The Fossil Fuel Industry and TotalEnergies

• David Tong, Global Industry Campaign Manager (available remotely, ACT, GMT+10)

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