Response to the latest draft of the COP31 Just Transition Mechanism
For immediate release
In response to the latest draft of the COP31 Just Transition Mechanism text, Romain Ioualalen, Global Policy Lead at Oil Change International, said:
“The Australian COP31 Presidency appears to have watered down the just transition text overnight, stripping away key demands from developing countries and leaving the proposed mechanism dangerously weak. The Just Transition Mechanism must play a central role in coordinating the public finance, workers’ rights protections, and support for communities needed to deliver a fair and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.
”Electrification and roadmaps to transition away from fossil fuels will only succeed if countries have the finance and just transition mechanisms needed to deliver them. Electrification must also be fair, powered by renewable energy, and deliver affordable, reliable energy for communities, not become another excuse to build more gas infrastructure and lock countries into fossil fuel dependence. Wealthy countries must step up with the public finance needed to turn commitments into reality, not allow the Australian Presidency to lower ambition when the world urgently needs more of it. Leaders must stop pushing us closer to the cliff’s edge and start delivering on their responsibility to secure a just transition for all.”