6th International Rights of Nature Tribunal, 1st session: The End of the Fossil Fuel Era

Date: Sunday, September 22

Time: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM EDT

Location: The New School Starr Foundation Hall, University Center Room UL102

63 Fifth Ave, New York

This Tribunal session for the End of the Fossil Fuel Era aims to expose the insufficiency, ambiguity, and structural limitations in achieving the 1.5° goal established in the Paris Agreement. Despite the lack of a phase-out agenda from governments, which continue to expand fossil fuel extraction under the guise of false solutions to the climate crisis, frontline communities worldwide continue to suffer from the destruction and pollution of their lands and water systems. The Tribunal session will highlight violations of the rights of Nature and Nature Defenders, demonstrating that a just and clean transition is viable by keeping oil underground, especially in biodiverse areas like Yasuní, and stopping further fossil fuel extraction. Additionally, the session will introduce the next Tribunal session, which will unveil that the energy transition and post-extractivism cannot rely on mining as a solution.

The Tribunal will convene frontline community representatives from around the world to provide testimony and present evidence. This event will not only bring international scrutiny and pressure to bear on the fossil fuel industry but also create a powerful opportunity for Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities fighting the same industry to come together, exchange knowledge and experiences, and build strategies for resistance.

The Tribunal will feature case presentations, expert panels, and deliberation sessions open to public and media engagement.

Cases from End of Fossil Fuels Era Tribunal:

1. False solutions (Carbon markets, geoengineering, net zero)
2. Fossil fuel infrastructure expansion and impacts
3. Sacrifice Zones

Solutions and voices of land defenders - Rights of Nature:
1. Yasuní
2. Keystone XL Pipeline
3. Just transition