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Peter Newell @peternewell.bsky.social · Aug 29

New paper with Kyla Tienhaara & Harro van Asselt in Global Policy exploring whether climate clubs might be able to resist ISDS measures being used to slow the energy transition onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @suspol.bsky.social @sussexsrp.bsky.social

Radical Reform of the International Investment Treaty Regime: A Role for Climate Clubs?

There is growing concern that provisions in international investment treaties are being used to delay the critically needed transition away from fossil fuels. Although various procedural and substant...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

@environmentalpol.bsky.social @peternewell.bsky.social

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

Phase-out clubs won’t deliver 1.5°C alone - but they’re shaping climate politics in ways we can’t ignore.

Full analysis 👉 www.sussex.ac.uk/research/pro...

Full paper from Koppenborg here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Fossil fuel phase-out clubs: the new kid on the block in climate governance?

As global climate negotiations struggle with the urgency of phasing out fossil fuels, a new form of climate governance has emerged: phase-out clubs.

www.sussex.ac.uk

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

🥊 The trade-off: Full phase-outs are politically harder than “phase-downs.” Future club design needs to balance ambition with political feasibility

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

📶 Bigger clubs aren’t always weaker. The GMP is large and strong - challenging assumptions about “watering down” commitments

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

💪 Effectiveness varies:

Global Methane Pledge (GMP) → strong design, clear targets, broad membership ✅

Others (like Zero Routine Flaring) → weak obligations & compliance ❌

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

💬 They have influenced global talks: methane & coal language now appear in COP decisions, thanks in part to these clubs. Agenda-setting power matters!

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

🤝 They don’t compete with the Paris Agreement - they implement it. These phase-out clubs raise awareness, set agendas, and push for ambition in UNFCCC negotiations.

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Aug 5

📣 NEW BLOG 📣

Are “phase-out clubs” the new frontier in global climate governance? 🌍

Florentine Koppenborg analyzed 6 major coalitions like the Global Methane Pledge and Powering Past Coal Alliance.

Here’s what she found out 🧵

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Natalie Jones @nataliejones.bsky.social · Jul 29

What does the ICJ advisory opinion mean for fossil fuel production? I wrote for @suspol.bsky.social on this question: www.sussex.ac.uk/research/pro... #AOLetsGo

What does the International Court of Justice ruling mean for fossil fuel phase outs?

The world must phase out fossil fuel production to achieve the Paris Agreement. This isn't just a scientific demand, it is now a legal imperative.

www.sussex.ac.uk

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IISD Energy @energy.iisd.org · Jul 30

What does the ICJ climate opinion mean for #FossilFuels?
According to the advisory opinion:
➡️Production, licensing & subsidizing of fossil fuels could breach int’l law
➡️Phase out standards vary with state capabilities

@nataliejones.bsky.social | @suspol.bsky.social www.sussex.ac.uk/research/pro...

What does the International Court of Justice ruling mean for fossil fuel phase outs?

The world must phase out fossil fuel production to achieve the Paris Agreement. This isn't just a scientific demand, it is now a legal imperative.

www.sussex.ac.uk

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IISD Energy @energy.iisd.org · Aug 1

In a landmark opinion, the ICJ found that phasing out fossil fuels isn’t just a scientific demand—it’s a legal imperative.

IISD’s @nataliejones.bsky.social takes a closer look at what the court said on fossil fuels + what it could mean for efforts to phase them out.
@suspol.bsky.social

What does the International Court of Justice ruling mean for fossil fuel phase outs?

The world must phase out fossil fuel production to achieve the Paris Agreement. This isn't just a scientific demand, it is now a legal imperative.

www.sussex.ac.uk

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

⚠️Who should phase out fossil fuels first?⚠️

As countries confront the need to ditch oil, gas, and coal to meet climate goals, one question looms:

Which nations should move first and fastest?

@lslothuus.bsky.social offers a geopolitical approach to answering this question

🧵

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Freddie Daley @freddiedaley.bsky.social · Jul 22

nice thread outlining @lslothuus.bsky.social's new article on a geopolitical approach to fossil fuel phase-out

SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

⚠️Who should phase out fossil fuels first?⚠️

As countries confront the need to ditch oil, gas, and coal to meet climate goals, one question looms:

Which nations should move first and fastest?

@lslothuus.bsky.social offers a geopolitical approach to answering this question

🧵

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

Moving to this geopolitical lens is messy and politically difficult.

But without it, fossil fuel phaseouts risk being unfair, ineffective, and easily reversed.

Read more:
🔗 Blog: sussex.ac.uk/research/pro...

🔗 Article in Geopolitics: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Phasing out fossil fuel production: Who should go first?

How do we figure out who should move first in phasing out fossil fuels and in what sequence?

sussex.ac.uk

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

💰 Ownership Structures

It matters who owns the reserves.

State-owned fuels: governments can phase out (in theory).

Privately-owned fuels: corporations can sue states via mechanisms like ISDS.

Ownership shapes what’s possible, durable and fair

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

🌍 Imperialist Power Relations

The fossil fuel system is rigged by unequal power. From military interventions (Iran 1953, Libya 2011) to global trade rules, the Global North dominates.

Those benefiting most should lead the phaseout

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

⚖️ Historical & Colonial Injustice

Legacies of exploitation still define fossil fuel economies. Colonial powers built wealth on extraction and displaced ecological damage to the Global South.

The most ecologically indebted nations should phase out fossil fuels first

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

That’s why SUS_POL's Lukas Slothuus argues for a geopolitical approach to sequencing phaseouts.

One that sees nations not as isolated actors, but as interlinked nodes in global systems of production and power.

Here’s what that looks like 👇

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

Most answers lean on GDP, emissions, or production levels to rank countries.

But these metrics alone miss the bigger picture:

The global fossil fuel economy is shaped by deep power dynamics – history, imperialism, and ownership.

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jul 22

⚠️Who should phase out fossil fuels first?⚠️

As countries confront the need to ditch oil, gas, and coal to meet climate goals, one question looms:

Which nations should move first and fastest?

@lslothuus.bsky.social offers a geopolitical approach to answering this question

🧵

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Reposted by SUS-POL

Tessa Khan @tessakhan.bsky.social · Jun 19

The UK gov has just published new guidance for environmental impact assessments for oil & gas projects. Despite reports/industry spin, it includes a genuinely robust, credible approach to assessing the emissions caused by burning oil & gas. Let's take a look! 🧵
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2525207...

Rosebank & Jackdaw fields face 'tightened' approval process

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that firms must account for emissions created by the burning of fossil fuels.

www.heraldscotland.com

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SUS-POL @suspol.bsky.social · Jun 19

This is a really great deep dive from @climatechangenews.com on what a @fossiltreaty.bsky.social could look like and the challenges it must navigate.

The piece features extensive insight from SUS-POL's @peternewell.bsky.social 👇

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/06/17/w...

What could a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty look like?

As climate negotiations get underway in Bonn, an initiative set up to work on a pact against fossil fuels is discussing its structure and ways to promote the phase-out of coal, oil and gas

www.climatechangenews.com

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Peter Newell @peternewell.bsky.social · Jun 17

What could a fossil treaty look like? Article about our workshop in Bonn www.climatechangenews.com/2025/06/17/w... @fossilfueltreaty.bsky.social @suspol.bsky.social @sussexfss.bsky.social @sussexsrp.bsky.social

What could a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty look like?

As climate negotiations get underway in Bonn, an initiative set up to work on a pact against fossil fuels is discussing its structure and ways to promote the phase-out of coal, oil and gas

www.climatechangenews.com

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Lukas Slothuus @lslothuus.bsky.social · Jun 16

📝New publication!

Fossil fuel phaseouts must incorporate:

1. 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 incl. 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁

2. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 and 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

3. 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀

Read and share: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Who Should Phase Out Fossil Fuels First? A Geopolitical Approach to Determining the Sequencing of Fossil Fuel Phaseouts

Fossil fuel production must be phased out globally to decarbonise human society. Yet some countries should phase out sooner than others. Determining the order in which countries should phase out pr...

www.tandfonline.com

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