Managing the shift away from fossil fuels proactively, with the right policies and plans for a just and inclusive transition, is essential to addressing potential social friction and obstacles to moving as swiftly as possible onto a clean energy and net-zero emissions trajectory. While considerable attention has been placed on just transitions in the coal sector, including in developing countries recently, comparatively little attention has been placed on just transition issues in oil-and-gas-producing developing countries. Despite commitments to achieve net zero and against continuous warnings from climate science, major producers’ plans may overshoot the 1.5C target by 110 percent by 2030 (2023 Production Gap Report). Oil and gas continue to be considered by many traditionally producing nations, as well as new countries in the developed and developing world, as a viable source of economic and social development, propelled by energy security concerns, geopolitical volatility and arguments of historical responsibility for the climate crisis. How can we change this outlook and build consensus on the oil and gas transition after COP28? There is a need for meaningful discussions with stakeholders from developed and developing countries on several issues that will be crucial to just transitions from oil and gas. These include the development of inclusive policies to address impacts on affected communities and workers directly and indirectly employed in the industry; the effects of declining government revenue from oil and gas on public services; impacts on local governments and public sector employment; and how to diversify economies and build alternative development pathways.    

This workshop aims to:

• Bring together global partners and stakeholders under the banner of COP28;
• Take a stock of the status of COP28 negotiations;
• Enable sharing of knowledge on just transitions from oil and gas in both developing and developed countries;
• Build strategies and plans for further collaboration on the just transition from oil and gas across participants.