By Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen
Climate leaders and renewable energy experts are calling for sustainable, long-lasting solutions to move countries away from fossil fuels and toward equitable renewable energy models.
To meet the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2030, as set out in the Paris Agreement, speakers at a recent event emphasized that COP30 must serve as a critical turning point. They urged world leaders to phase out fossil fuels decisively and adopt just energy strategies that uplift vulnerable communities.
The call was made during the Global Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice: Path to COP30 and Beyond, an online webinar organized by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN). Panelists stressed the importance of investing in decentralized renewable energy systems that empower frontline communities, while rejecting false solutions that perpetuate environmental degradation and resource exploitation.
Discussions highlighted that any just energy transition must center on human rights, gender equity, and the leadership of those most affected.
Founder and Executive Director of WECAN, Osprey Orielle Lake, stated that the world must immediately shift to 100% renewable and regenerative energy. However, she emphasized that simply replacing fossil fuels is not enough—power structures behind the current energy system must also change.
“Communities need to be included and have power over their energy systems. We are seeing again and again that local energy is a solution,” she said.
“As the global community navigates an energy transition, it is essential that the solutions do not reproduce the same injustices of the fossil fuel economy that prioritizes economic growth over human and environmental health.”
WECAN also launched a new report, “How Local Community Power is Central to a Just Renewable Energy Transition,” which showcases scalable grassroots initiatives advancing decentralized and democratized energy solutions. The report arrives at a time when many governments are struggling to manage a just global transition away from fossil fuels.
Renewable Energy Campaigner at Power Shift Africa, Karabo Mokgonyana, criticized the absence of local voices in decision-making spaces like boardrooms, policy discussions, and investment forums.
“But luckily, that is not Africa’s whole story: the beauty of what we are seeing on the continent is that countries, like Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, are building decentralized solar microgrids, training women in renewable energy and insulation, and organizing at the community level against fossil fuel development,” she said.
Karabo added that the transition cannot be led by the same top-down models responsible for current problems.
“If energy access continues to be rolled out in a way that reinforces inequality, whether by gender, class, or geography, we are repeating old mistakes with new technologies. So regeneration starts with local ownership, decision making, and political will that puts people over profit.”
A Diné (Navajo) advocate and former Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, Wahleah Johns, shared how growing up near a coal mine shaped her perspective.
“There wasn’t any kind of roadmap that anyone gave us; we just felt called to do this because we wanted to make sure we had water for future generations,” she said.
Johns co-founded Native Renewables, an initiative featured in WECAN’s report. She said tribes have long led efforts to build sustainable, and energy-efficient systems out of necessity.
“Tribes have been leading the pathway of building sustainable, energy efficiency systems to power themselves and weather climate impacts. This is not something that is just trending in the last few years; this is something that the tribes have been building capacity for a really long time out of necessity, to cut costs and to also own and manage their power. That there is sovereignty.”
Founder of the Vessel Project of Louisiana and Co-Coordinator of the Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub, Roishetta Sibley-Ozane, emphasized the need for community leadership in the renewable transition.
“This comprehensive approach requires us to tailor our strategies to meet the specific needs of diverse regions and socioecological contexts. This is not just an environmental imperative—it is a moral obligation to ensure that every voice is heard, and every community is supported.”
As world leaders prepare for COP30 in Brazil’s Amazon region, speakers underscored that the climate crisis demands bold, inclusive, and locally driven energy reforms—not just policy promises.
