The LFFU Project

This project analyses, develops and shares successful strategies and arguments on ‘Leaving Fossil Fuels Underground’ (LFFU) emerging from Africa and Latin America at multiple levels of governance. We assess these LFFU initiatives – with a special focus on LFFU in South Africa and Ecuador- and their potential for upscaling in other countries and regions.

For fossil fuel rich low and middle income countries LFFU seems to present negative trade-offs with other important national concerns such as poverty, inequality, employment and energy access. Nevertheless, LFFU is proposed by various local communities, civil society organizations and scientists in Africa and Latin America – frequently supported by transnational networks. LFFU initiatives have the potential to simultaneously combat socio-environmental injustice, ecosystem degradation, climate change and achieve inclusive and sustainable development.

The climate challenge requires a global phase out of fossil fuels and calls for a global transition. Through a process of co-creating new knowledge with various stakeholders as well as connecting to, and expanding, existing networks, this project expects to have positive impact on the promotion of LFFU.

Funding

This project is funded by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), and from the University of Amsterdam: the Governance and Inclusive Development (GID) programme group and the Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (CEDLA).