This essay is based on my presentation at the 2020 International Law Weekend, organized by the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA). As such, this essay is not intended to be an exhaustive survey, but rather an overview of the main issues of interest. In addition, this work specifically discusses potential upcoming progress regarding international climate policies and potential setbacks. Therefore, this essay advances current knowledge on international energy law and fosters its academic autonomy. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. At the time, not much was known about the virus. Stringent measures imposing social distancing and closing all non-essential businesses were implemented around the globe in a joint effort to contain the virus, buying time for scientists, hospitals and medical workers to prepare. Against this background, an economic crisis started to develop based on a drop in oil prices, due to the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. This economic crisis and the draining of financial resources made the pandemic more severe. At the same time, comparisons between the pandemic and the climate crisis began to occur, with few paying attention to the urgency and stringency of the measures to be taken. The pandemic and climate crisis are also connected from a policy perspective because pollution, such as greenhouse gases (GHGs), adversely impacts the immune and respiratory systems, making individuals more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.This essay focuses on the challenges that arose due to the pandemic and how policy makers may take advantage of the economic and health crises to rapidly advance a greener economy. Steering a transition from fossil fuels to non-carbon-based sources should be an important consideration after the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the pressing concerns of justice also triggered by the pandemic. In this regard, this essay discusses the main treaties on international energy law. These treaties are aligned with international commitments, most prominently the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Sustainable Development Goal 13 promotes the need for immediate and effective climate action (SDG 13). This is relevant as the synergistic nature of climate threats has not been fully assessed, and the outcomes are likely to be worse than the sum of the independent parts. Therefore, this essay aims at starting a much needed conversation
