Delegates from more than 50 countries are meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the first-ever conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels. The April 24-29 event was born out of frustration with last year's UN climate talks, which failed to secure a binding mandate to phase out fossil fuels due to opposition from petrostates like Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Cristian Retamal, Chile's former UN climate negotiator, hopes the conference will spark a new global political movement. He drew parallels to the 1990s when climate change became a UN issue thanks to a few pioneering countries. The conference is co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, with participants ranging from Canada to Pacific island states.
Major fossil fuel producers like the US, China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia are not attending. Despite this, environmental groups like Greenpeace and WWF have called the meeting a "historic" gathering of a "coalition of the willing." A spokesperson for the Dutch climate minister said, "It is implementation time, no more discussions on ambitions," emphasizing plans to reduce supply and demand and phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
Renewable energy has seen record growth, with clean sources exceeding global electricity demand in 2025 for the first time, led by solar power in China and India. However, a full phaseout of fossil fuels remains years away, with around $920 billion in annual subsidies distorting the market.
Experts argue that transitioning away from fossil fuels reduces external dependencies, toxic pollution, and strengthens self-determination. However, the talks are not expected to produce a binding roadmap quickly. Legal and trade issues, such as potential compensation claims from corporations under investor-state dispute clauses, pose significant hurdles.
Millions of workers dependent on the fossil fuel industry must also be considered. The conference is framed as a dialogue rather than a negotiation, with civil society and private sector representatives joining political leaders in the final days. The outcome will determine the movement's future impact.
Source: www.dw.com