SANTA MARTA, Colombia — Colombia and the Netherlands are hosting a two-day high-level conference in Santa Marta expressly focused on transitioning away from oil, gas and coal. More than 50 countries are attending discussions on concrete steps to phase out fossil fuels, including redirecting subsidies from gasoline and diesel into renewables and batteries, and creating alternative employment for millions who work in the fossil fuel sector.
Colombia is a major coal, oil and gas producer but has been diversifying its economy and moving toward cleaner energy. The conference sits just north of a port that exports millions of tons of Colombian coal and was billed by Colombia’s environment minister, Irene Vélez Torres, as a potential “turning point in history” — a place where ambition becomes action.
The talks come amid a global energy crunch linked to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and soaring oil and gas prices. The International Energy Agency has called the situation “the mother of all energy crises.” For many nations, that crisis has increased urgency to reduce dependence on imported and volatile fossil fuels. Small island states like Vanuatu, which face rising seas and rely on fuel imports, are accelerating solar projects and moving up targets to electrify government vehicle fleets, saying recent shortages directly spurred the changes.
Economic and security arguments are driving some of the momentum. Renewables paired with storage are increasingly cost-competitive with gas and coal, and countries see cleaner energy as both cheaper and more secure. Leo Roberts of E3G says many governments are transitioning “not necessarily for climate reasons” but because it’s economically and strategically advantageous.
Notably absent from the conference are the United States — which declined to participate, calling the event part of a “bogus climate agenda” — and China, the world’s largest coal consumer. But several major fossil fuel producers are present, including Australia, Mexico and Nigeria. Colombia’s Daniela Durán, head of international affairs at the Ministry of Environment, framed the meeting as a space for willing countries to move forward rather than a forum to battle holdouts.
The conference was born in part from frustration with the U.N. climate process. While COP28 in Dubai included language on transitioning energy systems away from fossil fuels, subsequent U.N. talks have struggled to define how to do that, and fossil fuel language has been resisted by some producing countries. Last November’s COP in Brazil failed to produce a concrete roadmap, prompting Colombia and the Netherlands to convene Santa Marta as a complementary venue to discuss fossil fuels directly.
Delegates and experts at Santa Marta are exploring next steps that could include repeat conferences and even a legally binding treaty to commit countries to phase-out actions. There is debate over binding versus nonbinding approaches: some participants push for legal commitments, while others prefer softer mechanisms.
Scientists warn of urgency: a recent U.N. assessment found current national pledges would cut emissions by only about 12% by 2035, far short of the roughly 50% reduction scientists say is needed to keep warming near 1.5°C. Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute cautioned that breaching 1.5°C this decade is “inevitable” without faster action, but said reversing an overshoot is still possible if transitions accelerate. Former Irish President Mary Robinson described the conference as “a coalition of the doers” with a unique opportunity to move rapidly.
Organizers hope Santa Marta will spawn follow-up meetings — Tuvalu is a likely host for the next conference — and serve as a practical forum to map finance, timelines, job transitions and policy tools that could turn ambition into tangible reductions in fossil fuel use.
