More than 50 countries are meeting in Colombia on Tuesday to push forward plans for phasing out planet-heating fossil fuels – with new urgency driven by geopolitical tensions.
The Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels conference, held in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta and co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, will see high-level talks between ministers and climate envoys on Tuesday and Wednesday.
It comes at a tense moment, amid volatility in global energy markets triggered by the conflict in the Middle East, underlining that the transition from fossil fuels is a strategic necessity as well as an environmental one.
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Strategic invitations
Participants include EU member states – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany. Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and France – as well as the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
Countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, plus small island nations on the front line of climate change, are also in attendance, as are several major fossil fuel producers with mixed climate records – including Australia, Canada, Norway, Brazil and Mexico.
Notably absent, however, are the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China and India.
For Colombia’s Environment Minister Irene Velez Torres, who is spearheading the initiative, however, their absence is not a drawback.
"We didn’t expect those who are sceptical of a just transition programme to participate," she told RFI. "We invited countries that have recognised the importance and urgency of phasing out fossil fuels – in an orderly, just but also urgent manner."
By limiting participation to more committed players, organisers hope to foster what Velez Torres described as "a more honest conversation".
Analysts suggest this strategy could pay off.
Katerine Petersen of the E3G think tank argues the summit could create momentum that will eventually draw in more reluctant players.
"China doesn’t necessarily want to stay on the sidelines for long," she said. "The goal is to send the signal that this is a table where it’s strategically important to take a seat."
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Financial support
A panel of leading scientists has been convened to support governments with evidence-based guidance. A preliminary report produced for the event outlines 12 possible actions, from halting new fossil fuel extraction projects to ending subsidies and tightening regulations on industry advertising.
Colombia is also using the platform to highlight its own efforts. Its government has stopped granting new hydrocarbon exploration contracts and is attempting to shift its economy away from extractive industries.
"We must now quickly replace the extractive economy with a productive economy based on other value chains," said Velez Torres. But she is candid about the scale of the challenge, noting the country still relies heavily on oil and coal revenues and must overhaul its fiscal system.
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The issue of finance looms large. Developing countries, in particular, say they cannot move forward without significant financial support.
"We cannot phase out fossil fuels without addressing the central question: who pays for the transition?" said Ryad Selmani of French NGO CCFD-Terre Solidaire, pointing to the continued profits of major energy companies.
Selma Huart of Oxfam France added that developing nations may need between $455 billion (€393 billion) and $2.4 trillion (€2 trillion) per year by 2030, compared with roughly $35 billion (€29 billion) currently available.
"Without massive, predictable, and accessible climate finance, the global phase-out of fossil fuels will remain out of reach," she warned.
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Shifting global context
While no major binding agreements are expected to emerge, the conference aims to produce a report outlining practical solutions and areas of consensus ahead of the next United Nations climate summit in Turkey later this year.
We don’t expect this conference to solve all the problems," said Petersen. "But a clear outline of key actions could help countries align."
Disruptions to energy supply chains – such as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz – have provided added impetus, driving up oil prices and exposing vulnerabilities in fossil fuel dependence.
"There are other reasons to want to move away from fossil fuels: to be less vulnerable to these crises," said climate policy researcher Nicolas Berghmans.
Around 60 countries have introduced measures linked to electrification or energy demand reduction since the latest Middle East crisis began, while others have moved to cushion consumers through subsidies or tax cuts.
The debate is increasingly framed in terms of security as well as sustainability. "Moving away from fossil fuels is not an ideological choice, but a strategic necessity," said Gaia Febvre of Climate Action Network.
Even traditionally cautious governments are adapting their message. In the UK, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband recently argued that "the era of security based on fossil fuels is over".
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Rising demand
Despite growing investment in clean energy – now roughly double that of fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas still account for more than 80 percent of global energy use. Demand continues to rise, meaning new energy sources often add to, rather than replace, existing ones.
Many countries remain dependent on fossil fuels, while others still see them as a pathway to development.
Kumi Naidoo, head of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, challenges that logic.
Investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure, he argues, risks locking countries into costly and ultimately unsustainable systems. "They will end up with stranded assets… and a worse economic situation," he said.
For Velez Torres, this week's conference's aim is to ensure countries "decide that the time has come to radically advance an ecological agenda on energy and transition".
This article has been adapted from the original version in French by Géraud Bosman-Delzons,
