1. Liberation lifts the spirit
The most important takeaway from the first Fossil Fuel Transition Conference in Santa Marta was a change of mood. Almost all participants in Colombia felt liberated at the annual United Nations Climate Summit (COPS), which can often feel bogged down and frustrating as countries debate the same topic without solutions.
“The atmosphere here in Santa Marta is euphoric,” said Tzeppola Berman, founder and chair of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Fossil Fuels Initiative. “After years of being mired in endless debates about whether or not fossil fuels should be phased out, we are finally focusing on how. We are no longer fighting for recognition of the problem, we are creating solutions. It’s like watching a dam burst. All the experience, knowledge and passion that had been accumulating suddenly flows into concrete ways to phase out dirty fuels. Hope is contagious.”
2. science must come first
In a world of climate change denial and misinformation, Santa Marta was a shining example of science-driven decision-making. Hundreds of experts, academics and scientists inspired and informed the launch of three major energy transition initiatives.
This reminded many participants of the earlier, more enlightened era of global climate change negotiations, which always started with the latest scientific updates. But for years, oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia have vetoed or watered down U.N. scientific warnings, while introducing controversial solutions such as offsets and carbon capture and storage promoted by the oil industry as an excuse to continue expanding production. At the Santa Marta conference, participants called these “false solutions” and focused on the core of the problem: eliminating fossil fuels.
Attendees wear Make Science Great Again caps during the conference. Photo: Ivan Valencia/AP
3. Producers need attention
Climate change activists have long argued that police processes are dysfunctional because they focus solely on the demand side of the problem. The responsibility for reducing emissions was shifted to consumers, while oil, gas and coal companies were given carte blanche to increase production and profits. In Santa Marta, the balance shifted back to the supply side. Several speakers said that the vast majority of the world’s emissions, which continue to break records almost every year, come from the drilling, processing and transportation of fossil fuels.
Rather than blaming the oil states, this was treated as an unhealthy addiction and ways to break the pattern of addiction were considered.
4. Debt in the Global South needs to be tackled
The urgent need to address the debt crisis was one of the clearest messages coming out of Santa Marta. Many countries in the Global South would like to invest in renewable energy, but are unable to do so because they spend a huge portion of their foreign exchange earnings on high interest payments or importing fossil fuels.
Banks and bond markets provide low-interest loans to the fossil fuel industry, most of which is based in rich countries, without considering the risks associated with climate instability or stranded assets. Many participants in Santa Marta said this shows that the energy transition requires changes in the global financial structure, and that government subsidies need to be redirected away from the oil industry and towards renewable energy and debt reduction.
delegates of the conference. Photography: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images
5. not everyone agrees on everything
There were few overt disagreements among the Coalition of the Willing in Santa Marta, but there were disagreements about how to achieve the desired outcome of a fossil fuel-free society. Colombia’s host country has not set guidelines on what legal framework, if any, should be adopted.
One long-standing proposal is for a new fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty modeled on human rights treaties and the International Landmine Convention. But this is anathema to some countries who argue that the world already has a global climate change agreement and all they need to do is implement it.
There is also a confusing number of existing agreements and commitments, reflecting the complexities of moving the global economy to a low-carbon foundation and the desire of some countries to stamp their national identity on the projects they fund. The danger is that instead of working together in harmony, nations may fragment into smaller groups.
6. A roadmap needs a destination and deadline
The word that kept coming up was a roadmap, a clear plan for the transition away from fossil fuels. One global roadmap is not enough. Every country needs its own fuel, and there are two important requirements. One should be a complete phase-out of fossil fuels. Time is running out fast as global temperatures continue to set records.
Activists gather for a demonstration during Monday’s meeting. Photo: Ivan Valencia/AP
7. government needs to be free to rule
Investor-state dispute resolution is a legal mechanism included in many trade agreements that allows companies and financiers to sue governments in secret courts over policies. The system has been used by fossil fuel companies to sue governments that have decided to reduce their dependence on coal, oil and gas, or enacted measures to promote renewable energy. Companies have demanded and received compensation for lost profits in lawsuits worth at least $100 billion.
Climate change activists, experts, and many developing countries want to end ISDS, a significant legal and financial obstacle to a cleaner world.
8. Important minerals become important
If the world is to transition away from fossil fuels, we need a new renewable energy economy to transition to. That will require building billions of wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries. All of this requires components made from critical minerals, such as metals such as copper, cobalt, and nickel, and hard-to-find materials such as gallium, germanium, and niobium.
The mining of some of these has resulted in appalling human rights violations and the devastation of natural landscapes. Activists in Santa Marta expressed concern about the plight of workers and indigenous peoples, and the need for proper regulation and a clean and fair transition for local communities.
9. Indigenous rights must be respected
Indigenous peoples protect most of the world’s remaining terrestrial carbon sinks and biodiversity areas, but they have long struggled to secure a seat at the top table of UN climate change negotiations. For the first time in Santa Marta, indigenous representatives developed proposals in voluntary discussions and participated in high-level subcommittees.
Ati Gundiwa, a member of the Arhuaco indigenous community in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, spoke at the beginning of the conference. Photo: Ricardo Maldonado Lozo/EPA
Although this did not satisfy everyone, it gave leaders an opportunity to communicate directly to ministers the need to pay more attention to indigenous knowledge, the protection of indigenous rights, and the importance of nature in transition. “Our territory is the basis for sustaining life on this planet. Where our rights are respected, nature is protected,” said Oswaldo Muca Castizo, General Coordinator of the Colombian Amazon Indigenous Organization.
10. Tuvalu is the next step
Translating Santa Marta’s welcoming atmosphere into concrete proposals will be the challenge of the next conference, scheduled to be held in Tuvalu in early 2027, co-hosted with Ireland.
