First Global Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Conference Held in Santa Maria, Colombia, Attended by 60 Countries

The world’s first conference focused on breaking fossil fuel dependency was held in Santa Maria, Colombia, with nearly 60 countries attending. This initiative aimed to re-prioritize the phase-out of fossil fuels on the global agenda, securing strong outcomes and boosting efforts for an accelerated transition away from these primary sources of carbon emissions.

Energy analysts E3G noted a shift from ambition-setting to the more challenging politics of managing fossil fuel decline, strengthening economic resilience, and building diversified, clean energy systems. The conference recognized the energy transition as crucial for long-term energy security, affordability, and stability. Calls were made for an international instrument to keep coal, oil, and gas in the ground, reinforcing the case for a binding fossil fuel treaty.

While modest compared to the nearly 200 countries in the UN COP process, attendees represented about a fifth of global producers and almost a third of consumers, including some developing national phase-out roadmaps. Petrostates and major polluters like the US, China, India, and Gulf producers were absent. The meeting, however, could help overcome the global roadmap impasse often seen in larger, consensus-based COP summits.

The conference was influenced by a sense of urgency due to a second energy crisis in five years and an estimated $1 trillion cost from the Middle East conflict. Spanish minister Sara Aagesen termed it a «fossil fuel war,» emphasizing climate action as a matter of security, economy, and social rights, and highlighting the need for energy sovereignty. There was endorsement for transitioning economies away from fossil fuels as a more affordable, safer, and secure path, alongside the acceptance that addressing debt, particularly in the Global South, is vital for climate action, as debt often pushes countries to expand fossil fuel production. Ireland, which supported the process, will co-host the second conference with Tuvalu in 2027.