Colombia’s environment minister argued that geopolitical turmoil tied to the war in the Middle East should not slow the push to leave polluting fuels behind. In an interview with The Associated Press, Irene Vélez Torres said the instability facing global energy markets highlights the need for countries to accelerate the transition rather than delay it. She linked that urgency to the broader climate problem of emissions that come from burning oil, gas and coal.
Vélez made the case on Thursday ahead of an international summit on fossil fuels jointly hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands. The meeting is scheduled for April 24–29 in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta, where countries are expected to discuss approaches for moving beyond fossil fuels in a diplomatic setting that has historically proven difficult.
The minister described the Middle East crisis as a driver of a “global crisis,” and said she believes the current moment should push governments toward cleaner energy. “The war in the Middle East has triggered a global crisis,” Vélez said, adding that the turmoil should accelerate transition efforts rather than delay them. She said she believes “the movement should be toward radicalizing the green agenda and the transitions.”
Vélez said the instability in energy markets underlines the need to speed up the shift away from oil, gas and coal. She pointed to cleaner sources such as solar, wind and geothermal, and said the conflict should create momentum for faster action instead of prolonging reliance on polluting fuels.
The summit’s intended function also shaped Vélez’s comments. She said the gathering would be a “political space” for opening debate on fossil fuel phaseout, which she said has long been hard to address through formal international negotiations. In that context, she said countries would not be asked to make binding commitments during the Santa Marta talks.
Vélez also connected the diplomatic approach to the state of past climate talks. She said three decades of U.N. climate negotiations, known as Conference of the Parties, have not produced widespread agreement on moving away from oil, gas and coal. She said that lack of agreement in part contributed to the effort to hold a conference in Colombia.
Colombia’s position in the talks reflects a tension between climate goals and economic dependence on hydrocarbons. Under President Gustavo Petro, Colombia has pledged to halt new oil exploration and has called for a global phaseout of fossil fuels, placing the country at the center of push by some governments to refocus climate diplomacy on fossil-fuel production. At the same time, Colombia remains a major oil producer and continues to rely on crude exports for government revenue, with oil and coal still central to its economy.
Vélez said Colombia has increased renewable energy in its power mix under the current administration, including solar and wind while excluding large hydropower. She said those renewable sources have risen from about 1% to 16% of electricity, presenting renewables expansion as part of the practical pathway for the energy transition that the summit seeks to advance.
She placed the Santa Marta talks in a wider geopolitical context in which governments are debating how to balance near-term energy security with longer-term climate commitments. She said conflict involving Iran has disrupted global energy markets and raised concerns over supplies routed through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping area for oil.
In that environment, Vélez said oil prices have been pushed higher and governments face pressure to secure energy supplies. She said some countries are weighing expanded fossil fuel production in the short term even while committing to long-term climate goals, underscoring the political difficulty of coordinating the transition internationally.
Vélez also contrasted Colombia’s approach under Petro with the direction of U.S. climate and energy policy, and said tensions between the two countries have surfaced in recent months. She said the United States under President Donald Trump has stepped back from international climate efforts and focused on expanding oil production, while Trump has repeatedly dismissed climate change and criticized the energy transition, describing it as a “Green New Scam.” In the same comparison, Vélez said Colombia has pledged to halt new oil exploration contracts, while Petro’s administration has emphasized transitioning away from polluting fuels.
The minister said Saudi Arabia would not attend the Santa Marta summit. She said her government has engaged Saudi officials in past U.N. climate talks, but that the country has “very clear oil interests” and is not currently interested in phasing out fossil fuels. She said Saudi Arabia has often resisted efforts in climate negotiations to include stronger language on phasing out fossil fuels, reflecting broader divisions among major producers and countries advocating a faster transition.
Vélez said although the Santa Marta meeting takes place outside the formal U.N. climate talks, its conclusions are expected to inform upcoming negotiations, including COP31 in Turkey later this year.