Summary
High-level talks to accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels began Tuesday in Santa Marta, Colombia, as President Gustavo Petro warned that the world risks an irreversible breakdown of the climate system without the Amazon rainforest’s stabilizing role. The two-day segment of ministers and senior officials marks the political centerpiece of the First Conference on Transitioning away from Fossil Fuels, a meeting that more than 50 countries are using to discuss how to move from oil, gas and coal toward cleaner energy.
The Netherlands’ climate minister, Stientje van Veldhoven, said the need for a transition is “unavoidable,” arguing it matters not only for climate but also for what she described as energy independence and security. The conference reflects frustrations among some governments and advocates that years of U.N. climate negotiations have not addressed fossil fuel production directly, prompting organizers to push the topic outside the formal process.
Before Petro took the stage, members of the Indigenous Arhuaco community from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta opened the ceremony with a traditional harmonization ritual, speaking in their native language and playing ancestral instruments. In the afternoon plenary, Petro warned: “the Amazon rainforest is burning,” adding that “without it we reach a point of no return.”
Petro used his remarks to challenge the global economic model underpinning fossil fuel use. He questioned whether “capitalism can really adapt to a way of life that is not fossil-based,” and he argued that U.N. climate talks have fallen short because “the unity of states has failed,” calling for broader action beyond governments.
He also linked current geopolitical conflicts to energy dependence, saying “the wars we are seeing are driven by desperate geopolitical strategies around fossil resources.” Colombia’s Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres, in opening comments before Petro’s address, said the Middle East conflict had shown that the world is facing more than a climate and environmental crisis, describing it as “also an economic and national security crisis.”
Outside the conference venue on Tuesday morning, mining union members protested Petro and the event, chanting through megaphones and holding signs with messages including “I arrive at the conference by plane to criticize the oil industry” and “More oil, less Petro.” The demonstrations unfolded against the backdrop of Colombia’s politics, where Petro, an outgoing leader, has said he wants to stop new oil and gas exploration and shift the country toward a post-fossil fuel economy, even as the country remains dependent on oil and coal exports.
In her remarks at the opening plenary, Vélez Torres framed the gathering as a key moment for international cooperation, saying: “Let this conference be the moment when ambition becomes solidarity and when cooperation becomes the path toward a future beyond fossil fuels,” and adding, “Let’s make this a turning point in history.” The conference agenda has also included voices from communities affected by energy decisions, including Yuvelis Morales Blanco, a 25-year-old activist from Puerto Wilches, who called for action rooted in communities and urged governments to take “direct and concrete actions” to move away from fossil fuels while protecting nature.
A central issue in the discussions so far has been how to pay for the transition, particularly in developing countries facing high borrowing costs and limited access to capital. Participants have also debated the role of policy tools such as carbon markets and government subsidies, as well as how to prevent the transition from repeating earlier land-use and resource-exploitation patterns that communities say harmed them.
Organizers said the conference would not produce binding agreements, but would aim to build political momentum by bringing together countries willing to accelerate the transition outside the formal U.N. process. It is also being viewed as a steppingstone toward upcoming global climate negotiations, where financing and timelines for reducing fossil fuel use are expected to remain major points of debate.
On Monday, Tuvalu, a low-lying island nation in the South Pacific, announced it will host the next conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Scientists and the U.N. have said small island nations are highly susceptible to climate change, and Tuvalu is expected to be submerged by 2100 due to rising sea levels.