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The First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels
- Shreya Upadhyaya
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Could this conference finally shift the world away from fossil fuels?
In Santa Marta, Colombia, just north of the nation’s largest coal export hub, representatives from more than 50 nations convened between 24 and 29 April 2026, focusing on pivoting away from fossil fuels.
Historically, this has been a slow-moving agenda item at the annual Conference of the Parties (COPs). Despite the 2015 Paris goal of keeping global warming to below 1.5°C, fossil fuels have largely been ignored in formal negotiations, not due to a lack of importance but because of the many complexities and competing priorities by various stakeholders.
However, the prognosis surrounding fossil fuels is grim. It is estimated that governments plan to use 120% more fossil fuels than the levels needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. If sustained, this trajectory could push global temperatures toward 3°C of warming. Yet, there is a severe lack of mechanisms to help nations (especially low and middle-income nations) to transition away from fossil fuels in a structured, equitable manner. At the same time, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have made a pivot away from fossil fuels more urgent than ever before.
A “Coalition of the Willing”
The Santa Marta conference was unique because it functioned as a "coalition of the willing," deliberately avoiding the consensus-driven gridlock of traditional COPs. The co-hosts (Colombia and the Netherlands) intentionally did not invite certain nations, specifically those known to obstruct fossil fuel phase-out language, to ensure the focus remained strictly on implementation. While this "invitation-only" approach was controversial, it was a critical tactical choice that allowed the conference to be bold in its outcomes.
Daniela Durán, head of international affairs at Colombia’s Ministry of Environment, described the conference as “a space for those who are ready to move forward,” adding that “doors will be open” for other nations to join when they are ready.
Thematic Pillars and Key Outcomes
The conference moved beyond high-level discussions to establish concrete mechanisms for action:
France presented its roadmap to phase all fossil fuels out by 2050, providing a template for similarly developed nations to follow suit.
Launch of the Science Panel for the Global Energy Transition (SPGET), led by climate scientists to develop an economically viable transition away from fossil fuels. Convened by scientific heavyweights Johan Rockström and Carlos Nobre, the SPGET is designed to be a "faster, more agile" version of the IPCC, providing real-time data on how much coal, oil, and gas must stay in the ground each year.
Rejection of false narratives that do not further the move away from fossil fuels, including but not limited to carbon capture and storage (CCS), which were labeled as distractions from the core goal of ending combustion.
The conference also plays a crucial role in the development of a Fossil Fuels Treaty, with its takeaways and findings shaping the delivery of the COP30 Presidency Roadmap for Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels at the COP31 in Turkey this November.
Tuvalu and Ireland are confirmed to co-host the conference’s sequel in April 2027, in order to work towards transitioning away from fossil fuels.
