Nigeria joined roughly 60 nations on Tuesday at the International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, signalling that phasing out oil and gas is now framed as both a climate imperative and a matter of energy security.
European Union climate envoy Wopke Hoekstra warned that the war in Ukraine is costing the EU half a billion euros a day, adding that the conflict has reinforced the economic and independence arguments for abandoning fossil fuels. “We already had a very good reason to move on from fossil fuels for climate action. We now also have it for commercial reasons and for independence,” he told delegates.
The conference, first announced after the UN COP30 summit in Brazil failed to reference fossil fuels explicitly, seeks to revive momentum for a global shift away from carbon‑intensive energy sources. Organisers note that the war in Ukraine, which has constrained Gulf oil exports, has heightened the urgency of reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Colombia’s left‑wing President Gustavo Petro addressed the assembly, stating that fossil fuels “lead to death.” Representatives from import‑dependent countries warned that fuel rationing and soaring prices are already affecting households as supplies tighten.
The UK’s climate envoy Rachel Kyte highlighted that “energy security” and “sovereignty” are now intertwined with the need to move away from fossil fuels, noting that the resource is increasingly viewed as a source of instability.
Among the participants were major producers such as Canada, Norway, Australia, Nigeria, Angola and Brazil, along with coal‑dependent emerging markets like Turkey and Vietnam. The United States, China, India and the oil‑rich Gulf states were absent. The gathering operates outside the UN framework, reflecting growing impatience with the UNFCCC’s limited progress on fossil‑fuel phase‑outs.
While the conference is not expected to produce binding commitments, it will deliver proposals for a gradual transition to cleaner energy. Developing economies that depend heavily on oil and gas revenues, such as host Colombia, face particular challenges. Santa Marta houses one of Colombia’s largest coal ports, and oil tankers are a common sight along its coast.
European nations have also revisited fossil‑fuel use in response to the war. France unveiled a roadmap to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and gas by 2050 for energy purposes. Discussions will include reforming fossil‑fuel subsidies, which the International Institute for Sustainable Development reports remain five times larger than public spending on renewables.
A scientific panel presented a 12‑point policy menu that calls for halting all new fossil‑fuel extraction projects. Despite record renewable‑energy investments, experts warn the transition remains too slow to keep global warming below 1.5 °C. The planet is already about 1.4 °C warmer than pre‑industrial levels, and crossing the threshold could trigger irreversible damage to coral reefs, Greenland’s ice sheet and other climate systems.
The Santa Marta conference underscores a widening consensus that ending fossil‑fuel dependence is essential for both climate mitigation and energy security, setting the stage for further negotiations and policy development in the months ahead.
