The first Conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, led by Colombia and co-organized by the Netherlands, took place less than six months after its official announcement during COP30 in Belém, Pará (Brazil), reinforcing that new arrangements are likely to gain momentum to support a just, orderly, and equitable transition.
Of the 80 countries that signaled interest during COP30, 57 were present in Santa Marta, Colombia, in support of the commitments established under the Paris Agreement. From its first official mention at COP28 in Dubai in 2023, highlighting the importance of “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, beginning in this decade”, to the Santa Marta Conference, held outside the official events of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), less than three years have elapsed. Even so, the progress achieved during the Conference demonstrated the potential to establish criteria for the transition away from fossil fuels and expand the number of countries participating in the coalition.
“The event is a direct outcome of COP30, when President Lula proposed that each country should develop a proper Transition Roadmap. The meeting was excellent and centered on science,” said Simone Tenório, IPÊ’s Institutional Relations representative for the Climate and Biodiversity COPs and related events.
“This movement provides the driving force needed to truly drive the transition toward a sustainable economy, creating new areas of activity that allow economic development while maintaining ecosystem services and protecting biodiversity, including ourselves,” Simone added.
Advances
Discussions focused on three main areas: reducing economic dependence on fossil fuels, transforming supply and demand, and promoting international cooperation.
Over the course of five days, approximately 1,500 participants—including representatives of civil society, Indigenous peoples and traditional communities, legislators, and professionals from funding agencies—worked in thematic assemblies to consolidate documents with the potential to guide the pathways toward a just transition.
“Santa Marta is an important first milestone. The transition, launched under the Paris Agreement, is now taking shape by showing concrete mechanisms. The war driven by oil interests made the costs of dependence on fossil fuels clear and accelerated the urgency of building a new low-carbon economy. The economic impacts of this dependence have been experienced globally. If climate change alone was not enough to mobilize governments and society, economic pressures and threats to sovereignty in some countries have forced a powerful reality check,” Simone commented.
The next Conference will be held in 2027 in Tuvalu, preceded by a pre-conference meeting in Ireland.
One of the main outcomes of the Santa Marta Conference was the creation of the Scientific Panel for the Global Energy Transition (SPGET), which will support countries in overcoming their dependence on fossil fuels. The scientists involved will contribute to the development of roadmaps aligned with the 1.5°C pathway and aimed at dismantling legal, financial, and political barriers to the energy transition.
The group is led by Carlos Nobre, globally renowned for his work on the Amazon; Gilberto Jannuzzi of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp); and Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
There is a strong commitment to avoiding redundancy. For this reason, a coordination group will ensure continuity toward the second and subsequent conferences. The group is also responsible for ensuring complementarity with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and existing international mechanisms.
Among the commitments established is the delivery of the Santa Marta Report to the COP30 Presidency to support the development of the Transition Roadmap. Expectations are that Brazil will present its Roadmap for the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels during the second half of the year. This commitment was announced by André Corrêa do Lago, President of COP30, during the conference in Belém.
