Colombia Announces Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Conference After Disappointing COP30 Finale

During COP30 held in Belém, Brazil, Colombia announced that it will host the First International Conference on the Progressive Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels, scheduled for April 28 and 29, 2026, in Santa Marta, together with the Netherlands.

This announcement embodies a determined commitment: to take the climate agenda beyond the traditional margins of the UN and to build a concrete roadmap toward a just, unequivocal, and global energy transition.

The announcement was made in the final stretch of a climate summit that, as in previous scenarios, disappointed due to the lack of ambition in the final conclusions, which are still not fully closed in a draft presented by the Brazilian presidency that sparked protests from various sectors.

Colombia announces fossil fuel phase-out conference after disappointing COP30 finale

Colombia’s Minister of Environment, Irene Vélez, presented the initiative during COP30 with a clear message: it is urgent to abandon fossil fuels with an ambitious and responsible vision. To achieve this, she proposes a space that brings together not only governments but also Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, academia, civil society, the private sector, and international organizations.

The conference aims to address essential issues: not only the elimination of oil, coal, and gas but also the fiscal, social, and macroeconomic challenges that this transition entails. Financing schemes, technology transfer, job reconversion, and social protection for those who currently depend on the fossil industry will be explored. In addition, the conference will open space for debate on international legal gaps and possible pathways for future alliances or global treaties.

For Colombia, this step is not symbolic: it is part of a broader strategy at COP30, where the country has also promoted the Belém Declaration on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. In this declaration, which already has the support of around 24 countries — including Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Vanuatu — it is stated that the production, consumption, licensing, and subsidies for fossil fuels are incompatible with the 1.5°C limit, and it stresses the urgency of a gradual phase-out, but one grounded in justice and financing.

Choosing Santa Marta as the host city is no coincidence. This port city, historically linked to coal commerce, sends a powerful message: even the territories most dependent on fossil fuels can and must lead the transformation. In Vélez’s words, “This is our moment, our mandate: to build a future beyond fossil fuels and commit to climate justice.”

The event has been designed with two segments: a high-level political one to generate diplomatic commitments, and a technical one, with working groups that will produce concrete inputs for a global roadmap. A final document is expected that will transcend the summit and serve as a basis for future negotiations.

This momentum also comes at a strategic moment: the initiative aligns with the push for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, proposed by several countries, civil movements, and academic actors. The conference will be a key space for that proposal to gain strength, consolidating a diplomatic front committed to leaving behind the era of coal, gas, and oil.

Frustration in Belém: A cooler-than-expected finale

But the enthusiasm for the Colombian initiative has not overshadowed the disappointment among many COP30 delegates and observers. Despite ambitious aspirations, the draft text presented by the Brazilian presidency to close the summit has drawn criticism for lacking real commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.

Activists, scientists, and representatives of progressive governments have expressed their frustration: the draft would fall far short of what is most demanding from a climate standpoint, reducing action to symbolic gestures without binding guarantees. While Colombia writes its own diplomatic narrative, many fear that the final COP30 document will not reflect the urgency the world demands, especially regarding production and emission remediation.

In this sense, the disappointment runs deeper: for many, the final COP30 text represents a step backward. There had been expectations of clear commitments for a progressive dismantling of fossil fuels, with timelines, binding financing mechanisms, and concrete obligations for major producers. Instead, what is being negotiated feels to some like rhetoric without muscle.

One of the first reactions to this document has been a letter sent by 37 countries to the summit presidency, stating that it is an insufficient document. These countries are Austria, Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Slovenia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Ireland, Iceland, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, Panama, Palau, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Chile.

“We express our deep concern over the fact that the proposal under consideration is being presented as ‘all or nothing.’ We acknowledge the important effort made by the presidency to move toward concluding the process and reaffirm our commitment to participate constructively. However, we must be honest: in its current form, the proposal does not meet the minimum conditions necessary for the COP to achieve a credible outcome,” the letter reads.

Esta es la carta que, liderada por Colombia, enviamos 40 países a la Presidencia de la #COP30.

No es aceptable un texto que silencie lo obvio, niegue el consenso científico y de la espalda a las exigencias de los pueblos: es necesario construir un acuerdo global para eliminar… pic.twitter.com/6RsQm4PyOL

— Irene Vélez-Torres (@IreneVelezT) November 21, 2025

Colombia’s dramatic response with a strategic and hopeful answer

Colombia’s push for a parallel summit and the Belém declaration is not only a diplomatic move, but also a strategy to keep political pressure alive. This conference in April 2026 has a clear objective: to transform the energy of the debate into real and tangible commitments.

The initiative seeks to consolidate a strong coalition of countries from the Global South, especially those most vulnerable to climate change, to lead the energy transition in fair and equitable terms. It is not about imposing a model, but about building an inclusive process in which the most affected communities —Indigenous peoples, workers, poor regions dependent on fossil fuels— are active participants in the transition.

Moreover, by stepping outside the exclusive framework of the UN, Colombia and its allies aim to create a new diplomatic space, one that is more flexible and bold, capable of feeding a global roadmap from the ground up. It is a high-stakes, ambitious, but calculated bet: if successful, it could mark a before and after for the global climate regime.

In the same hearing, Tuvalu’s Minister of Climate Change, Maina Talia, committed to “working with all stakeholders and bringing more countries from all regions to the negotiating table in order to forge a treaty that reflects the urgency and magnitude of the climate emergency and ensures a viable future for our people and our culture.”

Another reaction came from the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, who believes that “this is nowhere near the level of ambition we need on mitigation. We are disappointed with the text currently on the table. We are willing to be ambitious on adaptation, but we want to make clear that any reference to financing must fully align with the commitment made last year.”

Consultations for the COP30 close continue

The president of COP30, André Correa do Lago, continues consultations with the different negotiating groups. Before meeting again with the parties, he thanked all attendees for their professionalism and solidarity at a press conference held after the summit was evacuated due to a fire.

Regarding the negotiations, he urged the parties to reach an agreement. “This cannot be an agenda that divides us,” said Correa do Lago, who stressed that it is possible to achieve a triple objective: “strengthening multilateralism, connecting this process with people, and accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement.”

Correa cites “electoral pressures, the pressure of fake news, the pressures of populations who feel frustrated because we have had 30 years, 30 COPs, and many people do not feel they have affected their lives.”

Negotiators have been locked in for hours and positions are highly polarized. Saudi Arabia, which does not want to hear about a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, accuses Spain, which demands its inclusion in the final text, of blocking the negotiations.