After days of talks in the first-ever gathering focused on phasing out fossil fuels, ministers, climate advocates and finance experts from more than 50 countries agreed a set of outcomes aimed at accelerating the transition to clean energy.
Held in Santa Marta, Colombia, and hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, the conference — also called TAFF (Transition Away from Fossil Fuels) — sought to build cooperation among countries willing to move beyond coal, oil and gas and to create momentum for further negotiations on an issue that is politically and economically sensitive. Maina Vakafua Talia, Tuvalu’s minister for home affairs, climate change and environment, described the talks as “making history,” saying multilateralism requires addressing governance gaps so countries can reach new horizons together.
Finding common ground proved challenging because the shift away from fossil fuels differs for exporters and importers. Colombia exemplifies those tensions: its economy relies on coal exports, so a rapid wind-down would require alternative income sources, jobs programs and legal strategies to manage possible compensation claims from mining companies. Such structural transformation needs financing, planning and social strategies. Germany’s Coal Commission — formed in 2019 to bring stakeholders together and design a socially fair exit from coal, with a planned phase-out by 2038 — was cited as one possible model.
The Santa Marta meeting was framed as a “coalition of the willing,” separate from the formal annual UN climate talks where fossil fuel interests have grown more present. Last year’s COP30 in Brazil saw a push for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, but that effort was blocked by several countries; Santa Marta offered an alternative forum for like-minded governments and advocates. Former Irish president Mary Robinson said the atmosphere felt more collaborative than at COPs, where negotiators often stick tightly to pre-set positions.
A range of ideas emerged, but financing the transition remained central. France presented a detailed timeline to reduce fossil fuels in final energy consumption to 40% by 2030 and 30% by 2035, phasing out coal by 2027, oil by 2045 and fossil gas by 2050. NGOs welcomed the plan but argued it falls short given the accelerating climate crisis — last year, 91% of the planet experienced warmer-than-average surface air temperatures, linked to heat waves, wildfires, crop failures and water scarcity.
Developing countries face acute financing challenges, with high borrowing costs and limited access to capital. Stientje van Veldhoven, the Dutch minister for climate policy and green growth, stressed that affordable finance is essential for a global transition and urged reductions in fossil fuel subsidies, which today total around $920 billion worldwide.
Energy security and geopolitics were prominent themes. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro linked contemporary conflicts to energy dependence, saying wars are driven by desperate geopolitical strategies around fossil resources. EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra noted the economic exposure: in about two months Europe’s fossil fuel import bill rose by more than €22 billion without additional energy supply. He argued a roadmap should align with UN goals to triple renewable capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030, stop new extraction and exploration, and decarbonize transport, aviation and shipping.
Not every delegation was uniform in its approach. Germany sent climate diplomat Jochen Flasbarth rather than a minister, reflecting domestic divisions between ministries that favor accelerated renewables deployment and others advocating extended fossil-fuel roles.
Speakers acknowledged that a single binding treaty is unlikely this year. Some Global South countries pushed for stronger legal instruments, but delegates agreed the process will take time. Cristian Retamal, an associate researcher at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, described the talks as constructive but cautioned that the coalition’s real impact will become clear only over months and years. Ghana’s Cedric Dzelu urged a fossil fuel treaty that creates architecture for a just transition, addressing policies, financing and equitable implementation. Panama’s Juan Carlos Monterrey said a legal instrument must specify what it phases out and how to finance it; building the treaty will be a process, he added, but fossil-fuel-based economies are “unraveling in real time” and those fuels are “unreliable” and “dangerous.”
The conference set the groundwork for continued cooperation and further meetings. Delegates agreed there will be no definitive roadmap or treaty this year, but they committed to ongoing dialogue. The next TAFF meeting is scheduled for 2027 in Tuvalu, a small Pacific island state at acute risk from sea-level rise. Edited by Tamsin Walker.