More than 50 countries sent ministers, climate campaigners and finance specialists to Santa Marta, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, for the first meeting focused solely on phasing out fossil fuels. Hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, the gathering aimed to keep momentum for a clean-energy transition by building cooperation among nations willing to move away from coal, oil and gas.
Delegates described the talks as a rare chance to work informally and constructively after a proposal for a fossil-fuel phase-out road map was blocked at COP30 in Brazil. Small states and climate justice advocates urged collective action to close governance gaps and ensure the transition is fair and inclusive.
Participants acknowledged the deep differences that make a global exit from fossil fuels complex. Exporting countries face structural economic and legal challenges, including dependence on commodity revenues and the threat of investor lawsuits; importing countries worry about energy security and higher costs. Colombia was repeatedly cited as an example: coal exports support livelihoods and government revenues, so any rapid shutdown would demand carefully planned alternative employment, legal protections and sizable funding to manage social impacts.
Speakers pointed to existing transition models. Germany’s Coal Commission, created in 2019 to coordinate stakeholders and plan a socially just phase-out, was presented as one example; Germany aims to end coal-fired power generation by 2038 and some former lignite pits have been repurposed as recreational lakes. France set out its own road map, aligning targets to cut the share of fossil fuels in final energy consumption and proposing phased deadlines for coal, oil and gas — a plan welcomed by some but criticized by NGOs as inadequate in light of accelerating climate risks.
Financing the shift from fossil fuels remains one of the biggest barriers. Delegates from developing countries warned that high borrowing costs and limited access to capital make investments in renewables and electrification difficult. The Netherlands emphasized the need for affordable finance and urged cuts to global fossil-fuel subsidies, which still total roughly $920 billion annually.
Energy security and geopolitics were recurring themes. European officials noted how dependence on imports can be costly and unstable, and urged a transition strategy that scales up renewables, improves efficiency and ends new extraction and exploration. Several speakers called for faster decarbonization of transport, aviation and shipping as part of a comprehensive road map.
Not all attendees spoke with one voice. Germany attended without a cabinet minister, represented by a senior climate diplomat, reflecting domestic tensions between ministries that favor faster renewable expansion and those prioritizing industrial concerns. Some delegates from the Global South pushed for stronger, enforceable commitments; others argued that a binding treaty would take time to negotiate.
While the meeting produced no single, binding global road map this year, it generated concrete proposals, national plans and agreement on the need to keep building the coalition. Voices at the conference called for a legal instrument to ensure a just transition, clear phase-out targets and predictable financing. Observers described the talks as constructive but cautioned the coalition’s real influence will be revealed only over months and years as plans are implemented.
Despite the lack of an immediate treaty, delegates left determined to press ahead. Organizers set the next meeting for Tuvalu, the low-lying Pacific island state especially vulnerable to sea-level rise, which will host talks next year to continue work on pathways out of fossil-fuel dependence.