The First Conference on the Transition Beyond Fossil Fuels
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The first conference on the transition beyond fossil fuels begins this week in Santa Marta, Colombia. The conference is led by the Colombian and Dutch governments.
The conference will launch a process through which a coalition of committed countries, subnational governments, and stakeholders can identify and promote pathways for a progressive transition away from fossil fuels, creating sustainable societies and economies in the process. Drawing on the experience and perspectives of national and subnational governments, academia, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, smallholder farmers, workers, civil society, the private sector, and other key actors, this process will address the various stages and processes of this transition.
The conference is not a political platform or a parallel space. Rather, it is a complementary space to the UNFCCC, intended to contribute to and accelerate the implementation of this pathway. It is not a formal negotiating body and does not seek to replace the United Nations’ role in addressing the climate crisis (UNFCCC). This conference is the first to focus on implementation and aims to support practical measures by those ready to move forward. Rather than seeking a negotiated outcome, the conference aims to foster a common understanding and guide practices that accelerate a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.
Three thematic pillars define its scope: overcoming economic dependence, promoting international cooperation and climate diplomacy, and transforming supply and demand. The conference will produce a report identifying pathways to enable this transition. We hope the report will be useful to the COP30 Presidency in preparing the roadmap.
Santa Marta,
Colombia 2026. Official website
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