Full Breakdown
Santa Marta Fossil-Fuel Phase-Out Summit
4/28/2026, 6:50:17 AM
Event & Energy Crisis
From 27-30 April 2026, 60 governments met in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the global conference to phase out coal, oil and gas. The summit follows the Israel-U.S. war with Iran, which disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, drove oil prices to highs and forced fuel rationing.
Participants & Invitations
Invitations went to 98 nations committed to a fossil-fuel transition; about 56-60 attended, including Brazil, Germany, Canada, Nigeria, Norway and Tuvalu. The United States, China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia and other oil exporters were absent. Indigenous delegations from Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela and thousands of civil-society groups participated.
Funding Gap
Research presented at the summit shows that in 2024 fossil-fuel subsidies worldwide totalled $1.2 trillion, while clean-energy support was $254 billion, a disparity of more than four-fold.
Official Statements
Netherlands climate minister Stientje van Veldhoven said participants are “not negotiating ambitions, not negotiating commitments” but sharing implementation methods. Colombian environment minister Irene Vélez-Torres highlighted Indigenous group role in shaping the ministerial document. Johan Rockström warned that emissions have not yet peaked and that decisive, informed action is essential to stay within the 1.5 °C limit.
Indigenous Critique
Indigenous leaders warned renewable-energy technologies rely on critical-mineral mining, risking land dispossession. They stressed eliminating fossil fuels must not open “another reason to come after our land and minerals.” Their statements call for a transition that protects forests, water and livelihoods.
Conflicting Reports
Sources report attendance as “nearly 60,” “around 60,” or “56” delegates. The summit produces a non-binding declaration without a vote, and the absence of the United States, China and other top emitters leaves a gap in global climate governance.
What’s Next
The draft outcome will be presented at COP31 in Turkey. Organisers also aim to lay groundwork for a fossil-fuel non-proliferation treaty that would halt new coal, oil and gas projects while ensuring a transition. Island states and civil-society groups have voiced support.
Verbatim Quotes
“The convergence obviously comes at a complicated time because the world is the in middle of the biggest energy crisis in history,” — Carlos Pascual, senior vice president and head of international affairs, S&P Global
“When extractivists move in, they don’t just destroy nature, but also our way of living,” — Luene Karipuna, Indigenous leader, Amapá, Brazil
“With emissions yet to peak, another El Niño on the horizon, and the prospect of overshooting the 1.5°C limit coming closer and closer, it has never been more important that leaders demonstrate that sensible, sustained and informed decisions on climate action can make a difference in people’s lives for the better,” — Johan Rockström, director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
