Story perspectives

France Leads 60 Nations in Fossil-Fuel Phase-Out Roadmaps

5/1/2026

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France Announces Fossil-Free Roadmap

France became the first developed nation to unveil a national fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap at the summit.
Nearly 60 countries pledged to draft national roadmaps to end fossil-fuel production and use, representing over half of global GDP.
Activists, Indigenous leaders and scientists highlighted fossil-fuel harms and urged support for vulnerable nations.
Participants agreed to aid poorer nations with roadmap development, subsidy scrutiny and financial-technical support.

Right

Trump Warns Blockade

President Donald Trump warned a naval blockade of Iran could last months, sending oil prices to four-year highs on April 29.
Colombia’s environment minister Irene Vélez Torres and Climate Minister Stientje van Veldhoven co-hosted the Santa Marta climate summit.
Australia, Canada, Norway, Angola, Brazil attended while United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia were absent.
Delegates praised summit after bypassing UN, forming panel naming Tuvalu and Ireland as 2027 co-hosts.

History

Historical Context

The October 1973 OAPEC oil embargo, launched after the Yom Kippur War, sent world oil prices up nearly fourfold, sparking the first “oil shock.” President Richard Nixon’s Project Independence plan pursued U.S. energy self-sufficiency, while today France’s fossil-fuel phase-out plan and Donald Trump’s warning of an Iranian blockade revive those 1970s energy-security concerns at the Santa Marta climate summit.

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France Announces Fossil-Free Roadmap

France became the first developed nation to unveil a national fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap at the summit.
Nearly 60 countries pledged to draft national roadmaps to end fossil-fuel production and use, representing over half of global GDP.
Activists, Indigenous leaders and scientists highlighted fossil-fuel harms and urged support for vulnerable nations.
Participants agreed to aid poorer nations with roadmap development, subsidy scrutiny and financial-technical support.

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