Santa Marta Conference Charts Path to Global Fossil-Fuel Phaseout

The “Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels” conference convened in Santa Marta, Colombia, gathering climate delegates, scientists, and activists to move beyond abstract debate and outline concrete steps for a full global phase-out of coal, oil, and gas. Participants focused on implementation strategies rather than merely acknowledging the problem.

The Guardian

Unlike prior UN climate summits that emphasized consumer-side emissions reductions, the Santa Marta gathering redirected attention to the supply chain—drilling, processing, and transport of fossil fuels—as the primary source of worldwide greenhouse-gas output. Delegates labeled industry-promoted offsets and carbon-capture schemes as “false solutions.”

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• Tzeporah Berman, founder and chair of the Fossil-Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative, led discussions on treaty design.

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• Oswaldo Muca Castizo, general coordinator of the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, represented Indigenous perspectives.

The Guardian

• Indigenous representatives from the Arhuaco community and other groups participated in an autonomous debating space for the first time at a high-level climate forum.

The Guardian

Delegates warned that high-interest debt repayments and imports of fossil fuels constrain renewable investment in the Global South. They noted that banks continue to extend low-interest loans to fossil-fuel projects while ignoring climate-related stranded-asset risks. The conference also highlighted Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, citing at least US$100 billion in compensation awarded to fossil-fuel firms in secret tribunals.

The Guardian

Speakers called for national roadmaps that specify a definitive destination—a complete fossil-fuel phase-out—and a binding timetable, citing accelerating temperature records as evidence that delay increases systemic risk. The absence of a single global roadmap was framed as a deliberate design to accommodate diverse national circumstances.

The Guardian

Conference organizers affirmed a science-first approach, noting that “hundreds of experts, academics and scientists” informed the launch of three major transition initiatives. Delegates collectively condemned reliance on “false solutions” and urged a restructuring of the global financial architecture to redirect subsidies from petroleum to renewable energy and debt relief.

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Some petroleum-producing nations expressed resistance to a new non-proliferation treaty, arguing existing climate accords suffice and warning that proliferating separate pacts could fragment international cooperation into smaller blocs.

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Attendees described the atmosphere as “euphoric,” with many reporting a sense of liberation after years of stalled negotiations. Indigenous participants used the autonomous space to present proposals directly to ministers, emphasizing the link between Indigenous land rights and ecosystem protection.

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The conference did not produce a unified legal framework for the phase-out, and participants differed on whether a treaty modelled on human-rights conventions is feasible. Data on the exact volume of emissions attributable to supply-side activities versus demand-side consumption remained unspecified.

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• “After years stuck in endless debates about whether to phase out fossil fuels, finally we are focusing on the how. We are no longer fighting for recognition of the problem, but creating solutions. It’s like watching a dam break – all that pent-up experience, knowledge and passion suddenly flowing into concrete ways to phase out dirty fuels. The hope is contagious.” — Tzeporah Berman, Founder & Chair, Fossil-Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative

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• “Our territories are fundamental to maintaining life on this planet. Where our rights are respected, nature is protected,” — Oswaldo Muca Castizo, General Coordinator, Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon

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The summit’s outcomes call for each nation to draft a detailed phase-out roadmap with clear deadlines, pursue debt-restructuring mechanisms for renewable financing, and advocate for the termination of ISDS provisions that impede climate policy. Parallel efforts will address the regulation of critical minerals needed for renewable technologies and ensure Indigenous rights are integrated into transition planning.

The Guardian