Historic Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Summit Ends with Hope for a Secure Future

Operating outside the jurisdiction of the United Nations, it's unclear what impact the event will ultimately have on climate negotiations, though it was announced at the closing plenary that Tuvalu and Ireland will host the next iteration in 2027 with the hope to build a brighter and more secure future for all.

Observers and climate experts say while the success of the summit is tenuous, there were some concrete wins at the gathering as more than 100 Indigenous Peoples leaders from around the world issued their first joint declaration laying out how the world can respect their rights amid a transition away from fossil fuels.

Also, researchers studying how to end the fossil fuel era were given an unprecedented spotlight, with the establishment at the closing plenary of a global transition scientific panel with over 250 scientists, to be led by prominent scholars Carlos Nobre and Johan Rockström.

Saying Santa Marta was a major milestone towards fossil fuel phase-out, Teresa Anderson, Global Lead on Climate Justice at ActionAid International, on Thursday said: "So many governments expressed real hunger to be free from the economic and climate harm of fossil fuel dependence. This was a watershed moment in which the collective mind became truly focussed on the common cause of ending the fossil fuel era.

"What set this conference apart was the willingness to dive into and address the complex challenges of our fossil-fuelled world. The debt crisis, which keeps so many countries trapped on the fossil fuel treadmill against their will, came up repeatedly. Phasing out fossil fuels is not only a matter of energy transition, but also economic transformation, requiring just transitions and climate finance."

Patricia Suárez from the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC), said: "The Santa Marta Conference has put the urgency of moving away from fossil fuels on the table, but still leaves questions unanswered how that will happen.

"For Indigenous Peoples, the answer is clear: Without the protection of our territories, and as long as energy models that plunder them persist, nothing will change. Declaring our territories as exclusion zones for extractive activities -- starting with those of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation -- is an urgent measure to sustain the planet's climate balance. If the heart of the conference does not begin there, it risks remaining a set of good intentions that fails to respond to either science or our indigenous knowledge systems."

The current and incoming co-chairs committed to help countries navigate ongoing processes led by the United Nations, national climate plans, the transitioning away from fossil fuels conferences, and country-led initiatives.

The conference, which was co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, comes at a time when governments continue to deal with the impacts of the worst energy crisis ever.

During leader speeches in the High Level segment, a host of countries doubled down on the need to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, setting out the economic and security benefits.

France announced a comprehensive national road map to transition away from fossil fuels. In addition to formalising domestic targets, the road map outlines France's commitments to international support, detailing how the government plans to finance and assist global efforts in the broader energy transition.

The idea of the Santa Marta conference originated from conversations among the growing group of countries participating in discussions on a fossil fuel treaty, who agreed to "initiate a series of dedicated conferences" in December 2024 at a ministerial level.

In June 2025, Colombia offered to host the first, and now Tuvalu and Ireland have been confirmed as the co-hosts of a second conference in the Pacific region.

This conference delivered two additional outcomes: A new dedicated scientific panel; and a comprehensive final report from the co-host governments, compiling inputs from thousands of written submissions, dozens of virtual dialogues, and numerous in-person sectoral consultations.

A remarkable 80 per cent of the sectors engaged in the conference called for the negotiation of an international framework to manage fossil fuel production, including academics, social movements, NGOs, the private sector, peasant communities, women and diversities, children and youth, trade unions, parliamentarians and subnational governments.

In the closing plenary, Ghana called for the development of a new international instrument to manage the supply and demand of fossil fuels in an equitable and coordinated manner, a fossil fuel treaty.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

- IANS