Crucial discussions focused on phasing out fossil fuel consumption concluded in Colombia on Thursday, with participating nations urged to step up their efforts to meet global climate goals. As many as 60 countries from different regions welcomed the progress made towards reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Ministers and envoys gathered in the coal port city of Santa Marta with the aim of accelerating the transition away from planet-warming fuels and breaking the ongoing deadlock in global negotiations under the United Nations Climate Change Conferences framework.
The conference had been convened last year to address disagreements over explicitly referencing fossil fuels in the final agreement of the upcoming COP30. Organisers now say the initiative has gained fresh urgency following recent geopolitical tensions, including the US-Israel strikes on Iran, which triggered a global energy crisis and underscored the risks tied to fossil fuel dependence.
“Countries are taking steps,” said Stientje van Veldhoven, whose country co-hosted the summit. She noted that participating nations were committed to advancing beyond their current positions and recognised the strength of collective action.
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“Everyone present wants to go further than where they are now, and believes we can achieve more together,” she said, adding, “Together we can be stronger — and go further.”
Although the meeting was not expected to produce binding agreements, Irene Velez Torres described the outcomes as significant, saying ‘major progress’ had been made. She expressed gratitude to the participating nations for engaging in open discussions, including on sensitive issues. “When future generations look back, they will see that we were actively working to address the defining challenges of our time,” she said.
The urgency of such efforts is heightened by the growing threat climate change poses to vulnerable regions. Low-lying countries and communities dependent on oceans are already facing existential risks due to rising sea levels and the greenhouse effect, with even some developed nations increasingly affected.
Despite broad agreement among many countries at COP30 to reduce fossil fuel use, divisions persist. Oil-producing nations, along with some European countries, have resisted committing sufficient financial support to assist poorer nations in transitioning and adapting, particularly in funding rehabilitation and climate resilience programmes.
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