In response to the close of the Santa Marta Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels

In response to the close of the Santa Marta conference, Bronwen Tucker, Oil Change International Public Finance Lead, said:

“In Santa Marta a line is being drawn. The Conference shows that momentum to move beyond fossil fuels is building and cannot be ignored. 

“Fossil fuel dependency deepens economic instability, fuels conflict, and traps countries in cycles of debt. As long as Global South countries remain locked in this system, while Global North governments write the financial rules, public resources will continue to flow away from people and toward the systems driving crisis.

“It’s never been more clear that fossil fuel phase out is imperative for stability and peace. Every step away from fossil fuels weakens the outsized power and wealth that allows the US to wage illegal wars in the name of energy dominance. Leadership from the Global South shows that this conference is not a one-off moment but the start of a process with planned, government-led transitions, national roadmaps, international cooperation, and second conference co-hosted by Tuvalu and Ireland, to turn phaseout into a reality. 

“But the tides will not turn on their own. For this process to break the UNFCCC deadlocks, the richest polluting countries must show they are serious. Canada, Norway, the UK, and the EU must make real plans to accelerate their fossil fuel phaseout at home and come to the table with real economic collaboration. 

“A just transition requires breaking the structural barriers that keep countries locked in crisis—through debt cancellation, scaled-up public finance, and a clear rejection of the false solutions and industry influence that continue to delay real action. Governments must match this growing momentum with concrete changes to deliver a transition that works for people, not profit, because the human cost of delay is already being paid every day.”

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