SANTA MARTA (Colombia), April 29, 2026 – The First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, which concludes today in Santa Marta, signals a historic shift from decades of deadlock and debate to coordinated action on a managed and equitable phaseout of all fossil fuels, according to the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
More than fifty countries, together with scientists, communities, and organizations from around the world, gathered at the conference, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands not to debate whether to get the world off oil, gas, and coal, but how. What science and international law have long made clear, the current global crisis makes inescapable: transitioning away from fossil fuels is not a political option but a legal obligation, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion, and an urgent necessity for peace and prosperity.
The active engagement in the gathering showcases that the momentum for coordinated global action has become unstoppable and that a coalition of willing states is beginning to act on that obligation together.
The commitment by participating nations to hold a follow-on conference hosted by Tuvalu and Ireland in the Pacific is a clear signal that ending fossil fuel dependence and building democratic, distributed clean energy systems is not a distant aspiration but an accelerating reality.
Rebecca Brown, CIEL President and CEO, said:
“The conflicts and fossil supply shocks roiling our world today lay bare the dangers of continued fossil fuel reliance. Santa Marta was a critical and promising first step away from that dependence. For the first time, a coalition of states came together with civil society, indigenous, trade union, and social movement leaders in a dedicated process to begin charting a path toward an equitable phaseout. Science and international law demand nothing less.”
Nikki Reisch, CIEL Climate & Energy Program Director, said:
“This historic conference came 30 years late but not a moment too soon. If Gabriel García Márquez were writing the story that started here in Santa Marta, he might title it Transition in the Time of Chaos. Destructive oil wars, widening fuel and food shocks, and a mounting climate crisis only bolster the conviction that breaking free from the fossil fuel system is not a matter of magical realism but of radical realism, in line with science and the law. The success of this conference is about what was created and what must continue: a dedicated forum on fossil fuel phaseout, effective cooperation among a coalition of doers and support for a binding fossil fuel treaty. The destination is clear and no country can get there alone. The key is not to debate what pathway is best, but to choose one and start walking – indeed, start running now.”
Lili Fuhr, CIEL Fossil Economy Program Director, said:
“Fossil fuel phaseout in national roadmaps and international agreements must be guided by the best available science, which includes diverse knowledge systems such as indigenous and traditional knowledge. Science must remain independent and embrace decolonial approaches. False techno-fixes have long delayed action and enabled greenwashing. Coming out of Santa Marta, countries must prioritize real solutions—rejecting dangerous distractions like carbon capture, offsets, and geoengineering—and addressing the crisis at its source.”
Delphine Lévi Alvarès, CIEL Global Petrochemicals Campaign Manager, said:
“To end fossil fuel dependence, we have to confront where it’s hidden in plain sight— starting with our food systems. From fertilizers to plastics, petrochemicals are deeply embedded in how we grow and distribute food. Decoupling food production and supply from fossil fuels is central to a credible transition. Petrochemicals are no longer a side issue; they are the way through which oil, gas, and coal have been woven into all the material aspects of our lives, and as such, they are part of the political pathways to transition away from fossil fuels.”
Nathalie Eddy, CIEL Oil and Gas Legal & Campaign Manager, said:
“At this gathering in the heart of the world, turned coal port by the sea, something shifted. Countries recognized the threat posed by fossil fuel activity in and on the ocean. Now they need to demonstrate their commitment to the transition away from fossil fuels by halting all expansion of offshore oil and gas and refusing to subsidize it.”
Melissa Blue Sky, CIEL Senior Attorney, said:
“Governments cannot deliver a just and timely fossil fuel phaseout while being exposed to costly legal threats from foreign investors. The premise that investment agreements are required to attract foreign investment is a myth; governments have walked away from investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) without losing investment. Countries now have an opportunity to act together—through collective withdrawal or agreements—to remove this barrier and enable countries to act in the public interest. ”
Bruna Campos, CIEL Offshore Oil and Gas Senior Campaigner, said:
“The ocean is the frontier of fossil fuel expansion: 85% of all new oil and gas discoveries in 2024 were in the ocean. This conference marks the beginning of halting that expansion and building a Fossil-Free Ocean. But we cannot replace one extractivism with another. A just, fair, and funded energy transition requires rightsholders at the decision-making table. Countries now have the opportunity to operationalize this transition through community engagement and consent.”
Johanna Gusman, CIEL Senior Attorney, said:
“The ICJ climate opinion made clear that the law requires states to cooperate to protect the environment from the production and use of fossil fuels, which are driving the planetary crisis. That means a space for coordinated action to end the exploration and expansion of fossil fuel production, end subsidies, and manage a fair and funded phaseout of existing production. The next Conference in the Pacific is critical not only because of the region’s leadership on climate action, but because it is where the world will confront, firsthand, what phasing out fossil fuels saves.”
Andrés Del Castillo, CIEL Senior Attorney, said:
“The Santa Marta process went beyond past climate COPs, moving us from catharsis toward something concrete. For the first time, ‘fossil fuel’ was named without qualifiers. States and rightsholders shared the floor as equals. Across different realities, one truth holds: fossil fuels are no longer good business and are harming human health. And yet, the path toward the phaseout is beginning to take shape.”
During the conference, CIEL urged governments to advance a pathway toward a Fossil Fuel Treaty, a binding international framework that would enable willing states to cooperate on implementing their phaseout obligations, complement the UNFCCC, and support delivery of the Paris Agreement.
For more information
- Charting the Path to a Fossil-Free Future in Santa Marta and Beyond: What the Conference Must Deliver
- Beyond the Burn: Why Santa Marta Must Tackle the Petrochemical Build Out
- The Legal Foundations for Fossil Fuel Phaseout: An Open Letter
Media Contact in Santa Marta
In Santa Marta, April 26-29: Maria Frausto, Communications Director + 1 202 569-8107 (Signal and WhatsApp), [email protected]
Media Contact in CET
In Geneva, Niccolò Sarno, Global Media Relations + 41 22 506 80 37 (WhatsApp), [email protected]