Netherlands, Colombia co-host high-level Santa Marta talks on phasing out fossil fuels
High-level ministerial talks opened Tuesday in Santa Marta, Colombia, at an international conference co-hosted by the Netherlands and Colombia, with the Netherlands taking a leading role. The talks will run through Wednesday as more than 50 countries discuss how to phase out oil, coal, and gas.
The Netherlands, a major consumer and exporter of fossil fuels, has played a prominent role in organizing the event together with Colombia. Former Climate Minister Sophie Hermans (VVD) carried the initiative forward.
The six-day conference, which began with stakeholder sessions last week, entered its decisive ministerial phase on April 28 at the Estelar Hotel. The gathering comes as fuel prices dominate global headlines amid the war in the Middle East.
In 30 years of Conference of the Parties meetings, nations have managed only once — at the 2023 summit in Dubai — to include language on “transitioning away from fossil fuels and energy systems” in a final text. Follow-up efforts have since stalled, largely because major fossil fuel producers block progress.
Frustrated by that pattern, organizers created this conference outside the formal U.N. process. The goal is to build a “coalition of the willing” focused on practical steps rather than a negotiated final document.
“That seems like a smart move to me,” said Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, a jurist from the University of Amsterdam’s SEVEN Climate Institute, who helped write policy advice for participants. “It is, of course, unfortunate that this cannot be done at the global level, but countries with the political will — the group that is coming now — can already do a lot themselves. They do not have to wait until the whole world is ready.”
Wewerinke-Singh added, "At the U.N. climate summits, the focus is always strongly on the final text. Negotiations then go on for days, deep into the night, sometimes over a single word. But now, if there doesn't have to be a final declaration, you can discuss what needs to happen and the biggest obstacles.
More than 50 countries are participating, compared with the usual 198 at full U.N. summits. China, India, Saudi Arabia, and the United States—major emitters and producers—are absent. Present are Australia, Canada, Norway, Brazil, and others. Together, the attending nations account for about one-fifth of global fossil fuel production.
Santa Marta was chosen as the venue because it is home to a major coal export terminal. Colombia is Latin America’s largest coal exporter and the region’s fourth-largest oil producer. Left-wing President Gustavo Petro has halted new permits for coal, oil, and gas exploration as part of a green shift, and Colombia aims to position itself as a model at the meeting.
Whether Colombia can sustain that agenda remains uncertain. Elections are scheduled for late May, with the economy and energy policy as major issues. Right-wing parties want to lift the ban on new oil exploration and promise economic stimulus through renewed fossil fuel investment.
The Netherlands has emphasized that the absence of some large nations does not undermine the effort. Officials describe the event as an initial open dialogue among willing partners — essentially a knowledge exchange hub that could yield results over time.
“It is really a first step,” said Leo Meyer, a climate expert who negotiated for years on behalf of the Dutch delegation at U.N. climate summits. “Even if the participants had accounted for only 10 percent of total CO₂ emissions, that would still be a significant signal. You should not create too high expectations. This is a push, but it can grow into a shove that even the big summits cannot ignore.”
Meyer noted that current energy problems underline the need to phase out fossil fuels. “But we are, of course, in a split with the fuel shortages that are coming. There are still plans to explore gas fields in the North Sea. That makes it difficult for the Netherlands to present many great promises.”
