It would be wrong and superficial to criticise the Conference on the grounds that no binding agreements were reached, since the Santa Marta Conference was explicitly not designed as a negotiation space. Instead, one must begin from the fact that this was an unprecedented event. Never before had so many countries in the world – nearly sixty – gathered outside the COP framework to discuss the climate crisis. And this took place in the midst of the well-known, highly charged geopolitical context. The first fundamental outcome is therefore simply that the event was held at all.

The journey launched by the Santa Marta Conference will continue

It should also be noted that the Santa Marta Conference risked remaining a one-off event. COPs have been held for more than thirty years, and the expectation is that they will continue indefinitely, at least as long as the world chooses to comply with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that established them. The International Conference on the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels, however, is different: it was the product of a coalition of willing, courageous and visionary countries, starting with its two co-organisers, Colombia and the Netherlands.

The fact that it has already been decided that there will be a second Conference is therefore another major achievement. It will take place in 2027 in Tuvalu, in the Pacific. A pre-Conference will be held in Ireland, the co-organising country. “The momentum from Santa Marta is encouraging: we must continue to build on it,” said Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and founding member of the prestigious group of world leaders The Elders. The Conference website opens with a fittingly celebratory line: “The journey continues.”

The principles for phasing out fossil fuels in the People’s Declaration

The Santa Marta Conference was characterised by the strong voice of civil society. A voice which, unlike what too often happens at COPs, was given the space and importance it deserves in the event’s agenda. It was above all an event of the people, emphasising that they no longer accept decisions being made over their heads. Unlike COPs, once again, which are often “contaminated” by hordes of fossil fuel lobbyists. In Santa Marta, they were absent. The “People’s Declaration for a rapid, fair and just transition to a fossil-free future” can be considered the true programme manifesto of the event.

The Declaration sets out 15 principles on which to base the fossil fuel transition. These include strict adherence to climate science, recognition of the historical responsibility of the Global North in the climate crisis, the centrality of human rights, the removal of financial barriers and the cancellation of illegitimate debts. It also calls for the rejection of false solutions, international solidarity and cooperation (including support for a binding fossil fuel treaty), and the need for systemic change – economic, political and social – in order to bid farewell to extractivist capitalism.

The text also calls for a series of “concrete and immediate” actions, including a full, fair and just phase-out of fossil fuels, and a “rapid” transition towards 100% renewable energy.

The Scientific Panel for the energy transition and progress on the Fossil Fuel Treaty

The Scientific Panel for the Global Energy Transition (SPGET) was also established in Santa Marta, another first of its kind. It will be composed of world-renowned scientists and experts in climate, economics and technology, and will guide public policy by proposing concrete actions for the fossil fuel phase-out. Among the coordinators of the initiative is Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and “father” of the planetary boundaries framework.

Another achievement Santa Marta can claim is that France chose the Colombian event to announce its national roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels. The announcement was made by Benoît Faraco, Special Envoy for climate negotiations.

Colombia also marked another point in favour of the Fossil Fuel Treaty initiative, the proposal for a global non-proliferation treaty on fossil fuels. At a meeting chaired by Colombia’s Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres, ten new countries joined the eighteen already officially participating as observers, in order to invite the Conference to formally recognise the need to negotiate a new international legal instrument for the phase-out of fossil fuels.

Government commitments at the Santa Marta Conference

The two host countries, Colombia and the Netherlands, published their final reflections on the outcomes of the Conference. The document outlines a series of key commitments, beginning with the organisation of the aforementioned second Conference in Tuvalu in 2027. It also speaks of strengthening ties and mutual support among countries committed to advancing the fossil fuel phase-out agenda, while avoiding duplication. A coordination group will oversee the process leading to the next Conferences, seeking maximum complementarity with efforts undertaken under the UNFCCC.

Three working groups will be launched. The first will be tasked with developing and coordinating national and regional energy transition roadmaps aligned with NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement), while also addressing the unresolved issue of emissions linked to fossil fuels destined for export.

A second group will support the necessary changes in the financial architecture (investment flows, debt constraints, incentives, subsidies) in support of the transition.

A third will focus on aligning trade policies in order to reduce the role of fossil fuels in global trade.

In the coming months, the official report of the Santa Marta Conference will be published and shared ahead of the preparatory UNFCCC meetings for COP31, due at the end of the year in Turkey. This demonstrates that those who gathered in Colombia are not seeking to oppose the COP process; rather, they are attempting to accelerate it and make it more democratic.

“Today,” declared Irene Vélez Torres, “a new global climate democracy is beginning.”

See, Alla Conferenza di Santa Marta è nata una «nuova democrazia climatica globale»