First International Conference on Phasing Out Fossil Fuels: The World is Moving Forward, but Canada is Lagging Behind

By Elisabeth Fournier, Dialogues pour le climat and International Engagement Coordinator, The Climate Reality Project Canada

Amid geopolitical tensions, volatile energy prices, and the climate emergency, the global energy system is at a tipping point. From April 24 to 29, the conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, will bring together nearly 50 countries, including several producers such as Canada, with the goal of moving from commitments to concrete actions to phase out fossil fuels.

The first International Conference on Phasing Out Fossil Fuels will take place in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24–29.

A consensus under pressure, action still limited

For several years now, the international community has been converging toward a shared recognition of the need to phase out fossil fuels, particularly within the framework of the well-known Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). A first step was taken at COP26 in 2023, with the adoption of commitments to reduce coal use and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. This momentum continued at COP28, where countries reached a historic agreement on the need to transition away from all fossil fuels, based on scientific evidence.

However, significant gaps remain.

Despite these advances, progress remains fragile and uneven, and the concrete implementation of this transition remains limited. At recent COPs, negotiations have struggled to produce a clear and operational roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, highlighting the political and economic complexity of this issue.

In this context, new forms of cooperation are emerging. Some countries are choosing to move forward together, in a more targeted way, within “coalitions of the willing,” in order to advance issues where global consensus remains difficult to achieve.

The president of COP30 in Brazil last November, André Corrêa do Lago, indicated that the results of the Santa Marta conference should contribute to the development of a global roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, expected at COP31 in Turkey this November, paving the way for a phase more focused on implementation.

Moving from commitments to implementation

The Santa Marta conference is precisely in line with this desire to move to a more concrete phase. It extends the multilateral processes of the COPs, while integrating into a broader ecosystem of international initiatives, such as the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) – co-chaired by Quebec – and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (NFPT), among others, which contribute to advancing the transition.

The objective is no longer to add new promises, but to identify concrete and applicable solutions. The process is based on written contributions submitted by countries, subnational governments, and civil society organizations, as well as a series of dialogues with these stakeholders. It will culminate in a two-day high-level session, accompanied by a final conference document and a synthesis report from the co-organizers, Colombia and the Netherlands.

Discussions will focus on three main areas: reducing economic dependence on fossil fuels, transforming energy systems on both the supply and demand sides, and strengthening international cooperation.

In other words, the challenge now is to translate commitments into concrete actions.

An unstable global context, a transition already underway

The conference is taking place against a backdrop of significant geopolitical and economic tensions. The war in Iran, by disrupting major supply routes and driving up energy prices, serves as a stark reminder of how dependence on fossil fuels exposes economies to rapid and costly shocks.

In this context, calls to increase fossil fuel production are resurfacing, often in the name of energy security or the cost of living. Yet, this response is increasingly being questioned. Countries less dependent on fossil fuels are generally better protected against market volatility. In the medium and long term, analyses by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency also show that the transition to clean energy can reduce the costs associated with energy shocks and climate impacts.

This transition is already underway. Investments in renewable energy are increasing, technologies are evolving, and public policies are gradually adapting worldwide. The Santa Marta conference aims precisely to better structure this transition by aligning policies, financing, and international cooperation, while paying close attention to particularly for the workers and communities concerned.

Growing mobilization, a Canada swimming against the tide

The Santa Marta conference is not taking place in isolation. It is part of a growing mobilization of civil society, including in Canada, where more than 120 organizations have recently called on the federal government to play an active and credible role in this process. Quebec will also be present, notably through its envoy on climate change, Jean Lemire.

This presence matters. It helps maintain essential pressure on the issues of justice, equity, and responsibility, often relegated to the back burner in energy decisions.

But for Canada, the context is more concerning. Despite ambitious climate commitments on the international stage, recent policies and signals point toward an expansion of fossil fuels. This discrepancy raises questions about the coherence of Canadian climate action, at a time when other economies are accelerating their transition.

In this context, participation in Santa Marta cannot be separated from these tensions. It highlights a choice of trajectory: to fully embrace a transition already underway globally, or to continue to distance oneself from it.

Structuring the next steps

The Santa Marta conference is only a first step. With its concentrated format and tight schedule, its primary aim is to launch a dynamic and structure the next steps. Other meetings are already planned, including a follow-up conference in Tuvalu in 2027.

Its impact will depend on the ability of stakeholders to extend these exchanges, translate discussions into concrete actions, and integrate them with existing initiatives. A central question is at stake in this shift: not whether this transformation will occur, but how quickly and under what conditions.