Colombia in the crucible of the energy transition: world leading effort to define a just energy transition pathway begins

March 1, 2023 - The Permanent Council for the Just Energy Transition - a new space that articulates organisations, networks and academics of the territorial, national and international order, with the aim of contributing to the immense challenge of building a post-fossil fuel society in Colombia - holds its first public event, Exiting hydrocarbons: economic opportunities and challenges for Colombia.

This forum is the first public event of the Consejo Permanente para la Transición Energética Justa (Permanent Council for the Just Energy Transition), a new effort that draws together organizations, networks and academics from the local, national and international level with the aim of contributing to the immense challenge of building a post fossil fuel society in Colombia.

Since last year’s election of President Gustavo Petro there has been huge public debate about his promise to end new oil, gas, and coal exploration licenses. This debate has often missed key elements of the highly uncertain and risky future structure of the market for fossil fuels, the interests and perspectives of the communities most impacted by extraction, and most markedly: the realities of the climate crisis. 

This first event of the Consejo Permanente will bring together international experts to discuss the current risky economic context of fossil fuels investments which could turn the oil, coal and gas reserves of Colombia and the region into "stranded assets”; the possibilities and limits of just energy transition agreements, as well as the wide range of tools to support phasing out fossil fuels such as the exchange of debt for effective climate action, as proposed today by the Colombian government.

Tatiana Roa, coordinator of the Energy and Climate Justice area of Censat Agua Viva and member of the Permanent Council for a Just Energy Transition, affirmed: "In a context in which the energy debate is monopolized by the extractive sector, it is essential to hear perspectives that demonstrate how a planned exit from oil and gas extraction is the most responsible, not only in environmental but also in economic terms. The Permanent Council for the Just Energy Transition will be a key space for this debate in Colombia; it will provide a diversity of visions and routes that will help build concrete proposals for a just, comprehensive, inclusive and progressive energy transition away from fossil fuels, based on the expertise of civil society."

The Colombian process of implementing a just transition away from fossil fuels has critical relevance globally. Like many countries, despite being highly vulnerable to climate change, Colombia continues to rely heavily on revenues generated by fossil fuel exports, even though its hydrocarbon reserves are minimal in global terms and exploration requires increasing investments to yield diminishing results in terms of embodied reserves.

All this despite constant warnings from the scientific community, from UNEP to the IPCC, that countries' oil, coal and gas production plans are incompatible with the 1.5°C limit. Moreover, the most consistent scenarios for dealing with the climate crisis agree on one crucial fact: demand for fossil fuels will decline. Therefore, it is more than likely that producing countries such as Colombia will soon cease to be competitive in the international market and must make a plan for economic transition and diversification. 

Vicente Paolo B. Yu III, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), sustains: “This first forum of the Permanent Council for a Just Energy Transition and the announcements of President Petro's government are a first step towards a serious national dialogue for such a transition. They can be an example for a similar dialogue at the international level that is based on equity and improved international cooperation. Colombia and other fossil fuel-dependent countries of the global South must be supported by developed countries, historically responsible for the climate crisis and with greater capacity for transition. The full implementation of equity-oriented international cooperation agreements, such as the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement, are another indispensable condition for countries like Colombia to pursue their sustainable development objectives, while implementing the necessary economic and energy diversification policies in the face of the climate emergency and declining demand for fossil fuels.

Media contacts: 

Andrés Gómez, Energy and Climate Justice professional, Censat Agua Viva: +57 319 4067968