Victory for Climate Reality! Colombia exits from 57-nation ‘Coalition of the Willing’ alternative to UN climate process – Election brings in new ‘Trump-supported’ gov’t that declares climate meetings an ‘absolute waste of time & money’
https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/f688682e-97c6-495b-931e-bb2181011340
Via We Don’t Have Time
Excerpt:
Colombia helped form a 57-nation-strong “Coalition of the Willing” determined to accelerate the global transition away from fossil fuels. Now, in a striking reversal, the country that became a figurehead for the movement is the first to walk away.
Setback after setback is currently weakening climate policies globally. After 45 climate policy reversals over a 12-month period, a 46th can now be added to the list. Colombia — co-host of the successful First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels — has made a dramatic turn in the opposite direction.
The shift follows the election of right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on August 7. His Trump-supported government has pledged to revive oil and gas exploration and pursue what he calls “responsible and sustainable fracking”, reversing the previous government’s decision to stop awarding new hydrocarbon exploration contracts.
“We cannot resign ourselves to having proven oil reserves that will last only a few more years, nor can we accept the decline of our gas reserves,” he said, according to JP, and added that his government will work to strengthen state-run oil company Ecopetrol.
The reversal comes just months after Colombia and the Netherlands brought representatives from 57 countries, among those many oil and coal exporters, to the Caribbean city of Santa Marta for the first multilateral conference dedicated specifically to transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Unlike the annual UN climate negotiations, Santa Marta was designed as an implementation-focused forum outside the traditional UN climate architecture. Rather than negotiating another consensus document, participants focused on concrete action countries can take here and now to reduce their dependence on coal, oil and gas —and how to tackle the economic, financial and political obstacles standing in the way.
The meeting produced a series of concrete outcomes, including a new scientific panel to help countries develop 1.5°C-aligned transition roadmaps, three technical workstreams and plans for a second conference in 2027. The conference was hailed as a success by many participating nations, scientists, local governments and global companies, not least because only countries determined to step up their efforts to phase out fossil fuels was invited.
…
The incoming environment minister, Fabio Arjona, has described the Santa Marta conference as an “absolute waste of time and money”.
Excerpt: It is another troubling example of a wider trend: the climate crisis is getting worse, while governments are retreating from the very policies and commitments created to address it.
The shift follows the election of right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on August 7. His Trump-supported government has pledged to revive oil and gas exploration and pursue what he calls “responsible and sustainable fracking”, reversing the previous government’s decision to stop awarding new hydrocarbon exploration contracts.
“We cannot resign ourselves to having proven oil reserves that will last only a few more years, nor can we accept the decline of our gas reserves,” he said, according to JP, and added that his government will work to strengthen state-run oil company Ecopetrol.