Santa Marta Summit: 53-Nation Coalition Calls for Legally Binding Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Instrument

High-level government talks at the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels opened on April 28 in Santa Marta, Colombia, with 56 countries and over 2,600 civil-society organizations in attendance — representing roughly one-fifth of global fossil-fuel production and one-third of global consumption. A 53-country 'highest ambition coalition' formally called for a new binding international legal instrument with supply-side obligations, moratoriums on new fossil fuel extraction, equitable phase-out timelines, and transition finance mechanisms. Dutch Minister Stientje van Veldhoven framed the transition as 'both a climate and economic issue.' Spanish Minister Sara Aagesen described fossil fuels as a 'fossil fuel war' linking climate action to energy security. EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra called the energy crisis 'a reality check.' Over 340 civil-society organizations released a joint declaration citing more than US$87 billion in fossil-fuel and mining ISDS compensation paid since 1998. Vanuatu's Ralph Regenvanu cited the International Court of Justice's 2025 advisory opinion that fossil-fuel activities may constitute wrongful acts under international law. The US, Russia, China, India, and Saudi Arabia were notably absent.