Before an international climate conference in Colombia focused on phasing out fossil fuels, State Secretary of the Environment Jochen Flasbarth (SPD) described the current situation as a positive development. Speaking on Monday, he noted the significance of the gathering in Santa Marta, stating, “For the first time, a coalition of implementers for the energy transition has come together here. The sheer size of this pioneering coalition is an encouraging sign”. Flasbarth added that a “relevant portion of the global community is ready to address the root causes of the current fossil fuel crisis”.
Speaking in favor of boosting alternatives to coal, oil, and gas, Flasbarth highlighted several crucial areas. “Fortunately, there are good countermeasures to fossil fuel dependence: the expansion of renewable energies, investments in grids and storage, and the electrification of mobility and heating” he explained. He affirmed that these efforts are being advanced both nationally and internationally.
The SPD politician also emphasized the necessity of robust global climate diplomacy. “Ultimately, both are needed: conferences for pioneering alliances, such as in Santa Marta, and conferences that prepare for global consensus, such as the Petersberg Climate Dialogue” Flasbarth asserted. He added that achieving globally binding decisions at major world climate conferences requires both strong practical examples and skilled diplomacy among diverse stakeholders to reach unanimous outcomes.
More than 60 governments are scheduled to attend the conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, on April 28th and 29th, invited by Colombia and the Netherlands. The potential findings from this meeting are expected to feed into an international roadmap on phasing out fossil fuels, a plan announced by the presidency of COP30 in Brazil. This roadmap is slated for release before COP31 in Antalya in November 2026.
The conference’s focus on ending fossil fuels is part of a central goal agreed upon by all Paris Agreement signatory nations during COP28 in Dubai in 2023. Prior to this, the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands had committed to shaping the international meeting on fossil fuel phase-out.
Adding to the national commitment, Germany has enshrined a legal commitment in its federal climate protection act to achieve climate neutrality by 2045. According to the Federal Environment Ministry, this goal mandates a near-total phase-out of fossil fuels by the late 2030s.
