Santa Marta Conference Fossil Fuel Phaseout

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) advocates for a managed, financed, and equitable fossil fuel phaseout during the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia. CIEL proposes a binding Fossil Fuel Treaty to fill governance gaps and argues that states have a legal obligation, supported by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to phase out fossil fuels. Key priorities include dismantling Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, ending offshore oil and gas licensing, halting petrochemical expansion, and rejecting carbon capture and geoengineering. The document emphasizes that the transition must be funded by the largest cumulative polluters and grounded in human rights and Indigenous leadership.

• CIEL proposes the creation of a Fossil Fuel Treaty (FFT), defined as a binding legal instrument to manage the international phaseout of fossil fuels and provide a framework for state cooperation on timelines and transition costs, complementing the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement.
• International law, as clarified by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), establishes that states have a legal duty to cooperate in good faith to prevent climate harm, which necessitates the phaseout of fossil fuels, the end of new licensing, and the removal of public subsidies.
• Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) is identified as a structural barrier to the energy transition because it allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments for compensation when climate actions are taken, making phaseout prohibitively expensive.
• A credible transition requires addressing fossil fuel use beyond the energy sector, specifically by halting the expansion of petrochemicals used for ammonia and plastics, and rejecting 'dangerous distractions' such as carbon capture, offsets, and geoengineering.
• The financial burden of a just transition should fall on the largest cumulative polluters, who should provide debt relief, reparations, and loss and damage funding to low-income countries, funded by redirecting fossil fuel subsidies and military spending.

APA

Reisch, N., & Fuhr, L. (2026). Santa Marta Conference Fossil Fuel Phaseout. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/santa-marta-conference-fossil-fuel-phaseout/

Chicago

Reisch, Nikki, and Lili Fuhr. Santa Marta Conference Fossil Fuel Phaseout. Center for International Environmental Law, 2026. https://www.ciel.org/santa-marta-conference-fossil-fuel-phaseout/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Reisch |first1=Nikki |last2=Fuhr |first2=Lili |title=Santa Marta Conference Fossil Fuel Phaseout |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=15 April 2026 |url=https://www.ciel.org/santa-marta-conference-fossil-fuel-phaseout/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{reisch2026santa, author = {Reisch, Nikki and Fuhr, Lili}, title = {{Santa Marta Conference Fossil Fuel Phaseout}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ciel.org/santa-marta-conference-fossil-fuel-phaseout/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }