From Santa Marta to the U.S.: Why a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout Must Center Latino Communities Everywhere

GreenLatinos advocates for a just transition away from fossil fuels that integrates the needs of Latino communities in the U.S. and Latin America. The organization emphasizes that U.S. demand for oil and gas drives extraction and instability in Latin America, while U.S.-based Latino neighborhoods suffer from the proximity of refineries and industrial facilities. Through its Latino Climate Justice Framework, GreenLatinos seeks to build cross-border solidarity, apply international resistance strategies to U.S. energy justice fights, and ensure frontline Latino leadership in global climate solutions.

• The author asserts that a transition away from fossil fuels is not 'just' if it ignores community voices, leaves workers behind, or maintains extractive practices under new names.
• Latino communities in the U.S. face direct health and economic impacts from fossil fuel infrastructure, such as refineries and highways, which are frequently located near their neighborhoods, leading to asthma, extreme heat, and higher energy costs.
• There is a systemic link between U.S. energy consumption and instability in Latin America, as U.S. demand for oil and gas fuels extraction that causes environmental damage and displacement in the region.
• GreenLatinos is implementing a strategy to connect U.S. and international efforts by building cross-border solidarity, applying global resistance strategies to domestic infrastructure and air quality fights, and elevating Latino leadership in global climate spaces.

APA

Burga, I. (2026). From Santa Marta to the U.S.: Why a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout Must Center Latino Communities Everywhere. GreenLatinos. https://www.greenlatinos.org/from-santa-marta-to-the-u-s-why-a-just-fossil-fuel-phaseout-must-center-latino-communities-everywhere/

Chicago

Burga, Irene. From Santa Marta to the U.S.: Why a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout Must Center Latino Communities Everywhere. GreenLatinos, 2026. https://www.greenlatinos.org/from-santa-marta-to-the-u-s-why-a-just-fossil-fuel-phaseout-must-center-latino-communities-everywhere/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Burga |first1=Irene |title=From Santa Marta to the U.S.: Why a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout Must Center Latino Communities Everywhere |publisher=GreenLatinos |date=27 April 2026 |url=https://www.greenlatinos.org/from-santa-marta-to-the-u-s-why-a-just-fossil-fuel-phaseout-must-center-latino-communities-everywhere/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{burga2026from, author = {Burga, Irene}, title = {{From Santa Marta to the U.S.: Why a Just Fossil Fuel Phaseout Must Center Latino Communities Everywhere}}, publisher = {GreenLatinos}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greenlatinos.org/from-santa-marta-to-the-u-s-why-a-just-fossil-fuel-phaseout-must-center-latino-communities-everywhere/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }