El ocaso del carbón y la necesidad de una transición justa en Colombia

The report analyzes the structural decline of Colombia's coal industry, highlighted by the 2020 crisis and the exit of companies like Prodeco. It emphasizes the extreme economic dependence of the Cesar and La Guajira regions on coal and warns that national and local actors are in a state of 'denial' regarding the sector's sunset. The authors propose a just transition based on seven principles, including active decarbonization, regional economic diversification, labor protections, and responsible mine closure regulations.

• The coal mining sector in Colombia has entered a stage of structural decline, which was accelerated by the 2020 pandemic. While international prices rebounded in 2021, this is considered a temporary trend and does not reverse the long-term decline.
• The departments of Cesar and La Guajira are critically dependent on large-scale coal mining, with the activity representing over 40% of the GDP for both regions. This dependence creates high fiscal vulnerability, as a significant portion of their budgets comes from mining royalties.
• Despite the economic contributions of the coal sector, the producing regions exhibit low development indicators. In Cesar, 51.7% of the population lives below the poverty line, and in La Guajira, 61.8% live below the poverty line.
• There is a widespread 'state of denial' among Colombian national and local authorities regarding the coal sector's decline. Government roadmaps continue to focus on increasing competitiveness and seeking new markets rather than planning for a post-coal economy.
• The case of Prodeco (a Glencore subsidiary) returning its mining titles in Cesar in 2021 illustrates the lack of legal and policy frameworks in Colombia to handle early mine closures, worker compensation, and the management of environmental liabilities.
• Mining royalties in Cesar and La Guajira have been underutilized or mismanaged. Between 2013 and 2020, only approximately 24% of the royalty budget was executed for producing municipalities in Cesar, with spending prioritized toward transport and recreation over health and education.
• A just transition in Colombia requires shifting from an extractivist model to a diversified economy. The report warns against a 'race to the bottom' where lower environmental and social standards are accepted to attract new investors to abandoned mining titles.
• The report recommends urgent national regulation for mine closures to ensure the 'polluter pays' principle is upheld and that costs for environmental remediation are not transferred from private companies to the public sector.

APA

Parra, P. Y., Arond, E., Strambo, C., & Araújo, J. V. (2021). El ocaso del carbón y la necesidad de una transición justa en Colombia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21121-ortiz-arond-reporte-transiciones-justas-la-guajira-y-cesar.pdf

Chicago

Parra, Paola Yanguas, Elisa Arond, Claudia Strambo, and José Vega Araújo. El ocaso del carbón y la necesidad de una transición justa en Colombia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21121-ortiz-arond-reporte-transiciones-justas-la-guajira-y-cesar.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parra |first1=Paola Yanguas |last2=Arond |first2=Elisa |last3=Strambo |first3=Claudia |last4=Araújo |first4=José Vega |title=El ocaso del carbón y la necesidad de una transición justa en Colombia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=December 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21121-ortiz-arond-reporte-transiciones-justas-la-guajira-y-cesar.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parra2021ocaso, author = {Parra, Paola Yanguas and Arond, Elisa and Strambo, Claudia and Araújo, José Vega}, title = {{El ocaso del carbón y la necesidad de una transición justa en Colombia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21121-ortiz-arond-reporte-transiciones-justas-la-guajira-y-cesar.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }