How Colombia can plan for a future without coal

The document assesses Colombia's vulnerability as the world's fourth largest thermal coal exporter facing declining global demand. It highlights significant risks to regional GDP and employment in the Cesar and La Guajira departments, where coal is a dominant economic driver. The brief notes a lack of domestic planning for post-coal scenarios and evaluates alternatives such as agriculture and tourism, while recommending coordinated long-term planning involving national institutions like the DNP and UPME to ensure a just transition.

• Colombia is highly dependent on coal exports, ranking as the world's fourth largest thermal coal exporter, with over 90% of its production exported in 2017 and coal accounting for approximately one-fifth of its international trade income.
• A decline in coal production would severely impact the Cesar and La Guajira departments, which produce and export over 90% of Colombian coal. In 2016, the industry contributed 38% of Cesar's regional GDP and 44% of La Guajira's regional GDP.
• The transition away from coal poses significant employment risks, as large-scale operations in Cesar and La Guajira support roughly 30,000 direct jobs, while small and medium mines support another 100,000 across Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Norte de Santander, Santander, and Antioquia.
• There is a critical absence of public debate and formal planning for a post-coal economy in Colombia; current national, departmental, and municipal policy documents do not consider the impacts of global coal demand decline or mine closures.
• Agriculture and livestock are viewed as primary economic alternatives, but they face structural barriers including lack of infrastructure, land use conflicts, and lower salaries compared to mining, which are typically at least double agricultural wages.
• Tourism is a potential substitute but is currently underdeveloped in coal-producing areas; Cesar and La Guajira combined represent only 3% of Colombia's registered tourism employment and available beds.
• Environmental risks associated with mine closure include long-term pollution of surface and ground water, compounded by a legal framework where mining companies are only liable for environmental damage for three years after closure.

APA

Strambo, C., & Atteridge, A. (2018). How Colombia can plan for a future without coal. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/how-colombia-can-plan-for-a-future-without-coal.pdf

Chicago

Strambo, Claudia, and Aaron Atteridge. How Colombia can plan for a future without coal. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2018. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/how-colombia-can-plan-for-a-future-without-coal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Strambo |first1=Claudia |last2=Atteridge |first2=Aaron |title=How Colombia can plan for a future without coal |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=July 2018 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/how-colombia-can-plan-for-a-future-without-coal.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{strambo2018how, author = {Strambo, Claudia and Atteridge, Aaron}, title = {{How Colombia can plan for a future without coal}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/how-colombia-can-plan-for-a-future-without-coal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }