Carbón y transiciones justas en el Caribe colombiano

The document analyzes the socio-economic and political challenges of transitioning away from thermal coal in the Colombian Caribbean. It highlights the tension between national economic reliance on coal exports and the local need for socio-ecological transformation. The paper identifies significant barriers, including high regional fiscal dependence on royalties, environmental liabilities from unplanned mine closures, and a centralized power structure that often excludes local communities from decision-making. Using the case of La Jagua de Ibirico, it illustrates the crisis triggered by abrupt mining suspensions, emphasizing the urgency of planned closures and economic diversification to avoid systemic collapse in coal-dependent municipalities.

• Colombia is a leading global exporter of thermal coal, with production heavily concentrated in the departments of La Guajira and Cesar, creating unique regional vulnerabilities as the global energy transition progresses.
• There is a stark contrast in how the energy transition is experienced in La Guajira versus Cesar; while La Guajira still sees active large-scale mining and potential shifts to other minerals like copper, Cesar has already faced mass layoffs and economic deceleration due to mining suspensions.
• Regional fiscal dependence on coal is significantly higher than at the national level, with coal accounting for approximately 43% of total revenues in Cesar and 61% in La Guajira during 201920.
• Environmental regulations for mine closures in Colombia are fragmented and insufficient, with post-closure guarantees lasting only three years despite the potential for 'perpetual' environmental impacts.
• The case of La Jagua de Ibirico in Cesar demonstrates the severe social and economic crisis caused by unplanned mine closures, where the municipality's economy depends on coal by 80-90%.
• A centralized power structure in Bogotá, involving the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the National Mining Agency, often overrides subnational decisions and excludes local communities and ethnic groups from the planning process.
• Civil society organizations advocate for a 'socio-ecological transformation' that goes beyond replacing fossil fuels with renewables to include a fundamental change in the corporate economic-political model and the repair of environmental and community damages.

APA

Vega-Araújo, J., Niño, J. P., Arond, E., & Patzy, F. (2024). Carbón y transiciones justas en el Caribe colombiano. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/sei2024.021-carbon-transiciones-justas-caribe-colombiano.pdf

Chicago

Vega-Araújo, José, Juliana Peña Niño, Elisa Arond, and Fernando Patzy. Carbón y transiciones justas en el Caribe colombiano. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2024. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/sei2024.021-carbon-transiciones-justas-caribe-colombiano.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vega-Araújo |first1=José |last2=Niño |first2=Juliana Peña |last3=Arond |first3=Elisa |last4=Patzy |first4=Fernando |title=Carbón y transiciones justas en el Caribe colombiano |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=January 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/sei2024.021-carbon-transiciones-justas-caribe-colombiano.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vegaarajo2024carbn, author = {Vega-Araújo, José and Niño, Juliana Peña and Arond, Elisa and Patzy, Fernando}, title = {{Carbón y transiciones justas en el Caribe colombiano}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/sei2024.021-carbon-transiciones-justas-caribe-colombiano.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }