Acelerando la eliminación gradual de la minería de carbón en Colombia con enfoque de transición justa

The document analyzes the risks associated with Colombia's dependence on thermal coal exports amidst declining global demand and proposes a transition strategy based on economic diversification and social equity. It highlights the severe poverty and environmental degradation in the Cesar and La Guajira regions, where coal mining contributes significantly to regional GDP but provides limited local employment. The brief recommends shifting from carbon-intensive industrialization to low-carbon asset diversification, implementing active labor policies, and establishing mechanisms to quantify and repair socio-environmental liabilities. It critiques current government strategies, such as 'neutral coal,' for extending the life of a declining sector rather than accelerating decarbonization.

• Colombia is the world's fifth-largest coal exporter, making its national and regional economies highly vulnerable to international market shocks and declining global demand, which was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In the primary coal-producing regions of Cesar and La Guajira, coal mining represents approximately 36% and 42% of regional GDP respectively (as of 2019), yet it employs a very small fraction of the local workforce: 0.9% in Cesar and 1.8% in La Guajira.
• Despite the economic contributions of coal, Cesar and La Guajira suffer from high levels of monetary and multidimensional poverty, with La Guajira showing a multidimensional poverty incidence of 48.9% and monetary poverty of 52.8% in 2019.
• Large-scale coal mining has caused severe socio-environmental damage, including the diversion of two main streams by the Cerrejón operation and the depletion of 17 streams due to a dam on the Ranchería River, exacerbating water scarcity in La Guajira.
• The document argues that Colombia should move away from traditional diversification (which often remains carbon-intensive) toward a 'low-carbon asset diversification' strategy that focuses on natural assets, human capital, and knowledge to increase economic complexity.
• Current government initiatives, such as the National Mining Agency's (ANM) 'neutral coal' strategy, are criticized for attempting to extend the life of the coal sector through offsets rather than setting a clear end date for extraction.
• A just transition requires the use of innovative valuation methodologies to quantify socio-environmental liabilities throughout the coal life cycle to establish a baseline for reparations and compensation.
• To avoid sudden drops in living standards, the transition should combine short-term passive labor policies (early retirement, compensation) with long-term active policies (education, SME subsidies, and professional retraining).
• The document suggests that financial support for traditional operators to prevent collapse should be strictly conditioned on quantifiable greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and significant reparations for affected communities.

APA

Barcha, J. U., Walker, F. B., Limas, A. P., Puerto, L., Sanmiguel, V., & Restrepo, G. P. (2021). Acelerando la eliminación gradual de la minería de carbón en Colombia con enfoque de transición justa. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-2-1-Transicion-justa.pdf

Chicago

Barcha, Juan Uribe, Felipe Bonilla Walker, Andrea Perez Limas, Lina Puerto, Valentina Sanmiguel, and Giovanni Pabón Restrepo. Acelerando la eliminación gradual de la minería de carbón en Colombia con enfoque de transición justa. Transforma, 2021. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-2-1-Transicion-justa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barcha |first1=Juan Uribe |last2=Walker |first2=Felipe Bonilla |last3=Limas |first3=Andrea Perez |last4=Puerto |first4=Lina |last5=Sanmiguel |first5=Valentina |last6=Restrepo |first6=Giovanni Pabón |title=Acelerando la eliminación gradual de la minería de carbón en Colombia con enfoque de transición justa |publisher=Transforma |date=2021 |url=https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-2-1-Transicion-justa.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barcha2021acelerando, author = {Barcha, Juan Uribe and Walker, Felipe Bonilla and Limas, Andrea Perez and Puerto, Lina and Sanmiguel, Valentina and Restrepo, Giovanni Pabón}, title = {{Acelerando la eliminación gradual de la minería de carbón en Colombia con enfoque de transición justa}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2021}, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-2-1-Transicion-justa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }