ENERGÉTICA TRANSICIÓN JUSTA Policy Brief

The document argues that Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) face a 'triple challenge' in transitioning to clean energy without compromising biodiversity or increasing poverty. While the region's electricity matrix is 69% renewable, its total energy consumption remains 74% dependent on fossil fuels. The brief highlights structural barriers, including high fiscal dependence on oil and gas exports and the risk of 'green extractivism' regarding critical minerals. It proposes a socio-ecological transition focused on community-led energy models, regional electrical integration, and a shift toward regenerative economies. The authors provide several regional case studies of community solar projects and offer policy recommendations for COP30, including the need for non-reimbursable climate finance and the elimination of fossil fuels without relying on 'false solutions' like fossil gas.

• Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) faces a 'triple challenge' to achieve an energy transition that simultaneously avoids compromising biodiversity and closes poverty gaps.
• There is a significant disparity between the region's electricity matrix and its total energy consumption; while 69% of electricity is from renewable sources, over 74% of total energy consumption in 2023 came from fossil fuels.
• Many LAC countries have a high fiscal dependence on fossil fuels, which complicates decarbonization. For example, oil and gas exploration and production represent 12% of government fiscal revenues in Trinidad and Tobago, 9.8% in Ecuador, 9.7% in Guyana, 3.8% in Bolivia, and 2.7% in Colombia.
• The region's export economy is heavily tied to fossil fuels; in 2022, oil accounted for 27% of Ecuador's exports and 60% of Venezuela's, while oil and coal combined for 55% of Colombia's exports.
• The expansion of renewable energy and critical mineral extraction risks creating 'green extractivism' if it lacks human rights frameworks, social and environmental safeguards, and prior consultation.
• A just labor policy for the energy transition could potentially generate up to 15 million net jobs in the region by 2030 through productive reconversion in renewable energy, agroecology, and electric mobility.
• Community-led energy projects across the region demonstrate the viability of a 'bottom-up' transition, including solar systems in Cuetzalan (Mexico), Jabaeté (Brazil), Pichidegua and Las Cabras (Chile), Palma Alta (Colombia), Alto Mishagua (Peru), and the Ecuadorian Amazon.

APA

Gómez, C. B., Gallego, D. Q., Vargas, P. E., Carbajal, A. L., Rivadeneira, M. I., & Sánchez, J. (2024). ENERGÉTICA TRANSICIÓN JUSTA Policy Brief. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Policy-Brief_Transicion-Energetica-Justa_Transforma_WWF.pdf

Chicago

Gómez, Carlos Beltrán, Daniela Quintero Gallego, Pamela Escobar Vargas, Alejandra López Carbajal, María Inés Rivadeneira, and Jonathan Sánchez. ENERGÉTICA TRANSICIÓN JUSTA Policy Brief. Transforma, 2024. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Policy-Brief_Transicion-Energetica-Justa_Transforma_WWF.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gómez |first1=Carlos Beltrán |last2=Gallego |first2=Daniela Quintero |last3=Vargas |first3=Pamela Escobar |last4=Carbajal |first4=Alejandra López |last5=Rivadeneira |first5=María Inés |last6=Sánchez |first6=Jonathan |title=ENERGÉTICA TRANSICIÓN JUSTA Policy Brief |publisher=Transforma |date=2024 |url=https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Policy-Brief_Transicion-Energetica-Justa_Transforma_WWF.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gmez2024energtica, author = {Gómez, Carlos Beltrán and Gallego, Daniela Quintero and Vargas, Pamela Escobar and Carbajal, Alejandra López and Rivadeneira, María Inés and Sánchez, Jonathan}, title = {{ENERGÉTICA TRANSICIÓN JUSTA Policy Brief}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2024}, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Policy-Brief_Transicion-Energetica-Justa_Transforma_WWF.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }