ENERGÉTICA TRANSICIÓN JUSTA Policy Brief

This policy brief, produced by Transforma and WWF, analyzes the challenges and opportunities for a Just Energy Transition (JET) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It argues that the region must move beyond simple decarbonization toward a socio-ecological transition that addresses structural inequalities, fiscal dependence on fossil fuels, and the protection of biodiversity and human rights, particularly in the context of the upcoming COP30 in Brazil.

• Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) faces a 'triple challenge' in its energy transition: the need to move toward cleaner energy systems to meet Paris Agreement goals without compromising biodiversity or deepening existing poverty and social inequalities.
• There is a significant discrepancy between LAC's electricity matrix and its total energy consumption. While 69% of electricity is generated from renewable sources, over 74% of the region's 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 account for 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 is at risk of 'green extractivism,' where the expansion of renewable energy and the extraction of critical minerals (such as lithium in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile) may reproduce extractivist logics if implemented without human rights safeguards and prior consultation.
• Energy access gaps persist despite high overall electricity coverage (97% in 2024), with over 17 million people still lacking access, primarily in rural and marginalized areas.
• 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 sectors like renewable energy, agroecology, and electric mobility.
• The document highlights several successful community-led energy projects: photovoltaic systems in Cuetzalan (Mexico) and Jabaeté (Brazil); community plants in Pichidegua and Las Cabras (Chile); solar irrigation in Palma Alta (Colombia); solar power in Alto Mishagua (Peru); and solar boats in 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} }