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The Atlas of Energy Soils of Barrancabermeja identifies solar energy as the most viable renewable resource for the municipality due to high and homogeneous irradiation levels. While the resource is abundant, 62% of the territory is restricted by environmental and regulatory factors, primarily related to the region's complex hydrological network and protected areas. The analysis validates four planned solar farm polygons (Galias 1, 2, 3, and El Tiburón) as being located in unrestricted areas. The document recommends updating the municipal Land Use Plan (POT) to formally integrate energy planning and the identified solar potential.

The study assesses the vulnerability of the Boyacá-Santander region to climate change, projecting temperature increases between 1.3°C and 2.4°C by 2040-2070. It identifies significant risks to surface and groundwater availability, particularly in the northeast, and uses econometric modeling to project negative impacts on agricultural production, municipal value added, and social indicators such as multidimensional poverty and education. The authors recommend diversifying climate finance, improving intersectoral coordination, and implementing specific hydrogeological interventions like artificial aquifer recharge in the Middle Magdalena Valley.

Global Witness reports that Veolia may be causing severe health complications, including congenital malformations, by pumping toxic leachates from a landfill into a protected Colombian wetland. Secret videos and sediment tests showing mercury levels 25 times higher than safe Canadian limits contradict Veolia's claims of environmental compliance. The contamination threatens the drinking water of 300,000 people in Barrancabermeja and impacts the Ciénaga San Silvestre ecosystem. The report also highlights the danger faced by environmental defenders in the region and argues for the strength of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to hold multinationals accountable.

Global Witness reports that Veolia is discharging untreated toxic leachate from a landfill into protected wetlands in Colombia, with sediment analysis showing mercury levels 25 times higher than safety limits. The report links this pollution to congenital malformations in the local population and the degradation of the San Silvestre swamp, which provides drinking water for up to 300,000 people in Barrancabermeja. While Veolia denies causality and claims its internal controls show no mercury, independent experts argue the company's sampling methods were flawed. The document also highlights the extreme danger faced by environmental defenders in the Santander region and argues that the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive is essential for holding such companies accountable.

The report outlines Colombia's energy transition pathways through 2052, evaluating five scenarios: Actualization, Modernization, Inflexion, Innovation, and Energy Transition (TE). It details the shift from coal and hydrocarbons toward non-conventional renewable energy sources (FNCER), including solar, wind, and hydrogen. The analysis covers demand-side efficiency in residential, industrial, and transport sectors, as well as the strategic role of critical minerals like copper and nickel. Economic evaluations using benefit-cost ratios indicate that while residential and tertiary efficiency measures are highly beneficial, industrial transformation requires significant capital investment and state support due to high private costs.

Friends of the Earth International condemns the intimidation of environmental leaders in the Magdalena Medio region of Santander, Colombia, who are protesting an open-pit coal mine operated by the French company Colcco S.A. The organization demands the Colombian government ensure the safety of defenders and follow through on the Ministry of Environment's January 25, 2023, announcement to begin revoking the 30-year mining permit.

Friends of the Earth International is calling on the Colombian government to protect environmental defenders in the Magdalena Medio region of Santander who are facing threats and intimidation from groups like the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC) while protesting an open-cast coal mine operated by the French company Colcco S.A.

Friends of the Earth International expresses solidarity with communities in Santander, Colombia, who are protesting an open-pit coal mine operated by Colcco S.A. The organization condemns threats and intimidation by the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC) against environmental leaders and demands that the Colombian government safeguard these defenders and finalize the revocation of the mining permit.

The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index 2023/24 ranks 177 countries based on 13 indicators across three dimensions: inclusion, justice, and security. The report finds that women's status is more strongly correlated with a nation's peace, democratic health, and climate change preparedness than with its GDP. It highlights extreme global disparities, with Denmark ranking highest and Afghanistan lowest. The report also examines the escalating threat of political violence against women—physical, sexual, and digital—and provides subnational analyses for Colombia and Ethiopia to show how women's status varies within national borders.

The document serves as a toolkit for the press to evaluate the environmental proposals of Colombian presidential candidates. It identifies critical areas of concern—including deforestation, climate change, energy transition, and marine conservation—and provides data-driven contexts and specific lines of inquiry to ensure candidates are held accountable to national and international commitments.

The report details the technical and financial structuring of climate change adaptation plans for three Colombian sectors: Water and Basic Sanitation, Manufacturing Industry, and Housing, City and Territory. It establishes adaptation goals, indicators, and portfolios of measures for each, while providing estimated costs for prioritized actions. The process highlights a strong reliance on existing Disaster Risk Management (DRD) frameworks and a significant need for knowledge management and technical capacity building across all sectors.

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.

The report identifies the current state of Colombia's bond market, which is underdeveloped and dominated by the National Government. It outlines a two-phase road map: Phase I focuses on laying foundations through capacity building, defining green investments, and establishing governance; Phase II focuses on market expansion by diversifying issuers, reducing costs, and mitigating currency risks. The document highlights significant potential in green portfolios across the real sector, cities, and development banks, while noting barriers such as a lack of domestic verifier expertise and a concentrated demand for high-credit-rated securities.

Global Witness reports that Veolia has been secretly filming and testing sediment at a Colombian landfill site, finding mercury levels 25 times above safe limits. The report alleges that untreated leachate is being pumped into wetlands that provide drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people in Barrancabermeja. While Veolia denies causality and claims its internal monitoring shows no mercury, expert analysis suggests the company's testing was insufficient. The report also highlights the danger faced by environmental defenders in the region and argues for the strength of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to hold such companies accountable.

The document analyzes the socio-economic dependence of Barrancabermeja on the oil industry and explores pathways for economic diversification to mitigate the risks of the energy transition. It identifies key opportunities in regenerative agriculture, low-emission hydrogen, and carbon capture, while warning that abrupt reductions in oil production could destabilize the local economy.

Barrancabermeja faces a high structural dependence on the hydrocarbon sector, particularly the Ecopetrol refinery, which creates fiscal and labor risks. While gasoline demand may remain stable until 2035, the document warns of a structural crisis thereafter. It recommends a 'very rapid transition' policy to accelerate economic reconversion into bio-industrial services using oil palm biomass, ecotourism, and the creation of a Free Trade Zone to ensure a just economic transition.

The document outlines a strategy for a just energy transition in Barrancabermeja, Colombia, a city where 70% of the economy is linked to the petroleum industry. It identifies key risks, such as employment loss and environmental preservation, and proposes diversifying the local economy through regenerative agriculture, nature tourism, renewable energy (solar and agrivoltaics), and the production of renewable fuels like green diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The document uses a departmental input-output model to project that Colombia could lose up to 448,000 jobs by 2035 due to decreased coal, oil, and gas production. It highlights a significant disparity in impact: 'Vulnerable' departments (Arauca, Casanare, Cesar, La Guajira, and Meta) face severe production drops (32%-38%) and job losses that cannot be offset by renewable energy projects alone. While 'Large Economies' and 'Limited Affectation' departments also face job losses due to interdepartmental linkages, they possess higher potential for compensation through structural changes in agro-industry and nature tourism. The brief argues that a 'just transition' requires a structural economic shift, specifically proposing the creation of food manufacturing clusters and local-content requirements for renewable energy imports to maximize domestic employment.

The document identifies critical bottlenecks in Colombia's energy transition, specifically in transmission infrastructure and licensing, which cause project delays of three to six years. It argues that while capital is available, there is a shortage of bankable, large-scale projects. To bridge a projected annual investment gap of 27.7 billion COP (approximately 7.5 billion USD) in clean energy for 2026-2030, the report recommends utilizing blended finance, asset securitization, and a dedicated economic transition fund to support regions dependent on fossil fuels, where 448,000 jobs are at risk by 2035.