From April 24-29, 2026, people from across the globe will converge in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the First Conference on Transitioning away from Fossil Fuels. The conference is the first in 31 years of international climate negotiations dedicated specifically to transitioning away from fossil fuels, a focus that departs from the more limited scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This convergence is a notable step forward. During the six-day event, at least 50 states will be involved, guided by co-hosts Colombia and the Netherlands. The conference follows the successful Peoples’ Summit in Belém, Brazil, a gathering last November in which social movements, labor unions and frontline workers, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous Peoples achieved broad alignment on just transition demands. The grassroots movement power-building generated during the summit continues to exert positive pressure, as a significant number of countries are finally signaling a willingness to address the elephant in the room: fossil fuels.
Even still, we ask: will the conversations and priorities that emerge from the Santa Marta meeting align with a just transition that responds to the urgency of this moment?
Indeed, this current juncture—characterized by multiple, overlapping crises of economic instability, militarism, and climate breakdown—must be approached with urgency, while ensuring no additional relational harm and striving to repair previous damages. The destructive use of fossil fuels as a weapon against people’s right to access reliable energy, which has spurred growing support for energy sovereignty, has made clear that a just transition is a matter of life and death. Social movements will not allow this historic gathering to serve as an opportunity for countries failing to meet basic Paris Agreement expectations to claim that they are climate champions just for showing up at the conference.
The conference in Santa Marta comes amidst mounting wars and occupations that have been openly driven by extractivist pursuits to control land and oil, dynamics that have profoundly impacted the region. Click/Tap here to read more.
In a world first, Colombia and the Netherlands are co-hosting a global conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, on April 24–29.
Building on the momentum from COP30, this historic conference brings together committed countries, subnational governments and other stakeholders that recognize the need to implement a transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly, and equitable manner – in line with climate goals and the best available science by scaling up climate solutions (which contribute to economical growth, jobs, security and prosperity).
As the conference’s Official Global Media Partner, We Don’t Have Time, together with partners, aims to amplify key moment and voices from the conference to build momentum behind the implementation of a global transition away from fossil fuels.
Support the conference’s goal of phasing out fossil fuels through We Don’t Have Time’s campaign platform #MakeScienceGreatAgain.
Check out the official agenda of the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels.
