The government of Colombia has announced it will host the first international conference on phasing out fossil fuels in April 2026, with the aim of providing countries with a global platform for co-operating on a transition away from planet-heating coal, oil and gas. The announcement comes as a major report by climate think-tanks warned on Monday that governments are planning to increase fossil fuel supplies by twice the amount that would be consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2030. Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Irene Vélez said in a statement that the conference will be a “pivotal moment” for Global South countries to lead the charge towards cleaner energy systems. “Together, we will chart a path that prioritises life, equity and sustainability over destruction and inequality. This is our moment, our mandate – to build a future beyond fossil fuels and ensure reparative justice for everyone,” Vélez said. Vanuatu, a small Pacific island nation that led efforts to hold big polluters accountable through an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July, expressed support for the conference. Its climate minister Ralph Regenvanu said the fossil fuel transition is an “existential imperative” for the island, adding that the conference proposed by Colombia would be a “pivotal step” towards forging a common roadmap for how to achieve that goal. At COP28 in Dubai in 2023, governments agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, but have since failed to make progress on this pledge. At COP29 the following year, Saudi Arabia successfully blocked all mentions of fossil fuels. Brazil’s environment minister has suggested talks on a roadmap for a planned energy transition at this year’s COP30, but it is not on the official agenda. In June, Germany’s former climate envoy, Jennifer Morgan – an architect of the landmark Dubai deal – told an event at London Climate Action Week that the COP28 breakthrough is now “at risk” unless delivery on its commitments speeds up. 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The decision to convene the conference was reached by the 17 countries participating in discussions to develop such a treaty, the initiative added. What could a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty look like? Colombia said more details on the conference will be announced after a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of COP30, where countries will issue a joint declaration committing to “a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels”. Coal, oil and gas expansion But as governments struggle to coordinate a fossil fuel phase-out, their energy ministries have kept busy doubling down on the polluting fuels. In Monday’s “production gap” report, experts warned that the planned expansion of coal, oil and gas by 2030 exceeds the levels consistent with the Paris Agreement by more than 120%. According to the report, 11 of the world’s top 20 fossil fuel producers have even boosted their plans to extract coal, oil and gas since the COP28 transition pledge was adopted in 2023. Russia and India, for example, are singled out in the report for heavily expanding plans for new coal by 2030 – with India hitting a record renewables roll-out while also planning the largest increase in coal production by volume (7.3 exajoules). An exajoule is a unit of energy, with the primary energy supply of the US in 2024 at nearly 92 exajoules. Saudi Arabia plans the largest expansion of oil by 2030 when taking into account sheer volume (4.2 exajoules), but the comparatively smaller oil industry of COP30 host nation Brazil is set for a 56% expansion between 2023 and 2030. The report highlighted that “every year that countries fail to make progress in curbing fossil fuel production and use, it becomes harder for the world to achieve its climate goals”. “While many countries have committed to a clean energy transition, many others appear to be stuck using a fossil-fuel-dependent playbook, planning even more production than they were two years ago,” said lead author Derik Broekhoff, climate policy director at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Christiana Figueres, a former head of the UN’s climate body, said the report should serve as a “warning and a guide”, adding that while renewables will crowd out fossil fuels eventually, governments need to take “deliberate action” to close the gap in time to meet the Paris Agreement climate goals. To achieve those, another of the report’s authors, Emily Ghosh of SEI, said that by COP30, governments must “commit to expand renewables, phase out fossil fuels, manage energy demands, and implement community-centered energy transitions”. The post Colombia announces fossil fuel phase-out summit to be held in 2026 appeared first on Climate Home News.

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