July 2026 newsletter
First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels
Further to the UNCCC COP30 climate talks last year, where there was disagreement on whether the transition away from fossil fuels should be discussed, a group of countries decided separately to organise the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. The event was co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands in April 2026 and held in Santa Marta, Colombia. In attendance were 57 countries, representing a fifth of global oil production and a third of energy consumption.
Haldane participated in the private sector dialogue, which identified actions across the three conference priority areas: reducing economic dependence on fossil fuels, transforming energy supply and demand, and strengthening international cooperation. Key barriers include fossil fuel subsidies, high capital costs for green projects, weak regulation, fragmented global rules, and limited support for fossil fuel-dependent communities.
Recommended actions include national fossil fuel phase-out roadmaps, subsidy reform with protections for vulnerable groups, expanded blended finance and debt relief, stronger carbon pricing, mandatory corporate transition plans, and international frameworks to coordinate a just, orderly, and equitable energy transition. Outcomes and follow-up processes remain unclear at this stage as the conference is not formally attached to the UNFCCC process but rather serves as a complementary “coalition of the willing” to accelerate action outside traditional negotiations.
There were no specific talks on aviation during the conference itself, but it is inevitable that the discussion on transitioning away from fossil fuels will turn to other sectors, including aviation, shipping and other hard-to-abate industries. The next conference will be held in Tuvalu in 2027, co-hosted by Ireland.
For more information, please see:
- ATAG’s internal aviation industry report on the conference (not for circulation).
- The ATAG blog post: When you aren’t facing the challenge right in front of you, are you blind to the solutions?