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Representative of the Arhuaco people – one of the four Indigenous peoples of the Santa Marta region – at the March for the End of Fossil Fuels, which was part of the program of the First Conference on Transition Away from Fossil Fuels

"A new climate democracy is emerging, and this new democracy has great women at the forefront," said Irene Vélez, Colombia's Minister of Environment, at the press conference that closed an unprecedented and historic gathering of countries that declare themselves ready and willing for a real transition of humanity's energy matrix on planet Earth.

I am talking about theÌý, an ambitious summit held in late April in a very special part of Latin America: between the mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the salty waters of the Colombian Caribbean, in the charming and ancient city of Santa Marta, 57 nations committed to what could become a new and important international forum for climate decision-making.

Hosted, in this first edition, by the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands, theÌýFirst International Conference on Transition Away from Fossil Fuels created a "safe space" – as Stientje van Veldhoven, the Dutch minister who coordinated the Conference alongside Irene Vélez, the Colombian minister, put it – to address a complicated issue: oil and the climate crisis.

The novelty is that, in Santa Marta, the energy transition was no longer questioned: we finally moved from "should we transition or not?" to "how do we transition?". After all, oil and its derivatives account for about 80% of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere – which explains the urgency of changing the way we use them.

If, on the one hand, new technologies promise – and sometimes confuse – possibilities for a habitable planet for humans, on the other hand, the unimaginable profitability and power of the oil industry puts us at the mercy of a megalomaniacal and suicidal impulse about which I still cannot write.

Although major emitting nations such as the United States and China were not present in Santa Marta, we can say that the Conference was indeed relevant: together, the countries present represent 1/3 of global fossil fuel consumption and 1/5 of production – in other words, they form a considerably important bloc within the fossil production chain.

On every day of the event, I was close to Indigenous peoples and community representatives from territories fighting for their lives. In the end, I left Santa Marta excited and inspired: the mix of peoples in a scenario of converging thoughts planted hope in me. If this new democracy is indeed real and has great women at the forefront, it will be up to us to think, articulate, enable, and implement the blessed transition in a real, fair, and equitable way – as much as possible.

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Are we talking about a new COP?

Although theÌýFirst International Conference on Transition Away from Fossil Fuels does not position itself as a space that rivals the COPs (UNFCCC or United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), there is much similarity in their purposes.

In Santa Marta, I understood that the Conference formally came to "complement and accelerate decisions made at the COPs" – but, informally, it provokes this very space to move forward with some decisions: after all, of the thirty COPs we have had in the world, only one mentioned fossil fuels in its final document.

For me, who was present only at COP30 in Brazil, the similarities did not stop there: whether in Santa Marta or in Belém, I noticed a range of sectors – Indigenous peoples, youth, women, children, Afro-descendants, unions, social movements, NGOs, scientists, and parliamentarians – coming together to create their respective documents with demands and positions, coloring the spaces with diversity.

Furthermore, similar to Belém, Santa Marta was an illuminated and sunny experience. They are two Latin cities where people enjoy eating fish, listening to music, and riding mototaxis. On both occasions, the motorcycle exposed me to the life of the city, to the people, to the warmth, and to the horns announcing their passage through the chaotic traffic corridors.

In Santa Marta, the white sand of the beaches still open to visitors mingles with the black of the coal extracted from the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was no coincidence that the meeting was held here: for the four original nations that inhabit it – Kogis, Arhuacos, Wiwa, and Kankuamo – Santa Marta is the "heart of the world." For the hegemonic economic system, on the other hand, the city is mostly reduced to one of the largest coal export centers on the planet.

Governance, present!

Diversity: leaders from different territories and countries of the Americas come together to bring their demands to the table

Everywhere I looked, I saw Governance present. And in all of them, I thought: why is it so difficult to put solutions into practice? Creating coordinated systems of decision-making and action that take into account such a variety of people, worlds, and interests is truly one of the most complex things I can imagine.

Within this, I highlight the moments in which Governance showed itself gracefully to me: I saw Governance, for example, when we spoke of traditional territories free from fossil fuels – and of the challenge of guaranteeing the right of Indigenous peoples to say "no" to their exploitation.

Governance was also present when we spoke of conscious, strengthened leaders prepared to occupy spaces of power. Of engaged youth. Of legal mechanisms to "put Life at the center" – and of the distance between institutionalized frameworks and what happens on the ground.

In the Latin American and Caribbean sharing circle, a young man from Indigenous and peasant movements for over 30 years asked what it takes to transform dreams into something closer to reality – or reality closer to dreams. And I thought that one possible answer could be "naming things as they really are," asÌý, an Indigenous leader of the Kichwa people in Ecuador, said.

For her and for many Indigenous peoples present, what others call "natural resources" are, in fact, "sources of life." And it is not about "oil" – we are talking about the "blood of the Earth."

Colonization, present!

"It is clear that colonization has not ended," said a young woman from Venezuela at the Regional Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean – one of the many parallel and popular spaces that were part of theÌýFirst Conference on Transition Away from Fossil Fuels.

Among Indigenous peoples, NGOs, youth, women, and unions, it was the same: the transition will be just, or it will not be. Workers, communities, and territories cannot pay the price for transitioning. It is painful to assimilate the many layers of a single truth: those who suffer most from the impacts of climate collapse are those who contribute least to it.

A didactic example is: countries likeÌý – which will host the next edition of the Conference in 2027 alongside the government of Ireland – and other Pacific islands are building walls against rising seas. These nations are far from being the main ones responsible for this, although they are among the most threatened.

The Energy Transition Observatory and some final reflections

I write this text more than two months after the end of the Santa Marta Conference, when theÌý, recently launched byÌý and Pulitzer, crosses unprecedented and alarming data on the advance of critical mineral exploration and renewable energy plants in Brazil.

According to this same Observatory,Ìý. At the platform's launch, I heard one of its creators say that "the energy transition theme has been used to expand hydroelectric plants, photovoltaic and wind farms, threateningÌýquilombola, rural, and Indigenous territories, and creating a new wave of commoditization of the Brazilian economy as a major energy exporter."

It is worth remembering, too, that recently, theÌý, we experienced aÌý, the planet discovered itsÌý, andÌý.

Having said all this, I conclude that I do not know to what extent it is possible to think of an energy transition withÌýreal justice and transform it into a vector of development and benefits for all – including Nature. At this moment, if I think of a more possible future for the world, I ask myself whether the answer lies in radically reducing our energy metabolism, to eat fewer pieces of the earth and, thus, perhaps, hold the sky for a little longer…

This text was originally published in Portuguese onÌý and had English versions adapted for publication onÌýMedLab CU Â鶹ӰԺ and theÌý.

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