First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels
In Santa Marta, NRGI is focusing on ensuring the transition away from fossil fuels is fair, financed and grounded in economic reality.
The Santa Marta Conference is the first international gathering dedicated to planning the global transition away from fossil fuels. Convened by the Governments of Colombia and The Netherlands, it brings together governments, civil society and experts to advance the roadmaps needed to make that transition orderly and equitable, and that leaves no community behind.
For NRGI, the stakes are clear: producing countries and communities need their priorities at the heart of any roadmap, so the transition creates real opportunities for development, resilience and stability.
For Global South oil and gas producers, the transition is not just a climate question—it is a question of economic resilience, fiscal stability and ensuring that the communities built around oil and gas are not left behind.
Governing the transition: NRGI perspectives from Santa Marta
NRGI perspectives on the energy transition—from how governments across Africa, Latin America and MENA are navigating competing pressures, to what the Santa Marta conference achieved and what it left unresolved.
What we are calling for
No transition roadmap is credible if national oil companies are not part of it
National Oil Companies (NOCs) already produce over half of the world's oil and gas—and their share is projected to rise to 62% by 2050. Their decisions shape public finances, economic stability and the pace of the transition.
Yet they are often not part of transition planning. Without them, there is no credible path to a fair and orderly transition.
Business-as-usual is not a neutral option. As private companies scale back, NOCs are taking on a larger share:
The stakes are high: NOCs can be engines of inclusive development—or sources of risk. Outcomes depend on strategic choices made today.
NRGI's latest report, NOC Transformation: Strategic Choices for an Uncertain Energy Future, offers a practical five-step framework for how NOCs can navigate this moment.
Just transitions in oil-producing subnational regions
Declining production is already disrupting local economies with the greatest impact falling on specific communities in oil-producing regions:
Mexico Campeche & Tabasco | These two states account for 90% of Pemex-linked secondary GDP. Production is in structural decline, with no credible economic alternative in place for the communities that depend on it. |
Colombia Putumayo | Output has fallen from 50,000 to 22,000 barrels per day and could reach 8,000 by 2030. The pace of decline is outrunning transition planning at every level. |
Tunisia Tataouine | Production fell 9% in 2024–25. Solar investment is growing in the region — but without inclusion plans, communities risk being locked out of the new economy entirely. |
Workers and communities need job retraining, alternative investment and a real voice. This must be planned now—the window is narrowing. Without this, transitions will face resistance and stall. Santa Marta is an opportunity to ensure these realities are on the agenda and reflected in its contribution to Brazil's global roadmap.
See our report A Just Energy Transition in Six Oil- Producing Regions: Bringing Local Priorities to Global Climate Action
NRGI staff are speaking and participating across sessions throughout the conference week. Below is a summary of where you can hear from us directly.
Civil society coordination space Organized by Transforma and civil society partners | 24 April 8:00 AM–5:00 PM |
Zonas de vida, no de sacrificio: hidrocarburos y ecosistemas estratégicos Organized by Representative Lozada and civil society partners | 25 April 4:00 PM |
De la obstrucción a la acción: estrategias para una transición energética justa Organized by Climate Social Science Network and Brown University | 27 April 12:00–2:00 PM |
El futuro de las regiones productoras en tiempos de transición energética Organized by NRGI NRGI | 27 April 2:00–5:00 PM |
Lanzamiento Red CFAL Organized by Red CFAL | 27 April 5:00–7:00 PM |
NRGI's delegation
Ana Carolina González Espinosa
Senior Director for Programs and Latin America Director
Juliana Peña Niño
Colombia Country Manager
Angie Pardo
Colombia Senior Program Officer
María Angélica Rojas
Colombia Program Officer