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Decarbonizing Trade Balances Debated at Energy Transition Conference
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Energy & Infrastructure

Decarbonizing Trade Balances Debated at Energy Transition Conference

From ABC Color · (11m ago) Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A high-level conference on transitioning beyond fossil fuels is underway in Santa Marta, Colombia, focusing on decarbonizing trade balances.
  • Colombian Environment Minister Irene Vélez highlighted the need for deeper, more democratic international cooperation to address climate change and economic inequalities driven by fossil fuel dependence.
  • The conference, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, brings together representatives from 56 countries and various stakeholders to discuss concrete actions for energy transition.

Colombia is proud to host the first Conference for the Transition Beyond Fossil Fuels in the beautiful coastal city of Santa Marta. This gathering is more than just a meeting; it's a bold statement from the Global South about the urgent need to break free from the shackles of fossil fuel dependency. Our Environment Minister, Irene Vélez, articulated this vision powerfully, emphasizing that the era of "neocolonial economies" built on carbon-intensive exports must end.

Estamos resueltas a descarbonizar nuestras balanzas comerciales y a transformar nuestro sistema fiscal de manera estructural. Más de tres décadas hemos buscado que estas dependencias (de los combustibles fósiles) se discutan en el marco de las instancias multilaterales

— Irene VélezStating Colombia's commitment to decarbonizing its trade and fiscal systems, and the long-standing effort to discuss fossil fuel dependency in multilateral forums.

From our perspective here in Colombia, the global energy transition isn't just an environmental imperative; it's a matter of economic justice and national sovereignty. For too long, countries like ours have been vulnerable to the volatile prices and geopolitical machinations tied to hydrocarbons. Minister Vélez rightly pointed out that fossil fuels fuel not only climate crisis but also global inequalities and conflicts. This conference is our opportunity to demand a more equitable international order, one with "multilateralism without de facto vetoes," where developing nations have a stronger voice.

El modelo de los hidrocarburos ha consolidado economías neocoloniales, emprobrecidas, frágiles fiscalmente y atadas a la exportación de materias primas intensivas en carbono. Esa dependencia no es casual, es el resultado de un ordenamiento económico que reproduce la subordinación y la vulnerabilidad

— Irene VélezCritiquing the historical economic model tied to hydrocarbons and its role in perpetuating inequality and vulnerability.

The participation of 56 countries, alongside academics, indigenous groups, and civil society, underscores the broad consensus on this critical issue. The Netherlands' co-hosting signifies a crucial partnership, recognizing that this transition requires shared responsibility. We are here to move beyond dialogue and discuss concrete financial, fiscal, and regulatory mechanisms. For Colombia and many nations represented here, this is about building a more resilient, independent, and just future, free from the boom-and-bust cycles of the fossil fuel industry.

Necesitamos un multilateralismo sin vetos de facto, abierto a la participación incidente de los pueblos y capaz de traducir acuerdos en implementación. Vivimos hoy una fractura del orden global, tal y como lo conocemos

— Irene VélezCalling for a more effective and inclusive form of multilateralism to address global challenges like the energy transition.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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