The Santa Marta Playbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels

Overview

The first-of-its-kind summit on transitioning away from fossil fuels, held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from 24–29 April, marked a turning point in global climate diplomacy. Organized by Colombia and the Netherlands, the gathering brought together 57 countries—representing one-third of the global economy—to forge practical pathways away from coal, oil, and gas. Against a backdrop of war, oil crises, and intensifying extreme weather, ministers and envoys engaged in candid, closed-door conversations about the barriers to clean energy transitions. The summit yielded concrete outcomes: national roadmap commitments, new tools to tackle subsidies and carbon-intensive trade, and a scientific advisory panel to accelerate progress. This guide unpacks the summit's key components, offering a step-by-step template for any nation or organization seeking to replicate its success.

Prerequisites

Before embarking on a similar transition summit, stakeholders must ensure the following conditions are in place:

• Political will at the highest level: Host countries and key participants must demonstrate genuine commitment to moving away from fossil fuels, backed by domestic policies and international pledges.
• Scientific foundation: Access to up-to-date, peer-reviewed research on energy transitions, climate impacts, and economic models is essential. The Santa Marta summit began with a dedicated science pre-conference involving 400 academics.
• Inclusive stakeholder engagement: Include subnational governments, parliamentarians, Indigenous groups, civil society, and the private sector from the outset to ensure legitimacy and buy-in.
• Clear objectives and format: Define whether the meeting will focus on knowledge sharing, roadmap development, or concrete agreements. Santa Marta used a high-level segment for ministers and closed-door sessions for frank dialogue.
• Financial and logistical resources: Secure funding for travel, venue, translation, and follow-up actions. The co-hosts (Colombia and the Netherlands) bore these costs.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Follow these seven steps, modeled on the Santa Marta summit, to design and execute a successful fossil fuel transition conference.

Step 1: Secure Political Will and International Partnership

Identify two co-hosts—ideally one from the Global South and one from the Global North—to share leadership and credibility. Colombia and the Netherlands announced their partnership during tense COP30 negotiations in Belém, Brazil, after a push for a formal fossil-fuel “roadmap” failed. The co-hosts must commit to transparent, inclusive processes and have existing diplomatic ties to mobilize participation from at least 50 countries. Draft a joint invitation outlining the summit’s purpose: to develop national roadmaps, share best practices, and create tools to address subsidies and trade barriers.

Step 2: Host a Science Pre-Conference to Inform Decisions

Organize a two-day academic symposium before the main summit. In Santa Marta, 400 global academics attended the “science pre-conference,” which launched a new science panel designed to provide agile, bespoke analysis to nations accelerating their transition. This panel can offer real-time modeling, policy briefs, and answers to specific country questions. To replicate, invite leading climate scientists, energy economists, and social researchers. Structure sessions around key barriers: infrastructure lock-in, job transitions, and finance. Publish an action insights report summarizing findings.

Step 3: Engage Subnational and Civil Society Stakeholders

Dedicate one full day to subnational governments, parliamentarians, Indigenous peoples, and civil society. In Santa Marta, these groups participated in open dialogues and side events. Their input is critical because fossil fuel transitions often have local impacts on jobs, health, and land rights. Create mechanisms for their views to feed into high-level discussions. For example, have civil society rapporteurs present key concerns to ministers. This step builds trust and ensures the resulting roadmaps are grounded in community realities.

Step 4: Conduct High-Level Ministerial Dialogues

The core of the summit is a two-day high-level segment where ministers and climate envoys from 57 countries sit together in small meeting rooms—not large plenaries—for open and frank conversations. Santa Marta participants described this format as “refreshing” and “groundbreaking.” Behind closed doors, delegates discussed barriers like fossil fuel subsidies, carbon-intensive trade, and political opposition. To replicate, design small breakout groups of 10–15 countries each, with a neutral facilitator. Encourage each minister to share one concrete obstacle and one proposed solution. Document outcomes without attribution to maintain confidentiality.

Step 5: Develop National Fossil Fuel Transition Roadmaps

The key outcome of Santa Marta was that countries walked away with plans to develop national roadmaps away from fossil fuels. These are not legally binding but serve as voluntary, public commitments. Each country should, within 12 months, produce a timeline for phasing down production and consumption of coal, oil, and gas, including milestones for renewable energy deployment, phase-out dates for subsidies, and just transition measures for affected workers. The co-hosts (Colombia and the Netherlands) and the new science panel can offer technical assistance. Integrate these roadmaps into national climate plans (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

Step 6: Address Harmful Subsidies and Carbon-Intensive Trade

Santa Marta equipped participants with “new tools” to tackle subsidies and trade barriers. Specifically, nations shared methodologies to identify and reform fossil fuel subsidies (which total trillions annually) and to measure embedded carbon in imported goods. Create a working group to develop a common reporting framework. For example, require each country to publish an annual inventory of subsidies and a list of carbon-intensive imports. Use the data to negotiate trade agreements that prioritize clean energy goods. The science panel can provide trade impact assessments.

Step 7: Commit to Future Summits and a Continuous Cycle

Ensure continuity by announcing the next host at the conclusion. At Santa Marta, Tuvalu and Ireland were revealed as co-hosts of the second summit, scheduled for 2027 in the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu. Establish a steering committee to oversee progress between summits, review national roadmaps, and organize virtual check-ins. The Brazilian COP30 presidency also promised to draw on Santa Marta’s discussions to create an “informal” fossil-fuel roadmap for the UN climate process. This builds momentum and accountability.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the science pre-conference: Without academic rigor, policy decisions may lack evidence. The Santa Marta science panel was lauded for agility; omitting it risks vague, unworkable plans.
• Excluding civil society and Indigenous voices: Transition away from fossil fuels directly impacts communities. Ignoring them leads to backlash and implementation failures. Ensure Indigenous representatives have speaking slots and their concerns are recorded in final outcomes.
• Making the high-level segment too large: Large plenaries breed diplomatic statements. Santa Marta’s small closed-door rooms fostered candor. Maintain groups of 10–15; avoid more than 60 participants at any one time.
• Forgetting trade and subsidies: Many countries talk about production but ignore consumption via imports and subsidies. The Santa Marta toolkit explicitly included these, but without dedicated sessions, they are often glossed over.
• No follow-up mechanism: A one-off summit with no roadmap review or next host is easily forgotten. Announce the sequel early and set up a working group to track commitments.

Summary

The Santa Marta summit demonstrated that focused, science-based, and inclusive dialogues can produce concrete national roadmaps and tools for phasing out fossil fuels. By following the seven steps outlined—political partnership, science foundations, stakeholder engagement, intimate ministerial dialogues, roadmap development, subsidy/trade reform, and future commitments—nations can replicate its success. The key takeaway: transition is possible when political will meets practical planning, backed by continuous improvement and global solidarity.