Conference in Colombia considers scientific knowledge as a core factor in guiding nations towards a fossil fuel-free economy; the initiatives announced this week will inform a final agreement among political leaders and create a permanent forum to assist in the implementation of practical actions.
Category: Brazil
Wait, could this be a climate conference that actually works?
As the war with Iran exposes the risks of fossil fuels, the 1st International Conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels brings together, in the Colombian city, a “coalition of the willing” seeking a global plan to phase out oil, gas, and coal.
Outside the COP dead end, a conference in Santa Marta tests a new path to move away from fossil fuels
A meeting in a Colombian city aims to contribute to a roadmap towards the end of oil, gas and coal, which was proposed at COP30 but should only be presented in November 2026. In addition, the country’s Minister of the Environment promises to discuss actions without the constraints of the oil industry lobby.
Eneva is authorized to drill the only active gas block on Indigenous Land in the Legal Amazon
Over 75% of the Krenyê territory, in the Brazilian Maranhão state, overlaps a block granted for fossil exploration where drilling could begin in 2026. Allegedly to help the energy transition, expansion of production at the Parnaíba Thermoelectric Complex bets on energy generation and the transformation of the MATOPIBA area into a logistics corridor for gas and grains, impacting quilombola territories and protected areas.
Fueling Ecocide: 7,000 protected areas are threatened by oil and gas projects worldwide
The “Fueling Ecocide” investigation, led by Environmental Investigative Forum (EIF) and European Investigative Collaborations (EIC), reveals that oil and gas licences overlap with 7,000 protected areas worldwide. The total overlap is 690,000 km², an area bigger than the size of France — despite existing regulations and ongoing efforts to safeguard key biodiversity zones.
After Belém: The legacy of COP30 for defenders of the Amazon and the Global South
Conference expands participation of peoples and movements and recognizes rights in UN agreements but still has to confront fossil fuels, critical minerals, megaprojects, and violence in the territories.
The Critical Minerals Trade: The Illegal Route Connecting the Amazon with China
A complex network of actors has emerged around the critical minerals of the Amazon. Some operate along contested river corridors, trading with guerrilla groups and corrupt security forces. Others, under a façade of legality, move massive quantities of material through large port cities connected to international trade routes. Together, these operations endanger the environment and the sovereignty of entire nations.
The Price of Progress: The Dark Side of Critical Minerals in the Amazon
Based on extensive fieldwork and an investigation of supply chains, tracing minerals from extraction to international buyers, we reveal how the global race for the inputs of the energy transition is intensifying violent disputes along the Colombia–Venezuela border, where armed groups control the territory, commit systematic abuses, and destroy one of the planet’s most important carbon sinks.
COP30 ends with minimal commitments, Latin American objections, and lots of work ahead
The conference that sought agreements and actions to mitigate the impacts of global warming ended with criticism of its final decisions that did not include clear targets to transition away from fossil fuels, its superficial texts on mitigation, adaptation and financing, and its lack of transparency.
Without global consensus, Brazil seeks a roadmap with scientists and oil companies to keep the fossil fuel phase-out proposal alive
Amid diplomatic progress and domestic contradictions, Brazil tries to turn its proposal to gradually eliminate oil, gas, and coal into a global roadmap. Studies backing the roadmap presented in Belém are set to involve international agencies, scientists, and representatives from the oil sector, while the country keeps exploration of new reserves in the Amazon open.