In Santa Marta, governments can back clean energy, say no to war and oil and gas

As leaders prepare to gather in Santa Marta, Colombia to chart a course away from fossil fuels, the world is being reminded, again, of the cost of coal, oil and gas dependence.

The war on Iran has sent shockwaves through global energy markets. Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil and gas prices to surge, and the effects are sparking chaos across the world: higher transport costs, rising food prices, and more expensive heating and electricity. For millions of families already challenged with a prolonged cost-of-living crisis, this is another hit they can ill afford.

Three Greenpeace UK activists visit all nine petrol stations in Clacton, the main town in Nigel Farage's Essex constituency, and decorate the pumps with stickers showing Trump claiming responsibility for the high pump prices, and Farage expressing his support.

Even if the conflict ends tomorrow, the environmental damage will linger and because complex oil and gas infrastructure could take years to repair, household energy costs won't fall immediately. This is a structural flaw of the fossil fuel system that political leaders need to face.

Fossil fuels are traded globally, but are controlled by a small number of states or corporations with the power to shape supply and price. When conflict erupts, when infrastructure is damaged, or when geopolitical tensions rise, the entire system shudders. The consequences are felt far beyond the point of conflict, landing hardest on households and communities.

Oil and gas corporations benefit from this instability and post enormous wartime profits, while families pay more for essentials like transport, food and energy.

This is happening in addition to another growing cost: the toll of climate-driven extreme weather, where communities are already paying for fossil fuel dependence through damaged homes and disrupted livelihoods. Now they are paying again through higher energy prices.

Santa Marta can unlock renewable energy transition

This is why Santa Marta is vital. It is the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels and will bring together a broad coalition of committed countries ready to move beyond fossil fuels and can be a key turning point towards a clean energy future.

More than 50 countries are set to attend, reinforcing what emerged at last year's UN climate talks (COP30) in Belem, Brazil: many governments are willing to move ahead on the transition and leave behind those clinging to fossil fuels.

But this shift is not just about cutting emissions. It is about building energy systems that are stable, affordable and resistant to geopolitical shocks.

Greenpeace Spain is calling on the Spanish government to take a leading role during the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, an international summit starting tomorrow in Santa Marta, Colombia, where, for the first time, more than 50 countries will begin to draw up a global roadmap to phase out oil, gas and coal.

Renewable energy is a game changer and the future will be increasingly powered by cheap, abundant clean energy, coupled with electrification. Wind and solar are produced locally, and do not rely on shipping routes that can be blocked. They are not priced on volatile global markets. And once built, they provide energy at predictable and increasingly low cost.

Electrification backed by renewables, reduces dependence on imported fuels, stabilises prices and strengthens energy sovereignty. In a world defined by uncertainty, that is not just a climate solution, but an economic and security strategy.

Activists urge governments to end fossil fuels

In the lead-up to Santa Marta, campaigners and communities have been mobilising around the world to demand an end to fossil fuel dependence and a just transition to renewable energy.

In Madrid, Greenpeace Spain activists called on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to lead a roadmap to end Spain's reliance on petrostates, and called out US President Donald Trump, with a giant image of president Trump spewing oil into a fountain, staining the water black. The action was accompanied with a banner that said: "NO OIL, NO WAR" making the message crystal clear.

Greenpeace Spain activists displayed a giant image of Donald Trump vomiting oil onto a black-stained fountain in Madrid's Plaza de Colón, alongside the message in English: "No oil, no war".

In Australia, Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists displayed a banner in front of Sydney's iconic Opera House, carrying the message "Oil and gas fuel war, renewables power peace".

The striking visual activities are both underpinned by the same insight: fossil fuels are tied to conflict, volatility and rising costs. Renewable energy offers a path away from all three.

Greenpeace Nordic and partner organisations held a pre-conference gathering in Norway, bringing together civil society voices to push for stronger commitments and clearer timelines ahead of the Santa Marta conference.

And the activities and demonstrations won't end there. From Europe to the Pacific, people are aligning around a shared goal to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with systems that are cleaner, fairer and more secure.

That demand is increasingly backed by evidence and lived experience.

Governments heading to Santa Marta face a choice: They can continue dealing with the fallout of a system punctuated by crises, or they can start phasing out fossil fuels in a fair, deliberate, funded and coordinated way.

What governments must do to enable a just transition

That means setting concrete and ambitious timelines to end fossil fuel extraction and use, removing barriers to renewable energy deployment, while preventing further extractivism and petrochemical expansion, and ensuring the rights and voices of affected workers, communities and countries are safeguarded in the process.

It also means holding polluters to account. Coal, oil and gas corporations have profited from a system that drives climate breakdown and economic instability. The costs of that system should be borne by them, not the public.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have disrupted the Australian Domestic Gas Outlook conference in Sydney, dropping a 3-metre-long banner in the main foyer outside the conference room saying, 'Gas Execs Profit, We Pay The Price'.

Santa Marta is not the end stage, but must be the start of change towards an energy system that is cheaper for households, is climate friendly, safer for communities and works to end the world's dependence on unstable and disrupted fossil fuel supply chains.

The alternative is tried and tested. Renewable energy systems are already delivering cheaper, more stable and more secure power in the countries that are investing in them.

The direction is clear. The only question is how quickly governments are prepared to move.

Martin Zavan is a freelance communications strategist at Greenpeace International, based in Sydney, Australia.