Delegates at a groundbreaking global conference on phasing out fossil fuels received a stark warning this weekend: the energy transition must not become a fresh excuse to plunder Indigenous territories.
High oil prices and war in the Middle East have made renewable technologies more attractive worldwide, but Indigenous leaders at the first world conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, made it clear that economic, security, and climate benefits shouldn't come at the expense of well-protected natural environments. The conference aims to "create a coalition of the ambitious" and inject fresh energy into faltering global climate negotiations.
More than 50 countries, dozens of subnational governments, and thousands of civil society representatives are attending, having arranged this shindig outside a UN process so hamstrung by industry lobbyists that the final declaration of the recent COP30 in Brazil couldn't even mention the words "fossil fuels."
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) published research showing that in 2024, fossil fuels globally received $1.2 trillion in subsidies and other public support, compared to just $254 billion for clean energy. Angela Picciariello, senior researcher at the IISD, noted: "Governments need to stop making the same mistakes and expecting different outcomes. When energy prices spike, the instinct is often to spend more public money on fossil fuels. But that approach is costly, hard to unwind, and leaves people exposed to the next crisis."
The debate in Santa Marta has been more liberated and creative than previous gatherings, with Indigenous participants spelling out how they and their lands have been adversely affected by fossil fuels. "When extractivists move in, they don't just destroy nature, but also our way of living," said Luene Karipuna, an Indigenous leader in Brazil's Amapá state.
While endorsing the eradication of fossil fuels, several Indigenous speakers expressed concerns that alternatives - wind turbines, solar panels, and electric car batteries - all depend on mining critical minerals. "It is not just about fossil fuels. Because after that, what is next? They will find some other reason to come after our land and minerals," said Patricia Suárez of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon. "We can't cut out one problem just to open the door to another."
Others called for a broader discussion encompassing nature and health. "The transition should be towards standing forests and fresh water," said Gregório Mirabal of the Kurripako Indigenous People from Venezuela. "If we don't change this model of death, we will be left without water, without health."
Irene Vélez Torres, director of the Colombian National Environmental Agency, noted that Indigenous groups have a more central role in Santa Marta than at UN summits. They held their own forum on Sunday, feeding suggestions into the main "People's Summit" document for high-level ministerial meetings starting Tuesday. "Extractivism has left deep wounds in the territories of the Indigenous communities," she said.