Santa Marta climate meeting’s roadmaps must be translated into actual policy

In the last week of April, representatives from more than 50 countries gathered at Santa Marta in Colombia for a climate conference born of frustration with the UN-administered negotiations. The deliberations ended on Wednesday with a call for participating countries to develop national roadmaps to end the use of fossil fuels — in fact, France pledged to phase out oil and gas use between 2030 and 2050. The UNFCCC’s CoPs have almost always come unstuck on the issue of fossil fuels. By operating outside the consensus-bound framework, the Colombia conference gave itself the leeway to advance faster than CoPs. However, the very feature that imparted dynamism to Colombia also limited its potency. Three of the highest GHG emitters — the US, China and India — were not represented at Santa Marta.

It would, however, be wrong to dismiss the meet as inconsequential. The participating countries represented nearly 50 per cent of the global GDP. They agreed to align their trade and finance policies with green transition plans, potentially creating momentum towards faster decarbonisation. But beyond the combined economic weight of its participants, the conference was significant in bringing countries representing different economic segments onto the same page. While UN climate meets have often been riven by discord between developed countries, emerging economies, developing countries and small island states, it was heartening that representatives of France, Germany and Spain worked together with delegates from Brazil, Nigeria, Nepal and several other countries with varying economic clout at Santa Marta. UN meetings have not avoided reconciling  different climate realities. However, that has only  meant postponement of difficult decisions. The Colombia meet could be the first step towards challenging the ambiguity that has allowed countries to pledge climate action while continuing fossil fuel expansion.

That said, the Santa Mara meet should not be seen as a parallel to the UN processes. Climate change is too complicated to be left to one global agency. It requires building alliances at several levels — between like-minded countries, among civil-society groups and business organisations. Climate delegates showed rare maturity in the past week. The participating countries will now need to translate roadmaps into actual policy and develop financial mechanisms to support transitions in poorer nations — that’s where most UNFCCC meetings have faltered.