The meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia, follows a commitment on the sidelines of the 2025 United Nations General Assembly where Australia joined 80 other countries to phase out fossil fuels.
The meeting, co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and Netherlands, is the first in a series that will bring together governments from across the world, to create a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.
The Australia Institute is taking part in the conference, sharing a new report with delegates outlining practical policy options the Australian government could implement for an orderly fossil fuel phase out.
The report includes four simple steps Australia could take to fulfil its commitment:
- Ban new gas and coal projects
- The first step towards ending the extraction, burning and export of fossil fuels is to stop starting new mines.
- Establish a timeline for the phase out
- A ban on new gas and coal projects needs to be supported with an explicit government commitment for when widespread fossil fuel production and use will end.
- Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies
- Subsidising the production and use of fossil fuels is the last thing that governments should do if they are serious about climate action. Australia has committed to phase out fossil fuel subsidies in 2009, 2023 and 2025, yet in 2025-26, fossil fuel subsidies hit record levels.
- Increase taxes on production
- Taxing the production and export of fossil fuels at higher rates would discourage their proliferation. Australian governments collect little revenue from fossil fuels. Australia collects more public revenue from the repayment of student loans than it does from gas exporters under its Petroleum Resource Rent Tax. Australia's nurses, teachers and beer drinkers each pay more tax than the gas industry.
"This meeting highlights a conundrum for the Australian government. On the one hand the world and the Australian government have committed to phasing out fossil fuels, yet on the other, the Australian government is not maximising returns from existing fossil fuels exports," said Louise Morris, who is representing The Australia Institute in Colombia.
"The window for the fossil fuel industry is closing; the world is in Colombia discussing the inevitable transition and the Australian government needs to get as much revenue as possible from our existing export industry before the window closes.
"The world is moving away from fossil fuels and Australia, despite it's rhetoric about action on climate change, is being left behind.
"Global momentum is building. South Korea is closing all of its coal-fired power stations. Colombia has stopped issuing new coal, oil and gas exploration licences. Meanwhile, Australia is going in the opposite direction, approving new gas and coal mines, and vastly increasing fossil fuel exports.
"There are simple steps Australia could take to genuinely live up to its rhetoric and international commitments. Australia portrays itself as a good guy in the fight against climate change. Sadly, it is not. The world is waking up to the fact that when it comes to climate change, Australia says one thing but does another."
