Santa Marta, Colombia, 28 April 2026 — Greenpeace is urging governments, including Australia, attending the first global effort to phase out fossil fuels to seize the current energy supply crisis to accelerate a just transition to renewable energy that protects people and builds long-term climate and energy stability.
On the eve of the conference and in response to the US-Israel war on Iran, Greenpeace activists displayed a message on the beach in Santa Marta saying: 'Renewables Power Peace' and called on the attending countries to 'End Fossil Fuels'. In Australia, Greenpeace activists displayed a banner in front of Sydney's iconic Opera House, carrying the message, "Oil and gas fuel war, renewables power peace" while in Vanuatu, one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, community members painted a message, 'Renewables power peace! End fossil fuels'.
Representatives from over 50 governments, alongside Indigenous peoples, scientists and academics, farmers and hundreds of civil society groups are attending the landmark talks.
Speaking from Santa Marta, Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: "The impacts on lives and livelihoods from the illegal war on Iran by the United States of America and Israel and the spiralling energy costs hitting Pacific communities are symptoms of the same broken system: a global dependence on volatile fossil fuels. The machinery of conflict is fuelled by the same industry choking our planet.
We come together in Santa Marta at an historic turning point. We recognise that true energy security cannot be built on the back of illegal wars or political power plays. To honour those caught in the crossfire of resource conflicts, we must accelerate a just transition to clean, sovereign renewables. This is our moment to choose a path of peace over a legacy of extraction, ensuring a safe and stable future for communities everywhere."
To coincide with the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Greenpeace International has produced a policy briefing [1] outlining the core elements of a just transition and the urgent, priority actions needed from national governments and through global co-operation to make it a reality. Greenpeace will also have a delegation of climate and energy policy experts on site in Santa Marta.
Laura Caicedo, Campaigns Coordinator at Greenpeace Colombia, said: "Colombia has everything it needs to lead an energy transition based on solar and wind power. This potential is a real opportunity to move toward a more just model, with community participation and tangible benefits for people. But for this to happen, we need global finance to be unlocked so that a national roadmap can be implemented. In a context of global crisis and instability, diversifying our energy mix is not only a climate necessity, it is key to strengthening the country's economic resilience and reducing dependence on fossil fuels."
