Senior government officials and civil society leaders from across the Caribbean gathered earlier this month in Saint Lucia to develop a unified regional strategy for the fossil fuel transition, setting the stage for discussions at the inaugural International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, to be held in Santa Marta, Colombia in April.
The Santa Marta conference was announced at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The conference, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, is designed to move participating nations toward concrete governance and financing frameworks for a managed global phase out of fossil fuels.
Speaking in Saint Lucia, CARICOM Climate Envoy Dr. James Fletcher maintained that the Caribbean has long been vocal on the need for climate action. “Caribbean civil society has never been silent in moments like this. From the fight to secure the 1.5 C goal in the Paris Agreement to global advocacy for Loss and Damage, small island developing states – including those in the Caribbean – have consistently championed the concept of Loss and Damage, even when others denied its legitimacy”, he said.
“The Caribbean’s credibility in global diplomacy regarding fossil fuel phase-out and energy transition rests not only on our vulnerability but on our vision,” Fletcher stressed, adding that any just transition framework must deliver “concessional finance, debt reform, expanded energy access, renewable scale-up, and social protection for affected communities.”
According to the 2025 U.N. Environment Programme Production Gap Report, governments are on track to produce 120% fossil fuels by 2030 that what would align with commitments to 1.5 C.
Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Environment Trust, Dr. Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie emphasized the human cost of that gap in recounting the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. “Communities were submerged, roads rendered impassable, and homes and buildings destroyed,” she said, adding that hospitals, water systems and agriculture all sustained severe damage.
Executive Director of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, Alex Rafalowicz argued that the climate conversation too often stops short of naming the root cause. “Beneath those emissions are their primary drivers: coal, oil, and gas,” he said, warning that continued fossil fuel expansion also worsens public health, accelerates biodiversity loss and fuels the plastics crisis.
The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative draws on the model of past arms-control agreements, including the Mine Ban Treaty and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which built momentum through focused coalitions of early-mover nations before achieving broader international adoption.
Several Caribbean governments, including Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas and St Kitts and Nevis, are among 18 countries currently engaged in diplomatic talks around a proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Financing, however remainss a central obstacle.
Chief Technical Advisor at the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Ms. Charlin Bodlee said the region faces a structural disadvantage in accessing climate funds. Much of the financing Caribbean nations do receive “comes in the form of loans rather than grants, adding to debt pressure rather than reducing it,” she said, calling for “large-scale debt-sensitive mechanisms” and increased grant finance.
Caribbean stakeholders concluded the convening by reaffirming their commitment to ensuring any global phase-out framework upholds equity, common but differentiated responsibilities, and meaningful support for small island developing states.