Colombian President Convenes Climate Conference: "We Are Heading Towards Barbarism . . To The Very Essence Of Fascism"

The world is threatened by a “suicidal” model of capitalism that is leading to war, fascism and the potential extinction of humanity, Colombia’s president has said, as he convened 57 governments to address the climate crisis. Gustavo Petro blamed fossil fuel interests for taking ever more desperate measures to prevent a transition to green energy. “There is inertia in the power and the economy of this archaic form of energy – fossil fuels – that lead to death. Undoubtedly, that form of capital can commit suicide, taking with it humanity and [other] life,” he said. “The question that needs to be asked is whether capitalism can truly adapt to a non-fossil energy model.”

Colombians will head to the polls next month to elect a new leader, with Petro, who was elected the country’s first leftist president in 2022, barred by the constitution from seeking a second consecutive term. The former economist and guerrilla member said the world was in a perilous position: “We are heading towards barbarism. And barbarism is the prelude to, or the very essence of, fascism.”

In the coastal city of Santa Marta, Colombia is hosting the world’s first conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Two days of talks among government ministers and high-level officials began on Tuesday, preceded by four days of civil society discussions and academic workshops.Some countries have already started working on roadmaps to phase out fossil fuels.

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Tzeporah Berman, founder and chair of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, said: “There are many fossil-fuel producing countries in the global south that are being pushed into expanding fossil fuel production just to feed their debt. “There is an expanding debt crisis in the global south. It is impossible for countries to even imagine a fossil fuel transition with such limited fiscal space.” Debt in Africa alone has doubled in the last five years to more than $1tn. Rising interest rates, imposed by central banks to dampen inflation caused in part by fossil fuel crises, are adding to the burden, while soaring fuel and food prices are placing further demands on stricken economies.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/29/capitalism-colombia-climate-summit-gustavo-petro