The Colombian Caribbean as the Epicenter of Energy Transition
The Colombian Caribbean is the heart of the country's energy transition, and it's no coincidence that the First Conference on Transition Beyond Fossil Fuels was held in Santa Marta. For decades, La Guajira and Cesar concentrated about 85% of national coal extraction, leaving behind conflicts over water, territory, and the environment, and unresolved disputes about who bears the costs and who reaps the benefits. It's a region key to exporting coal for energy generation in other countries, but where communities have faced access difficulties. Today, Atlántico and La Guajira are consolidating as the epicenter of renewable energies. However, the risk is that the transition may reproduce the same logic and inequalities left by fossil fuel extractivism.
TL;DR
- The Colombian Caribbean, particularly La Guajira and Cesar, was historically a hub for coal extraction, leading to significant environmental, territorial, and water-related conflicts.
- The region is now emerging as a center for renewable energy, with Atlántico and La Guajira becoming key areas for this shift.
- There is a concern that the energy transition might reproduce the same inequalities and extractive patterns as the fossil fuel era, with decisions made away from local communities and benefits disproportionately favoring corporate actors.
- Organizations like Dejusticia, working with Wayuu communities and local academics, highlight that the transition is currently replicating known dynamics: external decision-making, concentrated corporate benefits, and community burdens.
- A just energy transition must ensure community access to energy, equitable benefit distribution, clear responsibilities, territorial autonomy, environmental protection, and reparations for past damages.