For years, the international community has discussed the basic cause of global warming: the combustion of fossil fuels. It came up in Glasgow at the 2021 UNFCCC climate summit, and a resolution with the phrase “transition away from fossil fuels” was included in the 2024 COP decision in Dubai. However, the 2025 Belem (Brazil) COP decision did not include the phrase so a coalition of UNFCCC members led by Colombia and the Netherlands decided to form TAFF and met in Santa Marta, Colombia in April, 2026. A description of the meeting can be found here. There is even a suggestion by some that member countries should consider a “fossil-fuel nonproliferation treaty.”
Update – During the Bonn climate talks in June 2026, some diplomats came up with the alternative of using “electrification” in documents to substitute for the phrase “transition away from fossil fuels.” Electrification would avoid the words “fossil fuels” but mean much the same thing; some of the oil-producing countries might find it more palatable but that remains to be seen.
As expected fossil fuel interests in a number of countries, including the US under the Trump administration, insured that we did not join the TAFF coalition. While the coalition will have less effect in these countries, those who did join will have opportunities to develop timeframes and “roadmaps” to phase out fossil fuels. These roadmaps can become the basis for future UNFCCC negotiations and could be used in the U.S. to pressure Congress and future administrations to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. A recalcitrant U.S. might be subjected to trade sanctions such as border taxes to comply.
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