Switzerland wants a global roadmap to phase out fossil fuels 

The production and consumption of fossil fuels account for 68% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Series Switzerland and fossil fuels, Episode 3:

With oil and gas at the center of global tensions, a first-of-its kind international conference in Colombia aims to revive the transition away from fossil fuels. Switzerland supports establishing a clear plan for phasing them out. 

The Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels – scheduled April 24 to 29 in Santa Marta, Colombia – is the first-ever international summit dedicated solely to phasing out fossil fuels. The conference has taken on a new urgency as the conflict in the Middle East causes disruption in the oil and gas markets. 

What is the goal of the conference on fossil fuels and who is taking part? 

The conferenceExternal link, co-organised by Colombia and the Netherlands, aims to develop concrete solutions to accelerate the gradual elimination of fossil fuels, in line with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The meeting seeks to define the legal tools, economic measures and social change needed to ensure a just and orderly transition. 

Switzerland will take part in the conference and will be represented by the Ambassador for the Environment, Felix Wertli, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) says. Another 45 countriesExternal link, including fossil fuel producers such as Canada and Norway, have confirmed they will attend. 

The Santa Marta summit represents a new space for dialogue and cooperation after fossil fuel discussions stalled at the most recent UN Climate Conference (COP30), held in Belém, Brazil. However, it does not intend to replace the formal UN climate negotiations (which some argueExternal link are overly influenced by oil lobbies). Its purpose is to create a complementary intergovernmental platform to support practical action by countries that wish to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. 

Series: Switzerland and its ambiguous relationship with fossil fuels

Switzerland has pledged to phase out fossil fuels and continue the transition to renewable energy sources. At the latest United Nations Climate Conference (COP30), more than 80 countries, including Switzerland, called for a clear roadmap for turning away from fossil fuels.

At the same time, Switzerland remains heavily dependent on oil and gas imports, especially for transport and building heating. This series analyses Switzerland’s energy dependency and its somewhat ambiguous relationship with fossil fuels in the international context.

>>>Petroleum products account for nearly half of Switzerland’s energy needs:

Why is there a conference on fossil fuel transition now? 

Fossil fuels are responsible for 68%External link of global greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing them with cleaner alternatives such as solar and wind is essential to achieving climate goals. 

At the 2023 COP in Dubai, for the first time in more than 30 years of climate negotiations, nearly 200 countries acknowledged the need to progressively reduce the consumption of oil, gas, and coal. However, no concrete progress has been made since then. 

While investments in renewable energy have increased, global fossil fuel production is still projected to grow in the coming years, as shown in this chart: 

Last year in Belém, more than 80 countriesExternal link supported the Brazilian presidency’s idea of a global roadmap for the transition away from fossil fuels. However, the proposal did not make it into the conference’s final text. The blockage came mainly from large oil-producing states such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, as well as from China and India, which are reluctant to undertake a real and rapid shift. 

To keep international pressure alive, a smaller group of countries led by Colombia and the Netherlands sought to open new diplomatic ground outside the COP negotiating process, giving rise to the Belém Declaration on a Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. The documentExternal link acknowledges that fossil fuel production, consumption, licensing, and subsidies are incompatible with international climate goals. 

The Declaration – described as historic because it was also endorsed by fossil fuel producing nations such as Mexico and Australia – laid the groundwork for the Santa Marta conference.

What is Switzerland’s position on phasing out fossil fuels? 

Switzerland supports the Brazilian initiative for an international roadmap to exit fossil fuels. The roadmap should identify concrete milestones for implementing the transition, FOEN says. Switzerland is also engaged in international initiatives aimed at eliminating the billions in subsidiesExternal link granted to fossil fuels. 

“The conference in Santa Marta will offer an initial space to exchange views on shared challenges. It marks the beginning of a discussion that is absolutely necessary but also complex,” FOEN writes in an email. 

The transition away from fossil fuels is not only a climate issue. It also requires reflection on the implications for the economy, finance, energy security and, not least, the livelihoods of the millions of people working in the fossil fuel industry. 

One in two residential buildings in Switzerland is heated using fossil fuels. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Domestically, Switzerland aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The country has not adopted an explicit ban on fossil fuels. Rather, it plans to reduce their consumptionExternal link mainly by encouraging the replacement of heating systems in buildings and supporting innovative and sustainable technologies in the industrial sector. 

Léonore Hälg of the Swiss Energy Foundation argues that the switch from fossil fuels (and nuclear energy) to electricity and a decreased energy demand significantly reduce Switzerland’s dependence on supplies from geopolitically unstable regions. “The current conflict in the Middle East is a perfect showcase of how powerless oil-importing countries are in reaction to price surges,” she told Swissinfo. 

What impact does the Middle East conflict have on the fossil fuel phaseout? 

The energy crisis triggered by the US and Israel’s attack on Iran will strengthen the calls for a global phaseout of fossil fuels, Hälg says. However, she adds, “I am not sure it will have a direct effect on countries’ short-term willingness to commit to a clear and binding roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.” 

Paola Yanguas Parra, a policy advisor at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, argues that the current crisis shows that “fossil fuels are not delivering energy security — they are undermining it.” In this sense, she tells Swissinfo, it is likely that this moment will strengthen the case for a global phaseout. 

Yanguas Parra identifies two opposing trends: while some governments are expanding fossil fuel production or infrastructure in the name of energy security, others are using the shock to accelerate the shift toward cleaner and more resilient systems. “When the right incentives and political will are in place, this transition [toward renewable energy] can happen quickly,” she says, citing Uruguay’s example of achieving a near-fully renewable power system in under a decade. 

Fossil fuel-producing countries, for their part, could use high oil and gas prices as an opportunity to shift courses, Yanguas Parra argues. “If managed well, revenues from high-priced periods can also help some fossil fuel exporters invest in economic diversification, workforce transition and social protection — building long-term resilience instead of deeper dependence,” she says. 

What can be expected from the conference on fossil fuels?

The conference will not produce any binding agreement. However, analystsExternal link predict that it may develop a shared document on a “just, orderly, and equitable” transition away from fossil fuels, including minimum objectives and more ambitious language than that seen at previous UN climate conferences. This could serve as an initial draft of a globally shared roadmap for a gradual phaseout. 

The organising committee hopes that the initial group of “willing countries” behind the Belém Declaration will expand into a broader coalition of governments, international institutions, and companies determined to lay the groundwork for moving beyond fossil fuels. 

Edited by Gabe Bullard / VdV /ac

Series Switzerland and fossil fuels

• Episode 1: 1. US oil buoys Swiss fossil fuel needs amid Middle East conflict 
• Episode 2: 2. Switzerland faces a steep energy bill due to the Middle East conflict 
• Episode 3: 3. Switzerland wants a global roadmap to phase out fossil fuels 
• Episode 4: 4. ‘The transition away from fossil fuels is a prerequisite for global peace’