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As government officials and civil society actors descended on St Lucia this month, oil prices were rising, buoyed on by a war in the Middle East that has overshadowed the one in Europe. St Lucia was the destination for some of the finest minds in the region to convene for a meeting on a global just transition from fossil fuels. A precursor to the much-anticipated First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, in Santa Marta, Colombia between April 24 and 29. The convening would ultimately harmonise the Caribbean's position ahead of the international summit.
But even in the quiet retreat of the Bay Gardens conference room, the world's insatiable appetite for fossil fuels could not be hidden. It gave credence to the uphill task the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative faces in its mission. The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative is an alliance of 18 nation-states, 193 subnational governments, upwards of 4,200 organisations and institutions working to secure a global just transition from coal, oil and gas. But the Caribbean delegates weren't alone. At the same hour, government officials and civil society actors were also meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, charting a similar path.
Yet, those leading this Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative have been realistic and honest in their expectations; they don't expect to leave Colombia with a phase out plan.
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