Roadmap for the Just Energy Transition in Colombia

January 30, 2023

Print This Article Share it With Friends

(La Federación Nacional de Biocombustibles (computer translation)) ... Colombia, like other countries in the world, being aware that the energy transition process has to be fair with workers, consumers, companies, communities and other organizations that contribute to decision-making, strives to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels through social dialogue to define the Roadmap of the Just Energy Transition in the Country.

According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Just Energy Transition (ECJ) will be done with equity, responsibility, gradualness, intensification of knowledge and especially, with an open dialogue with all the actors involved and by virtue of this, the guild of biodiesel and bioethanol biofuels has attended the different participation spaces to contribute to the generation of technical information, economic, environmental and social related to the sector and its associated value chains, in this way, contribute to the National Government understanding the needs of those currently involved in the supply and services of this renewable liquid energy, which are closely related to the consolidation of the roadmap of first generation biofuels, established in Resolution 40447 of October 2022; decarbonize air transport by promoting sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and structuring the renewable diesel formula. READ MORE

Hoja de ruta de la transición energética justa en Colombia

El último informe del Panel Intergubernamental sobre el Cambio Climático (IPCC) destacó que las emisiones globales de CO2 continúan aumentando a niveles sin precedentes, lo que ostenta escenarios de impactos, riesgos y vulnerabilidades que comprometen los modos y medios de vida de las comunidades globales, debido al consumo insostenible de los recursos planetarios.
Para poder limitar el aumento de la temperatura por debajo de 1,5°C, el mundo necesita transformar por completo la forma en que produce, transporta y consume energía, a una escala y un ritmo sin precedentes, razón por la cual, acelerar la transición energética es un factor clave para aumentar las ambiciones para contrarrestar la crisis climática, reducir las emisiones carbono y aumentar la adopción progresiva de energías renovables.

Colombia, al igual que otros países del mundo, al ser consciente de que el proceso de transición energética tiene que ser justa con los trabajadores, consumidores, empresas, comunidades y otros organismos que contribuyen a la toman decisiones, se esfuerza por reducir su dependencia de los combustibles fósiles a través del diálogo social para definir la Hoja de Ruta de la Transición Energética Justa en el País.

Según lo refiere el Ministerio de Minas y Energía, la Transición Energética Justa (TEJ), se hará con equidad, responsabilidad, gradualidad, intensificación del conocimiento y en especial, con un diálogo abierto con todos los actores involucrados y en virtud de ello, el gremio de los biocombustibles biodiésel y bioetanol ha asistido a los diferentes espacios de participación para contribuir a la generación de información técnica, económica, ambiental y social relacionada con el sector y sus cadenas de valor asociadas, de esta manera, contribuir a que el Gobierno Nacional comprenda las necesidades de quienes actualmente participan en el suministro y los servicios de esta energía líquida renovable, las cuales están estrechamente relacionadas con la consolidación de la hoja de ruta de los biocombustibles de primera generación, establecidas en la Resolución 40447 de octubre de 2022; descarbonizar el transporte aéreo promoviendo los combustibles sostenibles de aviación (SAF, por sus siglas en inglés) y la estructuración de la fórmula del diésel renovable.READ MORE

Colombia readies energy transition roadmap (bnamericas)

Diálogo social para definir la hoja de ruta de la transición energética justa en Colombia (Colombia Ministry of Mines and Energy)

Ethnic approach to the roadmap for a just energy transition: ‘Ten major socio-legal challenges’ (Akubadaura)

Excerpt from Akubadaura: In November, 2022 the Colombian government announced two fundamental public policy proposals for the country’s environmental and climate justice agenda; on the one hand, its Decalogue to better adapt to and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and on the other, the axes for a “just energy transition” roadmap, within the framework of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27, which was held in Egypt.

Beyond the historical relevance of both – still pending in-depth discussion with Ethnic Peoples, communities and human rights platforms – there are at least ten technical and socio-legal challenges to start with, which, if included in the agenda, will be definitive for moving from proposal to practice in the coming years and will require more horizontal and daily networking with ethnic peoples and other sectors:

I. Integration of the principles of the Decalogue and the Energy Transition Route into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and into public policy instruments such as the National Development Plan 2022 – 2026, the new National Action Plan on Human Rights and Business and the National Human Rights Strategy 2014 – 2034.

II. Intercultural adaptation of the Natural Resources Code, a norm prior to the 91 Constitution, and more focused on conservation for the provision of ecosystem services than on the care of the sacred triangle formed by nature, its inhabitants and defenders.

III. Modify, in consultation with ethnic peoples, the provisions that simplify prior consultation processes in matters such as energy and the environment, limiting the community evaluation of new projects for the transition [1].

IV. Intercultural adaptation of the climate action and energy transition laws approved in previous years [2], which favor pay for polluting (an abuse of the principle of environmental compensation) and the accelerated exploitation of rare minerals [3] in the country – the so-called transition minerals.

V. Legally regulate the binding nature of the human rights due diligence principle for companies, production chains and economic lines that will be involved in energy transition projects in the coming years.

VI. Agree, with ethnic peoples and civil society, on new methodologies to develop Diagnosis of Alternatives, Environmental Impact Studies and Environmental Management Plans with an intercultural approach, which will also facilitate the community evaluation of the new transition projects.

VII. Culturally adapt the norms [4] and environmental licensing processes – which also affect new transition projects – to make them more open and participatory.

VIII. Agree on social and intercultural channels and spaces for national and regional monitoring of the development of the transition route.

IX. To advance in the legal recognition of the environmental authority of ethnic peoples, within the framework of the same Decalogue to confront climate change.

X. Guarantee the participation of ethnic organizations as formulators and implementers of climate change mitigation/adaptation and energy transition projects in their territories.

The fight against the effects of climate change and its main banner, the just energy transition to decarbonize the economy -less polluting gasses in our biosphere-, will not only require an extremely careful evaluation of the possible impact of its new technologies and infrastructure in environmentally and socially sensitive territories, such as ancestral territories and others connected to forests, aquifers and protected areas, but also to adapt the processes of public consultation, prior consultation and environmental licensing for this purpose, in a country with environmental, energy and citizen participation regulations that have not gone through open dialogues with the regions, social platforms and large ancestral peoples.

____________________________

[1] Such as Presidential Directives 01 of 2010, 10 of 2013 and 08 of 2020, Decree 2353 of 2019, the Guide for Executors in Prior Consultation Processes for Environmental Instruments, of the Ministry of the Interior – DANCPL- and the Guide for Prior Consultation of National Natural Parks.

[2] Such as Law 2169 of 2021 and Decree 172 of 2022 on climate action, Law 2099 of 2021 and COMPES 4075 of 2022 on energy transition policy.

[3] Such as copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, chromium, graphite, manganese and zinc, considered the most strategic for energy transition projects.

[4] Such as Decree 2041 of 2014, which regulates the environmental licensing process of Law 99 of 1993. READ MORE