At shadow climate summit on phasing out fossil fuels, scientists are center stage

April 30, 20264 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmScientists know how to phase out fossil fuels. Some countries are listeningRepresentatives of more than 50 nations gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, this week at what was billed as the first global summit on phasing out fossil fuels. A panel of scientists will be advising themBy Mariana Lenharo & Nature magazine Colombia's Environment Minister Irene Velez speaks during an interview with AFP in Santa Marta, Colombia, on April 26, 2026, on the sidelines of the International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP via Getty ImagesClimate scientists, who have warned of the dangers of global warming for decades, have found some countries to listen. This week, representatives of more than 50 nations gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, at what was billed as the first global summit on phasing out fossil fuels. One of the first orders of business was to launch a panel of scientists that will advise those countries on how to shift to clean energy.“Here, you have a coalition of governments that decided they actually want to be informed by the science,” says Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, an international climate-change law specialist at the University