‘Alternative COP’ must drive real, cooperative change in climate action
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Colombia’s environment minister Irene Vélez Torres (left) with her Netherlands counterpart Stientje van Veldhoven in Santa Marta, Colombia.Credit: Ivan Valencia/AP Photo/Alamy
An important international climate-change initiative was launched last week: more than 50 countries gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. Co-chaired by the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands, the initiative was born at least partly out of frustration with the official United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) process, in which all UN member states attempt to work together on their climate-action policies. The Santa Marta meeting’s organizers said that their meeting was a forum to discuss practical steps to move away from fossil fuels. It is intended to complement the COP process, not replace it.
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