Yuvelis Morales Blanco, a 25-year-old environmental activist from Santander, northern Colombia, has dedicated her life to defending land rights and the environment. Growing up near the Magdalena River, Colombia's most important waterway, she developed a deep connection to nature. 'My parents are fishers on the Magdalena,' Morales says. 'For us, the river isn't just food – it embodies life, identity and culture.' In April, she received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her leadership in halting oil extraction and fracking in Puerto Wilches. Yet, her struggle is only intensifying.
New Government Signals Shift in Energy Policy
On 21 June, Colombia elected far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella as president by the narrowest margin in its history – less than 1%. He pledged to exploit fossil fuels to the fullest extent possible, marking a sharp break from the leftist administration of Gustavo Petro, who prioritized the energy transition. 'We were hoping for a government closer to our work, one that respected human rights, but we won't give up. We'll keep fighting,' Morales says.
Colombia's environmental movement, which has endured the world's highest homicide rates for three consecutive years, sees the incoming government as a setback. 'We're open to dialogue and to finding common ground, but we're also organised and ready to mobilise to defend our natural resources and our rights,' Morales adds.
Electoral Divides Over Energy
De la Espriella won in nearly every municipality in Santander except Barrancabermeja and Puerto Wilches, where oil extraction has occurred for decades. In those areas, leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, backed by President Petro, took almost 60% of the vote. 'We are the ones who have suffered the consequences of extraction and the pollution of our waters – and we're precisely the ones who voted against it,' Morales says.
Fossil fuels' share of Colombia's economy has shrunk over the past four years. In 2025, non-mining, non-energy exports accounted for 52.6% of total exports, overtaking mining and energy exports for the first time in at least a decade. However, critics argue that a middle-income country like Colombia cannot abandon oil, coal and gas, which still make up 5% of GDP, especially with the fiscal deficit at 6.4% in 2025, its highest since the pandemic.
Managing the Decline
Andrés Gómez, a petroleum engineer and Latin America coordinator for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, says the right strategy is not to abandon extractive revenues overnight. 'It's about managing the decline,' he says. Colombia produces 750,000 barrels of oil daily, while exports of coffee, flowers and fruit grow in parallel. 'Colombia is not an oil country,' Gómez notes, adding that Venezuela holds 17% of the world's proven reserves, compared to Colombia's 0.1%.
Between 2022 and 2026, Colombia's renewable energy capacity grew from 200 to 3,600 MW. Gómez believes the Petro government's environmental bet was correct. 'Colombia has done remarkable diplomatic work in favour of the energy transition and against fossil fuel dependency. That should be a state policy, not just the policy of whichever government happens to be in power,' he says.
Policy Reversals Ahead
De la Espriella will be sworn in on 7 August and has promised to issue dozens of decrees rolling back the policies of the Pacto Histórico coalition. Susana Muhamad, a political scientist and former environment minister, predicts 'a policy of containment' – environmental rules designed to slow the transition. In Congress, the left holds 68 seats, but the right still backs exploitation of non-renewable resources.
'The new government will probably repeat the pattern set by former presidents Álvaro Uribe and Juan Manuel Santos, who championed the mining locomotive as one of the economy's main engines,' Muhamad says. Future environment minister Fabio Arjona has ruled out abolishing the environmental licensing agency but called for 'greater efficiency' and fewer 'obstacles.' Muhamad expects future ministers to act as 'notaries of disaster,' granting extraction permits and loosening regulations.
Aggressive Fossil Fuel Push and Violence
Muhamad believes the fossil fuel push will be more aggressive than ever, partly due to alliance with the United States and pressure from Donald Trump. She flags the Cordillera Occidental – a natural corridor linking the Andes to the Pacific and Amazon – as vulnerable to large-scale copper extraction. Mineral ambitions will collide with violence, as legal and illegal mining thrive under armed groups in remote areas near borders with Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela. Wresting these economies back will require a military offensive, putting rural communities at risk.
The election could have played out differently. Cepeda, who promised to continue the energy transition, lost by fewer than 250,000 votes out of 26 million. 'There wasn't enough debate. The two governing platforms were never really put head to head,' Muhamad says. No presidential debate took place during the campaign.
United Opposition and Hope
Despite the electoral defeat, Indigenous communities, afro-Colombians and the environmental movement remain broadly united and organised. Morales points to the contrast in her region, the Magdalena Medio – a fertile valley rich in resources but with few benefits for locals. 'We have abundant water, yet in Puerto Wilches you can't drink from the tap. We have a beautiful river, but it has been polluted for years by oil extraction,' she says.
Over the past four years, Colombia positioned itself as a laboratory for the energy transition, hosting the UN biodiversity conference (Cop16) in Cali in 2024 and the conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta in early 2026. Now, the country's role on the world stage will change dramatically. Morales remains optimistic and has a message for the international community: 'Countries will need to make sure Colombia honours its fossil fuel treaties. They will need to safeguard the wellbeing of local communities and keep watch to ensure the country stays on a roadmap toward a genuine energy transition.'
