Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro calls for a Fossil Fuel Treaty at COP28

Read the full English transcript of President Gustavo Petro’s speech below:

I was in the United States, in San Francisco, about 20 days ago, in a meeting for the Association of Pacific Nations, called APEC.

There was China, Russia, the United States—leading actors of politics and world power. There was the Fiji Islands, Japan, Vietnam, etc., some Latin American countries like Mexico, Peru, Chile, and us.

And there, the representative of Australia took the floor.

And he announced, and with much, with a lot of pageantry, let's call it that, that he was willing to receive 11,000 Tuvaluans.

Their islands are on the verge of being under water.

It's not that they are sinking, but rather that the sea levels are rising and will engulf them. Their entire population.

A generous gesture from Australia.

But a huge defeat for humanity. And I said as much, there and then.

Because despite saving lives, an entire culture will undoubtedly disappear.

A nation is going to disappear.

The death of a culture is called an ethnocide.

And this would be just the first of many if things don't change in the world.

The death of a culture ultimately equates to the death of humanity.

The islands that will be covered by the sea are represented right here, on this table.

And there are many others.

There are many towns by the sea, rich and poor,

That are already facing the effects of relocation and displacement, which implies from the outset the demise of coastal cultures worldwide. There is a great deal of wealth there, there is a great deal of poverty there, but there is undoubtedly a significant amount of culture, a lot of people already affected. This is the starting point of the extinction of life on Earth.

As far as humankind goes.

Therefore, isn't it paradoxical that we are in a place where oil is being extracted?

In this very city! It is indeed paradoxical, but we are demonstrating an evolution of thought.

Some of us wonder, why a country that relies solely on oil production and is one of the major oil-producing nations in the world, is hosting COP 28?

Yes, science has explicitly informed the COP process that it is oil, coal, gas, and a common chemical element called carbon that, in the vast industrial machinery of the world's most developed countries, transforms into greenhouse gases responsible for the climate crisis and, consequently, the significant potential for the planet's sixth mass extinction event.

Why? Some might argue that it's a method to 'clean' the oil. It appears that there is a global trend moving in that direction.

The concept of zero carbon oil or the idea of completely eliminating oil.

They survive both in the exploitation and sale of oil, but they want to balance the burden with other types of economic assistance, green emissions, let's call them, carbon taxes, and so on.

Others among us believe that the world is already moving in that direction, and it is increasingly evident that one cannot solely rely on oil. Therefore, countries that heavily depend on oil production must embark on a challenging yet intelligent and rational transition toward a way of life without oil and coal.

It's also paradoxical that here at this table, alongside individuals on the frontlines whose populations may vanish due to the climate crisis, there is a country like the one I represent.

Because we also depend on oil and coal for our livelihood.

And because in my country, the simple fact that I am sitting at this table, requesting to sign a new global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty that implies zero new exploitation, which even implies zero new exploitation projects in the world, given that current deposits already found, if exploited, will take us to a 3°C temperature increase, that is, to the brink of collapse of life on the planet.

There, in my own society, they would say, “How could the president of our country contemplate such economic suicide, given our dependence on oil and carbon?”

But this is not economic suicide.

Being here means attempting to prevent a suicide. The precise term is 'omnicide' in Spanish.

It means the death of all living things, the interconnected extinction of everything that exists—an omnicide.

It's a homicide of the life force of the planet.

So, this is not economic suicide. What we are advocating for here is to prevent the homicide of planet Earth.

And for that, undoubtedly, there is no other way, no other path. The alternatives are mere illusions.

With all due respect to the clergy, in Colombia, we often say it's like lighting candles to gods and goddesses who won't perform miracles like technology, for example.

They won't be the miraculous saviors through some technique that can rescue us.

While technology can save existence on the planet, the possibility of continuing to thrive as a human civilization on this planet lies squarely in our hands.

As far as we can observe, many light-years away, research has shown us so far that this is the only planet where life exists.

Like a solitary pearl in the vast cosmic ocean, as far as our comprehension extends. This is the sole means to preserve that pearl, to safeguard something as exquisite as life and as profound as the intelligent embodiment of life within our species

It entails discontinuing the consumption of oil, coal, and gas.

It may seem easy, but paradoxically, it highlights the formidable economic interests surrounding oil, coal, and gas.

The most significant economic interest within capitalism currently exists and actively resists change. It persists in a self-destructive manner, prioritizing the accumulation of further profits.

The owners of this capital are acting in a way that endangers life, driven by profit motives. Today, we are not simply facing the immense antagonistic class struggle that 19th-century socialists envisioned, but something more dire.

We are confronted with a struggle between fossil capital and human life, including the life of our planet. And we must choose a side.

And any person, anywhere in the world, would understand that the only stance to take is in favor of life.

Therefore, as the President of the Republic of Colombia, even though our nation still relies on oil and coal and we are striving to transition away from them, I have no doubt about the stance we must adopt.

Between fossil capital and life:
we unequivocally choose life. 

Today, within the broader scope of humanity, being on the side of life means being alongside you: the peoples who are on the verge of disappearing on the islands due to extensive carbon consumption by a small elite of humanity.

A consumption that a small number of countries is growing without considering our existence and life on planet Earth. Thank you kindly.