Yuvelis Morales Blanco, a 25-year-old Goldman environmental prize winner from Santander, northern Colombia, has vowed to continue fighting against fossil fuel extraction despite the election of far-right president Abelardo de la Espriella. De la Espriella won the presidency on 21 June by less than 1% of the vote, the narrowest margin in Colombian history, pledging to maximize exploitation of the country's oil reserves. This marks a sharp break from the leftist administration of Gustavo Petro, who prioritized the energy transition.
Activists Face New Challenges
Morales, who helped halt oil extraction and fracking in Puerto Wilches, said: '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.' Colombia's environmental movement, which has endured the world's highest homicide rates for three consecutive years, sees the incoming government as a setback. Morales added: '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.'
Election Results Reflect Divide
Santander department exemplifies the national divide: De la Espriella won nearly every municipality except Barrancabermeja and Puerto Wilches, where Morales lives and oil has been extracted for decades. There, leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, backed by President Petro, took almost 60% of the vote. Morales noted: '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.'
Economic Context of Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels' share of Colombia's economy has shrunk; 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, oil, coal, and gas still make up 5% of GDP, and the fiscal deficit hit 6.4% in 2025, its highest since the pandemic. Andrés Gómez, a petroleum engineer and Latin America coordinator for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said: 'It's about managing the decline.' Colombia produces 750,000 barrels of oil daily, but has only 0.1% of the world's proven reserves, compared to Venezuela's 17%.
Renewable Energy Growth
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, stating: '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.'
New Government's Plans
De la Espriella will be sworn in on 7 August and has promised to issue dozens of decrees rolling back the policies of the leftist 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 non-renewable resource exploitation. Muhamad expects the new government to repeat the 'mining locomotive' model of former presidents Álvaro Uribe and Juan Manuel Santos. Future environment minister Fabio Arjona has called for 'greater efficiency' and fewer 'obstacles' in environmental licensing, while ruling out the abolition of the national environmental licensing authority (ANLA).
Aggressive Fossil Fuel Push Expected
Muhamad believes the fossil fuel push will be more aggressive 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 in remote areas near Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Venezuela, where legal and illegal mining thrive under armed groups. Wrestling these economies back under control will require a military offensive, putting rural communities at risk.
Missed Opportunity for Debate
The election outcome might have been different. Leftist candidate Cepeda, who promised to continue the energy transition, lost by fewer than 250,000 votes out of 26 million. Muhamad said: 'There wasn't enough debate. The two governing platforms were never really put head to head so voters could properly compare them.' No presidential debate took place during the campaign.
United Resistance Ahead
Despite the left's electoral defeat, Indigenous communities, afro-Colombians, and the environmental movement remain broadly united and organised. Morales highlights the contrast in her region, the Magdalena Medio valley: '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.'
International Implications
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 the transition away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta in early 2026. Experts and activists say 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.'
