Leading Colombian presidential candidate pushes for phase-out of oil and gas production

[Judi Lynn]

Jan 19, 2022 |

By Andrea Jaramillo and Oscar Medina

Colombia’s presidential front-runner Gustavo Petro is calling on ideological allies across Latin America and the world to join him in forming a new bloc to lead the economy away from fossil fuels.

Oil and coal currently account for nearly half of Colombia’s exports, but Petro says if he becomes president this year, he’ll push to start phasing out these industries in favor of a knowledge-based, tourism-driven economy. If Colombia immediately halts oil exploration, but continues to produce the crude it’s already drilling, it would have 12 years to manage the transition, he said in an interview from Bogota.

Senator Petro, 61, said his vision involves “a grand coalition of powers that can speak much more strongly in a global context to fight against climate change, and to transition Latin America toward economies that are decarbonized, productive and based on knowledge.”

Such an alliance will hopefully include Chile’s president-elect Gabriel Boric, and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Ecuador’s Guillermo Lasso, he said Thursday. It may not include Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who he said favors extractive industries.

More:
https://cuencahighlife.com/leading-colombian-presidential-candidate-pushes-for-a-phase-out-of-oil-and-gas-production/