Science Weekly ‘Historic breakthrough’: could the fossil fuel era be coming to an end?
34 snips
May 5, 2026 
Jon Watts, Global environment editor at The Guardian who covers climate and energy, breaks down the Santa Marta meeting that aims to end the fossil fuel era. He explains why countries split from COP and who stayed away. He outlines the new science panel, national fossil-fuel roadmaps, concerns over mining and indigenous rights, and the tactics fossil fuel interests use to resist change.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Industrial Revolution To Electron Era
- The world may be shifting from a fossil-fuel Industrial Revolution to an "electron era" driven by cheap wind and solar.
- Jon Watts highlights China's renewables surge cutting costs and creating geopolitical tension as the US lags behind.
Santa Marta Born From COP Frustration
- Colombia and the Netherlands convened 57 countries in Santa Marta to draft roadmaps away from fossil fuels after COP excluded the term.
- Jon Watts describes energized, cooperative rooms where negotiators, NGOs and civil society dug into practical actions.
Produce Clear Timetabled Transition Roadmaps
- Every attending nation will be asked to produce clear, timed roadmaps outlining coal, oil and gas phase-outs.
- Jon Watts notes France as the only country with such a roadmap, targeting coal by 2030, oil 2045 and gas 2050.