Short answers, pulled from the story.
Fossil fuel phase-out is the proposed gradual global reduction of the use and production of fossil fuels to zero. Its main goals are to reduce air pollution, limit climate change, reduce fossil fuel subsidies, and strengthen energy independence for countries that lack domestic fossil fuel deposits.
As of 2014, fossil fuels provided over 80% of the world's primary energy consumption, and global use has continued to increase, with the trend documented at least since 1965.
One estimate puts premature deaths from fossil fuel air pollution at 3.5 million each year, representing approximately 65% of all premature deaths attributable to air pollution.
The first International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels was held in Santa Marta, Colombia in April 2026, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands with 57 countries participating. The United States was deliberately excluded following its policy shift favoring fossil fuel energy over green initiatives.
Using a broad definition that includes the failure to price greenhouse gas emissions, the International Monetary Fund estimated global fossil fuel subsidies at $5.2 trillion in 2017, equal to 6.4% of global GDP. Direct consumption subsidies alone totalled US$320 billion in 2019.
The International Energy Agency estimates that global renewable energy investment must triple by 2030, reaching over $4 trillion annually, in order to achieve carbon neutrality by the middle of the century.