The 2030 Agenda and the role of the energy sector in sustainable development

Five years from the deadline to fulfill the 2030 Agenda, Colombia faces the challenge of advancing in sustainability without sacrificing its competitiveness or energy security. In this conversation with Brigitte Baptiste, rector of the EAN University, the achievements, challenges, and opportunities of the country to build a sustainable development model are discussed.

ACP: Five years from the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda, how do you evaluate Colombia's progress in terms of sustainability and what do you consider to be the main achievements reached so far?

Brigitte Baptiste: Colombia has made significant progress in terms of decarbonization of the industry at a high cost. There have been important investments in mitigation issues and efficiencies in investments related to energy, and that is a very important first step. We have somewhat set aside adaptation issues, which are related to innovation and the adoption of new energies; but the debt remains in the reductions of emissions associated with the agricultural and forestry sector, which as we well know are associated with deforestation.

So, while there are programs that have been advancing significantly, such as Vision Amazonia, we have a task to ensure that by the end of 2030 we can truly say that we are satisfied.

ACP: What do you consider to be, today, the greatest challenge for countries like Colombia to advance in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (economic, social, and environmental) without compromising their energy security or competitiveness?

BB: The greatest challenges for the fulfillment of the SDGs are related to the synergistic transition among all sectors, because we can make very advanced decisions in energy terms, but we may neglect agri-food issues or worsen indicators in other sectors. And this has to do with the way countries plan, sometimes in a disjointed manner between economic, social, and environmental issues.

The most critical aspect in designing transitions is to have a well-structured roadmap that is supported by all state agencies, the private sector, and even the communities, because that is the guarantee that we agree on making those decisions.

It is very important not to make announcements or take decisions simply based on how appealing they may be, or decisions that do not have full backing of the materiality to lead us to a good outcome. Therefore, the objective is exactly not to compromise energy security or competitiveness with the discourse of sustainability, because in doing so we threaten the continuity of many processes and even create additional conflicts for the future.

ACP: The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement share ambitious emission reduction targets. From your perspective, how can the hydrocarbons sector effectively contribute to the fulfillment of the NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) and national decarbonization targets?

BB: The hydrocarbons sector has effectively fulfilled the NDCs from the perspective of mitigation measures and the adoption of new technologies and the circular economy, even as a model to generate efficiency.

Furthermore, this sector has injected resources into others so that the transition, for example, agro-food or tourism, can develop. What happens is that, as hydrocarbons leave the macroeconomic landscape, it becomes more difficult for them to make those transfers, whether direct or indirect, via taxes, to the sustainability of other sectors.

A regenerative perspective in industries or in the hydrocarbon sector could help us in such a way that there is also efficiency in their investments, a very coordinated effort with the central government, regional governments, and the sectors that receive or could potentially receive resources from the voluntary or mandatory investments made by companies in the hydrocarbon industry.

ACP: In terms of public policy, what institutional or governance adjustments do you consider necessary to strengthen the coherence between the country's development goals and the commitments of the 2030 Agenda?

BB: In terms of public policy, we should focus on better articulating the energy transition with other sectors. And there we have significant gaps, for example, in the forestry sector. If Colombia is a forested country capable of capturing carbon or building regenerative agriculture, also capturing carbon in soils, both measures are extremely important for the world, then it should make relevant decisions regarding the construction of forests, not just plantations but forests that allow for the recovery of deforested areas in the Amazon, especially recovering ecosystem services, and that also generate alternative businesses for when hydrocarbons have already stopped contributing the very significant figures that have been provided so far.

Apart from the forestry sector, there is also a need to strengthen the science and technology system because without significant investments in this area, it is very difficult to even adopt technology or adapt it to regional needs. The investments we are making are extremely insufficient and, moreover, generate negative competition among actors, between universities, research centers, and think tanks, which is not beneficial because it generates a lot of frustration.

ACP: In your opinion, what is the role of the hydrocarbon industry in closing social, territorial, and environmental gaps, especially in regions historically affected by inequality and conflict?

BB: The hydrocarbon sector and the industry, in general, are fundamental in closing gaps if they manage to participate more actively with other social actors in identifying them and partnering with them. It is not about responding individually or taking on such a critical task alone, but about promoting alliances and improving governance in regions where there are very significant challenges to face in terms of inequality and conflict.

When one thinks, for example, of Arauca, one knows that we are talking about decades of difficulties, with some moments more acute than others, but where there has been a great influx of financial resources that have not necessarily transformed into well-being and that do not necessarily come from well-structured investment agendas from the Government and public entities.

ACP: Do you know of examples or good practices that you would highlight from companies or territories where a balance is being achieved between responsible production, regional development, and environmental protection? Could you mention some?.

BB: Some companies have done very interesting and especially sustained work, which is what is required in the development of ventures such as, for example, support for cocoa companies, its cultivation, processing, quality, marketing, in short; a whole sector that has shown its benefits and can and has the potential to replace some of the oil revenues, as long as it is done at the required scale.

Also, Ecopetrol, for example, has largely financed the gathering of information on biodiversity in much of the national territory and also management capacities with the expectation of building a bioeconomy. This would surely require more continuity and above all identify some more concrete priorities, so that those resources can truly become a source of green entrepreneurship in a short time.

ACP: How can the articulation between the State, academia, communities, and the private sector be enhanced to advance the SDGs?

BB: The articulation with the State, academia, and communities is fundamental because the private sector, I insist, cannot shoulder the fulfillment of development goals nor the gaps often left by the absence of the State, and that is costing us. In many regions of Colombia, the State has distanced itself, leaving the responsibility of work to companies, for example, in the hydrocarbons sector, which generates negative dependency, welfare dependency, and pathological relationships between communities and the sector.

That is why we must insist on issues of governance, cooperation, and that companies commit to responsible production, regional development, and environmental protection with local communities and institutions. There are many agreements and arrangements that have been made with NGOs, some global, others local. This will surely be reflected over time in a greater capacity for significant investment or investment with impact in the region. That is what worries us, the impact, which also needs to be measured.

ACP: You have spoken on several occasions about the importance of knowledge and innovation for sustainability. What role should science play in decision-making regarding the responsible use of natural resources?

BB: It is a call for innovation in science to remain fundamental in decision-making; it is required that this science be understood and accepted by all actors. Today science is in question in many cases because it is believed to be affiliated with interests, for example, of the private sector and not with collective interests or those of communities. There we need to do important work in conversation about the role of science and about other visions of territories, other ways of structuring knowledge so that we can get the best out of diversity.

ACP: If you had to summarize in one idea or message your vision on the role of the hydrocarbons sector in the 2030 Agenda, what would it be?

BB: The hydrocarbons sector will be key in the construction or in the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda in these four years that we have left, to the extent that it can focus on two or three things. It cannot try to contribute to all the objectives, and in the Colombian case, I believe that the most important thing is to contribute to the transition towards bioeconomy.