Contrasting Affective responses and the Politics of the Energy Transition: Impact of the War in Ukraine on the Colombian Coal Industry

Abstract

This piece explores the effects of the war in Ukraine on Colombia's coal industry and the contrasting affective responses of different actors. The stark contrast between environmental and Indigenous activists' anger and the industry representatives' optimism about the revival of coal exports evidences the tension between the climate policies of the current Colombian government and the longstanding pattern of export-led economies in Latin America, a path difficult to break. Nonetheless, the situation enables a space to discuss how a ‘just transition’ would look for regions dependent on coal and, importantly, when that transition will be.