International Dilemma: prohibiting Russian fossil fuels escalates worldwide demand for dirtier coal from other sources in Colombia

In recent months, Germany has witnessed a significant increase in coal imports from South Africa, Indonesia, Australia, and notably, Colombia. This surge in imports has been accompanied by a steep rise in prices, with the average cost of imported Colombian coal skyrocketing from €95.52 per metric ton last June to €393.55 per ton today.

This increase has not gone unnoticed, with German Bundestag member Kathrin Henneberger criticizing the trend as "new colonial behavior." The rise in imports has also been observed in the Netherlands and Spain.

However, the increase in coal imports comes with a heavy environmental and social cost. Coal mining in Colombia is associated with paramilitary violence, deforestation, and ecological destruction. The El Cerrejón strip mine, which recently received permission to expand operations, has faced court rulings and opposition from indigenous communities.

The first leftist-Green coalition government in Colombia, led by Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez, took office on August 7, promising to retool the economy away from fossil fuels and accelerate the clean energy transition. In contrast, Germany and several other nations have reluctantly chosen to bring coal-fired power plants out of retirement or into standby service due to the energy crisis triggered by the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent disruption of fossil gas supplies from Russia.

The Ukraine crisis has also led to urgent requests for coal sales to Poland and Ukraine through the World Bank. Meanwhile, Glencore, a multinational mining and commodities trading company, posted record profits of $18.9 billion in the first half of 2022, largely due to coal.

In response to the crisis, the EU Member States announced they were banning Russian coal from August 2022 onwards. However, two days before this announcement, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz personally called the then President of Colombia, Iván Duque, to ask for more coal exports.

The environmental impact of these increased coal imports has not gone unnoticed. An open letter to global leaders was published by the Colombian Network Against Large Transnational Mining (RECLAME) and Unidas Por La Paz, with the backing of hundreds of NGOs. Irish Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon also travelled to Colombia to witness the environmental impact of the mine and the pain of indigenous communities affected by its expansion.

As of March 2022, over 690,000 tons of Colombian coal had landed in Germany, with almost 2.1 million tons received in the first half of the year. This represents a 400% increase over last year. Despite the increase, German imports of Colombian coal fell from a high of over 4.7 million tons in 2017 to under 1.8 million last year.

The rise in coal imports and the associated environmental and social concerns highlight the complexities of the energy crisis and the challenges faced by nations in transitioning to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.