Shift away from fossil fuels accelerates without U.S.
Nearly 60 countries gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, to accelerate the global shift away from fossil fuels, signaling growing momentum despite uneven international participation. Ministers and researchers warned that continued dependence on coal, oil and gas is driving rapid warming and intensifying extreme weather, reinforcing the scientific findings presented throughout the conference.
Surprisingly, the United States did not attend the conference, signaling its continued absence from key global climate negotiations. Several other major emitters were also missing, raising concerns about global coordination at a time when energy markets remain volatile. Even so, participating governments stressed that dependence on fossil fuels stokes economic instability and amplifies climate‑related risks.
Unlike traditional U.N. Conference of the Parties summits, which are often slowed by political gridlock, the Santa Marta meeting centered directly on strategies to phase out fossil fuels. Delegates examined national transition plans, harmful subsidies and just‑transition policies, arguing that meaningful climate action requires addressing the root causes of the crisis rather than relying on incremental reforms.
ERICA BIBBEY, MARIETTA
Price controls won’t fix drug costs
In the never-ending debate over how to lower drug costs for Americans, the so-called “Most Favored Nation” proposal keeps coming up. Our leaders in Washington should think carefully about what price controls like this proposal would and wouldn’t do.
Setting American drug prices based on what other countries pay might sound like a solution, but those other countries have access restrictions and delays that Americans haven’t had to navigate. You can’t just lift the price point out of those systems and expect it to work the same way here.
Beyond the access question, there’s the innovation issue. Research that produces new treatments is funded by pharmaceutical revenue. When you compress that revenue hard enough, the investment in next-generation drugs shrinks. That’s a big problem for communities that have historically been underserved in health care. For breakthrough treatments to reach those communities, the research pipeline must be well-funded and centered here in the U.S.
Meanwhile, there are real savings in the system that should be reaching patients. The 340B Drug Pricing Program provides participating facilities with significant drug discounts, but there’s little accountability for how those discounts are used. Too much of that money is being used to prop up hospital budgets, and not enough is going toward lowering costs or improving patient access.
Congress should address the accountability problems in the existing system by reforming the 340B program. That’s a much better approach.
VICKI GARRETT, GAINESVILLE
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