Brazilian Minister Urges Boldness to Establish Fossil Fuel Phaseout Plan at UN Climate Summit

The climate chief, the minister, has called on all nations to demonstrate the bravery needed to address the imperative of a global transition away from fossil fuels, describing the creation of a roadmap as an “moral” answer to the climate crisis.

She stressed, though, that involvement in this endeavor would be voluntary and “self-determined” for willing governments.

The topic stands as one of the most contentious subjects at the UN climate summit in the host country, with nations split over whether and how such a strategy can be addressed. Hosting the event, Brazil has adopted a balanced stance on what can be included on the official agenda.

The official expressed approval for the possibility of a roadmap, without directly pledging Brazil to it. The minister stated: “When we have a terrain that is quite grim, it is good that we have a map. But the guide does not compel us to travel, or to climb.”

Speaking further, the minister added: “The map is an response to our scientific knowledge [of the climate crisis]. It is an moral response.”

Scores of countries gathered in the host city for the global climate conference, which is starting its next phase, are aiming to establish how a worldwide transition of oil, gas, and coal could be implemented. They hope to advance a landmark agreement reached two years ago at a previous UN summit to “move away from fossil fuels.”

The pledge lacked a schedule or specifics on how it could be realized, and even though it was passed by all, some countries have later tried to disavow the pledge. Attempts last year to expand on its practical meaning were stymied by resistance from oil-dependent nations at another UN summit.

As a result, there was no reference of the shift away from carbon fuels in the final agreement of that conference.

For these reasons, Brazil has been cautious of demands by some countries to include the phaseout on the schedule for COP30. But the minister has strived in private to make sure the pledge could be talked about at the conference outside the official program.

The minister convinced Brazil’s leader, and he gave public reference repeatedly to the need to “move away from dependence on traditional energy” at the global leaders' meeting that preceded the conference, and at the start of the event.

“This is a matter that we know at some point had to be raised, because it is the only way to address the problem from the source,” Marina Silva said. “We recognise that it is not easy, and we must not offer unrealistic expectations. Raising the topic is brave, and I hope [to see] this bravery from all, from producing nations and using countries.”

The nation had not initiated the push for a transition, the minister clarified, because that had been done at COP28. Rather, it was allowing the talks to occur in accordance with what certain countries wished. “We understand these topics are sensitive. We will provide the opportunity to discuss it,” the minister added.

Time is insufficient at COP30 to create a detailed plan, a task Silva called could take several years because numerous countries faced complex challenges around reliance on fossil fuels, or aimed to use the revenue from selling fossil fuels to finance their development.

“Brazil brings up the topic, because it is both a producing nation and user,” she noted. “But Brazil is unique, because Brazil, if it wants to, does not have to rely on non-renewables. We have to understand that there are some that rely on carbon energy in their economies and don’t have simple solutions, and some where oil and gas are the foundation of their economy.

“To be just is to be fair to all, but the essential, basic justice is not being unjust to the Earth, because it is our shared home.”

Should the pledge gains sufficient backing, COP30 could establish a platform in which the process of creating a roadmap to the transition could begin.

The endeavor would involve dialogue with all signatory countries to the UN framework convention on climate change and criteria for how the initiative would proceed, the minister said. “After we have criteria, a management framework can be developed; after we have a plan, and create safeguards to be able to build confidence in the process, I am confident that with these components we can transform positive concepts into steps that are more defined, and more concrete.”

There is no guarantee that a proposal to begin drawing up a roadmap would win approval at COP30, even if it does not require the formal consent of the conference, which operates by consensus and can be hijacked by special interests. Climate experts have suggested they believe there could be support for such a idea from about sixty countries, but there are believed to be at least forty opposed. A total of 195 nations represented at the talks.

“Despite being the root cause of climate change, carbon-based energy are about the most contentious topic there is within the international climate talks, so to see a sizable coalition of nations openly supporting a route to realizing global transition is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“In simple terms, there’s no path to a planet where temperature rise remains below 1.5 degrees in which nations aren’t able to talk about fossil fuel phaseout.”

“We require this wording for actual in this discussion. It’s quite stupid that we talk about everything but then when the main issue are the real challenge.”

Discussions carried on on the weekend on four outstanding issues that have not yet been incorporated into the formal schedule: trade, openness, finance and how to tackle the shortfall between the emissions cuts nations have proposed and those required to keep to the 1.5-degree warming limit.

The COP30 president promised a “document” that would cover these matters, after discussions – which have been underway since the start of the week – were unresolved. He urged countries to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of collaboration and constructive discussion.

Work on other substantive issues – such as adjustment to the impacts of the climate emergency, the fair shift for those impacted by the move to a green economic system and how to build institutional capacity in less developed nations – carried on productively, the host reported.

The host nation's chief negotiator stated the detailed phase of the COP proceedings was approaching completion, and the political phase – when ministers who have the power to change their nations' stances arrive – was beginning.