🔗 Share this article

The climate chief, the minister, has urged every country to show the courage needed to address the necessity of a worldwide transition away from fossil fuels, describing the creation of a roadmap as an “moral” response to the climate crisis.

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

This issue remains one of the most contentious matters at the UN climate summit in the host country, with nations divided over whether and in what way such a roadmap can be addressed. As the host, Brazil has maintained a carefully neutral position on what can be included on the formal agenda.

The official expressed support for the potential of a plan, without explicitly pledging the country to it. She remarked: “When we have a situation that is very challenging, it is good that we have a map. But the map does not compel us to travel, or to climb.”

Speaking further, the minister noted: “The roadmap is an answer to our scientific understanding [of the climate emergency]. It is an moral response.”

Dozens of nations gathered in the host city for the global climate conference, which is starting its next phase, are aiming to establish how a worldwide phaseout of fossil fuels could work. They hope to advance a landmark agreement reached two years ago at COP28 to “move away from fossil fuels.”

That commitment lacked a timetable or details on how it could be achieved, and even though it was passed by all, some nations have since tried to disavow the promise. Efforts last year to expand on its real-world implications were blocked by opposition from petrostates at COP29.

Consequently, there was no mention of the shift away from fossil fuels in the outcome of COP29.

For these reasons, the host has been wary of demands by some countries to place the transition on the schedule for COP30. But Silva has worked hard in private to ensure the topic could be talked about at the summit outside the official agenda.

The minister won over Brazil’s leader, who gave public reference three times to the need to “shift from dependence on fossil fuels” at the summit of world leaders that came before COP30, and at the start of the event.

“The issue is something that we know at some point had to be raised, because it is the only way to address the issue from the root,” the minister explained. “We recognise that it is not easy, and we cannot offer false hopes. Raising the topic is courageous, and I hope [to see] this courage from all, from producing nations and using countries.”

The nation had not started the push for a transition, the minister said, because that had been done at the earlier summit. Instead, it was enabling the talks to occur in accordance with what some nations wished. “We understand these topics are delicate. We will give the opportunity to talk about it,” she said.

There is not enough time at the summit to create a detailed plan, a process Silva said could take a number of years because many nations confronted complicated challenges around dependence on fossil fuels, or wanted to use the proceeds from selling fossil fuels to fund their economic growth.

“The country brings up the topic, because Brazil is both a producing nation and consumer,” she said. “But the nation is unique, because Brazil, if it wants to, need not depend on non-renewables. We have to understand that there are some that depend on fossil fuels in their economies and lack easy alternatives, and some where fossil fuels are the basis of their economy.

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

If the proposal receives enough backing, COP30 could set up a platform in which the process of drawing up a strategy to the phaseout could begin.

This process would involve dialogue with every signatory nations to the UN framework convention on climate change and guidelines for how the initiative would proceed, the minister said. “After we have criteria, a governance structure can be developed; once we have a strategy, and create safeguards to be able to establish trust in the system, I am confident that with these components we can turn good ideas into actions that are clearer, and more tangible.”

It is uncertain that a proposal to start developing a plan would win approval at the conference, even if it may not need the formal consent of the summit, which operates by consensus and can be hijacked by special interests. Climate experts have suggested they believe there could be support for such a proposal from about 60 nations, but there are believed to be at least 40 against. A total of 195 countries represented at the negotiations.

“In spite of being the root cause of climate change, fossil fuels are about the most divisive subject there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky coalition of countries openly supporting a path to realizing global phaseout is in itself highly significant.”

“In simple terms, there’s no route to a planet where temperature rise remains below 1.5C in which countries cannot to talk about ending fossil fuel use.”

“We need this wording for real in this discussion. It’s quite stupid that we talk about all topics but then when the main issue are the real problem.”

Negotiations continued on the weekend on several unresolved issues that have not yet been included into the formal agenda: commerce, transparency, funding and how to tackle the shortfall between the emissions cuts nations have proposed and those needed to keep to the 1.5-degree warming target.

The summit president pledged a “note” that would cover these issues, after consultations – which have been underway since Monday – were inconclusive. The official called on countries to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, referring to one of collaboration and positive discussion.

Work on other key topics – including adaptation to the effects of the climate emergency, the fair shift for those affected by the move to a low-carbon economic system and how to strengthen institutional capacity in developing countries – proceeded productively, the host said.

Brazil’s lead representative said the detailed phase of the summit process was nearing the end, and the political phase – when ministers who have the authority to change their nations' stances join – was starting.