Brazil's Environment Minister Urges Boldness to Establish Fossil Energy Phaseout Roadmap at COP30

Brazil’s climate chief, Marina Silva, has urged all nations to demonstrate the courage needed to confront the necessity of a worldwide transition away from fossil fuels, describing the creation of a detailed plan as an “moral” answer to the climate crisis.

She stressed, though, that involvement in this endeavor would be optional and “independently decided” for interested nations.

The topic remains one of the most debated subjects at the UN climate summit in Brazil, with nations split over if and in what way such a strategy can be discussed. As the host, the nation has adopted a balanced stance on which items can be placed on the official agenda.

Silva voiced support for the potential of a plan, though not explicitly pledging the country to it. She remarked: “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, she added: “The roadmap is an response to our scientific understanding [of the climate crisis]. It is an moral answer.”

Scores of countries meeting in the host city for the global climate conference, which is starting its second week, are seeking to establish how a global phaseout of oil, gas, and coal could work. These nations aim to advance a landmark agreement reached two years ago at a previous UN summit to “move away from non-renewable energy sources.”

The pledge lacked a timetable or details on the way it could be realized, and even though it was adopted unanimously, some countries have later attempted to disavow the promise. Efforts last year to elaborate on its practical meaning were blocked by opposition from petrostates at another UN summit.

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

For these reasons, Brazil has been wary of calls by certain countries to place the transition on the schedule for COP30. But the minister has strived behind the scenes to make sure the pledge could be discussed at the conference apart from the official program.

The minister convinced Brazil’s president, who gave public reference three times to the need to “move away from reliance on traditional energy” at the global leaders' meeting that preceded COP30, and at the start of the event.

“The issue is something that we understand at a certain time had to be raised, because it is the only way to face the problem from the source,” Marina Silva said. “We acknowledge that it is challenging, and we cannot offer unrealistic expectations. Raising the topic is courageous, and I wish [to see] this bravery from all, from producing nations and consumers.”

The nation had not started the call for a transition, she clarified, because that had been initiated at COP28. Instead, it was allowing the talks to take place in line with what some nations desired. “We know these subjects are sensitive. We will provide the opportunity to talk about it,” the minister added.

There is not enough time at the summit to create a detailed plan, a task Silva said could take a number of years because numerous nations confronted complicated challenges around reliance on fossil fuels, or aimed to use the revenue from exporting oil and gas to fund their development.

“The country raises the subject, because it is simultaneously a producer and user,” she noted. “But Brazil is different, because Brazil, if it chooses to, need not rely on non-renewables. We have to understand that there are certain nations that depend on carbon energy in their economic systems and lack easy solutions, and others where oil and gas are the foundation of their economic structure.

“To be just is to be just to all, but the essential, basic fairness is not being unfair to the Earth, because it is our home.”

If the pledge gains enough backing, COP30 could establish a forum in which the work of drawing up a roadmap to the phaseout could begin.

This process would involve dialogue with every participating countries to the UN framework convention on climate change and guidelines for how the process would proceed, Silva said. “After we have criteria, a governance structure can be developed; after we have a plan, and establish protections to be able to establish confidence in the system, I am confident that with these elements we can turn positive concepts into actions that are more defined, and more concrete.”

There is no guarantee that a suggestion to begin drawing up a roadmap would be accepted at COP30, although it may not need the formal consent of the summit, which operates by consensus and can be hijacked by special interests. COP analysts have indicated they think there could be backing for such a proposal from about 60 countries, but there are believed to be at least 40 against. There are one hundred ninety-five nations represented at the negotiations.

“In spite of being the primary source of climate change, fossil fuels are about the most divisive subject there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a sizable group of nations publicly supporting a path to realizing worldwide phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

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

“We need this wording for actual in this discussion. It’s quite stupid that we discuss all topics but that when the main issue are the real challenge.”

Discussions carried on on the weekend on four unresolved issues that have not yet been incorporated into the official schedule: trade, openness, finance and how to address the gap between the emissions cuts nations have proposed and those required to hold to the 1.5-degree warming target.

A summit chair pledged a “document” that would address these issues, after consultations – which have been underway since Monday – were inconclusive. The official urged nations to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, referring to one of collaboration and positive dialogue.

Progress on other key topics – including adjustment to the effects of the climate emergency, the just transition for those impacted by the transition to a low-carbon economy and how to build governance capabilities in developing countries – proceeded productively, the host said.

Brazil’s lead representative said the detailed part of the summit proceedings was nearing the end, and the high-level stage – when ministers who have the authority to alter their nations' positions arrive – was beginning.