🔗 Share this article

The environment minister, Marina Silva, has called on every country to demonstrate the bravery needed to address the necessity of a global fossil fuel phaseout, describing the development of a detailed plan as an “moral” response to the global warming emergency.

The minister stressed, however, that participation in this process would be optional and “self-determined” for willing governments.

This issue remains one of the most contentious subjects at the COP30 in the host country, with countries split over if and in what way such a roadmap can be discussed. Hosting the event, Brazil has adopted a carefully neutral stance on which items can be included on the formal agenda.

The official voiced approval for the potential of a plan, though not explicitly committing the country to it. She remarked: “When we have a situation that is quite grim, it is helpful that we have a map. But the map does not force us to proceed, or to advance.”

In an interview, the minister noted: “The map is an response to our scientific understanding [of the climate crisis]. It is an ethical response.”

Scores of nations gathered in the host city for the UN climate summit, which is starting its second week, are seeking to determine how a worldwide phaseout of oil, gas, and coal could be implemented. They hope to advance a historic resolution reached two years ago at a previous UN summit to “transition away from fossil fuels.”

The pledge lacked a timetable or details on how it could be achieved, and although it was passed unanimously, several countries have later attempted to back away from the pledge. Attempts last year to expand on its real-world meaning were blocked by opposition from oil-dependent nations at COP29.

As a result, there was no mention of the transition away from fossil fuels in the outcome of that conference.

For these reasons, Brazil has been cautious of demands by some nations to place the phaseout on the agenda for COP30. But Silva has worked hard in private to make sure the pledge could be discussed at the conference outside the formal agenda.

She won over Brazil’s leader, and he gave public reference three times to the need to “shift from reliance on traditional energy” at the summit of world leaders that preceded COP30, and at the opening of the event.

“This is something that we understand at some point had to be raised, because it is the only way to address the issue from the source,” the minister explained. “We acknowledge that it is not easy, and we cannot offer false hopes. Raising the topic is courageous, and I hope [to see] this bravery from everyone, from producing nations and using countries.”

Brazil had not initiated the call for a transition, the minister said, because that had been initiated at the earlier summit. Rather, it was allowing the discussions to take place in line with what some nations desired. “We know these subjects are sensitive. We will provide the chance to discuss it,” she said.

Time is insufficient at COP30 to draw up a roadmap, a process Silva said could take a number of years because numerous nations faced complicated challenges around reliance on fossil fuels, or aimed to use the revenue from exporting fossil fuels to fund their development.

“The country brings up the subject, because Brazil is both a producing nation and consumer,” the minister said. “But the nation is different, because Brazil, if it wants to, need not depend on fossil fuels. We have to understand that there are some that depend on fossil fuels in their economic systems and don’t have easy solutions, and some where oil and gas are the foundation of their economic structure.

“To be just is to be fair to everyone, but the essential, basic justice is to avoid being unjust to the planet, because it is our shared home.”

If the proposal gains sufficient support, the summit could establish a forum in which the process of drawing up a roadmap to the phaseout could start.

This endeavor would require discussions with all participating countries to the UN climate treaty and guidelines for how the process would unfold, Silva explained. “After we have criteria, a management framework can be developed; after we have a strategy, and establish safeguards to be able to establish confidence in the process, I am confident that with these components we can turn good ideas into steps that are more defined, and more concrete.”

It is uncertain that a proposal to begin developing a plan would win approval at the conference, although it may not need the formal approval of the summit, which proceeds by unanimous agreement and can be disrupted by particular groups. Climate experts have indicated they think there could be backing for such a proposal from about 60 countries, but there are believed to be at least forty opposed. There are 195 nations represented at the talks.

“In spite of being the primary source of global warming, fossil fuels are about the most contentious subject there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a sizable group of countries publicly supporting a route to realizing global transition is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“Put simply, there’s no path to a world where warming stays below 1.5 degrees in which nations cannot to discuss ending fossil fuel use.”

“We require this language for real in this conversation. It’s quite stupid that we discuss everything but that when fossil fuels are the actual challenge.”

Discussions carried on on Saturday on four unresolved topics that have still not been incorporated into the official schedule: commerce, transparency, finance and how to tackle the gap between the emissions cuts nations have planned and those needed to keep to the 1.5C warming limit.

The summit president promised a “document” that would address these matters, after discussions – which have been underway since Monday – were unresolved. He called on countries to embrace the “mutirão” spirit, meaning one of collaboration and constructive dialogue.

Work on other substantive issues – such as adaptation to the effects of the climate emergency, the just transition for those affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy and how to build governance capabilities in developing countries – carried on constructively, the presidency reported.

Brazil’s lead representative said the technical phase of the COP process was approaching the end, and the high-level phase – when government leaders who have the power to alter their countries’ stances arrive – was starting.