🔗 Share this article

The environment minister, the minister, has urged every country to demonstrate the courage needed to confront the necessity of a global transition away from fossil fuels, labeling the creation of a detailed plan as an “ethical” response to the climate crisis.

She emphasized, though, that involvement in this process would be optional and “self-determined” for interested nations.

This issue remains one of the most contentious subjects at the UN climate summit in Brazil, with nations divided over whether and in what way such a strategy can be addressed. Hosting the event, the nation has maintained a balanced stance on what can be placed on the formal agenda.

Silva voiced approval for the possibility of a plan, though not directly committing the country to it. She stated: “In times we have a situation that is quite grim, it is good that we have a guide. But the guide does not force us to proceed, or to climb.”

Speaking further, the minister noted: “The roadmap is an answer to our scientific knowledge [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 aiming to determine how a global phaseout of fossil fuels could be implemented. These nations aim to advance a historic agreement reached two years ago at COP28 to “transition away from fossil fuels.”

The pledge lacked a timetable or specifics on how it could be achieved, and even though it was adopted unanimously, some nations have since attempted to disavow the pledge. Efforts last year to expand on its real-world implications were stymied by resistance from petrostates at COP29.

As a result, there was no reference of the transition away from carbon fuels in the outcome of COP29.

For these reasons, Brazil has been cautious of demands by some nations to include the transition on the agenda for the current summit. But Silva has strived in private to ensure the pledge could be talked about at the conference outside the official program.

She won over the nation's leader, and he gave mention three times to the need to “move away from reliance on traditional energy” at the summit of world leaders that preceded COP30, and at the opening of the summit.

“This is a matter that we understand at some point had to be put forward, because it is the only way to address the problem from the source,” the minister said. “We recognise that it is not easy, and we must not offer false hopes. Bringing up the subject is brave, and I wish [to see] this courage from all, from producers and using countries.”

Brazil had not started the call for a phaseout, she clarified, because that had been initiated at the earlier summit. Instead, it was enabling the discussions to take place in line with what some countries desired. “We understand these topics are delicate. We will provide the opportunity to talk about it,” the minister added.

Time is insufficient at COP30 to draw up a detailed plan, a process Silva called could take a number of years because numerous countries confronted complex challenges around reliance on carbon-based energy, or aimed to use the revenue from exporting fossil fuels to finance their economic growth.

“Brazil brings up the subject, because Brazil is simultaneously a producer and user,” the minister said. “But the nation is unique, because Brazil, if it chooses to, does not have to rely on fossil fuels. We have to recognise that there are some that rely on carbon energy in their economies and don’t have simple solutions, and others where oil and gas are the foundation of their economic structure.

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

If the pledge receives sufficient backing, COP30 could set up a platform in which the process of creating a roadmap to the transition could start.

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

It is uncertain that a proposal to begin drawing up a plan would win approval at COP30, even if it may not need the official consent of the summit, which operates by consensus and can be disrupted by particular groups. COP analysts have indicated they think there could be support for such a idea from about sixty countries, but there are believed to be at least forty opposed. There are 195 countries participating at the talks.

“Despite being the primary source of climate change, carbon-based energy are about the most divisive subject there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a sizable coalition of nations openly backing a path to realizing worldwide phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“Put simply, there’s no route to a world where temperature rise remains below 1.5C in which nations aren’t able to discuss ending fossil fuel use.”

“We require this language for real in this discussion. It’s highly illogical that we talk about everything but then when fossil fuels are the real challenge.”

Discussions carried on on Saturday on four outstanding topics that have still not been included into the formal agenda: commerce, transparency, funding and how to tackle the gap between the carbon reduction countries have proposed and those needed to keep to the 1.5-degree warming target.

A COP30 chair pledged a “document” that would cover these matters, after consultations – which have been going on since the start of the week – were unresolved. The official urged nations to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of collaboration and constructive dialogue.

Work on other key issues – including adaptation to the effects of the climate emergency, the fair shift for those impacted by the transition to a green economic system and how to build institutional capacity in less developed nations – carried on productively, the presidency said.

Brazil’s lead representative said the detailed part of the COP proceedings was nearing the end, and the high-level stage – when ministers who have the power to alter their countries’ stances arrive – was starting.