The environment minister, the minister, has called on every country to show the bravery needed to address the necessity of a global fossil fuel phaseout, labeling the creation of a roadmap as an “moral” response to the global warming emergency.
She stressed, however, that involvement in this endeavor would be voluntary and “self-determined” for willing governments.
The topic remains one of the most contentious subjects at the UN climate summit in the host country, with nations divided over if and how such a roadmap can be addressed. Hosting the event, Brazil has maintained a carefully neutral stance on which items can be included on the official schedule.
The official voiced approval for the possibility of a plan, without explicitly committing the country to it. She remarked: “In times we have a situation that is quite grim, it is helpful that we have a map. But the map does not compel us to travel, or to climb.”
Speaking further, the minister added: “The roadmap is an answer to our scientific understanding [of the climate emergency]. It is an moral response.”
Dozens of nations meeting in the host city for the UN climate summit, which is entering its next phase, are seeking to establish how a worldwide phaseout of fossil fuels could work. They hope to advance a historic agreement reached two years ago at a previous UN summit to “move away from non-renewable energy sources.”
That pledge lacked a timetable or details on how it could be realized, and although it was passed by all, some countries have later tried to back away from the pledge. Attempts last year to expand on its practical meaning were stymied by opposition from oil-dependent nations at COP29.
As a result, there was no reference of the shift away from carbon fuels in the outcome of that conference.
For these reasons, the host has been cautious of calls by certain nations to place the phaseout on the agenda for COP30. But the minister has worked hard behind the scenes to make sure the pledge could be discussed at the summit outside the official agenda.
She convinced the nation's leader, and he made public reference repeatedly to the need to “shift from dependence on fossil fuels” at the global leaders' meeting that came before the conference, and at the start of the event.
“This is something that we know at a certain time had to be raised, because it is the only way to face the problem from the source,” the minister explained. “We recognise that it is challenging, and we cannot sell unrealistic expectations. Bringing up the topic is brave, and I wish [to see] this courage from everyone, from producing nations and consumers.”
Brazil had not started the call for a phaseout, the minister clarified, because that had been initiated at COP28. Instead, it was allowing the discussions to take place in accordance with what certain countries wished. “We know these topics are sensitive. We will provide the chance to talk about it,” she said.
Time is insufficient at COP30 to draw up a detailed plan, a process the minister called could take a number of years because many nations faced complex issues around reliance on fossil fuels, or wanted to use the revenue from exporting oil and gas to finance their economic growth.
“Brazil raises the topic, because it is both a producing nation and consumer,” she said. “But Brazil is different, because Brazil, if it wants to, need not depend on non-renewables. We have to understand that there are some that depend on carbon energy in their economic systems and lack easy solutions, and some where fossil fuels are the foundation of their economic structure.
“To be just is to be fair to all, but the essential, basic fairness is not being unjust to the planet, because it is our home.”
Should the proposal gains sufficient backing, the summit could establish a platform in which the process of drawing up a strategy to the phaseout could start.
The endeavor would involve dialogue with every signatory countries to the UN framework convention on climate change and criteria for how the process would proceed, the minister said. “Once we have criteria, a management framework can be drawn up; after we have a strategy, and establish protections to be able to build confidence in the system, 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 start drawing up a roadmap would win approval at COP30, even if it may not need the formal approval of the conference, which operates by unanimous agreement and can be disrupted 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 opposed. There are one hundred ninety-five countries represented at the talks.
“Despite being the primary source of climate change, fossil fuels are about the most contentious topic there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a sizable coalition of nations openly supporting a route to realizing worldwide phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”
“Put simply, there’s no path to a world where warming stays below 1.5C in which nations cannot to talk about fossil fuel phaseout.”
“We need this wording for actual in this conversation. It’s highly illogical that we discuss all topics but that when the main issue are the actual challenge.”
Discussions continued on Saturday on four unresolved issues that have not yet been incorporated into the official schedule: commerce, transparency, finance and how to address the gap between the emissions cuts nations have proposed and those needed to hold to the 1.5C temperature limit.
The summit chair promised a “document” that would address these matters, after discussions – which have been underway since the start of the week – were unresolved. The official called on countries to adopt the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of cooperation and positive dialogue.
Work on other key topics – such as adjustment to the impacts of the climate crisis, the fair shift for those impacted by the transition to a low-carbon economic system and how to build institutional capacity in developing countries – proceeded productively, the host reported.
The host nation's lead representative stated the detailed phase of the summit proceedings was approaching the end, and the political phase – when ministers who have the authority to alter their countries’ stances join – was starting.
