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Brazil’s environment minister, the minister, has urged every country to show the courage needed to confront the necessity of a global transition away from fossil fuels, describing the creation of a roadmap as an “ethical” answer to the climate crisis.

The minister emphasized, however, that participation in this endeavor would be voluntary and “self-determined” for willing nations.

This issue remains one of the most debated subjects at the COP30 in the host country, with nations divided over whether and how such a strategy can be addressed. Hosting the event, Brazil has adopted a balanced position on what can be included on the formal schedule.

Silva voiced support for the possibility of a roadmap, though not explicitly committing Brazil to it. She remarked: “In times we have a terrain that is very challenging, it is helpful that we have a guide. But the map does not compel us to proceed, or to climb.”

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

Scores of countries meeting in the host city for the global climate conference, which is entering its next phase, are seeking to establish how a global transition of oil, gas, and coal could work. These nations hope to build on a landmark agreement reached two years ago at COP28 to “move away from non-renewable energy sources.”

That commitment lacked a schedule or details on how it could be achieved, and although it was adopted unanimously, several nations have later attempted to disavow the pledge. Attempts 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 shift away from fossil fuels in the final agreement of COP29.

For these reasons, the host has been cautious of calls by certain nations to place the phaseout on the schedule for the current summit. But the minister has worked hard behind the scenes to ensure the pledge could be talked about at the conference apart from the official agenda.

She won over Brazil’s leader, and he made public reference three times to the need to “shift from reliance on fossil fuels” at the global leaders' meeting that preceded the conference, and at the start of the summit.

“The issue is something that we understand at some point had to be raised, because it is the only way to face the issue from the source,” the minister explained. “We acknowledge that it is challenging, and we cannot offer unrealistic expectations. Bringing up the subject is courageous, and I hope [to see] this bravery from everyone, from producers and consumers.”

The nation had not started the call for a phaseout, the minister said, because that had been initiated at the earlier summit. Rather, it was enabling the discussions to occur in accordance with what some nations wished. “We know these subjects are sensitive. We will provide the chance to talk about it,” she said.

There is not enough time at COP30 to create a detailed plan, a task Silva said could take several years because many nations faced complicated challenges around reliance on carbon-based energy, or aimed to use the revenue from selling fossil fuels to fund their development.

“The country brings up the topic, because Brazil is both a producing nation and user,” the minister said. “But Brazil is unique, because Brazil, if it wants to, need not rely on non-renewables. We have to recognise that there are certain nations that depend on carbon energy in their economic systems and don’t have easy solutions, and some where fossil fuels are the foundation of their economy.

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

Should the pledge gains enough backing, COP30 could establish a forum in which the work of drawing up a strategy to the phaseout could start.

This process would involve discussions 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 management framework can be developed; after we have a plan, and establish protections to be able to build confidence in the system, I am confident that with these elements we can turn positive concepts into actions that are more defined, and more tangible.”

There is no guarantee that a suggestion to begin developing a roadmap would win approval at the conference, although it does not require the official approval of the conference, which proceeds by unanimous agreement and can be disrupted by special interests. Climate experts have suggested they think there could be backing for such a idea from about sixty countries, but there are believed to be at least forty against. There are one hundred ninety-five nations represented at the talks.

“Despite being the root cause of global warming, fossil fuels are about the most contentious topic there is within the international climate talks, so to see a sizable group of nations openly backing a path to achieving 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 aren’t able to talk about fossil fuel phaseout.”

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

Discussions continued on Saturday on several unresolved topics that have still not been included into the formal schedule: commerce, openness, finance and how to tackle the shortfall between the carbon reduction countries have planned and those required to hold to the 1.5C temperature target.

The summit chair promised a “document” that would cover these matters, after discussions – which have been going on since Monday – were unresolved. He called on countries to adopt the “mutirão” spirit, referring to one of cooperation and positive discussion.

Work on other substantive topics – including adjustment to the effects of the climate crisis, the just transition for those impacted by the move to a low-carbon economy and how to build governance capabilities in developing countries – proceeded constructively, the presidency said.

The host nation's lead representative stated the detailed part of the COP proceedings was nearing completion, and the high-level phase – when ministers who have the power to change their nations' stances arrive – was beginning.