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Brazil’s climate chief, Marina Silva, has urged every country to demonstrate the bravery needed to confront the necessity of a worldwide fossil fuel phaseout, labeling the development of a detailed plan as an “moral” response to the global warming emergency.

She emphasized, though, that involvement in this endeavor would be optional and “self-determined” for willing governments.

The topic remains one of the most contentious matters at the UN climate summit in Brazil, with nations divided over whether and how such a strategy can be addressed. As the host, the nation has maintained a balanced stance on which items can be included on the official agenda.

Silva voiced support for the possibility of a plan, without directly pledging Brazil to it. She remarked: “In times we have a terrain that is quite grim, it is helpful that we have a map. But the map does not compel us to proceed, or to climb.”

In an interview, she noted: “The roadmap is an answer to our scientific knowledge [of the climate emergency]. It is an moral response.”

Dozens of nations meeting in the host city for the global climate conference, which is entering its second week, are seeking to establish how a global phaseout of fossil fuels could work. They hope to build on a landmark agreement made two years ago at a previous UN summit to “transition away from non-renewable energy sources.”

The commitment had no a schedule or details on the way it could be realized, and even though it was adopted unanimously, some nations have later tried to back away from the pledge. Efforts last year to elaborate on its practical implications were blocked by opposition from petrostates at COP29.

Consequently, there was no reference of the shift away from carbon fuels in the final agreement of COP29.

For these reasons, the host has been wary of calls by some nations to include the phaseout on the agenda for the current summit. But Silva has strived behind the scenes to ensure the topic could be discussed at the summit outside the official agenda.

She won over the nation's president, and he made mention three times to the need to “shift from dependence on traditional energy” at the global leaders' meeting that came before COP30, and at the opening of the event.

“This is a matter that we understand at some point had to be raised, because it is the only way to address the issue from the source,” Marina Silva said. “We recognise that it is challenging, and we cannot offer unrealistic expectations. Raising the topic is brave, and I wish [to see] this bravery from all, from producers and using countries.”

The nation had not initiated the push for a transition, the minister said, because that had been initiated at the earlier summit. Rather, it was enabling the talks to take place in line with what certain countries wished. “We know these topics are delicate. We will provide the opportunity to talk about it,” she added.

Time is insufficient at COP30 to draw up a roadmap, a task Silva said could take several years because numerous countries confronted complex issues around reliance on carbon-based energy, or aimed to use the proceeds from selling oil and gas to fund their economic growth.

“Brazil brings up the topic, because it is both a producing nation and user,” she noted. “But Brazil is different, because Brazil, if it wants to, does not have to rely on fossil fuels. We have to recognise that there are certain nations that rely on fossil fuels in their economies and lack easy alternatives, and some where fossil fuels are the basis of their economic structure.

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

Should the pledge gains enough support, the summit could set up a forum in which the work of creating a strategy to the transition could begin.

The endeavor would require dialogue with every participating nations to the UN framework convention on climate change and criteria for how the process would proceed, the minister explained. “After we have standards, 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 elements we can turn good ideas into actions that are more defined, and more concrete.”

It is uncertain that a proposal to start drawing up a roadmap would be accepted at the conference, although it may not need the official consent of the conference, which proceeds by consensus and can be disrupted by special interests. COP experts have indicated they believe there could be backing for such a proposal from about 60 countries, but there are believed to be at least 40 opposed. A total of 195 nations represented at the negotiations.

“Despite being the primary source of climate change, carbon-based energy are about the most divisive topic there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky group of countries openly backing a route to achieving worldwide phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“In simple terms, there’s no path to a world where temperature rise remains below 1.5 degrees in which countries aren’t able to talk about fossil fuel phaseout.”

“We need this language for actual in this conversation. It’s quite stupid that we talk about all topics but that when fossil fuels are the actual problem.”

Negotiations continued on the weekend on four unresolved issues that have still not been included into the formal schedule: trade, transparency, finance and how to address the gap between the emissions cuts nations have planned and those required to keep to the 1.5C warming limit.

A summit chair promised a “note” that would address these matters, after discussions – which have been going on since Monday – were inconclusive. He urged countries to embrace the “mutirão” spirit, referring to one of collaboration and constructive dialogue.

Progress on additional substantive topics – such as adjustment to the effects of the climate crisis, the just transition for those affected by the move to a low-carbon economy and how to build institutional capacity in less developed nations – proceeded constructively, the host reported.

The host nation's lead representative said the detailed part of the COP process was approaching completion, and the high-level phase – when government leaders who have the power to alter their nations' stances join – was beginning.