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Brazil’s climate chief, the minister, has called on all nations to demonstrate the bravery needed to address the imperative of a worldwide transition away from fossil fuels, describing the development of a detailed plan as an “moral” answer to the climate crisis.

She emphasized, however, that involvement in this process would be voluntary and “independently decided” for willing nations.

This issue stands as one of the most contentious matters at the COP30 in the host country, with nations split over if and in what way such a strategy can be discussed. Hosting the event, the nation has adopted a balanced stance on which items can be included on the official agenda.

Silva expressed approval for the possibility of a roadmap, though not directly pledging Brazil to it. She remarked: “In times we have a terrain that is quite grim, it is good that we have a guide. But the map does not force us to proceed, or to climb.”

Speaking further, she added: “The map 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 UN climate summit, which is entering its next phase, are aiming to determine how a worldwide transition of fossil fuels could work. They aim to advance a historic agreement made two years ago at COP28 to “move away from non-renewable energy sources.”

That pledge had no a timetable or specifics on how it could be realized, and even though it was passed unanimously, some nations have later tried to disavow the promise. Attempts last year to expand on its real-world implications were blocked by opposition from petrostates at COP29.

Consequently, there was no reference of the transition away from fossil fuels in the final agreement of that conference.

For these reasons, Brazil has been cautious of demands by some countries to place the transition on the agenda for COP30. But Silva has strived behind the scenes to make sure the topic could be talked about at the summit outside the official agenda.

The minister convinced the nation's president, and he gave mention three times to the need to “shift from dependence on traditional energy” at the summit of world leaders that came before the conference, and at the opening of the event.

“This is something that we understand at a certain time had to be raised, because it is the only way to address the problem from the source,” the minister explained. “We recognise that it is challenging, and we must not offer false hopes. Raising the topic is courageous, and I hope [to see] this courage from everyone, from producers and using countries.”

Brazil had not started the call for a phaseout, the minister said, because that had been done at COP28. Rather, it was allowing the discussions to occur in accordance with what some nations wished. “We know these subjects are delicate. We will give the chance to discuss it,” she said.

There is not enough time at the summit to create a detailed plan, a task Silva said could take a number of years because numerous countries faced complicated challenges around dependence on carbon-based energy, or aimed to use the revenue from selling oil and gas to finance their development.

“The country brings up the topic, because it is both a producer and user,” the minister said. “But the nation is different, because it, if it wants to, need not rely on non-renewables. We have to understand that there are certain nations that depend on carbon energy in their economies and lack easy alternatives, and some where oil and gas are the foundation of their economy.

“To be just is to be fair to everyone, but the essential, primordial fairness is not being unjust to the Earth, because it is our shared home.”

Should the pledge receives enough backing, the summit could set up a forum in which the work of creating a strategy to the transition could start.

This endeavor would require discussions with all participating nations to the UN framework convention on climate change and criteria for how the initiative would unfold, the minister said. “Once we have standards, a governance structure can be developed; after we have a plan, and create protections to be able to establish confidence in the system, I am confident that with these elements we can transform positive concepts into actions that are clearer, and more concrete.”

It is uncertain that a suggestion to begin developing a roadmap would win approval at COP30, even if it may not need the official consent of the summit, which proceeds by consensus and can be hijacked by special interests. COP experts have indicated they think there could be support for such a proposal from about sixty nations, but there are believed to be at least forty opposed. A total of one hundred ninety-five nations represented at the negotiations.

“Despite being the root cause of global warming, fossil fuels are about the most divisive subject there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky group of nations openly backing a route to achieving global transition is in itself highly significant.”

“Put simply, there’s no route 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 wording for actual in this conversation. It’s highly illogical that we talk about everything but that when the main issue are the real challenge.”

Negotiations continued on the weekend on four outstanding topics that have not yet been included into the formal schedule: commerce, transparency, funding and how to tackle the shortfall between the carbon reduction nations have planned and those needed to keep to the 1.5-degree temperature limit.

The COP30 chair promised a “document” that would address these issues, after consultations – which have been underway since Monday – were inconclusive. He urged nations to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of collaboration and positive discussion.

Work on other substantive topics – such as adaptation to the impacts of the climate emergency, the just transition for those affected by the move to a green economic system and how to build governance capabilities in less developed nations – carried on productively, the host reported.

Brazil’s lead representative stated the technical phase of the COP process was nearing the end, and the political phase – when government leaders who have the power to change their nations' stances arrive – was beginning.