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Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, has urged every country to show the courage needed to confront the necessity of a global fossil fuel phaseout, describing the creation of a detailed plan as an “ethical” answer to the global warming emergency.

The minister emphasized, though, that participation in this process would be optional and “self-determined” for interested governments.

This issue stands as one of the most contentious matters at the COP30 in Brazil, with countries divided over if and how such a strategy can be discussed. Hosting the event, Brazil has maintained a carefully neutral stance on which items can be placed on the official schedule.

Silva voiced support for the potential of a roadmap, though not directly pledging the country to it. The minister 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 travel, or to climb.”

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

Scores of countries meeting in the host city for the global climate conference, which is entering its second week, are aiming to establish how a worldwide transition of oil, gas, and coal could work. They aim to build on a historic resolution made two years ago at COP28 to “transition away from fossil fuels.”

That pledge lacked a timetable or specifics on the way it could be realized, and even though it was adopted by all, several nations have later attempted to disavow the pledge. Efforts last year to elaborate on its practical meaning were blocked by resistance from petrostates at another UN summit.

As a result, there was no mention of the shift away from fossil fuels in the final agreement of COP29.

For these reasons, Brazil has been cautious of demands by some nations to place the phaseout on the schedule for COP30. But Silva has worked hard in private to ensure the topic could be talked about at the conference outside the official agenda.

She convinced the nation's leader, who gave mention three times to the need to “move away from dependence on fossil fuels” at the global leaders' meeting that preceded the conference, and at the opening of the summit.

“This is something that we understand at some point had to be put forward, because it is the sole way to address the issue from the source,” the minister said. “We recognise that it is challenging, and we cannot offer unrealistic expectations. Bringing up the topic is courageous, and I hope [to see] this courage from everyone, from producing nations and consumers.”

Brazil had not started the call for a transition, the minister said, because that had been done at COP28. Instead, it was allowing the talks to occur in accordance with what certain nations desired. “We know these subjects are sensitive. We will provide the opportunity to discuss it,” she said.

There is not enough time at COP30 to draw up a detailed plan, a task the minister said could take a number of years because many nations confronted complicated issues around reliance on carbon-based energy, or aimed to use the proceeds from selling fossil fuels to fund their development.

“The country raises the subject, because it is simultaneously a producing nation and user,” she said. “But the nation is different, because it, if it chooses to, does not have to rely on non-renewables. We have to understand that there are some that depend on fossil fuels in their economies and don’t have easy alternatives, and some where fossil fuels are the basis of their economy.

“To be just is to be fair to everyone, but the fundamental, primordial fairness is to avoid being unfair to the Earth, because it is our shared home.”

If the pledge receives enough backing, the summit could set up a platform in which the work of creating a roadmap to the phaseout could start.

The process would involve discussions with every participating countries to the UN climate treaty and guidelines for how the process would unfold, the minister explained. “Once we have standards, a governance structure can be drawn up; after we have a strategy, and create protections to be able to build trust in the system, I believe that with these components we can turn good ideas into actions that are clearer, and more tangible.”

There is no guarantee that a suggestion to begin developing a plan would win approval at COP30, even if it may not need the official approval of the summit, which operates by unanimous agreement and can be hijacked by special interests. COP analysts have suggested they believe 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 195 countries participating at the negotiations.

“Despite being the primary source of global warming, carbon-based energy are about the most divisive topic there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky group of nations openly supporting a route to realizing worldwide phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“In simple terms, there’s no route to a world where temperature rise stays below 1.5 degrees in which nations aren’t able to discuss fossil fuel phaseout.”

“We require this language for actual in this discussion. It’s highly illogical that we discuss all topics but then when the main issue are the actual problem.”

Discussions carried on on Saturday on four outstanding issues that have not yet been included into the formal agenda: trade, openness, finance and how to tackle the gap between the emissions cuts countries have proposed and those required to hold to the 1.5C warming target.

A summit chair pledged a “document” that would address these issues, after consultations – which have been going on since the start of the week – were unresolved. The official called on nations to adopt the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of collaboration and positive discussion.

Progress on additional substantive topics – such as adjustment to the impacts of the climate crisis, the fair shift for those impacted by the move to a low-carbon economic system and how to build governance capabilities in developing countries – proceeded constructively, the host said.

Brazil’s chief negotiator said the technical phase of the COP proceedings was approaching the end, and the high-level phase – when ministers who have the power to change their countries’ stances arrive – was beginning.