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Brazil’s climate chief, the minister, has urged all nations to show the bravery needed to confront the necessity of a global fossil fuel phaseout, describing the creation of a roadmap as an “ethical” answer to the climate crisis.

The minister emphasized, though, that involvement in this process would be optional and “independently decided” for interested nations.

The topic stands as one of the most contentious subjects at the COP30 in Brazil, with nations divided over if and in what way such a roadmap can be discussed. Hosting the event, Brazil has maintained a carefully neutral stance on what can be included on the formal agenda.

Silva voiced support for the possibility of a roadmap, though not explicitly pledging Brazil to it. She remarked: “When we have a terrain that is quite grim, it is good that we have a guide. But the guide does not compel us to travel, or to climb.”

In an interview, the minister added: “The roadmap is an response to our scientific knowledge [of the climate emergency]. It is an ethical response.”

Dozens of nations gathered in the host city for the UN climate summit, which is entering its next phase, are aiming to determine how a global transition of oil, gas, and coal could work. They hope to build on a landmark resolution made two years ago at a previous UN summit to “move away from fossil fuels.”

The pledge lacked a schedule or details on how it could be realized, and even though it was adopted unanimously, several nations have since tried to back away from the promise. Efforts last year to expand on its practical meaning were stymied by opposition from petrostates at another UN summit.

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

Because of this, the host has been wary of demands by some nations to place the transition on the agenda for the current summit. But Silva has worked hard in private to ensure the pledge could be discussed at the summit apart from the official program.

She won over Brazil’s leader, and he gave mention repeatedly to the need to “shift from dependence on fossil fuels” at the global leaders' meeting that preceded the conference, and at the start of the event.

“This is a matter that we understand at a certain time had to be raised, because it is the sole way to address the issue from the root,” the minister explained. “We acknowledge that it is not easy, and we must not sell false hopes. Raising the topic is courageous, and I hope [to see] this courage from everyone, from producing nations and consumers.”

The nation had not started the call for a transition, she clarified, because that had been done at the earlier summit. Rather, it was enabling the discussions to occur in line with what certain nations desired. “We understand these subjects are delicate. We will provide the opportunity to discuss it,” she said.

Time is insufficient at COP30 to draw up a roadmap, a process the minister called could take a number of years because numerous countries confronted complicated issues around dependence on fossil fuels, or aimed to use the proceeds from exporting oil and gas to finance their economic growth.

“The country raises the topic, because Brazil is simultaneously a producing nation and consumer,” she said. “But the nation is different, because it, if it wants to, does not have to depend on fossil fuels. We have to recognise that there are some that depend on fossil fuels in their economic systems and lack easy alternatives, and some where fossil fuels are the foundation of their economy.

“To be just is to be just to everyone, but the fundamental, primordial fairness is to avoid being unjust to the planet, because it is our home.”

Should the pledge gains enough backing, COP30 could set up a platform in which the work of drawing up a roadmap to the phaseout could start.

The process would involve dialogue with every participating nations to the UN framework convention on climate change and guidelines for how the process would unfold, Silva said. “Once we have standards, a management framework can be developed; once we have a plan, and establish protections to be able to build trust in the system, I believe that with these components we can transform good ideas into steps that are clearer, and more concrete.”

It is uncertain that a proposal to start drawing up a roadmap would win approval at the conference, even if it does not require the official consent of the conference, which proceeds by consensus and can be disrupted by special interests. COP analysts have suggested they think there could be backing for such a proposal from about 60 nations, but there are believed to be at least 40 opposed. There are 195 nations represented at the negotiations.

“Despite being the primary source of global warming, fossil fuels are about the most divisive subject there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky group of countries openly backing a route to realizing global phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“In simple terms, there’s no path to a world where temperature rise stays below 1.5 degrees in which nations cannot to discuss ending fossil fuel use.”

“We require this wording for real in this discussion. It’s highly illogical that we discuss all topics but then when fossil fuels are the real challenge.”

Negotiations continued on the weekend on four outstanding topics that have not yet been incorporated into the official agenda: commerce, transparency, funding and how to tackle the gap between the emissions cuts nations have proposed and those needed to keep to the 1.5C temperature limit.

The summit president pledged a “document” that would address these matters, after discussions – which have been going on since the start of the week – were unresolved. He called on countries to embrace the “mutirão” spirit, referring to one of cooperation and positive discussion.

Work on other key topics – including adaptation to the impacts of the climate crisis, the fair shift for those impacted by the move to a low-carbon economy and how to build institutional capacity in less developed nations – proceeded productively, the host reported.

Brazil’s chief negotiator said the technical part of the COP process was approaching completion, and the political stage – when government leaders who have the power to change their countries’ stances join – was starting.