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The climate chief, Marina Silva, has called on every country to demonstrate the bravery needed to address the necessity of a global transition away from fossil fuels, describing the development of a detailed plan as an “ethical” answer to the climate crisis.

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

This issue remains one of the most debated matters at the COP30 in Brazil, with nations divided over if and in what way such a strategy can be discussed. Hosting the event, Brazil has adopted a carefully neutral position on what can be included on the official schedule.

The official voiced support for the possibility of a roadmap, without directly committing Brazil to it. The minister stated: “When we have a terrain that is very challenging, it is good that we have a map. But the guide does not force us to travel, or to advance.”

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

Dozens of nations gathered in Belém for the UN climate summit, which is starting its second week, are seeking to establish how a worldwide transition of oil, gas, and coal could be implemented. 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.”

That pledge lacked a timetable or details on how it could be realized, and although it was passed unanimously, some countries have since attempted to disavow the promise. Efforts last year to expand on its practical meaning were blocked by opposition from petrostates at another UN summit.

As a result, there was no reference of the shift away from fossil fuels in the outcome of that conference.

Because of this, the host has been cautious of calls by certain nations to place the transition on the schedule for the current summit. But Silva has strived in private to ensure the topic could be discussed at the summit apart from the formal program.

She won over Brazil’s leader, who made public reference repeatedly to the need to “shift from dependence on traditional energy” at the summit of world leaders that came before the conference, and at the start of the summit.

“This is a matter that we know at a certain time had to be put forward, because it is the sole way to face the issue from the source,” the minister said. “We recognise that it is challenging, and we must not sell unrealistic expectations. Bringing up the subject is courageous, and I hope [to see] this courage from everyone, from producing nations and consumers.”

Brazil had not started the push for a phaseout, the minister clarified, because that had been initiated at COP28. Instead, it was enabling the talks to take place in accordance with what certain nations desired. “We understand these topics are delicate. We will give the opportunity to talk about it,” the minister added.

Time is insufficient at the summit to draw up a roadmap, a task Silva said could take a number of years because numerous nations faced complex challenges around dependence on carbon-based energy, or wanted to use the revenue from exporting fossil fuels to finance their economic growth.

“Brazil brings up the subject, because Brazil is both a producing nation and user,” the minister noted. “But the nation is unique, because Brazil, if it wants to, need not depend on non-renewables. We have to understand that there are some 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 fair to all, but the essential, primordial fairness is to avoid being unjust to the Earth, because it is our shared home.”

Should the proposal gains sufficient support, the summit could set up a platform in which the work of creating a strategy to the phaseout could start.

The process would require discussions with all signatory nations to the UN framework convention on climate change and criteria for how the process would unfold, the minister said. “After we have criteria, a management framework can be drawn up; once we have a strategy, and establish protections to be able to establish trust in the process, I believe that with these components we can turn good ideas into steps that are more defined, and more concrete.”

There is no guarantee that a proposal to start developing a plan would win approval at the conference, although it may not need the formal consent of the summit, which proceeds by consensus and can be hijacked by special interests. Climate experts have indicated they believe there could be backing for such a idea from about sixty countries, but there are believed to be at least forty against. A total of 195 countries represented at the negotiations.

“Despite being the primary source of global warming, fossil fuels are about the most divisive subject there is within the international climate talks, so to see a sizable group of nations publicly backing a route to realizing worldwide phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“In simple terms, there’s no route to a world where temperature rise remains below 1.5 degrees in which countries cannot to talk about ending fossil fuel use.”

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

Negotiations continued on Saturday on four outstanding topics that have still not been incorporated into the formal schedule: commerce, openness, finance and how to tackle the gap between the emissions cuts nations have proposed and those required to keep to the 1.5C temperature target.

A COP30 chair promised a “note” that would cover these matters, after discussions – which have been underway since Monday – were unresolved. The official called on nations to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of cooperation and positive discussion.

Work on additional substantive issues – including adaptation to the impacts of the climate crisis, the fair shift for those impacted by the transition to a low-carbon economy and how to build governance capabilities in developing countries – proceeded constructively, the host reported.

The host nation's chief negotiator said the technical phase of the COP process was approaching the end, and the political stage – when ministers who have the power to alter their countries’ positions arrive – was beginning.