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The climate chief, Marina Silva, has urged all nations to show the courage needed to address the imperative of a global fossil fuel phaseout, labeling the development of a roadmap as an “moral” answer to the global warming emergency.

She emphasized, however, that participation in this process would be optional and “self-determined” for interested nations.

The topic remains one of the most debated subjects at the COP30 in the host country, with countries divided over whether and in what way such a roadmap can be addressed. As the host, the nation has adopted a carefully neutral stance on what can be included on the formal schedule.

Silva voiced support for the potential of a plan, though not directly pledging the country to it. She stated: “In times we have a situation that is very challenging, it is good that we have a guide. But the map does not compel us to proceed, or to climb.”

Speaking further, she noted: “The roadmap is an answer to our scientific understanding [of the climate emergency]. It is an moral answer.”

Dozens of countries meeting in Belém for the global climate conference, which is entering its second week, are aiming to establish how a worldwide phaseout of oil, gas, and coal could be implemented. They hope to build on a landmark resolution made two years ago at COP28 to “transition away from fossil fuels.”

That pledge lacked a timetable or details on how it could be realized, and although it was adopted by all, some countries have later attempted to back away from the promise. Attempts last year to elaborate on its practical meaning were stymied by resistance from petrostates at COP29.

As a result, there was no reference of the shift away from fossil fuels in the outcome of COP29.

Because of this, the host has been wary of calls by some nations to place the phaseout on the schedule for COP30. But the minister has worked hard in private to ensure the pledge could be discussed at the summit outside the formal program.

The minister won over Brazil’s president, and he made mention repeatedly to the need to “move away from dependence on traditional energy” at the summit of world leaders that came before COP30, and at the start of the summit.

“The issue is a matter that we understand at a certain time had to be raised, because it is the only way to face the problem from the source,” Marina Silva said. “We acknowledge that it is challenging, and we cannot offer false hopes. Bringing up the subject is courageous, and I hope [to see] this courage from all, from producing nations and consumers.”

The nation had not started the push for a transition, she clarified, because that had been done at COP28. Instead, it was allowing the discussions to take place in accordance with what some nations wished. “We know these subjects are delicate. We will give the chance to talk about it,” she said.

Time is insufficient at the summit to create a roadmap, a task Silva called could take a number of years because many nations confronted complex challenges around dependence on fossil fuels, or aimed to use the revenue from exporting oil and gas to fund their development.

“The country brings up the subject, because it is both a producer and consumer,” the minister noted. “But the nation is different, because Brazil, if it wants to, does not have to rely on fossil fuels. We have to understand that there are some that depend on fossil fuels in their economic systems and don’t have easy solutions, and others where fossil fuels are the foundation of their economic structure.

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

Should the pledge gains sufficient support, the summit could set up a forum in which the process of drawing up a strategy to the phaseout could begin.

This endeavor would require dialogue with every participating nations to the UN framework convention on climate change and guidelines for how the process would unfold, the minister said. “Once we have criteria, a management framework can be developed; after we have a strategy, and create protections to be able to build confidence in the process, I believe that with these elements we can turn positive concepts into steps that are more defined, and more concrete.”

There is no guarantee that a proposal to begin developing a roadmap would win approval at COP30, even if it may not need the official approval of the conference, which operates by consensus and can be disrupted by special interests. Climate analysts have suggested they think there could be backing for such a proposal from about 60 countries, but there are believed to be at least forty opposed. There are 195 nations represented at the talks.

“Despite being the root cause of climate change, fossil fuels are about the most contentious topic there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky group of countries publicly supporting a route to achieving global phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“Put simply, there’s no path to a planet where temperature rise stays below 1.5C in which nations aren’t able to talk about fossil fuel phaseout.”

“We need this wording for real in this discussion. It’s quite stupid that we discuss all topics but that when fossil fuels are the real challenge.”

Negotiations continued on the weekend on four outstanding topics that have still not been included into the official agenda: commerce, transparency, funding and how to tackle the gap between the emissions cuts countries have planned and those needed to hold to the 1.5-degree warming target.

A COP30 chair pledged a “document” that would cover these issues, after consultations – which have been going on since Monday – were inconclusive. He called on nations to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of cooperation and constructive discussion.

Progress on additional substantive issues – including adjustment to the impacts of the climate crisis, the just transition for those impacted by the transition to a green economy and how to build institutional capacity in less developed nations – proceeded productively, the host reported.

Brazil’s chief negotiator stated the detailed part of the COP process was approaching the end, and the political phase – when ministers who have the power to alter their countries’ positions join – was beginning.