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Brazil’s environment minister, the minister, has urged all nations to demonstrate the courage needed to confront the imperative of a worldwide fossil fuel phaseout, labeling the creation of a roadmap as an “moral” response to the global warming emergency.

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

This issue remains one of the most debated subjects at the UN climate summit in the host country, with nations split over if and how such a roadmap can be discussed. Hosting the event, Brazil has adopted a carefully neutral position on what can be placed on the official schedule.

The official expressed approval for the possibility of a roadmap, though not directly pledging Brazil to it. She remarked: “When we have a terrain that is quite grim, it is good that we have a map. But the map does not force us to travel, or to advance.”

In an interview, she added: “The roadmap is an response to our scientific understanding [of the climate crisis]. It is an moral answer.”

Scores of countries gathered in the host city for the global climate conference, which is starting its second week, are seeking to establish how a global transition of oil, gas, and coal could work. These nations aim to build on a landmark resolution made two years ago at a previous UN summit to “move away from non-renewable energy sources.”

That pledge lacked a timetable or specifics on the way it could be realized, and although it was passed unanimously, some nations have since tried to disavow the pledge. Efforts last year to expand on its practical implications were blocked by opposition from oil-dependent nations at another UN summit.

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

For these reasons, the host has been wary of calls by some countries 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 conference apart from the official program.

She convinced Brazil’s leader, who made public reference three times to the need to “move away from dependence on fossil fuels” at the summit of world leaders that preceded the conference, and at the start of the event.

“This is something that we know at some point had to be raised, 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 false hopes. Raising the subject is brave, and I hope [to see] this bravery from all, from producers and using countries.”

Brazil had not initiated the call for a phaseout, she clarified, because that had been initiated at the earlier summit. Rather, it was enabling the discussions to take place in accordance with what certain nations desired. “We understand these topics are sensitive. We will provide the chance to talk about it,” she added.

Time is insufficient at the summit to draw up a detailed plan, a process Silva called could take a number of years because numerous nations confronted complicated challenges around reliance on carbon-based energy, or wanted to use the revenue from exporting oil and gas to fund their development.

“Brazil raises the subject, because it is simultaneously a producing nation and user,” she said. “But Brazil is unique, because it, if it wants to, need not rely on fossil fuels. We have to understand that there are some that rely on fossil fuels in their economic systems and lack simple alternatives, and some where fossil fuels are the foundation of their economy.

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

Should the pledge gains sufficient backing, the summit could set up a platform in which the process of creating a strategy to the transition could start.

This process would require dialogue with every participating nations to the UN climate treaty and criteria for how the process would proceed, Silva said. “Once we have standards, a management framework can be developed; after we have a strategy, and create protections to be able to build confidence in the system, I believe that with these elements we can transform positive concepts into actions that are more defined, and more concrete.”

There is no guarantee that a suggestion to start developing a plan would be accepted at the conference, although it may not need the official approval of the conference, which proceeds by consensus and can be hijacked by special interests. COP analysts have suggested they think there could be backing for such a proposal from about sixty countries, but there are believed to be at least 40 opposed. A total of 195 countries represented at the talks.

“Despite being the primary source of global warming, fossil fuels are about the most divisive topic there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky coalition of countries openly supporting a route to realizing global transition is in itself highly significant.”

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

“We require this language for actual in this discussion. It’s quite stupid that we discuss everything but that when the main issue are the real challenge.”

Negotiations continued on the weekend on several outstanding topics that have still not been included into the official schedule: commerce, openness, funding and how to address the shortfall between the emissions cuts countries have proposed and those needed to keep to the 1.5-degree warming target.

The summit president pledged a “note” that would cover these issues, after discussions – which have been going on since the start of the week – were unresolved. He called on nations to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of collaboration and constructive discussion.

Progress on additional key issues – such as adjustment to the impacts of the climate emergency, the just transition for those impacted by the move to a green economic system and how to strengthen institutional capacity in developing countries – carried on productively, the presidency said.

Brazil’s lead representative said the detailed part of the COP process was nearing completion, and the high-level stage – when government leaders who have the authority to alter their countries’ stances arrive – was beginning.