More than 80 nations have come together at the UN climate summit to demand a clear plan for phasing out fossil fuels, injecting fresh momentum into stalled negotiations.
Representatives from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific joined with EU member states and the UK to call for the “transition away from fossil fuels” to become a central focus of the talks, despite resistance from oil-producing nations and some major economies, according to the Guardian.
Tina Stege, the Marshall Islands’ climate envoy, accompanied by ministers from 20 other countries, addressed a packed press conference in Belém. Stege said, “Let’s get behind the idea of a fossil fuel roadmap, let’s work together and make it a plan.”
Environmental campaigners welcomed the intervention.
Jasper Inventor, deputy programme director at Greenpeace International, said, “This could be the turning point of COP30. This was a strong signal coming from global south and global north countries on the need to phase out fossil fuels.
“They are following the call of 40,000 people on the streets of Belém and millions of people around the world. The presidency [of the Cop] and the rest of the parties have to heed this call. The climate needs it, the people demand it.”
A pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels” had been a key outcome of COP28 in Dubai in 2023, but following the summit, Saudi Arabia and others sought to undermine the resolution. Attempts to advance it at last year’s climate talks in Baku failed.
At COP30, Brazilian hosts initially excluded any reference to the “transition away from fossil fuels” from the official agenda.
The topic was also absent from the “presidency consultations” that focused on four challenging issues — finance, trade, transparency, and the insufficiently ambitious NDCs (nationally determined contributions) that countries have submitted under the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5C.
Despite this, the coalition of nations advocating for a phase-out decided on Monday to take a firm stand. They argue that addressing NDCs and keeping the 1.5C target within reach is impossible without ending fossil fuel dependence.
Ed Miliband, the UK’s energy secretary, said, “This is a global coalition, with global north and global south countries coming together and saying with one voice: this is an issue which cannot be swept under the carpet. We are all saying very clearly that this issue must be at the heart of this conference.”
Rachel Kyte, the UK climate envoy, emphasised the need for a roadmap to implement the COP28 resolution. “We agreed this at COP28 but have not been able to find ways to implement it,” she said. “And this is an implementation COP [the phrase used by the Brazilian hosts].”
On Tuesday morning, the Brazilian presidency released a draft decision text for the summit, which surprisingly included the possibility of a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels. Some countries, however, considered this insufficient.
Supporters of the roadmap emphasised that it would not enforce identical approaches for all nations. It would acknowledge the differing circumstances countries face: some have large fossil fuel reserves, others rely heavily on imports, some want to exploit reserves for development, and many developing nations will require financial and technological support to transition.
Brazil is expected to revise the text after consulting with all country groupings at COP30. The US was notably absent from the discussions in Belém.
Strong opposition is anticipated from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Bolivia, and other oil-dependent states. Supporters of the phase-out believe they hold a majority if allies and neutral countries are counted, but the consensus-based process means even a few dissenting nations could block progress.
Brazil’s internal politics also complicate matters. While President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who may return to the conference by Wednesday, has repeatedly highlighted the need to “move away from fossil fuel dependency,” certain parts of his administration remain committed to expanding oil and gas exploration.
Nevertheless, Brazil’s environment minister Marina Silva described a roadmap as “an ethical answer” to the climate crisis and urged all nations to “have the courage” to consider it.
