Brazil presents the world's first roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels

A voluntary plan instead of an agreement

Brazil, the host of last year's UN climate summit COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belém, published the world's first global roadmap for the phased phase-out of fossil fuels on November 3, reports euronews. The document became the final item on the agenda of the Brazilian presidency before the baton passes to Turkey and Australia at the COP31 summit.

How the document differs from the outcomes of COP30

The meaning of the initiative is clear against the backdrop of the outcomes of COP30 itself: its final agreement failed to explicitly mention fossil fuels due to resistance from major oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia. Back then, Brazil proposed a voluntary roadmap as an alternative, under which countries would themselves phase out oil, gas and coal. In the published text, the COP30 presidency concludes that the transition away from fossil fuels is 'urgent, inevitable and yet possible', but acknowledges that 'there is no single solution' and suggests that countries adapt measures to their own circumstances. The plan envisages a 'collective agenda' of three stages from 2028 to 2033, during which countries are to develop plans and transform their energy systems. At the same time, the document acknowledges that current policies and announced plans 'still do not allow the world to achieve the energy outcomes agreed in Dubai' — where, at COP28 in 2023, nearly 200 countries called for 'transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems'. Brazil also published a roadmap for ending deforestation by 2030.

What will happen at COP31 and the status of the document

A new agreement on fossil fuels is unlikely at the two-week COP31 conference, which begins on November 9 in Antalya, Turkey. Instead, the COP31 presidency, Turkey, and Australia, which is leading the negotiations, are promoting a voluntary 'electrification' programme to reduce emissions; critics warn that the text does not specify the source of energy, so electrification could become a cover for expanding fossil fuels rather than a transition to renewable sources. COP30 CEO Ana Toni said the roadmap would be discussed in Antalya on November 10, but Brazilian officials stressed that the initiative is a call to action, not a document for negotiation. 'We are not proposing to negotiate,' said COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, adding that 'agreements already exist. What matters is implementing them.' Climate activists welcomed the initiative: Fanny Petitbon, an analyst at the organization 350.org, called for COP31 to become the moment when governments advance the work 'with clear commitments, timelines and resources to ensure a fair and orderly exit from coal, oil and gas».