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The climate chief, Marina Silva, has urged all nations to show the bravery needed to confront the necessity of a global transition away from fossil fuels, describing the creation of a detailed plan as an “ethical” response to the climate crisis.

She stressed, however, that involvement in this process would be voluntary and “independently decided” for willing governments.

This issue remains one of the most contentious matters at the UN climate summit in the host country, with nations split over if and how such a roadmap can be addressed. Hosting the event, Brazil has adopted a carefully neutral position on what can be included on the formal agenda.

The official expressed approval for the potential of a plan, though not directly committing Brazil to it. The minister stated: “When we have a terrain that is quite grim, it is helpful that we have a map. But the map does not compel us to proceed, or to climb.”

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

Scores of nations gathered in Belém for the global climate conference, which is entering its second week, are seeking to establish how a global transition of fossil fuels could be implemented. These nations aim to advance a landmark resolution reached two years ago at a previous UN summit to “move away from non-renewable energy sources.”

The pledge lacked a schedule or specifics on the way it could be achieved, and although it was adopted by all, some nations have later tried to disavow the promise. Efforts last year to elaborate on its real-world meaning were blocked by opposition from petrostates at another UN summit.

Consequently, there was no mention of the shift away from carbon fuels in the final agreement of COP29.

For these reasons, Brazil has been cautious of demands by some nations to include the phaseout on the schedule for COP30. But the minister has strived in private to make sure the topic could be discussed at the conference outside the formal agenda.

She won over the nation's leader, who made mention three times to the need to “shift from dependence on fossil fuels” at the global leaders' meeting that came before COP30, and at the start of the summit.

“This is something that we understand at some point had to be put forward, because it is the sole way to face the issue from the root,” Marina Silva said. “We acknowledge that it is challenging, and we cannot offer unrealistic expectations. Raising the subject is courageous, and I hope [to see] this bravery from everyone, from producing nations and using countries.”

The nation had not started the push for a transition, she said, because that had been initiated at COP28. Instead, it was allowing the discussions to occur in accordance with what certain nations wished. “We know these topics are sensitive. We will give the opportunity to discuss it,” she said.

There is not enough time at the summit to create a roadmap, a task the minister called could take a number of years because numerous nations faced complicated issues around dependence on carbon-based energy, or aimed to use the proceeds from selling fossil fuels to fund their economic growth.

“Brazil raises the topic, because Brazil is simultaneously a producing nation and consumer,” the minister noted. “But Brazil is unique, because Brazil, if it wants to, need not rely on fossil fuels. We have to recognise that there are certain nations that rely on carbon energy in their economies and lack easy alternatives, and some where fossil fuels are the foundation of their economic structure.

“To be just is to be just to all, but the essential, primordial fairness is to avoid being unjust to the planet, because it is our shared home.”

Should the pledge receives enough backing, the summit could establish a platform in which the work of creating a strategy to the transition could start.

This endeavor would involve dialogue with every signatory countries to the UN framework convention on climate change and criteria for how the initiative would proceed, the minister explained. “After we have criteria, a management framework can be developed; after we have a plan, and establish safeguards to be able to establish trust in the system, I believe that with these elements we can turn positive concepts into steps that are clearer, and more concrete.”

There is no guarantee that a suggestion to start drawing up a roadmap would win approval at the conference, although it may not need the official consent of the summit, which operates by consensus and can be hijacked by particular groups. COP experts have indicated they believe there could be backing for such a proposal from about sixty nations, but there are believed to be at least forty against. There are 195 countries represented at the talks.

“In spite of being the primary source of climate change, fossil fuels are about the most contentious topic there is within the international climate talks, so to see a chunky coalition of nations openly supporting a route to achieving global transition is in itself highly significant.”

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

“We require this wording for actual in this discussion. It’s quite stupid that we discuss all topics but then when the main issue are the actual challenge.”

Discussions continued on Saturday on several unresolved issues that have still not been included into the official agenda: commerce, openness, finance and how to tackle the shortfall between the carbon reduction countries have planned and those needed to keep to the 1.5-degree warming target.

The summit chair pledged a “document” that would address these issues, after discussions – which have been going on since the start of the week – were inconclusive. The official called on countries to adopt the “mutirão” attitude, referring to one of collaboration and constructive discussion.

Work on other key issues – including adaptation to the impacts of the climate emergency, the just transition for those affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy and how to build governance capabilities in less developed nations – proceeded productively, the host said.

The host nation's lead representative said the detailed part of the summit proceedings was approaching the end, and the political stage – when ministers who have the authority to change their nations' stances join – was beginning.