Brazil wins support from Germany and France to reduce dependence on fossil fuels

Led by Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva, countries including the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Colombia and Kenya have expressed support for efforts to reach agreement on guidelines for a transition pathway away from fossil fuels.

So far, ideas for a fossil fuel roadmap have largely evolved outside the summit’s labyrinthine negotiating chambers, people familiar with the matter said.

One possibility being discussed is to include this plan in the COP’s final decision or main document, allowing countries to work on it over the next year. A similar plan was adopted last year to expand climate finance.

— We support any decision here in Belem to draw up a roadmap for the transition away from fossil fuels — said Jochen Flasbarth, Germany’s State Secretary for Climate. — That would be a great sign, and I hope we achieve it.

A roadmap is a political and technical roadmap that includes who will do what, by when, and with what resources. In other words, it is an attempt to impose a written commitment to reduce the use of fossil fuels, the main cause of global warming.

On Wednesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a report highlighting the risk of rising oil demand and the risk of global average temperatures well exceeding the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement.

The report estimates that under current conditions, oil demand in 2050 will reach 113 million barrels per day, an increase of 13% compared to 2024. Growth will be primarily driven by emerging economies.

However, reaching a more concrete agreement on the transition away from fossil fuels still faces many obstacles. Especially since some of the biggest producers, such as Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, are emboldened by President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the historic Paris climate accord and double oil, gas and coal production.

Colombia is working in parallel on a declaration to be published next week, the draft of which is still subject to change, confirmed by Bloomberg. The document has already been signed by some island states in the hope of generating critical mass.

— It makes no sense to invest in the dirty and inefficient models of the 20th century, Minister Marina Silva said on Tuesday during a COP30 side event. —We have challenges, but we must work towards a just and planned transition to abandon our dependence on fossil fuels.

The challenge will be not only convincing developing countries to eschew traditional fossil fuel-based development models, but also dealing with possible pressure from the United States, especially after the Trump administration’s failed effort last month to introduce the first fixed carbon tax on shipping.