Brazil unveils fossil fuel phase-out plan — The Guardian

On November 3, the Brazilian government unveiled a global roadmap for the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels. The document proposes that countries begin reducing their dependence on coal, oil and gas now, without waiting for new technologies to emerge or for economic changes. As The Guardian reports, Brazilian authorities believe that such a transition can be combined with economic development and poverty reduction.

Recommendations without mandatory deadlines

The roadmap is non-binding and contains no deadlines or interim targets. Each country is invited to independently assess its level of dependence on fossil fuels and choose tools for the transition. COP30 summit president André Corrêa do Lago said that these documents should help shift the focus of UN climate conferences from agreeing on new arrangements to implementing already adopted goals. He also called for finance, transport, energy and infrastructure ministries to be involved in the work.

Recommended measures include urgently reducing gas flaring and venting at oil and gas facilities, cutting subsidies for the use or production of fossil fuels, and expanding renewable energy capacity. The document notes that methane is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, so such measures could have an immediate effect.

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Concerns over the pace of transition

Professor of climate science and policy at Imperial College London Joeri Rogelj called the roadmaps a step forward, but drew attention to the lack of clearly defined pace of change, timelines and key benchmarks. In his view, this leaves uncertainty about the actions needed to achieve the Paris Agreement goals — to limit global warming to well below 2°C and preferably to 1.5°C.

A separate roadmap for forests

Brazil also presented a roadmap on ending and reversing deforestation. Citing UN data, it states that around $300 billion per year may be needed to protect forests by 2030, and $500 billion per year by 2050. Currently available funding is estimated at approximately $85 billion annually. The document also emphasizes the importance of regulating trade between countries with forest areas and consumer countries in order to make it more difficult to sell goods from deforested areas.