COP30 chair moots 10-year road map to move away from fossil fuels

Brazil, which will chair this year’s UN-sponsored climate talks (COP30), is doubling down on accelerating the implementation of climate action. To this end, it has suggested setting up “additional governance structures” under the UN, “complimentary” to the existing process under UNFCCC, to follow up on commitments that have been made on climate action.

Explaining the rationale for complementary governance structures under the UN, Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, said, “Take the NDCs (nationally determined contributions or climate plans), these are meant to be reviewed every five years. Maybe this is not enough. We may need additional pieces to make global efforts more effective”.

Silva said the rule book for the Paris Agreement has now been completely finalised. “We have a structured regime on which we can rely,” the minister said. “We have no choice to implement or else we will experience the unthinkable.”

To this end, Brazil is proposing that countries agree to finalise a 10-year roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels and ending deforestation.

Even as the Brazilian environment minister set out the imperative for action and the need for creating the mechanisms for supporting accelerated action, she acknowledged that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will “slow down progress on climate action”.

“The US, being the second-largest GHG emitter, is a technology powerhouse, and it does influence outcomes. We cannot deny this,” she said.However, Silva said that other countries must carry on with strong climate action to ensure the progress of the multilateral regime. The US walking away from an agreement is not new, she said. “This is a situation that has occurred before, for example, during the Kyoto Protocol, which the US was not part of. Even then, despite the US not being there, the multilateral regime progressed.”She also hoped that given the particular nature of the US federal system, the states will be able to continue implementing efforts.

Beyond the US’ position on climate change and the Paris Agreement, Silva said the “confluence of multiple factors that are worrisome for climate action in general”. The increasingly complex geopolitical context, the wars in different regions, disputes related to trade, tariffs and technology, Silva said, “may impact climate progress”.

The current geopolitical and geoeconomic situation, she said, “may drain resources and hamper the environment of confidence and trust among parties” that could result in less cooperation across countries. The Brazilian minister stressed that climate is one of those issues that cannot be tackled with a global response and cooperation.