Brazil sets fossil fuel exit plan before COP31

Brazil released a voluntary roadmap for moving away from fossil fuels before the COP31 climate summit, saying countries should start planning their transition from oil, gas and coal.

The document proposes a collective agenda in three phases from 2028 to 2033, during which countries would draw up plans and transform their energy systems. It says countries have different capacities and support needs, and that there is no single solution for the transition.

Brazil offered to launch the voluntary roadmap after the COP30 summit in Belem in 2025 ended with a final agreement that did not explicitly mention fossil fuels. Nearly 200 nations had adopted a text at COP28 in Dubai in 2023 calling for a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.

COP30 chief executive Ana Toni said the transition was inevitable and urged countries to start planning. Brazilian officials said the roadmap would be discussed in Antalya on November 10 but was not being proposed as a negotiated COP31 text.

COP31 begins on November 9 in Antalya, Turkey. A new agreement on fossil fuels is described as unlikely at the two-week summit, where Turkey and Australia are backing a voluntary programme aimed at increasing electrification to cut emissions.

Brazil also published a roadmap on halting deforestation by 2030. Climate campaigners welcomed the initiatives but called for governments to follow them with commitments, timelines and resources.