Brazil publishes first global roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels

Ahead of a global climate summit, the government of Brazil has introduced the world's first global roadmap aimed at phasing out fossil fuels. The initiative seeks to demonstrate that countries can break their dependence on coal, oil, and gas immediately without waiting for new economic models or technologies. The release follows last year's UN climate conference hosted by Brazil in Belém, where a compromise agreement led to the creation of two distinct transition roadmaps.

André Corrêa do Lago, the president of the Cop30 summit, explained that the documents are designed to shift the focus of annual UN climate conferences from negotiating global agreements to practical implementation. According to Corrêa do Lago, these guidelines are intended for national ministries of finance, energy, and infrastructure rather than traditional climate negotiators. The suggested measures include reducing fossil fuel subsidies, building up renewable energy generation, and urgently cutting the flaring and venting of gas at extraction sites.

Despite the initiative, climate experts have noted certain limitations. Joeri Rogelj, a professor of climate science and policy at Imperial College London, stated that while the roadmaps represent a step forward, they lack specific timelines, binding deadlines, or key benchmarks required to ensure global warming remains below targeted limits. Furthermore, the Brazilian guidelines remain non-binding, leaving individual nations to diagnose their specific dependencies and determine their own pace of change.

The second roadmap addresses deforestation and the preservation of tropical rainforests. It highlights that funding for forest protection falls significantly short of the estimated needs of $300bn annually by 2030 and $500bn by 2050. During the Cop30 summit, Brazil established the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, which has raised approximately $7bn from international partners, including a £400m loan from the UK. The deforestation plan also emphasizes the need for stricter trade regulations to prevent goods from deforested areas from entering consumer markets.

Brazil releases the world's first roadmap to help nations phase out fossil fuels and protect forests.

Why it matters

This new framework changes the approach to global climate action by attempting to separate diplomatic negotiations from domestic policy execution. By providing non-binding transition steps for energy and deforestation, the roadmap encourages national ministries to adopt practical measures tailored to their own economic circumstances.