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The environment minister, Marina Silva, has called on every country to show the courage needed to confront the imperative of a worldwide transition away from fossil fuels, describing the development of a detailed plan as an “moral” response to the climate crisis.

She emphasized, though, that involvement in this process would be voluntary and “self-determined” for interested nations.

The topic remains one of the most debated subjects at the UN climate summit in Brazil, with countries split over whether and how such a roadmap can be addressed. As the host, Brazil has adopted a carefully neutral stance on which items can be included on the formal schedule.

The official expressed approval for the potential of a plan, without directly pledging the country to it. She remarked: “In times we have a terrain that is very challenging, it is good that we have a guide. But the guide does not compel us to proceed, or to advance.”

Speaking further, she noted: “The roadmap is an answer to our scientific knowledge [of the climate crisis]. It is an moral response.”

Scores of nations meeting in Belém for the global climate conference, which is starting its second week, are aiming to establish how a worldwide phaseout of fossil fuels could be implemented. These nations hope to advance a historic agreement reached two years ago at COP28 to “transition away from fossil fuels.”

The pledge lacked a schedule or details on the way it could be achieved, and although it was passed unanimously, some countries have since tried to disavow the pledge. Efforts last year to expand on its real-world meaning were stymied by opposition from petrostates at COP29.

As a result, there was no mention of the transition away from fossil fuels in the final agreement of that conference.

For these reasons, Brazil has been wary of demands by some countries to include the phaseout on the agenda for COP30. But Silva has worked hard behind the scenes to ensure the topic could be talked about at the summit outside the official program.

She won over Brazil’s president, and he gave mention repeatedly to the need to “shift from dependence on fossil fuels” at the summit of world leaders that preceded the conference, and at the opening of the summit.

“This is a matter that we understand at some point had to be raised, because it is the sole way to face the issue from the root,” the minister explained. “We recognise that it is not easy, and we must not offer false hopes. Bringing up the subject is brave, and I hope [to see] this courage from all, from producers and consumers.”

The nation had not initiated the call for a transition, she clarified, because that had been initiated at COP28. Instead, it was enabling the talks to occur in accordance with what some nations desired. “We know these topics are sensitive. We will give the chance to talk about it,” the minister added.

There is not enough time at COP30 to create a detailed plan, a task the minister called could take a number of years because many countries faced complicated issues around dependence on fossil fuels, or wanted to use the proceeds from exporting fossil fuels to fund their development.

“Brazil brings up the subject, because Brazil is both a producing nation and consumer,” the minister said. “But the nation is unique, because it, if it chooses to, need not rely on non-renewables. We have to recognise that there are certain nations that depend on carbon energy in their economies and lack simple solutions, and some where fossil fuels are the basis of their economy.

“To be fair is to be just to everyone, but the essential, basic fairness is to avoid being unfair to the Earth, because it is our shared home.”

Should the proposal gains enough support, the summit could establish a forum in which the process of drawing up a strategy to the transition could start.

The process would involve discussions with every participating countries to the UN framework convention on climate change and criteria for how the initiative would proceed, the minister said. “After we have standards, a governance structure can be developed; after we have a strategy, and establish safeguards to be able to establish confidence in the system, I believe that with these elements we can turn positive concepts into steps that are more defined, and more tangible.”

It is uncertain that a suggestion to begin developing a plan would win approval at the conference, even if it does not require the formal consent of the conference, which operates by unanimous agreement and can be hijacked by particular groups. COP experts have suggested they believe there could be backing for such a proposal from about sixty nations, but there are believed to be at least 40 opposed. There are 195 countries participating at the negotiations.

“Despite being the root cause of global warming, carbon-based energy are about the most contentious topic there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky group of countries publicly backing a route to realizing worldwide transition is in itself pretty groundbreaking.”

“Put simply, there’s no path to a world where warming remains below 1.5C in which nations aren’t able to discuss fossil fuel phaseout.”

“We require this wording for actual in this conversation. It’s quite stupid that we discuss everything but that when fossil fuels are the real problem.”

Discussions carried on on Saturday on several outstanding issues that have not yet been incorporated into the official agenda: commerce, transparency, finance and how to address the shortfall between the emissions cuts nations have proposed and those required to keep to the 1.5-degree warming target.

A summit president pledged a “note” that would cover these matters, after discussions – which have been underway since Monday – were unresolved. He called on nations to embrace the “mutirão” attitude, meaning one of collaboration and positive discussion.

Progress on other substantive topics – such as adjustment to the effects of the climate crisis, the fair shift for those impacted by the move to a low-carbon economic system and how to strengthen institutional capacity in developing countries – carried on productively, the presidency said.

Brazil’s lead representative stated the technical phase of the COP proceedings was approaching the end, and the political stage – when government leaders who have the authority to alter their countries’ positions arrive – was beginning.