For the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, the order of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva which sets a deadline of 60 days to define the guidelines for the development of the so-called “road map” to reduce dependence on fossil fuels demonstrates that Brazil is ready to lead by example. The minister recalls that the country has already adopted this position by committing to zero deforestation by 2030, with results already demonstrated and a plan in progress. Today, according to her, the context is different, because the country is not starting from zero, as in 2003, when discussions on the fight against deforestation began. According to Marina, there already exists a legal framework, in addition to sustainable development programs and plans structured by the federal government, which converge with the road map defended by Lula during COP 30, in Belém.
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— The president spoke for the first time, during COP 28, about the need to have a map to get out of fossil fuels. At COP 30, this turned into a political articulation: he raised the topic twice at the Leaders’ Summit, repeated it at the conference opening and in the document focused on social movements, and has already garnered support from 85 countries. With this order, the president shows that he is ready to lead by example, just as we did with deforestation. We are the only country that has committed to eliminating it by 2030 — said the minister in a conversation with the blog directly from her home, in Brasilia, where she is recovering from a fracture of the lumbar vertebra.
— The foundations for this to happen are already in place. There are several public policy instruments, such as the Brazil 2050 strategy, which aims to reduce CO₂ emissions to zero, the National Energy Transition Policy, the Climate Plan and the Ecological Transformation Plan, in addition to the Brazilian CDN itself.
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Marina affirms that the wish was a negotiated solution to be included in the final document of COP 30, in Belém, but she considers that, although the global guidelines are important – and Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, who chairs the conference until November 2026, is committed to addressing the subject – the “road map” will have to be adapted to regional and national realities, like the NDCs. In this context, Brazil and Norway, which announced this Monday the start of work to develop their respective maps, come out on top.
The minister drew attention to the fact that the presidential decree already establishes a link between the environmental, economic, social, energy security and political dimensions, demonstrating the transversal nature of the subject, which will be treated, initially, by four departments: Environment, Finance, Mines and Energy and Civil Home. And which specifies that the guidelines developed, the elaboration will require even greater coordination which must include, in addition to other departments, civil society and the scientific community with the exchange of information with the energy agencies of other countries and international best practices.
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Marina emphasizes that the “road map” should not be seen as a restriction, but as an opportunity for development:
— The roadmap opens up new possibilities for economic, social and technological expansion. China is an example of a country that understood this and began a process of investment in clean energy, strengthened after the Paris Agreement in 2015. Today, it is the largest producer of photovoltaic panels, wind blades, batteries and electric cars, he said.
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