Brazilian President calls for a just transition away from fossil fuels

Two years after an unprecedented commitment at the COP28 conference in Dubai to phase out fossil fuels, this topic was not clearly included on the agenda of the climate conference that opens Monday in the Brazilian Amazonian city. However, some countries, such as Brazil, are determined to return this issue to the center of discussions.

Fossil fuels

Luis Inacio Lula da Silva announced, at the beginning of a session dedicated to the energy transition on the second and final day of the summit, that "The Earth can no longer support the model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels that has prevailed over the past 200 years"

He added: "A fair and orderly phase-out of fossil fuels requires global access to technologies and financing".

Oil Production

He stated that "Directing a portion of the profits from oil production toward the energy transition remains an acceptable path for developing countries"

This is the argument that Lula resorts to when his critics, especially environmentalists and indigenous organizations, accuse him of supporting a recently launched oil exploration project off the coast of the Amazon.