Brazil, India, Italy, and Japan have agreed to quadruple their production and consumption of renewable fuels by 2035, as part of a joint effort to accelerate the global shift toward cleaner energy sources. The announcement was made on Tuesday in Brasília ahead of the upcoming UN climate talks (COP30), which will be held in Belem, Brazil, next month.
“We hope to have a good number of signatories by COP30,” said Joao Marcos Paes Leme, an official from Brazil’s foreign ministry. He added that several other European nations have also expressed interest in joining the initiative, reported AFP.
The commitment aims to expand the production of sustainable fuels such as biofuels, hydrogen, and synthetic fuels to four times the current levels by 2035. These alternative fuels are expected to play a crucial role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation, shipping, cement, and steel production, where electricity alone cannot yet fully replace fossil fuels.
“These are sectors where decarbonization is difficult,” Paes Leme explained, noting that sustainable fuels are already being used but not at a scale large enough to make a major impact.
The heavy reliance on coal, oil, and gas since the industrial revolution remains the main cause of human-induced global warming.
Reacting to the announcement, Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), welcomed the pledge, calling it “something we love to hear.”
“We have to be serious about what we say: sustainable fuel also means sustainable from the perspective of land use,” he said.
The move builds on commitments made during COP28 in Dubai in 2023, when countries agreed for the first time to “transition away” from fossil fuels. However, several major oil-producing nations, including Brazil, still plan to increase fossil fuel production in the coming years, highlighting the ongoing challenge of balancing energy needs with climate goals.
