BRAZIL’S OPEN LETTER FOR A FAIR AND INCLUSIVE ENERGY TRANSITION, CENTERED ON PEOPLE
Brasília, May 3, 2024
If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? (1 John 3:17)
Most Holy Father,
As I offer my sincere greetings, I express my admiration and reverence for the steadfast stance Your Holiness has taken in confronting a wide range of global challenges.
Your leadership has been fundamental in calling society to action, and I wish to commend Brazil’s initiatives in the fight against climate change. I share Your Holiness’s concern regarding the current state of the planet in relation to global warming, with clear signs that if timely measures are not taken, we will reach a point of no return, with serious social, economic, and environmental consequences. Therefore, the energy transition must be fair, inclusive, and mandatory.
I am aware that several factors contribute to this scenario. Given this reality, Brazil recognizes that implementing measures to promote the adoption of clean technologies for energy generation is one of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change. I am confident that the decisions presented to the world during COP 28 in Dubai are moving in the right direction.
On December 1, 2023, Brazil assumed the presidency of the G20, and since then we have been fully committed to advancing the energy transition agenda among the world’s 20 largest economies.
The issue of energy transition gained even greater relevance after COP 28. During our G20 presidency, we have worked actively to achieve effective results on this matter, in preparation for COP 30, at which we will have the honor of hosting our brothers and sisters from various regions of the world in 2025.
Brazil is a country blessed by God, with many natural gifts that place us in a prominent position on the energy transition agenda. We have worked diligently to implement a set of long-term public policies aimed at harnessing our water, wind, and solar resources—once seen as hardships in poorer regions of our country and elsewhere, but now vital to our energy matrix—along with our mineral resources in a sustainable and responsible manner, avoiding some of the painful mistakes of our recent history. At the same time, we have advanced concrete actions to expand access to electricity throughout our territory, and I am proud to say that we are very close to reaching the milestone of universal access to electricity in Brazilian households.
Thanks to this forward-looking vision, today Brazil has one of the cleanest energy matrices in the world, with nearly 50% of its composition coming from renewable sources. I am also proud to note that our electricity matrix is among the cleanest globally, with about 88% from renewable sources. Even within this positive scenario, we have implemented new policies with tangible impacts on the energy transition of hard-to-abate productive sectors, in line with technological advances.
I am certain that Brazil has strong credentials to engage in dialogue with the world on energy transition. However, I recognize that this is not the reality for all countries, each facing its own economic, social, and environmental challenges.
Even in the face of the climate emergency we are experiencing, we must ensure that the energy transition is fair and inclusive. Depending on the political choices made, we risk perpetuating traditional development models, thereby widening inequalities and intensifying vulnerabilities—an outcome we must avoid.
Brazil argues that the energy transition should not be regarded merely as technological substitution. It must represent a new model of environmental, economic, social, and inclusive development—one that truly leaves no one behind.
A clear example of the challenge we face is the global exposure to energy poverty. Sadly, around 2.3 billion people still rely on highly polluting resources to cook their food, a situation that exposes women and children to various forms of vulnerability. In addition, about 650 million people still lack access to electricity, preventing entire families from enjoying basic well-being and quality of life.
In this context, under Brazil’s presidency of the G20 in 2024, as head of the Working Group on Energy Transitions, I intend to present to the world’s 20 largest economies Brazil’s proposal for ten principles that should be minimally considered when addressing a fair and inclusive energy transition:
- Combat energy poverty in all its forms, ensuring universal access to electricity and clean cooking technologies.
- Establish efficient mechanisms for allocating costs and subsidies for new technologies, enabling access by the poorest populations.
- Integrate gender, race, and ethnic perspectives into energy policies.
- Implement effective measures to mitigate the socio-environmental impacts of energy-related infrastructure, including the deployment of clean technologies and the responsible use of materials and minerals essential for the energy transition.
- Promote social dialogue and the proper engagement of stakeholders in decision-making related to the energy transition.
- Foster social and economic development by diversifying supply chains and adding value in emerging economies and developing countries rich in renewable energy and mineral resources.
- Encourage labor remobilization and the creation of decent, quality jobs, including greater female participation in the energy transition workforce.
- Promote vocational training tailored to the energy transition.
- Recognize the rights of traditional communities and indigenous peoples, ensuring social protection for the most vulnerable populations.
- Acknowledge the importance of long-term energy planning, in its various forms, to guide actions, financing instruments, and policies for energy transition.
Humanity faces an unprecedented challenge, and we must overcome all possible resistance in implementing the energy transition. Although each country has its own social, economic, and environmental context, the challenge before us today demands effective action from all.
The implementation of the Paris Agreement, with its clear targets, must not be delayed. We must collectively advocate for compliance with the deadlines and goals established to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
We must also advance in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, such as transportation and mobility, through biofuels, thereby strengthening new industries and contributing to the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labor market.
I am confident that COP 30—where countries will once again make new climate commitments—has the potential to be the COP of Just Transition. In the year marking the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the principles for a fair and inclusive transition will play a key role in guiding discussions and progress.
I am equally certain that we are on the right path, but time is short. With this in mind, I ask for your support in disseminating these principles, while humbly requesting Your Holiness to intercede for our country in building consensus for the common good.
You can count on the support of Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy, under the leadership of President Lula, to move forward collectively on this path.
I have the honor of expressing my deepest respect for Your Holiness, and I offer the assurances of my highest esteem and consideration.
Respectfully,
Alexandre Silveira
Minister of Mines and Energy Federative Republic of Brazil