Abstract: The current environmental challenges present a fundamental geopolitical impasse for the 21st century, threatening to destabilize global security through interconnected socio-economic disruptions. The Western-centered dominant narrative and current global governance promote the concepts of “zero-growth” or “degrowth” without acknowledging the significant disparity in international development levels and the significant challenges many countries still face in accessing basic living conditions. In this context, the Global South faces a triple burden: achieving development on a sustainable path, contending with the most severe impacts of climate change, and navigating the unequal (ecological) economic exchanges dictated by center-periphery dynamics. This essay argues that the current international governance model is inadequate to overcome these challenges and that only through the adoption of a multipolar democratic perspective, championed by BRICS+ countries and their partners, can a more equitable and balanced approach to sustainable development and energy transition be achieved. The essay explores how BRICS+ can play a pivotal role in shaping a more just global framework for sustainable development and energy transition, one that departs from Western-centric ideas and policies. The conclusions emphasize the critical need for South-South cooperation and collaboration within the BRICS+ framework, particularly in promoting scientific and technological neutrality while upholding sovereignty and equality in the international system without imposing conditions on members and partners. Finally, given the vast technological and energy resource potential of BRICS+ countries, they are positioned to become a leading force in global energy governance.
Keywords: BRICS+; Global South; Sustainable Development; Energy Transition; Multipolar Governance; Climate Change; South-South Cooperation.