Brazil okays oil drilling near mouth of Amazon weeks before it hosts COP30 summit, draws flak

General Brazil’s state oil firm Petrobras has been granted permission to begin exploratory drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River, raising environmental concerns ahead of the COP30 climate summit. President Lula has defended the move on economic grounds.

Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras has received approval to begin exploratory drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River, raising environmental concerns as the country prepares to host the COP30 climate summit.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has faced criticism from conservationists, who say his oil expansion plans contradict his image as a global climate leader. The drilling, set to start immediately, will last five months and take place in a block off Amapá, around 500 km (311 miles) from the Amazon’s mouth on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin.

Petrobras said it complied with all environmental licensing requirements set by Ibama and aims to assess the potential for economically viable oil and gas in the area. “We hope to obtain excellent results from this research and prove the existence of oil in the Brazilian portion of this new global energy frontier,” said Petrobras president Magda Chambriard.

While no commercial production is planned at this stage, environmental groups, including Greenpeace, warned of risks to the Amazon ecosystem, home to about 10% of the world’s known species, and said it could weaken Brazil’s climate credibility ahead of the UN summit in Belém next month. The International Energy Agency has also urged that no new oil projects be approved if global net-zero targets for 2050 are to be met.

Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, opposes drilling in the Amazon, but President Lula has defended it on economic grounds. Speaking to the BBC in September, he said: “Brazil is a country that has oil… We’re following the law strictly. If there’s a problem, we will be responsible for addressing it.” He added that while he supports a future without fossil fuels, the world is not ready for a full transition yet.

Other international oil firms, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, have purchased exploration blocks in the region and are awaiting permits. Petrobras said it remains committed to ensuring energy security and a just energy transition, with robust environmental protection measures in place during drilling.