Brazil auctions oil exploration rights amid fierce opposition

Brazil is set to auction exploration rights for 172 oil and gas blocks covering 56,000 square miles, primarily offshore, months before hosting the Cop30 UN climate summit. The auction, promoted by Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as essential for economic development and supporting the energy transition, has met significant opposition from environmentalists and Indigenous communities. Activists, including the Instituto Internacional Arayara, highlight serious threats to biodiversity and increased greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that the planned auction contradicts Brazil's climate commitments. The auction particularly focuses on the Amazon basin, a controversial area with ongoing legal battles over environmental assessments and Indigenous rights. The auction has drawn criticism for the inadequacy of the environmental studies conducted, particularly since many studies are outdated or about to expire. Some proposed blocks intersect with Indigenous territories and conservation areas, raising significant ethical and legal concerns. Objections include the risk posed to marine reserves and coral reefs, as well as the failure of Brazilian oil sector regulator ANP to adequately assess the broader implications for climate goals. More concerning for critics is the potential for the sale to exacerbate climate change, with calculations suggesting more than 11 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent could be released, effectively locking Brazil into fossil fuel dependence at a critical time for global climate efforts. Edmilson Oliveira, a leader within Indigenous opposition, emphasizes that their voices have been disregarded throughout the consultation process. Concerns about environmental degradation are echoed by members of oil workers' unions and federal prosecutors who call for the auction to be canceled. As the world faces the urgency of climate change action, critics argue that Brazil's focus on expanding its oil production capability poses direct threats to its biodiversity, and contradicts its efforts at being a leader in global climate policy, especially just ahead of hosting an important climate summit. The auction has been branded a ‘doomsday auction’ by campaigners who see it as counterproductive to global climate objectives, questioning the procrastination of addressing fossil fuel reliance in light of urgent climate crises. Many Brazilians express their disapproval of the auction plans, asserting that the government must heed the voices of its citizens in making decisions that affect the threshold between development and ecological catastrophe.