Climate Threat Global Challenges

Green Light for Oil Drilling – Concerns Ahead of Climate Summit

Brazilian authorities have given oil giant Petrobras permission to drill for oil in an area that critics say risks affecting indigenous peoples in the Amazon, AFP reports.

The permit was granted after a five-year process and applies to a coastal area not far from where the Amazon River flows into the Atlantic – something that worries environmentalists.

The oil plans are supported by President Lula da Silva and Brazil's environmental agency believes that tests have shown that any oil spills at sea are not at risk of reaching the coast and therefore not affecting indigenous peoples.

Critics also point out that it sends bad signals from Brazil, which is hosting the COP30 climate summit in November.

New Oil Permit Denied: “Sabotaging Leadership

The Brazilian government is granting new permits for oil drilling while advocating a green transition. This is what Suely Araujo, former head of the country's environmental agency and now active at the non-profit organization Climate Observatory, told AFP.

She is furious at the decision to grant a new drilling permit as the COP30 climate summit approaches.

“The government is sabotaging the leadership it should have at COP30.