Greenpeace Slams Brazil's Decision To Greenlight Oil Drilling In Amazon

Sao Paulo, Brazil: Greenpeace Brazil's Oceans Front coordinator Mariana Andrade has said that Brazil's decision to give Petrobras a license to drill for oil near the mouth of the Amazon River contradicts its ambition to lead on global climate commitments. In an interview with AFP, Andrade, who is an oceanographer, said, "There’s no such thing as sustainable oil exploration; I think that’s the first point we need to acknowledge. And in this region specifically, the Amazon River mouth basin, we're talking about a highly complex and fragile environmental setting.""It's a deep reef, and also one located in a very turbulent region, so it receives little sunlight. All of these conditions make it truly special. There's nothing like it anywhere else in the world. It's something unique to Brazil, unique to our region, and it actually contributes biodiversity, marine life, to other parts of the planet."When Brazil makes a decision to sell exploration rights to 19 oil and gas blocks near the mouth of the Amazon river, while hosting such a major international event, it's both regrettable and contradictory, Andrade said. The government, she added, tells the international public that the country is ready to lead on climate commitments. "Today, Lula is a global leader, a leader of the Global South, who could be making a bold decision toward on energy transition, positioning Petrobras as an energy company, not an oil company. That's what we would hope to see right now. And we know there's still hope, still time to reverse this process -- to avoid opening new oil wells in this region, especially at the mouth of the Amazon," she said.