Environmental and civil society organizations plan to file a lawsuit against the environmental license granted to Petrobras to begin oil exploration in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, part of Brazil’s Equatorial Margin.
In a statement released by the Climate Observatory—a network of environmental and social movements focused on climate issues in Brazil—the groups said they intend to “denounce illegalities and technical flaws in the licensing process that could render the permit null and void.” The exploration phase includes well drilling to assess the presence of oil.
“The authorization to drill in the Foz do Amazonas Basin also contradicts international court rulings on the urgent need to halt fossil fuel expansion,” the note said, citing recent decisions by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice. Both rulings reinforce the legal obligation of nation-states to protect the climate, the group argued.
The organizations also said the license constitutes “sabotage” of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which begins November 10 in Belém. They added that the decision undermines the climate leadership that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva claims on the global stage.
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The license, they said, could complicate Brazil’s role during the conference. “[The approval] creates challenges for COP President André Corrêa do Lago, who will now have to explain the decision to Brazil’s international partners.”
In addition to the Climate Observatory, the statement was signed by the Scientific Panel for the Amazon, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and 350.org Latin America and the Caribbean.
IBAMA declined to comment on the lawsuit, and Petrobras did not respond.
“Beyond ending deforestation, degradation, and fires in the Amazon, it’s now urgent to reduce all fossil fuel emissions,” said Carlos Nobre, co-chair of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon, in a separate note. “There is no justification for any new oil exploration. On the contrary, rapidly phasing out existing fossil fuel projects is essential.”
Suely Araújo, public policy coordinator at the Climate Observatory and former IBAMA president, told Valor that the agency’s technical analysis was insufficient when it approved the license for Petrobras. “In general, this is an environmentally fragile area, very close to the Amazon reef system. There are technical flaws that will be demonstrated in the lawsuit. There’s evidence that technical due diligence was lacking,” she said. “Some key issues were undervalued in the process.”
André Cutrim, an environmental law professor at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), said the outcome of the licensing process reflects Brazil’s institutional dilemma in trying to reconcile the expansion of oil frontiers with its climate commitments.
“In institutional terms, the outcome shows Petrobras’s ability to formally comply with IBAMA’s requirements, but also highlights weaknesses in Brazil’s environmental governance, especially when technically complex decisions are made under political and economic pressure,” he said.
Despite the anticipated financial potential, Mr. Cutrim warned that the benefits of oil activity in the North will only be real if directed toward the Amazon and local communities. “It’s essential that oil exploration in the Amazon be accompanied by governance mechanisms that ensure future economic gains are translated into lasting benefits for the region,” he said.
This article was translated from Valor Econômico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles.
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