Brazil is planning to auction off parts of the Amazon and coastal regions for oil drilling — right as it prepares to host COP30. The government’s oil agency, ANP, is targeting areas rich in biodiversity, like the Equatorial Margin, home to coral reefs, mangroves, and endangered species. Many of these blocks also overlap with Indigenous territories, quilombola lands, and traditional riverside communities — and are being pushed forward without proper consultation. That’s a clear violation of both national and international laws.
The risks are enormous. Drilling in these areas could unleash “carbon bombs” — locking in decades of pollution, worsening droughts in the Amazon, fueling floods in the South, and pushing the planet deeper into climate crisis. And many of these sites aren’t even attracting interest from companies due to high costs and environmental risks. Yet they remain on the map, threatening ecosystems and communities we can’t afford to lose.
Brazil doesn’t need this oil. Its energy grid is already mostly renewable, and there’s massive potential to lead the world with solar, wind, and clean innovation. Choosing oil over people and planet is a step backwards — and it doesn’t reflect the future Brazilians want or the leadership the world needs.
The message is clear: no oil in protected areas. Tag @ANPgovbr and @LulaOficial on X/Twitter and demand they take these blocks off the table — for good.