maio, 18 2023

By WWF-Brazil

WWF-Brazil celebrates the decision of the president of Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), Rodrigo Agostinho, who on Wednesday (17) rejected the licence requested by Petrobras for offshore drilling in the FZA-M-59 block, in the mouth of the Amazon basin. The measure, which follows the recommendation of analysts from the agency's Environmental Licensing Department, shows the Brazilian government's commitment to the transition to a renewable energy grid.

That same Wednesday, the UN (United Nations) published a report with the warning that the planet will go through a period of unprecedented high temperatures in the next five years. In this scenario, it is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as those resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. It would therefore be a mistake if Brazil went against the grain of science and bet on new oil and gas exploration frontiers, which are among the most polluting.

Ibama's decision avoids irreversible impacts in an area of rich biodiversity, such as the Great Reef System near the Amazon river mouth. It also reinforces the Brazilian government's respect for indigenous peoples and traditional communities, who had not been properly consulted and informed about the impacts of drilling at the Amazon river mouth, as the Federal Public Prosecution Office in the States of Amapá and Pará rightly pointed out.

WWF-Brazil salutes Ibama and hopes that Petrobras will direct its efforts towards a fair energy transition, leading Brazil towards a future with climate justice and contributing to stopping the effects of global warming.