COP28: Brazil comes under pressure against oil in the Amazon – 12/11/2023 – Environment

The largest delegation at COP28, the UN climate conference, Brazilians are not just coming to Dubai to take their messages to the world, but also to reinforce them to the Brazilian government. The actions of NGOs, social and indigenous movements show that, in the face of the international spotlight, domestic pressure is gaining strength. At climate COPs, dirty laundry is washed outside the home.

Over the weekend, an open letter addressed to federal government authorities present at COP28 brought together 127 signatures from environmental organizations, social movements, indigenous and community associations and research institutes in a message opposing the mega-auction of 602 new areas for exploration of oil and gas, including 21 blocks in the Amazon River basin.

It is scheduled to take place on Wednesday (13), shortly after the conclusion of the COP, which should end this Tuesday (12).

“The price of oil expansion will be too expensive for future generations. The objective of keeping the increase in global temperature to 1.5°C is not just a goal, it is a limit,” says the letter.

Brazilian diplomacy has defended at COP28 what it calls “mission 1.5”, calling on countries to review their climate goals to align with a lower global warming ceiling than that established in Paris — which aims for a more flexible limit, among 1.5°C to 2°C.

“Emissions from burning oil on the equatorial margin are three times the target that the country assumed for 2030. Such an initiative would take Brazil back to square one and put us against the Paris Agreement”, continues the letter, citing the region on the north coast of the country seen as the new oil frontier.

Dramatically affected by the drought in the Amazon, indigenous and quilombola leaders from the region were also present in critical debates regarding the government’s energy project for the Amazon region.

“We are experiencing a humanitarian crisis in the Tapajós region and the governor [do Pará] It didn’t even create a crisis committee to provide support to communities that were isolated due to the Tapajós drought”, said Auricélia Arapiuns, coordinator of the Tapajós Indigenous Council (Cita), in a panel on the challenges of energy generation in the Amazon.

Governor Helder Barbalho (MDB) participated in COP28 with an intense agenda of announcements of commitments and partnerships on topics such as combating deforestation, recovering degraded pastures and bioeconomy.

“This Pará that Helder describes to the world does not exist”, stated Auricélia at the COP.

“We talk about energy transition, but for many the energy never arrived. We have many populations living in the dark, we have around 400 thousand families that are not integrated into the national interconnected system, we have around 3 million people who still live in energy precariousness”, insisted the leadership.

The announcement that Brazil would join OPEC+, an expanded group of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the scheduling of the auction for the 13th were an unplanned confusion, according to representatives from the MMA (Ministry of the Environment).

In a meeting with Brazilian civil society present at COP28 on Saturday (10), authorities from the MMA and Itamaraty responded to demands regarding the government’s energy project, stating that the auction comes from a long process already under the previous government and that the current management tries to minimize it, without a final resolution yet.

Representatives from the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy) stated that the ministry should begin a process of debate on the energy transition over the next year, calling on different voices to compose a framework on the energy directions that Brazil should follow.

Domestic preparation on the energy transition agenda also has a diplomatic urgency: when assuming the presidency of the G20 next year, Brazil must be qualified to lead an energy transition commitment among the most relevant economies in the world.

According to the “G20 Acceleration Call” assessment, conducted by 17 international organizations, including Brazil’s CBC (Centro Brasil no Clima), 4 of the 5 largest oil producers in the world are members of the G20: the United States, Russia, China and Canada.

At the same time, 10 countries in the group account for more than two-thirds of global oil demand.

Although oil production and consumption in Brazil is small compared to other countries in the bloc, the country’s annual subsidies to the oil and gas sector reach US$7 billion — higher than the incentives given by governments such as Canada and Germany.

The assessment recommends that Brazil avoid locking itself into projects that increase dependence on fossil fuels, taking advantage of its energy matrix mainly to invest in infrastructure for electric vehicles and green hydrogen, for example.

The study also points out that the country must lead energy transition initiatives in the G20, taking advantage of its leading role to attract partnerships and adoption of green technologies.

_{Reporter Ana Carolina Amaral traveled at the invitation of Avaaz, Instituto Arapyaú and Internews.}