Pre-salt exploration threatens restinga in Macaé (RJ) – 11/26/2023 – Environment

As the world prepares for COP28, the UN (United Nations) climate conference, which begins this week with the expectation of bringing an effective plan for the gradual elimination of fossil fuels, Brazil is moving in the opposite direction.

Over the last 15 years, pre-salt exploration on the 25 platforms in the Campos and Santos basins, between the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, has brought economic gains, but also social and environmental consequences to the cities.

Macaé (RJ), a municipality that is one of the main pre-salt exploration hubs in the country, received R$813 million in royalties between January and August this year alone. In the entire year 2022, it was almost R$1.5 billion. The economic development promised by oil, however, did not translate into improvements in all segments of society.

“Brazil wants to continue offering oil, and this slows down the energy transition around the world, contributing to the worsening of the climate crisis”, says Nicole Oliveira, executive director of the Arayara Institute, focused on the issue of fossil fuels.

Therefore, the discussion about the intention to expand Petrobras’ exploration in the Foz do Amazonas basin, on the north coast of the country, is criticized by environmentalists. They see the region as delicate in relation to possible impacts on traditional communities and biodiversity. Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Natural Resources) denied licensing to the oil company, which appealed and hopes to be able to start studies at the site next year.

In addition to the impacts of the construction of offshore platforms (hundreds of kilometers from the coast), waste from the oil and gas refinery, as well as the use of other natural resources, such as water, have consequences — as can be seen in Macaé , warn researchers.

The municipality of just over 47 thousand inhabitants in the 1970s has expanded to more than 240 thousand, according to the latest Census. Urban expansion also came with an increase in slums.

“I like to mention Macaé because it is very clear how there was a deterioration, from a social and environmental point of view, and oil did not bring the resource that was promised”, says Oliveira. Around 9% of the Macanese population will still be without access to drinking water in 2023, a group of approximately 30 thousand people.

Recently, the Imboassica lagoon, one of the city’s natural lagoons that was used as a water resource and for leisure activities, became contaminated with sewage and chemical compounds from the plants. Ibama inspectors notified and requested the removal of the pollution, but no environmental fine has been applied so far — the origin of the contaminant remains unknown.

Macaé City Hall said, in a note, that the water supply is the responsibility of Cedae (State Water and Sewage Company) and that companies, such as Petrobras, are required to carry out an environmental licensing study for offshore oil exploration, and the Municipal Department of the Environment for onshore exploration (in the territory).

When contacted, Cedae stated that it works to ensure an increase in water supply for the population and that it carries out strict quality control. Regarding families still without access to drinking water, the company said it installed a new pipeline in the Lagomar community, 4.5 km long to supply approximately 5,000 local residents.

Petrobras stated to the report that licensing and environmental impact studies did not demonstrate any direct effect of oil exploration in the municipality, and that the transfers provided for by law are intended for the Union, states and municipalities, but the company does not interfere in the how resources are used.

In the view of Francisco Esteve, limnologist (algae scholar) and professor at Nupem (Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Macaé campus, the search for oil is ephemeral and, in crisis situations, the city lives an economic downturn.

“Pre-salt exploration has a high cost and it is only cost-effective when there is an appreciation of the barrel on the foreign market, if not, it is not worth it. This happened after the Lava Jato crisis, in 2015”, he says the researcher. Since then, families in extreme poverty have grown in the city — currently, almost 40 thousand families depend exclusively on Bolsa Família.

In addition to the social impacts, there was a change in the natural areas of beaches and restingas, previously present in more than 90% of the city, by highways, roads, buildings, factories and thermoelectric plants, causing impacts on the original fauna and flora.

The city is part of the largest and last, in terms of integral preservation, continuous sandbank area in the country, the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, with an extension of more than 14 thousand hectares and 44 km of beaches, between the municipalities of Macaé, Carapebus and Quissamã.

With vegetation that mixes Atlantic forest, caatinga and cerrado, the area is also home to 18 natural lagoons and several unique species of plants and animals.

“One of the biggest consequences [da exploração] is the loss of natural areas that result from human activity in the region”, says Carlos Barboza, marine ecologist and professor at Nupem/UFRJ. One of the species threatened by the modification of natural landscapes is the beach thrush (Mimus gilvus), animal included in the state’s list of endangered species.

“Perhaps it is important to think about whether the loss of biodiversity, for something that will be explored for a limited time, makes sense”, he asks.

The researchers state that the intense navigation of vessels from the coast to offshore platforms can also cause impacts, including on aquatic mammals — effects that Petrobras, in turn, says do not occur.

Alexander Turra, professor at the USP Oceanographic Institute and coordinator of the UNESCO Chair for Ocean Sustainability, states that oil exploration, in addition to the possible risk of accidents, impacts marine life even due to the acoustic signals caused by prospecting tools and by pre-salt drilling fluid.

Fishermen interviewed by the report said they have faced a shortage of fish on the Macanese coast in recent years.

Among the measures provided for by law to mitigate the impacts of oil exploration are the promotion of training for fishermen, environmental education projects in the park area — foreseen in a court decision since 2008, but which were only carried out this year — and actions aimed at biodiversity studies.

Petrobras says it also contributes to the renovation of vessels or buildings linked to the fishermen’s association, if there are impacts from exploration on fishing activity.

Macaé City Hall states that mitigation actions for fishermen are carried out by companies operating in the region, in accordance with the licensing process carried out and the polluting potential.

Also contacted by SheetICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation), which is responsible for the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, said that it speaks out in licensing processes about possible impacts of projects on conservation units (CUs).

Currently, in Brazil, there are 190 UCs in marine and coastal areas. According to the agency, the pre-salt area is close to 36 of these units, 14 federal and 22 state.

“It is necessary to pay close attention, especially to the overlap between exploration and UCs, because they are areas considered a priority for the preservation of biodiversity and which are fundamental not only for artisanal fishing, but also for industrial fishing”, highlights Oliveira.

_{The report was supported by the Conexão Oceano Environmental Communication Notice, promoted by Fundação Grupo Boticário.}