In a move drawing widespread condemnation, the Brazilian government is pressing ahead with a massive oil and gas exploration auction just months before it hosts the high-profile COP30 UN climate summit. The decision to auction 172 oil and gas blocks — spanning over 146,000 square kilometers, an area larger than England — has provoked alarm from environmentalists, Indigenous communities, and even sectors within the oil industry.
The auction, organized by Brazil’s oil sector regulator ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo), includes 47 blocks in the ecologically sensitive Amazon basin, near the mouth of the Amazon River. These blocks are considered by energy companies to be a promising new frontier, but critics have dubbed the sale a “doomsday auction,” warning of severe environmental and climate consequences.
Environmental organizations argue that the auction undermines Brazil’s climate leadership at a critical moment. According to the International Energy Agency, developing new oil and gas fields is incompatible with global climate targets, including the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Instituto ClimaInfo, a Brazilian climate research group, estimates that full development of the 172 blocks could emit more than 11 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This figure represents about 5% of the global carbon budget remaining to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C and is roughly equal to six years of emissions from Brazil’s agriculture sector — one of the country’s most polluting industries. Of that total, blocks in the Amazon basin alone could account for 4.7 billion tonnes of emissions.
Opposition to the auction spans a wide spectrum. Indigenous groups say the move violates their rights and puts their lands and communities at grave risk. Environmental assessments, critics argue, have been rushed or insufficient, raising concerns about the potential for oil spills and long-term damage to sensitive ecosystems. Even federal prosecutors and oil workers’ unions have spoken out, calling for the bidding round to be delayed or cancelled.
Despite the pushback, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defended the auction. His administration argues that oil revenue is essential for funding social programs and the country’s energy transition. Brazil, already a major oil producer, aims to become the fourth-largest globally in the coming years — a goal Lula claims can coexist with climate leadership.
But opponents say this dual narrative — promoting fossil fuel expansion while hosting a climate summit — is contradictory. With COP30 set to take place in the Amazonian city of Belém, many see the auction as sending the wrong message ahead of global climate negotiations.
As Brazil positions itself as both an oil power and a climate champion, the upcoming auction may become a defining test of the country’s environmental credibility on the international stage.
