Brazil Launches Large Scale Oil and Gas Auction as Its Diplomats Open Climate Talks in Bonn

The Brazilian government auctioned off the rights for gas and oil extraction in 172 areas of Brazilian territory, with 47 of them offshore near the mouth of the Amazon River. Patricia Baran, head of the national oil agency ANP argued that other countries are also announcing new oil and gas fields, and that the auctioned blocks will include additional environmental and social protections. The auction played out as Brazil’s COP30 Presidency leads discussions at UN climate talks in Bonn on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Stela Herschmann, a climate specialist at Observatório do Clima, called the auction “an act of sabotage against the Brazilian diplomats that are here and doing their best in Bonn to rally the world towards an ambitious COP in November.”

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