Lula talks the talk, but hawks the oil blocks

Following the latest UN Climate Conference in Dubai, the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry celebrated the results of negotiations — and issued a statement highlighting the “significant gaps in the implementation of climate commitments,” pointing the finger at developed economies in particular. 

The government expressed satisfaction with the “historic decision” to address, “for the first time, the issue of fossil fuels.” The statement was in line with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s remarks during COP28, when he criticized developed countries for their “slow pace of decarbonization” and their “eloquent but empty words” about saving the planet.

However, on the same day that the Brazilian government celebrated the recognition of the need to move away from fossil fuels, it held a massive oil auction, offering up more than 600 areas for oil and gas exploration in several regions of the country — including a new Brazilian oil frontier.

The auction was held amid protests from environmental organizations, who gathered outside the Rio de Janeiro hotel where the bidding took place. Activists had tried unsuccessfully to block the auction in court.

According to a study by the environmental institute Arayara, 94.2 percent of the blocks up for auction overlap with protected areas and violate environmental standards set by the National Oil Agency (ANP).

Some of the areas up for auction pose risks to marine biodiversity due to their proximity to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago in Pernambuco, although these blocks did not receive any bids.

Despite the controversy, 192 exploration...