Brazil’s offshore oil boom contradicts climate leadership as country prepares to host cop30

As Brazil prepares to host the world’s most important climate summit, COP30, in the Amazon city of Belém this November, a damning new report reveals how the country’s massive offshore oil expansion undermines its environmental credibility. The study by SkyTruth, a U.S.-based conservation nonprofit that uses satellite monitoring, exposes the growing environmental damage from Brazil’s booming offshore fossil fuel industry, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas near the Amazon River’s mouth.

The satellite data tells a troubling story: Brazil’s oil production has surged 49% between 2014 and 2024, while natural gas production has skyrocketed by over 78%. This dramatic expansion has brought increased oil spills, heavy industrial vessel traffic in marine ecosystems, and rising methane emissions from extraction leaks—all occurring in some of Brazil’s most biodiverse coastal waters.

The timing couldn’t be more awkward for President Lula’s administration, which has positioned Brazil as a global climate leader while simultaneously overseeing this fossil fuel boom. The report highlights a fundamental contradiction: as Brazil promises to transition away from fossil fuels and showcase environmental solutions to the world, its energy sector is racing in the opposite direction, expanding oil and gas operations at an unprecedented pace.

This paradox raises serious questions about Brazil’s authenticity as a climate champion. With global attention focused on the Amazon host city, the country faces mounting pressure to reconcile its climate rhetoric with the reality of its rapidly expanding offshore fossil fuel infrastructure, which threatens the very marine ecosystems Brazil claims to protect.