Brazil’s oil exports and exploration cast a shadow on its green ambitions

“I know that at the mouth of the Amazon, in the Amazon River, you are thinking about the oil that is under the sea. I don't think [I should explore], because these things, as they are, guarantee that we have the environment, the land with less pollution and less heating,” said Raoni at a meeting where he received Lula da Silva in the Xingu Park, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. “If that happens, I am a shaman [spiritual leader] too, I have…

“I have had contact with the spirits, who know the risks that we have to continue working in this way, of destroying and destroying and destroying”, highlights the indigenous leader

Brazil’s oil exports and exploration cast a shadow on its green ambitions

Last year, oil overtook soy as Brazil’s main export for the first time since 2012. According to trade data published by the government, foreign oil sales totalled almost USD 45 billion in 2024, passing soy’s USD 43 billion. The value of Brazil’s crude oil exports has more than doubled in the past five years, and has close to quadrupled in the past decade. China is driving this demand. According to Brazilian government data, China received 44% of…