The government and Petrobras want to drill near the Amazon estuary. But an unprecedented discovery shows the area is still largely unstudied
The Brazilian government and state-controlled oil company Petrobras are hell-bent on drilling in the so-called Equatorial Margin, close to the mouth of the Amazon River. But an unprecedented mangrove discovery shows that the area is a treasure trove of unknown biological phenomena - we speak to @AngBernardino to find out more
When Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won last year's election, it was dubbed a "victory for the Amazon." The returning head of state had promised to reach zero deforestation and reinstate the environmental protections that his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro had dismantled.
While deforestation figures have fallen in the first year of his term, Lula's environmental chops were brought into question by plans of government-controlled oil company Petrobras to drill off Brazil's northern coast, in a region known as the Equatorial Margin. This is particularly controversial, because the Equatorial Margin sits very close to the mouth of the Amazon River.
Brazil's environment protection agency initially denied Petrobras permission, but there is a chance it may change its mind under pressure from the Lula government.
But recent biological discoveries show that drilling in the region may well be irresponsible, and could threaten valuable and previously unmapped ecosystems off Brazil's coast.
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This episode used music from Uppbeat. License codes: Aspire by Pryces (B6TUQLVYOWVKY02S). Out Of The Shadows by Clemens Ruh (ELQ7LMBLGUAW6GD3).
In this episode:
Angelo Bernardino is an oceanography professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo, where he studies the ecology of coastal and deep-water marine ecosystems. He is currently working with the National Geographic Society to determine the effects of land use and the impacts of climate change on mangroves in the Amazon region.
Background reading:
When Petrobras plans to drill in the Equatorial Margin surfaced, we explained how the imbroglio could pit Environment Minister Marina Silva against the Lula government for a second time.
Ahead of last week's Amazon Summit, oil drilling off the Amazon coast was the elephant in the room.
And in the final declaration signed by the leaders present, there was no commitment to reduce oil exploration in the Amazon, or any joint deforestation targets.
At the beginning of his term, we explored Lula's race to reach zero deforestation in the Amazon, and the challenges he would face.
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