Latest news with #ClaudioAngelo
Scoop
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Climate Groups Call For Accountability And Ambition From COP30 Presidency
23 June 2025 Bonn, Germany – In a press conference held today, leading voices from the climate justice movement responded to the COP30 Presidency's plenary session at the UN climate talks in Bonn. Activists and climate groups are urging a stronger, more accountable path forward, gathering earlier in the day holding banners calling for the tripling of renewable energy, a full and fair phase-out of fossil fuels, and the inclusion of Indigenous and traditional leaders at the heart of COP30 decision-making. At the press conference, speakers from across the Global South emphasized that the world cannot afford another summit of empty promises. They called on the COP Presidency to deliver the tripling renewable energy capacity and phase out fossil fuels in the negotiated outcome, and for Indigenous and traditional people to meaningfully participate in the leaders segment and official agenda. Today's messages were clear: 1.5°C is a lifeline, not a target to be negotiated. The Global North must deliver new, additional public finance to meet its climate debt, and frontline communities must be empowered as leaders in global climate governance. Only through ambition grounded in justice can COP30 deliver the outcomes the world urgently needs. Alia Kajee, Global Campaign Project Manager, says: 'At home in South Africa, 88 people died in flooding just this month. Droughts, storms, and heatwaves are intensifying. Food and energy costs are rising while a handful of billionaires profit and prop up the industries that pollute our lands, air and waters while the vulnerable carry the burden of climate impacts and the cost of life. We ask the COP30 Presidency: Will you match our courage, or will you let history remember you as the government that wrote sophisticated letters, but failed to walk the talk?' Claudio Angelo, Head of International Policy, Observatório de Clima, says: 'Brazil is the best presidency you could get for a climate conference, given the context we have today with wars and the expansion of fossil fuels everywhere. The issue is more that there is a lot on their plate right now. They do have a plan, and they are trying to innovate in a COP format, but the issue is that simply the context is not favoring much ambition right now. But it's not game over yet. If one country can do it, at a climate conference, especially looking at the last three presidencies, Brazil can deliver – but it can't do it alone.' Cacique (chief) Ninawá Inu Huni Kui, says: 'We are here to reaffirm that we are not invited to simply occupy seats at global decision-making tables; we are holders of ancestral knowledge and guardians of the territories that guarantee life on the planet. Indigenous peoples and local communities are not spectators in the climate debate: we are protagonists and have the right and commitment to guide paths towards fair and sustainable change. This is not an option. It is a vital necessity for each and every one of us. Let's transform this global battle into a joint and equal action, so that all voices are heard and all strategies are strengthened by the Indigenous and traditional presence.' Dr Sindra Sharma, International Policy Lead, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, says: 'I am born of and a product of the Pacific, a region that did not cause this crisis, but is paying for it every day. It's been 10 years since the Paris Agreement, and what do we have to show for it? In every country, planetary boundaries are being crossed, emissions keep rising, and fossil fuel subsidies are not falling. The problem is not a lack of science, it's a failure of political will. For us, the 1.5C limit is a red line. As we move toward COP30 we hope this is the moment we can reclaim 1.5C, as our time is running out. We'll continue to defend 1.5C and the science. But know this, our resilience is not your excuse to not act. We must maintain the required ambition.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brazil advances Amazon oil exploration ahead of climate conference
ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, June 5 (UPI) -- Brazil's environmental authority has approved one of the final requirements for state-run oil company Petrobras to proceed with oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon River. After several rejections, Petrobras secured approval from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources for its wildlife protection plan. The decision allows the company to proceed to a preoperational evaluation phase. This stage includes live emergency simulations to test Petrobras' response capabilities. The success of these tests will be key to the environmental authority's final decision whether to issue a drilling license. Petrobras aims to drill a well about 109 miles off the coast of Amapá state, in a maritime zone known as Block 59. The company says the activity will be low-impact and time-limited. Still, the project has sparked widespread environmental and social concerns. Environmental groups and experts have warned about the risks to the mouth of the Amazon River, an ecologically rich region and home to coral reefs, mangroves and endangered species. They also point to a lack of comprehensive environmental studies and the failure to consult Indigenous communities, as required under International Labor Organization Convention 169. The environmental institute' s stance on the project has shifted over time. Throughout 2023, its technical staff repeatedly recommended denying Petrobras permits to drill, citing inadequate environmental assessments and serious risks to biodiversity and local communities. Despite those recommendations, the authority's leadership approved Petrobras' latest protection plan May 19. Claudio Angelo, international policy coordinator at Observatório do Clima -- a Brazilian network of 90 climate-focused organizations -- said the plan's approval amounts to a capitulation to pressure from the state-run oil company. He warned the move could pave the way for auctioning 47 additional blocks at the mouth of the Amazon River, which he described as a setback for environmental protection in Brazil. An investigative report by InfoAmazonia found that Petrobras' strategic plan for 2025 to 2029 includes drilling 15 wells along Brazil's equatorial margin. The company plans to invest $3 billion in the project, representing 38% of its five-year budget for new oil and gas exploration, including projects in both Brazil and Colombia. Brazil's Federal Public Ministry has urged the National Petroleum Agency to suspend the auction of the 47 blocks, scheduled for June 17, citing the absence of required environmental studies and consultations with Indigenous peoples. Although the ministry's recommendations are not legally binding, ignoring them without justification can trigger civil or criminal legal action. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defended the project, saying oil exploration is essential for national development, and that revenues could support the country's transition to clean energy. Still, his position has drawn criticism for contradicting Brazil's climate commitments, especially with the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in November in Belém, a city in Brazil's Amazon region. The event will bring together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations and advocates to discuss and negotiate global climate action. Brazil is expected to play a central role in the talks. It will be the first time a COP is held in the Amazon, underscoring the region's importance in the global climate agenda.
UPI
05-06-2025
- Business
- UPI
Brazil advances Amazon oil exploration ahead of climate conference
ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, June 5 (UPI) -- Brazil's environmental authority has approved one of the final requirements for state-run oil company Petrobras to proceed with oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon River. After several rejections, Petrobras secured approval from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources for its wildlife protection plan. The decision allows the company to proceed to a preoperational evaluation phase. This stage includes live emergency simulations to test Petrobras' response capabilities. The success of these tests will be key to the environmental authority's final decision whether to issue a drilling license. Petrobras aims to drill a well about 109 miles off the coast of Amapá state, in a maritime zone known as Block 59. The company says the activity will be low-impact and time-limited. Still, the project has sparked widespread environmental and social concerns. Environmental groups and experts have warned about the risks to the mouth of the Amazon River, an ecologically rich region and home to coral reefs, mangroves and endangered species. They also point to a lack of comprehensive environmental studies and the failure to consult Indigenous communities, as required under International Labor Organization Convention 169. The environmental institute' s stance on the project has shifted over time. Throughout 2023, its technical staff repeatedly recommended denying Petrobras permits to drill, citing inadequate environmental assessments and serious risks to biodiversity and local communities. Despite those recommendations, the authority's leadership approved Petrobras' latest protection plan May 19. Claudio Angelo, international policy coordinator at Observatório do Clima -- a Brazilian network of 90 climate-focused organizations -- said the plan's approval amounts to a capitulation to pressure from the state-run oil company. He warned the move could pave the way for auctioning 47 additional blocks at the mouth of the Amazon River, which he described as a setback for environmental protection in Brazil. An investigative report by InfoAmazonia found that Petrobras' strategic plan for 2025 to 2029 includes drilling 15 wells along Brazil's equatorial margin. The company plans to invest $3 billion in the project, representing 38% of its five-year budget for new oil and gas exploration, including projects in both Brazil and Colombia. Brazil's Federal Public Ministry has urged the National Petroleum Agency to suspend the auction of the 47 blocks, scheduled for June 17, citing the absence of required environmental studies and consultations with Indigenous peoples. Although the ministry's recommendations are not legally binding, ignoring them without justification can trigger civil or criminal legal action. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has defended the project, saying oil exploration is essential for national development, and that revenues could support the country's transition to clean energy. Still, his position has drawn criticism for contradicting Brazil's climate commitments, especially with the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in November in Belém, a city in Brazil's Amazon region. The event will bring together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations and advocates to discuss and negotiate global climate action. Brazil is expected to play a central role in the talks. It will be the first time a COP is held in the Amazon, underscoring the region's importance in the global climate agenda.
