While claiming leadership on the international climate agenda at the pre-COP30 climate conference in Bonn, Germany, the Brazilian government, through the ANP (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels), held the 5th Cycle of the Permanent Concession Offer on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 — an auction of 172 oil and gas blocks, including 68 in the Brazilian Amazon.

The auction reportedly happened without consultation process and free, prior, and informed consent from the region’s Indigenous and traditional communities, in direct violation of ILO Convention 169, to which Brazil is a signatory.
Of the 47 oil blocks offered in the mouth of the Amazon, one of the most environmentally sensitive areas on the planet, 19 were concessioned for oil and gas exploration. A total of 16,312 km² of marine areas in the Amazon were auctioned, distributed across four sectors. Chevron and CNPC acquired nine blocks, while ExxonMobil and Petrobras secured 10 blocks, deepening the oil companies’ push into the Amazon biome.
These blocks were said to have been acquired without the completion of an Environmental Assessment of Sedimentary Area (AAAS). While not mandatory, the lack of this assessment has been repeatedly highlighted by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and the country’s Ministry of Environment as a factor that hinders the licensing process in the region.
A detailed AAAS mapping would facilitate both the work of the environmental agency and energy planning, as it would identify areas where oil activities should be avoided due to environmental sensitivity, according to scientists.
The auction also did not comply with the recommendations of Brazil’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, which filed a few days ago an injunction to suspend the auction, citing serious flaws in the process, such as the lack of adequate preliminary studies, failure to consult affected parties, and the risk of irreversible socio-environmental damage.
In addition to violating the rights of local communities and going against the global agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, the government has allegedly disregarded warnings from the global scientific community, which are clear: there is no room for new fossil fuel projects if we are to avoid climate collapse.
The decision, it was gathered, undermines the credibility of the Brazilian government, which advocates for climate commitments on the international stage but continues to expand the fossil fuel frontier domestically – including in the Amazon, the region set to host the world’s most important climate conference this year, COP30.
Indigenous Peoples, traditional communities, and civil society organisations argue that a just energy transition must prioritise highly biodiverse and environmentally sensitive areas such as the Amazon and must be built on a clear plan that does not rely on the expansion of oil and gas or the financing of fossil fuels.
Representatives of civil society organisations and Indigenous Peoples offered the following comments:
Chief Jonas Mura, leader of the Mura People: “If the Great Creator left oil and gas deep underground, out of our reach, it’s because it is not something good – it brings only destruction, pollution, poverty, greed, disease, and conflict. Bringing that rotten, polluting mass up from the depths is bringing everything bad into our territories. We want the Amazon free from oil and gas!”
Gisela Hurtado, senior Amazonia campaigner at Stand.earth: “At the very moment the world gathers in Bonn to advance climate solucions and preparing for the first Cop in the Amazon, the Brazilian government is auctioning the Amazon to the fossil fuel industry. This ‘Leilão da Morte’ – Auction of Death – threatens not only Indigenous territories, but the global climate system itself. It defies the principles of the Paris Agreement and the ambition for the Cop30.
“We stand here to say: there is no climate justice without Indigenous rights, no just transition without keeping fossil fuels in the ground, and no sustainable future if the Amazon becomes a sacrifice zone. The world must demand coherence – words at the COP must match actions at home.”
Ilan Zugman, director of 350.org Latin America and the Caribbean: “Time will tell whether Brazil will have the political courage to align its rhetoric with action and leave a true legacy of climate leadership. This auction, in the very year Brazil is hosting COP30, marks a critical moment in which the government opens the doors to the fossil fuel industry in one of the most sensitive biomes on the planet. Today 19 blocks were concessioned without prior consultation with Indigenous and traditional communities, violating both constitutional and international rights.
“This decision contradicts the environmental protection promises made by a government elected under that very banner, and it undermines the country’s credibility on the global stage. Rather than leading a just energy transition based on Brazil’s vast renewable potential, the government is doubling down on an outdated fossil fuel model – one that jeopardises the future, blocks sustainable development, and repeats the mistakes of the past.”
Carolina Marçal, projects coordinator at Instituto ClimaInfo: “While demanding effective action from wealthy nations on the energy transition, Brazil has just sent a terrible signal to those who care about life and the future of this planet. By auctioning off 19 blocks in the mouth of the Amazon – an environmentally sensitive area critical to the global climate – the country is fueling the climate crisis. Beautiful words and empty agreements will not save the world from the growing wave of extreme weather events. Brazil has everything it needs to lead a just transition – and oil is certainly not part of the future in a world on fire.”
Mauricio Guetta, director of law and public policy at Avaaz: “With the world on the brink of reaching the 1.5°C threshold, the decision to auction off dozens of oil blocks in areas essential to global ecological and climate balance puts Brazil at odds with global efforts to address the climate emergency, undermining its leadership at COP30. The damage to the climate, biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities will be irreversible.”