Mexico-Brazil oil deal raises concern for ecosystems and energy transition
Environmental organizations have raised concerns that a recent partnership between the state petrochemical companies of Brazil and Mexico will commit both nations to decades of fossil fuel production, increase the risk of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, and displace coastal communities with industrial expansion. On June 23, Brazil’s Petrobras and Mexico’s Pemex announced […]
Environmental groups are expressing apprehension over a recent agreement between Brazil's and Mexico's state petrochemical firms. The collaboration, announced on June 23, aims to boost production in deepwater and mature fields in the Gulf of Mexico. This development has sparked worries about the potential for oil spills and the displacement of coastal communities due to industrial expansion.
While the MoU itself remains undisclosed, the companies' press release highlights their focus on deepwater production and mature fields, as well as ancillary fossil fuels like fertilizers, biofuels, and carbon capture. Mexico, which primarily extracts its fossil fuels from the southern Gulf of Mexico, has seen a decline in production over recent years.
Despite the partnership's intention to bolster each nation's energy independence, critics question the deal's terms and potential consequences. Renata Terrazas, vice president of Oceana's Mexico division, expressed concern over the lack of transparency, stating, "We're just guessing. There's no transparency about what this actually means, and that's one of the things we fear the most."
The agreement arrives in the wake of two major safety incidents involving Pemex in early 2023, including an exploratory natural gas well explosion near Las Choapas, Veracruz, which released smoke and gas.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
