Oil Spilling at the Amazon River Mouth and Humanity’s Blindness

On January 6, 2026, Petrobras announced that oil leaks had occurred during drilling tests in the Amazon River Mouth region. The incident, still under investigation, reignites a debate that seemed buried under layers of speeches at COP30: are we truly committed to the energy transition, or are we still trapped in our addiction to oil? The answer, unfortunately, seems clear—and disappointing.

Oil Spilling at the Amazon River Mouth and Humanity’s Blindness

While Brazil grapples with the dilemma of exploring an environmentally sensitive area, neighboring Guyana celebrates record production following billion-dollar offshore discoveries. Until a few years ago, the country had a modest economy based on agriculture and mining; today it projects annual GDP growth of over 25%, driven by oil. Venezuela, meanwhile, after U.S. military intervention, is seeing production rise again, with previously abandoned fields reactivated and exports resumed. The geopolitical energy map of South America is being redrawn—but not toward the sustainable future many had hoped for.

The energy transition—meant to guide our choices—is the gradual replacement of fossil fuels with renewable sources such as solar, wind, green hydrogen, and biomass. It is a natural evolution for humanity, comparable to the shift from firewood to coal and then to oil. Unlike previous transitions, however, this one demands not only technological innovation but also political courage and structural changes in the global economy. And that is precisely where the biggest barriers lie: oil still accounts for about 30% of the world’s energy mix and moves trillions of dollars each year. Governments and companies hesitate to give up such immediate wealth.

The IPCC has been clear: greenhouse gases—especially carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels—are the main drivers of global warming. In 2025, global emissions exceeded 37 billion tons of CO₂. COP30, held in Belém, should have been a historic milestone, but it ended with vague promises and no more ambitious targets. The result is that we continue down the worst possible path, insisting on opening new oil frontiers while the planet pleads for drastic emissions cuts. Only the blind fail to see it.

From an economic standpoint, there is a harsh logic: oil finances infrastructure, creates jobs, and secures foreign exchange. Countries like Guyana and Venezuela see it as a chance to escape poverty or regain international relevance. Brazil, pressured by internal and external interests, also wavers. But this logic is shortsighted. The cost of climate change is already estimated in the trillions of dollars: prolonged droughts, devastating floods, loss of agricultural productivity, and migration crises. The money oil generates

today may not offset the disaster it fuels tomorrow.

It is true that eliminating fossil fuels still lives more in rhetoric than in practice. Yet there are actions underway that deserve recognition. The European Union is advancing its “Fit for 55” plan, aiming to cut emissions by 55% by 2030.

China leads global solar energy production and already accounts for more than 40% of installed capacity worldwide. Brazil, despite its contradictions, has expanded investments in distributed generation with solar, wind, and biomass. Green hydrogen is beginning to gain ground through pilot projects in Germany, Japan, Chile, and Brazil. These are signs that the energy transition is not merely utopian but a real process albeit slow and insufficient given the climate emergency.

To defend the energy transition is to defend humanity’s survival. We are late, we hesitate to be more ambitious, and every new spill, every new drilling operation, every new military intervention that reactivates oil wells reminds us that time is against us. 2026 has begun intensely, and this column has already warned that it will be a challenging year. The opening chapters confirm it: either we accelerate the energy transition, or we will remain blind to the abyss opening before us.

Renato Zimmermann is a sustainable business developer and an energy transition activist.

Oil Spilling at the Amazon River Mouth and Humanity’s Blindness