Brazil's oil and climate change dilemma
Updated on 01 December 2009
Brazil has been at the forefront of pioneering renewable energy, but the discovery of oil off the coast has left the country with a dilemma. Science correspondent Julian Rush reports.
The country's image as a powerhouse of green energy is facing a major threat.
Although the majority of Brazil's cars are powered by ethanol, oil looms large on the horizon.
The Petrobras platform, at the heart of the oil-rich Campos Basin, is capable of producing a world record-breaking 100,000 barrels of crude per day.
The discovery means Brazil could rocket into the top five world oil centres, alongside Kuwait and Iraq.
Ministry of Mines and Energy Mauricio Tolmasquim says: "Each Brazilian consumes less than seven times each American.
"You have a lot of poor people in this country and they need, and they have the right, to have energy."
If the government uses the oil to accelarate economic growth it could lift thousands out of poverty.
However, an acceleration in climate change through increased emissions could also hit thousands of the country's poorest people.
Brazilian climate and energy analyst Luiz Pinguelli Rosa told Channel 4 News: "In Brazil we have to deal with both poverty and the environment. We need to solve the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and also the income distribution of the country.
"I believe that you can do both if you have an economy based on renewable energy. That is possible for Brazil, after all we use ethanol in our cars and we use much more hydro-electricity and wind-produced energy.
"Around the world, we need the state to intervene in planning. At the start of the ethanol programme, it was expensive but the government decided to stimulate the ethanol market and I believe they must do the same now."
Norway's environment minister Erik Solheim responded: "We have promised to cut carbon emissions by 30 per cent in Norway by 2020 and we will do that both with strong domestic action and the purchase of global carbon credits.
"Naturally we will have to take decision in the oil and gas industries, transport and all other sectors.
"I think it is hard to ask a developing nation like Brazil not to exploit substantial oil reserves if they can have a surplus from that and use that in developing their nation.
"Here in Norway we tried to make sure our oil and gas sectors were as environmetally friendly as possible with emissions as small as possible and then we tried to use some of the revenues gained in a positive way globally and we tried to develop the technique of carbon capture and storage.
"Now we have a debate about whether we should exploit all the oil that is available or whether we should leave some of it underground.
"As an environmentalist I believe that we should not necessarily exploit all the oil."
