In the face of inaction and paralysis of countries in making significant progress to address the climate crisis and its principal driver – fossil fuels – a worldwide coalition of legislative leaders has taken matters into their own hands, demonstrating what true climate leadership can look like.
On the eve of COP30 in Belem, Brazil – the first United Nations Climate Conference to be held in the Amazon – the Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future have released the results of a year-long investigation into the impacts and implications of oil extraction in the Amazon on its people, ecosystems, and our climate. The results provide an inescapable conclusion: the Amazon must be off limits to new fossil fuel extraction.
For millennia, Amazonian Indigenous peoples have been clear: the oil beneath their territories must stay in the ground. And they have exerted their rights for decades to make it so. But now science has finally caught up, affirming that the Amazon is at a tipping point of no return, a precipice of ecological collapse that has been pushed to the brink by deforestation and biodiversity loss at the hands of the extractive industries.
Their call has echoed across the globe, amplified by civil society allies such as Amazon Watch and countless others. Now, legislators from six Amazonian countries are joining that call – and turning it into political action.
After more than a year of hearings and consultations, the Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future have launched their groundbreaking report, Protecting Our Planet’s Heart: Parliamentarians’ Roadmap To A Fossil-Free Amazon. The investigation represents an unprecedented regional effort to chart a just and sustainable future for the rainforest.
A united call for a fossil-free future
The Parliamentarians’ Roadmap urges Amazonian heads of state to take a bold step: declare the entire region a fossil fuel expansion-free zone.
Their recommendations outline a clear path forward:
- Strengthen Indigenous governance: Uphold rights, autonomy, and self-determination by investing directly in Indigenous governance, cultures, and sustainable economies.
- Catalyze international cooperation: Rally global partners to halt fossil fuel expansion in the Amazon and advance initiatives such as the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty, establishing the world’s first no-expansion zone for oil, gas, and mining.
- Expand renewable energy access: Bring decentralized clean energy, from small-scale solar to hydrokinetic and biomass projects, to all Amazonian communities.
Building momentum toward COP30
The timing couldn’t be more strategic. In just weeks, COP30 will convene in Belem, Brazil. This will be the first climate summit held within the Amazon basin itself.
The report strengthens growing grassroots demands, including the The Answer Is Us campaign, to designate the Amazon rainforest as a permanent no-go zone for extractive industries.
The most ambitious COP30 outcome is an “accelerated transformation” scenario with binding commitments to phase out fossil fuels, ensure a just energy transition, and keep global warming below 1.5°C. To reach it, pressure must come from every front: legislators, Indigenous movements, and civil society together.
Amazon Watch’s collaboration and continued support
Amazon Watch has proudly accompanied this process from the start.
We helped coordinate the participation of Amazonian partners from Peru and Ecuador in the first parliamentary hearing, while our team members Sofía Jarrin (representing the Ecuador Human Rights Alliance) and Vladimir Pinto provided expert testimony in the first and second hearings.
Today, we continue to raise international awareness around this powerful initiative through our blog, media outreach, and ongoing advocacy with our allies across the region.
Inspired by the determination and creativity of the Parliamentarians, we look forward to deepening this collaboration beyond COP30 into 2026 and beyond, as we work together for a truly fossil-free Amazon.
