Guest blog post by Nicole Figueiredo de Oliveira, Executive Director of Arayara. Say No to LNG welcomes submissions from passionate individuals who wish to contribute to the LNG shipping conversation.

In Brazil, concrete plans exist to expand Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and derail decarbonization efforts. The expansion of LNG in Brazil is being proposed in places where the resource does not exist to justify the transport infrastructure. LNG is already “Draculized” in other places, and we can still prevent it in Brazil. 

The term “Draculized” in this context could refer to the monstrous, entrenching, and insidious nature of the industry, likening it to the immortal and hard-to-kill nature of the fictional character Dracula. It signifies how oil and gas projects, once initiated, can become deeply embedded in the economic, social, and political fabric of the regions where they operate, making them exceedingly difficult to challenge, decommission, or eliminate.

The planned expansion of LNG for export and the construction of 21 new terminals in Brazil is an alarming development. It raises red flags not just for the inherent environmental impacts of such expansive infrastructure but also for the looming difficulty of resisting or reversing these projects once they are operational.

This expansion is being mooted in regions where the necessary resources to justify such a massive transport infrastructure are reportedly lacking. It is a classic case of putting the cart before the horse, indicating that the underlying motive might be more inclined toward commercial and economic interests rather than rational resource management and environmental sustainability. It represents an invasive incursion into pristine environments and ecosystems that will likely suffer irreversible damage in the process, just like a person with Dracula’s fangs clamped onto their neck. Each terminal, pipeline, and facility resembles a pair of fangs, seeking to drain the life, vibrancy, and purity from their lands. The territory, teeming with rich biodiversity and indigenous heritage, is on the brink – a victim to the insatiable thirst of an industry that knows no bounds.

Therefore, there is an urgency to mobilize and resist the proposed expansion of LNG in Brazil, armed with the hindsight of other regions where the oil and gas industry has become a monstrous, unyielding presence.