Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon as environmentalists raise alarm

Conservationists argue president’s oil expansion plans clash with his image as a global leader on climate change

Brazil’s Petrobras has been given permission to drill for oil near the mouth of the Amazon River, casting a shadow over the country’s green ambitions as it prepares to host UN climate talks.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president, has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with his image as a global leader on climate change.