There is “no contradiction” between Brazil’s plans to step up oil and gas exploration, including in waters off the Amazon rainforest, and its aspiration to lead the world’s transition to green energy, the energy minister said.

With nearly 90 per cent of its electricity generated from renewable sources, as well as a big biofuels programme, Brazil has the “political, economic and moral authority” to talk about a just and inclusive energy transition with rich nations, Alexandre Silveira told the Financial Times.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won international acclaim for taking rapid action towards a goal of ending deforestation in the Amazon by 2030, reversing steep increases in rainforest destruction under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.