RAISG and SPA contribute key knowledge to the parliamentary report for a fossil-fuel-free Amazon
Brasilia, October 8, 2025. The Amazon Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information (RAISG), together with the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), contributed scientific and geospatial evidence to the preparation of the report "Protecting the Heart of Our Planet: Parliamentarians' Roadmap for a Fossil Fuel-Free Amazon," presented on October 7 at the Brazilian National Congress.
The document, promoted by the group of Parliamentarians for a Fossil Fuel-Free Future, provides an in-depth analysis of the socio-environmental impacts of oil and gas exploitation in the region and proposes a transition path toward a sustainable, decentralized, and fair energy model for the Amazonian peoples and ecosystems.
Knowledge for a just transition
The participation of RAISG and SPA was essential to include a detailed analysis of how energy infrastructure—especially hydroelectric dams—affects the ecological and cultural connectivity of the Amazon biome.
During the public hearing held in Bogotá, within the framework of the Fifth Summit of Presidents of the Amazonian Countries, SPA Co-Chair Marielos Peña-Claros, presented data prepared in conjunction with RAISG showing that more than 1,000 hydroelectric dams currently threaten Amazonian rivers, altering the flow of water, sediments, and fish, and releasing methane from stagnant waters.
The report highlights that protecting ecological, social, cultural and economic connectivity of the Amazon is essential for sustainable human development, and energy projects must respect water, nutrient, and carbon cycles at regional and global scales. Dams, the document notes, impose severe social and ecological costs, such as reduced soil fertility, increased mercury contamination, and the collapse of fisheries, while local communities face energy poverty.
Decentralized renewable energy: a paradigm shift
The report also incorporates a vision shared by RAISG and SPA on the need to gradually introduce renewable energy and promote a paradigm shift toward decentralized and community-based energy models that strengthen sovereignty and reduce deforestation.
Among the proposed solutions are:
Photovoltaic solar energy with storage.
Small-scale hydrokinetic turbines.a
Biomass-based microgrids.
These systems strengthen energy sovereignty, avoid the impacts of large transmission lines, and contribute to a just transition for the Amazon and its peoples.
Evidence-based cooperation
RAISG Executive Secretary Angélica García emphasized the importance of this collaborative work between scientific networks and political actors in the region:
“Contributing to this report has been an opportunity to demonstrate that socio-environmental data is a powerful tool for decision-making. The Amazon needs energy policies designed from the ground up, that protect its ecological connectivity and the well-being of its people.”
The report represents a milestone in interparliamentary cooperation for the future of the Amazon and a basis for promoting joint actions among governments, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and scientific networks to drive a just, fossil-fuel-free energy transition.
Less than a month before COP30, which will be held in Belém do Pará, Brazil, this report represents a key contribution to the regional debate on decarbonization and climate justice. The evidence provided by RAISG and SPA reaffirms the urgency of placing the Amazon at the center of global energy and climate decisions.
