Lula’s green plan challenged by allies pushing to boost fossil fuel

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivers a national statement at the World Climate Action Summit during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 1, 2023. REUTERS/Thaier Al Sudani/File Photo

SAO PAULO: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s pledge to launch a green transition of Brazil’s economy is facing pushback from allies within his own government.

While finance minister Fernando Haddad is seeking to exclude fossil fuels from special tax incentives as part of an “ecological transformation” of Latin America’s largest economy, Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira is pushing to increase support for oil and gas projects.