The Gathering Momentum for Environmental Justice in Brazil

Abstract

This is a critical evaluation of the context within which struggles for environmental justice (EJ) have been taking place in contemporary Brazil focusing on some key points: the ways in which postcolonial patterns have affected communities, a brief overview on EJ research in Brazil, the Brazilian conception of race as a hindrance to confronting situations concerning environmental injustice, the history of the Brazilian EJ movements and main EJ conflicts. The scope of my intention is not merely to catalogue opportunities for further exploration or to map conflicts, but to consider the role played by postcolonial patterns in shaping environment policies in contemporary Brazil. Also considered is how these environmental policies may provide valuable insight in addressing the concerns raised by the emergent race-based EJ movements in Brazil and other African diasporic countries.