Abstract
From the analysis of specificities present in the environmental licensing of wind farms in Brazil, associated with the idea of sustainable development and efficient energy generation, this research analyzes the optimistic view of development, which is based on the of Ecological Modernization Theory. According to this perspective, development would imply technological innovations, optimization of productivity without increasing the use of resources and generation of waste, adequacy in the role of institutions and promotion of an “ecological rationality” among citizens and institutions. Such rationality, according to advocates of this conception, would guide greater environmental regulation by the government and the control of environmentally harmful business practices, promoting the combination of environmentally responsible policies, with the improvement of social indices and the economic heating. The environmental licensing process is a privileged space for analyzing this conception of development, highlighting the interests and strategies of the social actors involved in development actions (the company, the State, environmental agencies, consultancies, the population civil associations, etc.). In this way, it allows both the identification of socio-environmental impacts and conflicts resulting from the implementation of these ventures, as well as the observation of discourses and practices of the impacted or potentially impacted groups and the economic and political strategies of corporate and institutional power.
Presenters
Cassia MirandaStudent, Doctoral Student, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Sustainable Development, Environmental Licensing, Wind Farms
