THE RIGHT TO SAY NO: EXTRACTIVISMS AND TERRITORIAL STRUGGLES

This article brings the transcription and revision of the roundtable discussion held at the III Latin American Congress of Political Ecology, which aimed to debate different experiences of collective struggles against projects of extraction of natural resource, with the participation of indigenous leaders, traditional communities and activist intellectuals. The narratives shares experiences in processes in which there was collective resistance to extractive-colonial projects and the right to say “no” was put into practice. In general, the presentations discussed the right to say no that emerges beyond the right to consultation, and that has as its assumption the guarantee of collective autonomy over life territories.

Socio-political-environmental perceptions of participants in the public hearings of the Brazilian Representative House on Environment

The article analyzes the perceptions of the citizens who participated in the public hearings promoted by the Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (CMADS) of the Chamber of Deputies during the year 2018. The methodology consisted in the use of a questionnaire with open and closed questions applied to a sample of 71.22% of the public that was present at these events. For the study of perceptions, open questions are particularly relevant, since they consist of arguments, analyzes and justifications presented by citizens, based on the experience of participating. The conclusions show that a diversity of citizens’ perceptions of the CMADS agenda, the topics under debate and the participation of technicians and representatives of entities from the environmental field. On the other hand, there are critical opinions in relation to the performance of parliamentarians, representatives of government agencies and the dynamics of debates.

Re-thinking the Academic Role in the Circular Economy Discourse

The article discusses the debate that calls the academy and the generation of scientific production to contribute to the substantial contributions of public policy from the areas of the Circular Economy - CE, especially for industrial sectors that have a high economic and environmental impact. The bibliometric review (30 years) allows arguing the limitations in the contributions to face the challenges posed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the regulation and political instrumentation. The results show investigative biases in the institutional order of the food packaging industry that has massified production towards the consumption of single-use glasses (SUG). The discussion states that the generation of knowledge should re-evaluate social responsibility without bias in thematic trends. Finally, it is proposed that academic contributions should focus on the review of incentives for efficient production that minimizes the massive consumption of materials.

Biodiversity and the mining Environmental Impact Statements of the state of São Paulo - Brazil

The state of São Paulo has a history of habitat loss and fragmentation in endemic areas with projects that threaten its biodiversity. Therefore, this study analyzed how the Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) of mining activities of the state of São Paulo (2005-2016) considered the biodiversity theme in different chapters. To analyze the ten selected EISs, we used the Index of Biodiversity Inclusion (IBI), which reflects the analysis of environmental indicators (from 0 to 1), depending on the commitment presented in each of the indicators. The IBI values ranged from 0.25 to 0.67 with significant variation among EISs. Most of them partially met the criteria, which was a profile similar to other countries, representing information gaps in most of the chapters covering biodiversity. The shortcomings were data limitation, impact analysis, and inadequate mitigation measures, in which the study highlights the need for a better scoping definition previous to Environmental Impact Assessment.

Ecofeminist Horizons

Decolonial political ecology embodies far more than mere critique. Rather, decolonial political ecologies allow us to advance transformative proposals, to articulate sophisticated reflections on emancipatory practices, and, above all, to re-imagine future scenarios and horizons. These imagined horizons were articulated by three women from different social contexts: Bernadete Souza Ferreira Santos, a ialorixá peasant and specialist in Rural Education and Agroecology from USP, who works as a ‘popular educator’ in the region of Ilhéus (southern Bahia); Ivonne Yanez, an environmental activist from Ecuador and one of the founders of the organization Acción Ecologica; and Stefania Barca, a scholar in feminist political ecology, originally from Naples (Italy), and currently working at the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra (Portugal). Together, they show us the paths towards emancipatory horizons that can be found at the intersection between Political Ecology and feminism.

The goals of the National Biodiesel Program: between planning and implementation

This work evaluated whether the main goals established by the National Program for the Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB) were achieved between 2004 and 2018. For this purpose, reports and surveys prepared by public agencies and soybean producers were used. The results reveal that expectations of improvement in living conditions in rural areas stemming from PNPB implementation were frustrated: there were job losses in agricultural occupations, continuity of rural exodus, increase in land concentration, reduction in the contingent of family farmers, non-inclusion of poor family farmers from the North and Northeast regions. Of the original PNPB goals, only the minimum percentage of biodiesel to diesel was achieved satisfactorily, but dependence on imported diesel increased, even with the development of biodiesel production.

BIOCAPACITY OF BRAZILIAN BIOMES USING EMERGY ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT CONCEPTS

This work aimed to assess Brazilian biomes’ biocapacity (BC) using concepts of the Emergy Ecological Footprint method. Climate and forest cover data were interpolated using the Kriging method. In 2016, the Brazilian BC was among the largest in the world, 42.11 gha / cap. The biomes’ forest coverage areas were investigated and simulated in two scenarios: optimistic (with 100% forest coverage) and pessimistic (only 10%). The Amazon’s contribution of half the Brazilian BC would reduce by 88% in a pessimistic scenario. The Atlantic Forest contribution was only 1.9% of the national BC, however, in an optimistic scenario, it would increase by 690%. The reduction of deforestation, fires and expansion of areas protected by law are measures that positively impact the BC of the studied biomes. This methodology can be used as an environmental quality indicator as it adheres to the principles of Sustainable Development.

PALEONTOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: MAKING CONNECTIONS THROUGH POLITICAL ECOLOGY

Far from studying only beings from the past, Paleontology is a current science which can situate human existence in the context of the global environmental crisis before inequalities and socio-environmental conflicts which occur in Brazilian paleontological sites. Aiming to discuss possible connections between Paleontology and Environmental Justice, this essay arises from a survey on environmental conflicts existing in the paleontological sites in Minas Gerais. Stemming from the issues found and the contribution of the Political Ecology theoretical framework, the struggle for territory and decoloniality is discussed as crucial dimensions for a view that seeks to restore the populations’ right to their (paleo) territories. The connections between these fields are presented here as references for the fight against the social inequalities found in paleontological sites, such as those in Minas Gerais, and for the inclusion of their communities in participatory management.

Science, Technology and Society: integrating social-science in the energy debate

This paper introduces key current themes in social sciences of energy that look beyond conventional concerns with energy consumers. Close, detailed studies of energy practices at all levels can offer insights into the ways that energy systems are enmeshed in social, legal, cultural, economic and political frameworks that pre-empt expectations about energy production, distribution and consumption. By bringing a sociological and anthropological focus onto the energy industries themselves, social sciences can offer new theoretical perspectives, reveal the political relations that accompany energy flows, and offer new ways to think about the potentials for current and future energy systems.

Territorial Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study from the APA São Francisco Xavier-SP

This article is a case study from the APA São Francisco Xavier, located in the municipality of São José dos Campos-SP, and aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this UC category as an instrument of territorial planning to fulfill its role of reconciling conservation and socio-economic development, based on the sustainable use of natural resources. This study applied multi-methods - both qualitative and quantitative approaches - using fieldwork, participant observation, questionnaires, and geoprocessing to collect and analyze both primary and secondary data. The results demonstrate that APA promotes conservation, but is not free from threats and does not have effective and permanent means to guarantee the promotion of socio-economic development based on the sustainable use of its natural resources. The study suggests that territorial planning should be articulated between the levels of government, its different agencies, and the local community.