Social and environmental impacts and conflicts of large projects in the Amazon: how long will Barcarena/PA be a sacrifice zone?

• Autor(a) principal: Farias, André Luís Assunção de
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: INTERthesis
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/interthesis/article/view/90583
• topic: Amazônia; Barcarena; Grandes Projetos; Impactos Ambientais; Conflitos Socioambientais; Amazon; Barcarena; Great Projects; Environmental Impacts; Socio-environmental conflicts

The environmental crisis and wars bring into focus the socio-environmental problems produced by Large Projects, particularly in commodity-exporting regions, such as the Amazon. Thus, the article analyzes the socio-environmental impacts and conflicts of the Industrial District of Barcarena/PA (DIB) and how society and environment relations determine the territory as a sacrifice zone. The approach of political ecology and the concepts of Large Projects and territory, by Milton Santos; the definition of environmental impacts, by Sánchez, and the concept of socio-environmental conflicts, by Acselrad were used. The methodological procedures were based on semi-structured interviews with representatives of residents impacted by the DIB, as well as on document analysis by companies, governments and scientific reports from the Evandro Chagas Institute, the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission of the Assembly of the State of Pará (CPI/ALEPA) and the External Commission of Representative body. Main impacts were identified around the dispute for natural resources (land, water and air), with manifestations of socio-environmental conflicts involving large companies, the State and vulnerable social groups. It is concluded that the combination of economic and political forces should maintain Barcarena as a sacrifice zone in the long term.