2026/06/22 by Laila Sandroni, Bruno Tarin, Erika Robb Larkins · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Development, Ethics, and Society #Environmental Justice and Health Disparities #Environmental Sustainability and Education
paper · doi:10.2458/jpe.10082
openalex publication_date 2026/06/22 · openalex created_date 2026/06/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/12
Latin American political ecology has advanced a rigorous critique of mainstream development models predicated on intensive extraction of natural resources. In Brazil, the diversity of environmental justice movements illustrates the multifaceted ways different actors contest dominant notions of "progress." This article and a related series of lectures published at the JPE Grassroots platform present first-hand perspectives of diverse Brazilian environmental justice movements, including indigenous, quilombola, traditional forest peoples' and food sovereignty movements. We summarize the key ideas shared in the lectures and systematize their contributions as collective innovations for the environmental agenda and the ongoing making of political ecology. Overall, the speakers critique the commodification of land while promoting models of flourishing rooted in forest economics. They contest colonial legal frameworks and knowledge by encouraging strategic alliances, advancing counter-narratives, and promoting artistic production of the diversity of life on Earth.