The privatization of environmental discourse ; La privatización del discurso ambiental

Abstract

Facing the global ecological crisis, international organizations, national governments, financial institutions and private business have supported the idea of a green economy searching for win-win scenarios and public-private partnerships. Unfortunately, this perspective does not usually consider alternative conceptions of well-being, justice and happiness. The case of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project in Western Panama warns against the underlying assumptions of the prevailing environmental discourse of sustainable development. Unless development projects start considering different opinions, ideals and expectations, there will be the possibility for protracted conflict and severe environmental damage as happened with the forceful flooding of Ngäbe communities in a hydroelectric reservoir linked with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. As negotiations continue for new market-based mechanisms to mitigate climate change, lessons should be learned from the Barro Blanco debacle to find new pathways that reduce greenhouse emissions and at the same time respect human rights and indigenous worldviews and territoriality. ; Encarando a crise ecológica global, organizações internacionais, governos nacionais, instituições financeiras e empresas privadas apoiam a ideia de uma economia verde procurando por cenários vantajosos para as duas partes e por parcerias público-privadas. Infelizmente, esta perspectiva nem sempre considera concepções alternativas de bem-estar, justiça e felicidade. O caso do projeto hidroelétrico Barro Blanco no Panamá Ocidental alerta contra suposições subjacentes do discurso ambiental predominante no desenvolvimento sustentável. A menos que projetos em desenvolvimento comecem a considerar diferentes opiniões, ideais e expectativas, haverá a possibilidade de conflitos prolongados e um ambiente danificado como aconteceu com a inundação forçada das comunidades Ngäbe em um reservatório hidrelétrico ligado ao Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo (MDL) do Protocolo de Kyoto. Como as negociações continuam para os novos mecanismos assentes no mercado para atenuar a mudança climática, lições deviam ser aprendidas do fracasso do Barro Blanco em encontrar novos caminhos que reduzem a emissão de gases de efeito estufa e, ao mesmo tempo, respeitar os direitos humanos e respeitar as visões de mundo e territorialidade dos indígenas. ; Facing the global ecological crisis, international organizations, national governments, financial institutions and private business have supported the idea of a green economy searching for win-win scenarios and public-private partnerships. Unfortunately, this perspective does not usually consider alternative conceptions of well-being, justice and happiness. The case of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project in Western Panama warns against the underlying assumptions of the prevailing environmental discourse of sustainable development. Unless development projects start considering different opinions, ideals and expectations, there will be the possibility for protracted conflict and severe environmental damage as happened with the forceful flooding of Ngäbe communities in a hydroelectric reservoir linked with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. As negotiations continue for new market-based mechanisms to mitigate climate change, lessons should be learned from the Barro Blanco debacle to find new pathways that reduce greenhouse emissions and at the same time respect human rights and indigenous worldviews and territoriality.