Climate Racism in Brazil’s Favelas: A Sustainable Discussion

Climate racism is a concept that has gained relevance in recent years, highlighting how certain marginalized populations disproportionately face the impacts of climate change (Nelson & Grubesic, Sustainability, 10(4), 1–18, 2018). Usually located in the poorest regions of the planet, far from resources and under careless governments or with few conditions, these vulnerable communities (Silva Lopes, Arena pública, colonialidade e resistência em um território amazônico: o Fórum de Desenvolvimento Sustentável das Ilhas de Belém-PA. Editora Dialética, 2023) need help to defend themselves from the increasingly constant climatic disasters (Agyeman et al., Just sustainabilities. Development in an unequal world. Routledge, 2003). This chapter aims to understand how climate racism manifests itself and what strategies can be implemented to promote climate justice (Roberts & Parks, A climate of injustice: Global inequality, north–south politics, and climate policy. MIT Press, 2007). The methodology used has two different analyses. The first is a literature review and related it with knowledge production about climate racism (Snyder, Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339, 2019). The second is an empirical analysis which manages a sample of case studies of favelas in Brazil and their extremely vulnerable communities composed mostly of afro-descendants and other marginalized ethnic groups (Alves & Rocha, Novos Cadernos NAEA, 23(1), 2020). The path chosen is composed of a systematic review of the bibliographic, analysis of secondary data and case studies in different favelas in Brazil, in interdisciplinary approaches that integrate adaptation to climate change, poverty reduction, promotion of equity and inclusion social. It aims to identify and to analyse the manifestations of climate racism in these communities, living conditions, exposure to environmental risks and lack of access to basic resources and services, as well as government policies and actions aimed at facing these challenges. The main result of this chapter is to enrich the literature review on climate justice by delving deeper into the impact of climate racism on affected communities. Furthermore, it means to settle a robust scientific foundation for formulating effective and culturally sensitive strategies to address socio-environmental inequalities and climate injustice.