Large-scale green grabbing for wind and solar photovoltaic development in Brazil

Michael Klingler (), Nadia Ameli, Jamie Rickman and Johannes Schmidt
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Michael Klingler: BOKU University
Nadia Ameli: University College London
Jamie Rickman: University College London
Johannes Schmidt: BOKU University

Nature Sustainability, 2024, vol. 7, issue 6, 747-757

Abstract: Abstract Large-scale wind and solar photovoltaic infrastructures are rapidly expanding in Brazil. These low-carbon technologies can exacerbate land struggles rooted in historical inequities in landownership, lack of regulation and weak governance. Here we trace how green grabbing—that is, the large-scale appropriation and control of (undesignated) public lands, both formally legal and illicit, for the development of wind and solar photovoltaic power—has developed in Brazil from 2000 to 2021. We find that global investors and owners, mainly from Europe, are involved in 78% of wind and 96% of solar photovoltaic parks, occupying 2,148 km2 and 102 km2 of land, respectively. We also show that land privatization is the prevalent land tenure regime for securing land, indicating substantial transformations of prior (undesignated) public and common lands. We conclude that green grabbing is a persistent, critical phenomenon in Brazil, requiring transparency and vigilant monitoring of land claims and tenure modifications.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01346-2

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