Between land and wind

Emerging dynamics of expropriation and Brazil’s wind energy sector

Abstract

This article aims to identify new dynamics of expropriation specific to the energy transition and the territorialization of the wind power industry in Brazil, based on a synthesis of the concepts of capital-imperialism, the institutionalization of environmental issues, and green grabbing. To this end, (i) we analyze the movement of capital up to the stage of capital-imperialism, highlighting the expropriatory drive inherent in this evolution; next, (ii) we establish the foundations that condition the institutionalization of environmental issues, discussing the concept of green grabbing to grasp the elements that construct the narrative of the green capitalist energy transition; then, (iii) we analyze specialized literature on mechanisms of expropriation in the expansion of the wind power industry in Brazil and its effects on land tenure in the Northeastern semi-arid region; finally, (iv) we draw conclusions on the specific form of land control involved in the territorialization of the wind power industry in Brazil.