Researchers warn of pitfalls in commercializing the climate agenda

From Rio Preto, a region in the municipality of Marabá, in southeastern Pará, manganese is extracted and sold to different countries, such as the United States, Mexico, Norway, China, and India. The metal is coveted as it is seen as a strategic mineral for the energy transition - the replacement of fossil fuels with other energy sources that generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which exacerbate climate change. Manganese is present, for example, in batteries for hybrid and electric cars. However, a study by researchers Ailce Alves and Larissa Santos shows that behind the discourse of sustainability, there is a trail of environmental and social impacts on the local population. Dust, mud, risks of accidents and dam failure, and internal conflicts are part of the list of impacts of mining in Rio Preto. For the researchers, this is a sign that the energy transition can be used merely as camouflage for mining companies to continue reproducing destructive dynamics of nature and ...