Assessing Environmental Justice in Large Hydropower Projects: The Case of São Luiz do Tapajós in Brazil

Electricity supply in a sustainable manner is one of the greatest challenges for human society today. Hydropower is by far the most important renewable electricity technology, but equally far from uncontroversial. Indeed, it is situated at the crossroad of socio-environmentalism trends, as strongly promoted by some as opposed by other environmentalist arguments, organisations and movements. This paper suggests Environmental Justice as an alternative approach on how to incorporate sustainability into energy planning, particularly in hydropower projects. Whereas several methods have been developed to assess Environmental Justice in an urban context, little attention has been given to electricity projects so far. A qualitative method to assess hydropower projects regarding their performance in Environmental Justice is discussed and illustrated in the case of the large hydropower project São Luiz do Tapajós in the Brazilian Amazon. As will be shown, fundamental change is necessary in Brazil if energy planning in general and hydropower projects in particular are to meet the principles of Environmental Justice.