Contra-mapear conflitos de justiça ambiental na periferia europeia: o caso de Portugal

The overall objective of this project is to generate actionable knowledge that contributes to addressing environmental injustices, and to promote pathways for transformative, “just sustainability” (or: “just transitions”), while simultaneously enriching the conceptual and methods applied to these conflicts. Specifically, we aim to: 1. Contribute to an expanded conceptualization and understanding of environmental justice by diversifying and enriching the theories, methods and geographies of EJ studies, specifically by: *Bringing in decolonial and southern epistemologies, which expand the definitions of both justice and environment, focusing on territory and commons as embodied and relational *Engaging in a mixed-method statistical-historical and qualitative-comparative analysis of EJ conflicts, combining a large-N survey with 3 in-depth case studies covering a range of types of conflicts *Mobilize a diversity of counter-mapping tools, from the more well-known EJ conflicts map (EJ Atlas Portugal), to the emergent body-territory, environmental health and sound and image mapping tools, providing a more integrated, multi-dimensional understanding of EJ *Focusing on Portugal , a seldom studied region, conceptualized as a marginalized periphery within Europe, but also mobilizing comparative insights from our team’s substantial international experience 2. Document the main social, economic and environmental impacts and injustices experienced by communities facing environmental conflicts; and the factors that enable communities to respond to these 3. Analyze the historical evolution of EJ conflicts in Portugal according to changing socio- political- and economic contexts, comparting the post-dictatorship ‘democratic transition’ period, marked by the emergence of environmental policies, with the current period, marked by a consolidated democracy and the EU Green Deal policies 4. Identify movements’ visions, action strategies, alliances and outcomes, and their implications for pathways to just transitions (i.e. to social justice and sustainability) 5. Identify responses from institutional actors (local, national and European authorities and involved corporations), including documenting repressions and other legal and human rights violations, as well as instances that marginalized people’s rights are upheld and sustainable development achieved in such conflicts. 6. Compare and contrast the mainstream narratives from actors favoring ongoing projects and policies in contexts of EJ conflicts, and the counter-narratives from those resisting these projects and creating alternative initiatives, to understand how these different actors define environmental justice and sustainable development. Additional outputs-specific objectives include: • Six articles to be published in high-quality journals; one on each of the case study conflicts, one comparing the three cases, and two analyzing the national map • One “manual of practices” (fanzine/booklet) with the main methodologies and results of the project, to be distributed freely • One “Environmental Justice and Just Transition Plan” with specific recommendations for alternatives to solve the conflicts and redress injustices, and to move towards sustainability • One regional EJ map of Portugal to be included in the global EJ Atlas, with thematic maps divided by period, types of conflicts/sectors, and types of movement action-strategies