Sustainabilities in Brazil: Institutional Modernization, Strategic Public Policies and Political Geography in the Brazilian Environmental Agenda

Since the early 1970s, the discourse on sustainability has been employed in development projects based on the use, appropriation, and management of resources. Since then, socio-spatial contexts have introduced development rhetoric at various scales (from global to local) to civil society, making the socio-spatial consequences of ecological and environmental exploitation more or less intelligible. Such rhetoric informs policy changes implemented by territorial managers and social actors who directly experience environmental conditions in their regions. As a result, environmental management strategies in Brazil have adapted to varying degrees of public participation, depending on the level of democracy in public policies across different levels of government. In the context of sustainability in Brazil, the role of political levels within federalism fosters the greatest plurality of ideas, responding to the eco-environmental demands of Brazilian society—both from the cultural perspectives of traditional communities and the requirements of national economic projects. To address this complex political and institutional challenge, multi-scale public management must prioritize the understanding that nature and society co-produce environments shaped by both harmonious and conflicting forces, ultimately promoting quality of life and social justice.