Large-scale green grabbing for wind and solar PV development in Brazil

Large-scale wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructures are expanding rapidly in Brazil. These projects can exacerbate struggles for land rooted in weak land governance, with negative impacts for traditional populations due to loss of access to common lands. This study traces how green grabbing, i.e., the large-scale appropriation and control of (undesignated) public lands, both formally legal and illicit, for low-carbon technologies, has developed in Brazil from 2000 to 2021. It finds that global investors and owners, mainly from Europe, are involved in 78% of wind and 96% of solar PV parks, occupying 2,148 km² and 102 km² of land, respectively. Land privatization is the prevalent land tenure regime for securing access to and control over land, indicating significant transformations of prior (undesignated) public land. The study concludes that green grabbing is a persistent, critical phenomenon in Brazil, requiring transparency and close monitoring of land tenure modifications.

Michael Klingler, Nadia Ameli, Jamie Rickman, Johannes Schmidt