Colonialidade e injustiça ambiental: uma análise jurídica de megaprojetos na comunidade indígena Kapinawá

Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of large-scale development projects on kapinawá Indigenous Lands, located in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco, in light of the tensions between land demarcation processes, sustainability discourses, and the persistent coloniality embedded in the Brazilian context. Through a critical analysis of the implementation of the Buíque Wind Complex within traditionally occupied territory, the research reveals how the rhetoric of sustainable development has been instrumentalized to legitimize processes of dispossession, environmental injustice, environmental racism, and the delegitimization of Indigenous rights. By articulating both national and international legal frameworks, the study demonstrates how such ventures violate the right to free, prior, and informed consultation, as established by ILO Convention 169, directly impacting the autonomy and cultural integrity of the kapinawá people. At the same time, the research highlights the community’s resistance, expressed through spiritual, cultural, and legal practices in defense of their ancestral land.