IRICE   05408
INSTITUTO ROSARIO DE INVESTIGACIONES EN CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACION
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
capítulos de libros
Título:
Socio-environmental impacts of Brazil´s first large-scale wind farm.
Autor/es:
RAFAELLA LENOIR IMPROTA; JOSÉ Q. PINHEIRO
Libro:
Renewable Energy and the Public: from NINBY to participation
Editorial:
Earthscan
Referencias:
Año: 2011; p. 219 - 231
Resumen:
In this chapter Improta and Pinheiro analyze the social environmental impact of the recent (2006) first large size wind farm in Brazil (Parque Eólico de Rio do Fogo, or PERF) upon the nearest community, Zumbi, a beach village characterized by low income uneducated population. Using a novelty methodology in studies about this theme, first with autophotography, five local children of the neighbouring settlement were offered cameras and instructed to photograph six places of their community they liked the most and six places they liked the least; later on they were interviewed both individually and collectively in regard to the task. Resident adults were also interviewed, when some photographs taken by the children and other pictures were employed to trigger elements for conversation. Other relevant people, such as members of the municipal government and the construction company were also interviewed. The five children presented a positive image towards PERF, ranking it as a favourite place. Adults showed a positive visual evaluation of PERF, even though only a small number of locals knew the environmental benefits of wind power production. Residents did not participate in the decision making process concerning PERF; they liked the initiative especially because of job offers during construction stages. But when the planners, presented the project before building initiation, they told the residents that the jobs would be temporary. Nevertheless, they did not participate in the decision making process regarding this project. Because of this, nowadays, PERF is apart from their lives, it no longer provides jobs and there is no interaction between PERF and the community. Residents relate with the land, not with the facility. In spite of that, there is no evidence of rejection to the plant; locals just see it as something neutral in their lives. This may be due to low levels of education of that population, traditional lack of social commitment and citizenship, but the experience accumulated by PERF´s planners and builders in other countries may also have played an important role.