Philippe Roman, REEDS (Research in Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, , philippe.roman@reeds.uvsq.fr
Abstract
The project to divert part of the waters of the São Francisco River to the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil is in progress since 2007. The alleged purpose of this ‘megaproject’ is to bring development to the Northeastern region and to democratise access to water in the ‘semi-árido’. While priority is supposed to be given to municipal uses, more than 90% of the total amount of water diverted will supply high yield export-oriented agricultural activities. The diversion will undoubtedly entail huge redistributive effects and there is uncertainty whether the project is truly aligned with the principles of environmental justice. In order to analyse the actual social and geographic distributive dimensions of the project, we propose an approach combining institutional and regulation based insights (following the precedent of the French École de la Régulation) with the concept of a ‘hydrosocial contract’.
Keywords Inter-basin transfers, São Francisco River, environmental justice, hydrosocial contract, political ecology, environmentalism of the poor, Brazilian economy, regulation school.