ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the discussion on the concept, or paradigm, of planetary boundaries and the implications they raise for global governance systems. It describes the Belo Monte Hydroelectrical Complex project and related social conflicts that have and continue to emerge within national and regional borders. The chapter presents some thoughts related to cascading trans-boundary implications this case might have for other nations seeking further economic growth and development at the expense of their social and environmental resources and the need for stronger international cooperation. International negotiations on environmental issues continue to follow a ‘binary opposition’ between developed and developing countries. Energy policies in Brazil, particularly involving the Amazon region, are a classic example of the struggle between economic development and environmental conservation. A key critic to the concept of planetary boundaries rests with a ‘presumed conflict between global equity and environmental sustainability’.
