Injustiças e conflitos ambientais: o caso da Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) em Volta Redonda-RJ

Abstract

This dissertation analyzed cases of environmental injustices and conflicts established in the municipality of Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, arising from steelmaking activities conducted by Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN). The research was grounded in a theoretical– conceptual discussion of the notions of environmental injustice, environmental suffering, environmental conflict, and political ecology, applying these frameworks to empirical studies focused on the study area. Methodologically, a qualitative and quantitative analytical approach was adopted, based on bibliographic reviews, the collection of information from journalistic sources, and the use of census data provided by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2022) to characterize the local population through maps produced using ArcGIS software 10.3.1. These maps were developed from urban perimeter layers made available on the website of the Volta Redonda Institute for Urban Research and Planning (IPPUVR). Based on two CSN-related sites—the Presidente Vargas Steel Plant (UPV) and the land used for the storage of its production residues—the results demonstrated that the condition of environmental injustice is established through CSN’s historical entrenchment in Volta Redonda. In this context, socio-environmental risks and vulnerabilities derived from industrial pollution are direct outcomes of the territorial influence exercised by the company since its implementation. Regarding environmental conflicts, the research revealed the branching of these disputes from the clashes between CSN and three other agents: the State Institute of the Environment (INEA), civil society, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, through disputes involving the company’s environmental accountability. Finally, the dissertation concluded that there is a causal nexus between CSN’s operational irregularities and the environmental injustices and conflicts identified, considering that the current environmental crisis affecting the urban space is the result of the historical hegemony established by the company in Volta Redonda and, consequently, over the local population. This condition, combined with the company’s political and economic power, has favored CSN in several agreements which, even when not fulfilled, allow its continued operation and simultaneously contribute to the persistence of socio-environmental risks and damages stemming from the steelmaking infrastructure.