Climatizing Everything: From Environmentalism to the Legal World – Old and New Power Strategies in Socioenvironmental Conflicts

The present work seeks to understand the transformations of environmentalism in Brazil, focusing on the inclusion of climate change in this agenda and the role of the legal field in constructing climate frameworks. The research, which is qualitative in nature, utilized interviews with 59 environmentalists and legal experts, as well as an analysis of 99 legal cases extracted from two databases on climate litigation in Brazil: the JUMA database from PUC-RJ and JusClima2030 from the National Justice Council. The use of a multimethod approach allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the strategies and legal frameworks developed.

The results indicate the emergence of a new dynamic of legal action, where civil society and political parties gain prominence, competing with traditional actors such as the Public Prosecutor's Office and IBAMA. The research also reveals that deforestation and land use change are the main themes of climate litigation in Brazil, reflecting the country's emission profile. Additionally, it was observed that the participation of companies in climate litigation is becoming increasingly frequent, especially in sectors such as oil, natural gas, and mining. The conclusions suggest that the expansion of climate litigation is directly linked to the political context and the financing of these litigations.