The development plans impact on the environment in the period of the dictatorship

Abstract

Until the end of the civil-military dictatorship in 1985, the Federal Government advocated economic growth through these initiatives, at the expense of environmental protection, despite recognizing the relevance of the agenda and assigning most of the responsibility to the Global North countries. However, in this same time frame, the Brazilian State instituted specific environmental policies in response to civil society claims and succumbing to international pressures. In light of these facts, the following article aims to understand the paradox between projects for national development and state actions aimed at protecting the ecological balance, seeking to understand the factors that drove the confluent phenomena. With regard to the methodological procedure, scientific books and articles were consulted on the topics covered, from the advent of the environmental cause to the analysis of the most significant policies in each period. It was noticed that the governments emphasized economic growth, in addition to the necessary socioeconomic development due to the demographic explosion in the course of the 20th century. There was, consequently, the modernization of the country with a wide generation of inequalities and maintenance of social structures — a situation made worse by the huge external debt. In relation to the environment, the negative impacts were considerable, even with internal pressures and within the scope of international relations. The consequences of national-developmentalism were: losses of fauna and flora species, climate change, soil change and air pollution. As gains, there can be mentioned some infrastructure works and national parks, which conserve the biodiversity in the country and provide quality of life.