Lecture “The Victim Territories of CO2 Neutrality for Electric Cars in Brazil”
Title: The Victim Territories of CO2 Neutrality for Electric Cars in Brazil
Speaker: Prof. Klemens Laschefski, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
Date & Time: 8 October 2025, 4-6pm
Location: Online (Request link via gsvc@hwr-berlin.de) and Campus Lichtenberg, room 1.4098
Brazil, which is hosting this year’s World Climate Conference (COP30), presents itself as an innovative supplier of the raw materials needed for ‘CO₂ neutrality’ and ‘energy transition’ strategies. One of the most ambitious, but also most controversial, projects in this context is certainly the exploitation of lithium deposits in the Jequitinhonha Valley, which are needed for the production of batteries for electric mobility. Less attention is paid to rare earths and very common metals such as niobium, copper, aluminum, and iron ore, which are necessary for the production of new cars, regardless of their drive type, and which are all abundant in Minas Gerais and regions such as Grande Carajas. Added to this are the strategies for CO₂ neutrality in mining and metal processing companies, which are intended to achieve the use of supposedly renewable fuels such as ethanol from sugar cane, biodiesel from oilseeds, and hydrogen in their machine and vehicle fleets. The production of hydrogen relies on the consumption of large amounts of electrical energy, which is to be generated by gigantic photovoltaic farms, hydroelectric power plants, and wind farms. Finally, the production of ‘green steel’ in Brazil traditionally relies on charcoal obtained from eucalyptus monocultures.
The presentation will address the consequences of land grabbing at the starting point of the supply chains for electric and other vehicles. The focus will be on an immense colonization drive in previously unexploited territories belonging to indigenous and traditional communities, particularly in the Cerrado (Brazilian savannah), which has been largely ignored in the international climate debate.
Klemens Laschefski is Professor for Political Ecology and a member of the Study Group on Environmental Issues (Grupo de Estudos em Temáticas Ambientais – GESTA) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais – UFMG). He is a fellow of the Research Productivity Programme (PQ) of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). He is currently working on the topics addressed in the lecture as part of the project “Local, Indigenous, Quilombola and Traditional Communities and the construction of the ‘Lithium Valley’ in Minas Gerais, Brazil: Empowering silenced voices in the energy transition (LIQUIT)”, funded by The British Academy, CNPq – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and FAPEMIG – Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais.
This lecture is part of our Lecture Series in the winter semester 25/26. Find the full program here.