The insertion of Brazil in the global aluminum market: incorporating contributions from Political Ecology for Public Health

Abstract

This article discusses the inclusion of Brazil in the global aluminum market from the theoretical framework of political ecology, political economy of the territory and collective health. The contemporary situation of world economy has been marked by deregulation and liberalization, characteristic of neoliberal ideals touted by the core nations. Brazil’s larger share  in this market has been held from the increased production and export of agricultural commodities and metals, like aluminum. In this sense, from the paradigms of political ecology, the paper proposes an analysis of social and environmental consequences, as well as of new territoriality that is produced and reproduced within a logic that privileges the economic core nations. Similarly, we seek to understand the dilemmas of collective health in a holistic and integrative perspective in which economic development models are articulated. It is noticed that the production and export of primary aluminum, despite having a greater aggregate value, hides a diffuse set of impacts that affect the environment and public health.