Between Coal And The Energy Transition: Oscillations In The Development Policy of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil

Abstract

Subnational governments have been playing an important role in the diffusion of energy from renewable sources, contributing to the Paris Agreement's commitment to adapt to climate change. A central theme of the debate on adaptation in the European Union and China has been the productive conversion of coal regions, promoting the energy transition with diversified responses in rural areas. This essay examines, as a case study, the fluctuations in development policy over a decade, with focus on the energy transition, in Rio Grande do Sul. In the 2000s, it was a pioneer in promoting wind farms and established the Sate Policy on Change of Climate. Since 2015, the government has been changing priorities with a coal pogram to install a gasification plant with Chinese technology and capital. Among the results, the essay argues that the state opted for the backlash to coal in view of the financing opportunities of the New Silk Road for state-owned companies, but seeks to mask this option through the marketing of 'clean' coal and an alleged privatization of the energy matrix.