CLIMATIZING EVERYTHING: FROM ENVIRONMENTALISM TO THE LEGAL WORLD, OLD AND NEW POWER STRATEGIES IN SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS

Abstract

This article investigates the formation of a cycle of climate litigation in Brazil, examining 
its relationship with the mobilization of law in socio-environmental conflicts. The research 
integrates data from two databases, compiling and analyzing 138 court cases filed between 
1996 and 2024. The study adopts a socio-legal approach to examine who litigates, against 
whom, on which issues, and with what political and social effects. The findings indicate the 
emergence of new actors and institutional arrangements, in which civil society organizations 
and political parties assume a leading role, forming coalitions with the Public Prosecutor’s 
Office, the Public Defender’s Office, and traditional communities. Disputes are concentrated 
on public policies, deforestation, and sectors such as agribusiness, oil, gas, and mining, while 
also encompassing conflicts arising from carbon market mechanisms and the energy 
transition. The article concludes that climate litigation in Brazil is not merely a reaction to 
climate-related harms, but rather constitutes a strategic arena of political contestation, 
shaped by global funding flows, the involvement of new legal actors, and the conceptual 
redefinition of categories within environmental and climate law. In addition, the article 
reflects on this field of research, suggesting methodological refinements and analytical 
avenues for future studies.