Colombia and Peru do not have a monopoly on the famous
“social conflicts” between extractive sector companies and the local
communities in the predominantly rural areas where these businesses operate. On
Tuesday, the Washington
Post published an investigative piece on one Brazilian town’s experiences
with the dark side of rapid, unchecked industrial development.
The piece details the interactions between the community of Piquia
de Baixo and the nao Vale mining company, which supplies iron ore to pig iron
plants in the town and which controls the railroad that transports the iron ore
supplies. The most pressing concern for the locals is pollution. According to a
2011 report by the International Federation of Human Rights, 77% of households
in the town had someone with an acute health concern. Vale avoids responsibility
for the pollution, saying that the fault lies with the pig iron plants, all
while it looks to build a second train line to bring even more ore to the
plants.
The residents feel powerless to advance their own interests
through negotiations or conversations with the mining company. The author
recounts that past agreements and solutions with Vale have not been respected,
with profit-bearing infrastructure projects given much more priority than
infrastructure projects that could benefit the Piquia de Baixo community.
The locals have found that their only recourse is to
blockade the tracks and protest; they have no other choice. Of course, this
approach is not any more effective than the others, and simply leads to more
conflict.
This zero-sum approach to negotiations between Vale and the
local community does not benefit the local community or the company’s bottom
line. At its heart is a communications problem. The mining company appears to
have lost the support of the local community, and appears unable to win it
back.
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