Fragments of reality

climate justice and environmental racism in the narratives of Brazil´s far right

Abstract

In Brazil, the rise of the far right accelerated the dismantling of environmental policies, justified, among other factors, by discourses that deny the climate crisis and its unequal impacts. Based on the work of Alfred Schutz, this article analyzes how such narratives configure a finite province of meaning sustained by intersubjective networks of validation. The articulation between neoliberalism and neo-extractivism shows that the denial of climate change goes beyond the discursive realm and consolidates itself as a political and economic strategy that perpetuates social inequalities and environmental racism. By examining these intersections, the study demonstrates how systematic disinformation and the invisibilization of vulnerable populations hinder the implementation of fair climate policies. As a conceptual contribution, the notion of shock of realities is used to explain resistance to such evidence. Thus, the article argues that understanding and confronting these discourses is key to advancing climate justice and overcoming historical inequalities.