Climate justice in Maré: solutions built by favela youth

In the favelas and peripheries of Baixada Fluminense, the impact of the climate crisis is something that, unfortunately, is already part of the daily lives of residents. From floods to the lack of basic sanitation, environmental racism denies dignity to those who live in these territories. In Complexo da Maré, one of the largest favela complexes in the city, this scenario is urgent.

According to a survey conducted by Casa Fluminense, approximately 28% of households in Baixada Fluminense are located in areas at high risk of flooding, and 7% of the population does not have adequate sewage disposal.

It is in this context that young people from Complexo da Maré have joined together in search of climate justice for their territory and created the LUTeS collective – Urban Struggles, Technology and Sanitation. Emerging during the pandemic, the project is proof that it is possible to transform historical abandonment into protagonism and problems into solutions.

Young Black people, civil society organizations, and university extension groups from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) are building solutions for this reality through an interdisciplinary team. Through environmental education, social and ecological sanitation technologies, organic waste is transformed into cooking gas and biofertilizers, self-managed by the community reached by the project.

With the support of Casa Fluminense, these young people aim not only to think about solutions, but also to strengthen other community networks and grassroots collectives in other favelas and peripheries that face similar challenges, promoting socio-environmental justice practices based on the experience of those who live in the territory.