CLACSO – ALAS Forum | Political conflicts in dispute in the global energy transition as seen from Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America is once again at the center of the global debate, but this time not to align itself with the metrics of the North, but to contest the very meaning of development, modernity and justice.
On July 30 and 31 , the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro ( UNIRIO ) will host the Forum: “Political Conflicts in Dispute in the Global Energy Transition as Seen from Latin America and the Caribbean .” The event will bring together leading academics, researchers, and figures in Latin American critical thought to discuss the implications of the green agenda in the region.
Organized within the framework of initiatives promoted by CLACSO and coordinated by René Ramírez Gallegos , this seminar seeks to reverse the hegemonic perspective: it does not ask what the energy transition is doing to the South, but what the South has to say about the transition.
Redefining the matrix of the debate: Beyond green extractivism
The dominant discourse in developed countries often reduces the transition to technocratic goals: reducing CO2 emissions, increasing renewable megawatts, or accelerating net zero . Under this logic, Latin America and the Caribbean risk being pigeonholed once again as mere suppliers of critical minerals—such as lithium, copper, and rare earth elements—or as passive victims of climate change.
This seminar proposes a conceptual break . It aims to place the preservation of the lives of peoples and ecosystems at the center, questioning whether an economic transformation is possible that does not reproduce—under a green banner—the historical dynamics of dependency, extractivism, and wealth concentration.
Session Agenda
Special Session 19 | Energy transition: for what kind of life, for what kind of modernity?
A philosophical and ontological debate on the benchmark of energy justice. In contrast to the productivism of the Global North, the panel proposes to analyze categories such as Buen Vivir (Sumak Kawsay) , ecosocialism , and degrowth to rethink what counts as true progress.
- Date: Jueves 30 July
- Schedule: 16:30 to 18:30 (Local time, UTC-3)
- Location: UNIRIO – Professor Tercio Pacitti Auditorium (CCET)
- Coordination: René Ramírez Gallegos (CLACSO, Ecuador)
Panelists:
- Pablo Vommaro (Executive Director of CLACSO)
- Simon Gomez Azza (Life Thought Center)
- Marcio Pochmann (IBGE, Brazil)
- Verena Hitner (The Global Fund for a New Economy)
- Antonio Malo (BIND)
- Ana Esther Ceceña (UNAM, Mexico)
- Carolina Jimenez (National University of Colombia)
Special Session 24 | Green industrialism: a new ISI?
The second day delves into the realm of concrete material and geopolitical disputes. It will analyze whether the industrialization of renewables risks repeating the historical cycle of Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI) in the 20th century: changing the composition of production without transforming the ownership of energy sources or who accumulates the surplus.
- Date: Friday July 31
- Schedule: 14:00 to 16:00 (Local time, UTC-3)
- Location: UNIRIO – Professor Tercio Pacitti Auditorium (CCET)
- Coordination: René Ramírez Gallegos (CLACSO, Ecuador)
Panelists:
- Nicholas Malinovsky (Federal University of ABC, Brazil)
- Gabriela Wyczykier (UNGS, Argentina)
- Leonardo Magalhães (IPSE Global)
- Gabriel Merino (UNLP, Argentina)
