Rio Favela Leaders Go to Brasília to Advocate for Clean and Just Energy
From May 26-29, 2024, a delegation of 19 community organizers representing favelas across Rio de Janeiro with 1.2 million residents brought their demanda for clean and just energy to federal policymakers in the Brazilian capital of Brasília.
They were three intense days filled with powerful and productive dialogues about energy access, quality, and efficiency in favelas. With a focus on energy justice, the Sustainable Favela Network delegation ‘Heading to Brasília for Energy Justice’ participated in numerous meetings, discussions, and provided comment during the ‘Just Energy Transition: The Social Role of Solar Energy’ hearing organized by Congressman Bandeira de Mello, who leads the Federal Commission on Mines and Energy. This public hearing, held on World Energy Day (May 29), sparked a broad dialogue about social solar energy.
The delegation’s participation was fueled by data collected by the SFN over several years, including the Energy Efficiency in Favelas report, and also based on grassroots initiatives solving energy challenges. They were able to engage in dialogue with policymakers and relevant stakeholders in the energy sector.
During its time in Brasília, the delegation pushed three key themes that members had prioritized collectively as the group prepared their federal advocacy strategy:
The renewal of electricity concessions;
Expanding the social tariff;
Social solar energy.
Together with national partners Arayara, ClimaInfo, Inesc, Instituto Clima e Sociedade (ICS), Instituto Pólis, Lemon Energy, and Revolusolar, the group of Rio de Janeiro favela organizers realized dialogues with relevant bodies across the federal public sector.
The Sustainable Favela Network presented the results of the ‘Energy Efficiency in Favelas’ study to the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) on May 27 in Brasília. Photo: Patricia Schneidewind
