Energy imaginaries and extractivist tensions in the Latin American left: an analysis of the presidential speech
Abstract
Responding to the dilemmas of development has become one of the main challenges for the Latin American left. On the one hand, the exploitation of natural resources has been associated with the idea of sovereignty and the possibility of generating foreign currency to finance social programs and promote redistribution. But on the other hand, in recent years environmental concerns have grown over the effects of this extraction, with more and more sectors within the progressive sphere demanding a fair energy transition process. A tension that has gained importance with the so-called “second generation progressivisms”, with governments that, while incorporating ecological demands in their programs, do not abandon extractive practices. Based on this discussion, the article addresses the speeches of five Presidents in the region (Alberto Fernández in Argentina, Lula da Silva in Brazil, Gabriel Boric in Chile, Gustavo Petro in Colombia and Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico) with the aim of identifying the main energy imaginaries and studying how they resolve the relationship between extractivism and respect for the environment.
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