2013 Theses Master's

Protecting Local Livelihoods in Urban Sustainable Development: Environment-Employment Tradeoffs of Jardim Gramacho in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Yu, May

“Sustainable development” initiatives for addressing the effects of rapid urbanization have been divided between the paradoxically competing interests of climate change mitigation and pro-poor economic development. Local employment is often excluded in favor of global environmental benefits. This thesis explores the environment–employment tradeoff in the “wicked problem” of the Jardim Gramacho landfill and Carbon Development Mechanism project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Archival analysis is supplemented with fieldwork— including site
analysis, interviews, and local workshops — to formulate a robust examination of stakeholder interests, influences and strategies. This is compared with other facets of the “wicked problem” to determine the flaws in the CDM and sustainable development framework, multi-scalar policies, institutional coordination, and local governance that preclude the Gramacho CDM project from being a vehicle for inclusive job creation.