Unjust and unsustainable: A case study of the Açu port industrial complex

Given their potential for social and ecosystem disruption along with job creation and economic stimulus, the proliferation of extremely large-scale investment projects worldwide has created a dilemma for policymakers and public authorities. Although one method of balancing the varied interests of stakeholders is to require that development projects be sustainable, the definition of this concept has become muddled and few practical frameworks for its implementation have emerged. One strategy that does exist, however, is the just sustainability framework. The present study sought to assess the just sustainability of the Açu industrial seaport megaproject in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil through the application of a questionnaire among 60 active marine artisan fishers of a nearby community. The results indicate that the megaproject was not sustainable. Furthermore, the results of the just sustainability indicators triangulated both with the study's primary fisher ethnographic data and with peer-reviewed scientific assessments of similar projects, thus confirming the potential value of the just sustainability framework for assessment and policy formulation.