Community resistance in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
November 12, 2022
By Bettina Cruz & Rosa Marina Flores Cruz
In Mexico, the story of renewable energy goes hand in hand with colonial practices of dispossession and violation of the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples. In the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrow stretch of Mexican territory that separates the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean, the Indigenous Peoples who inhabit the area have been living with the consequences of the imposition of this model for more than a decade. In this area, wind energy has become a symbol of the idea of “sustainable” development for local, state and federal government administrations, and it has become the poster child for development and investment. Furthermore, the installation of more than 2,000 wind turbines has had a significant impact on the dynamics of everyday life.
The communities on the receiving end of the projects are faced with the impact that private capital has on social, economic and cultural dynamics. “Wind enclaves” have been developed at key points (based on their political and economic values), leading to an increase in the cost of housing and services, an increase in sex work and the arrival of supermarket, fast food and restaurant chains to meet the needs of foreign workers in the companies (to the detriment of the local market).
The wind megaproject in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an example of how the expansionist nature of this so-called development recreates the irregular conditions of leasing contracts and the negative effects on the life of the communities in the area. The aim of these projects is to ensure the continuation of the capitalist accumulation model rather than climate mitigation. Technology is once again used as a weapon for capital and non-appropriable, inappropriate projects are proposed in which technological advances that enable the harnessing of renewable energy sources are costly and require a certain capacity in terms of finance and infrastructure. This limits access to countries with weak economies and especially to their communities while benefiting the private sector.
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In the face of these dynamics, community resistance in the Isthmus continues to be shaped. It is not just a matter of standing up to multinational green capitalism projects, but a fight to defend territory in the face of neoliberal dispossession projects. We are fighting to maintain our binnizá and ikoojts Isthmus life, a life linked to corn (zapalote chico or xhuuba’huiini), to “native” tomatoes and to shrimp and fish. We are fighting to defend a shared space, a living space. This is the alternative proposed from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the legitimacy of our decision to remain a community.
More:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/11/community-resistance-isthmus-tehuantepec/