Shock against nature: a comparative environmental history of oil drilling and oil Boomtowns in Brazil and Canada during the oil shock era (1967-1981)

Abstract

This article focuses on the environmental impact of the oil industry during the Oil Shock years in the 1970s. During this period, Brazil and Canada explored new oil sources in order to deal with the lack of supply from the Middle East. The expansion of the national oil industry in both countries affected the fragile environment of several regions and the urban life of these places, as well. In understanding how these factors affected the urban environment and nature, it is possible to achieve a new understanding about what the Oil Shock meant on a global scale.