The Northeast is not merely a backdrop to the transition. It is the protagonist.
How we can make renewable energy, employment, and water security part of a public agenda rooted in the culture and regions of the Northeast.
The Real Problem
The Northeast was at the center of Brazil’s expansion of renewable energy, but the debate remained far removed from much of the population.
Technical terms such as “energy transition,” “green development,” and “regenerative economy” did not yet easily connect to the issues that affect daily life in these communities: employment, income, water, rights, the preservation of the São Francisco River, and participation in decision-making regarding large-scale projects.
In one of the most polarized election cycles in the country’s recent history—the 2022 elections—the challenge was to ensure that this agenda reached beyond expert circles and entered the public debate without sacrificing rigor, regional identity, or political independence.
The Strategic Shift
The “Northeast Power” Plan needed to become a public reality, not just be publicized.
We have developed a strategy to transform your proposals into experiences, narratives, and spaces for participation capable of engaging diverse audiences in the region.
Instead of explaining the transition solely through data, we started with the people who were already building solutions. Instead of using culture as an illustration, we made it a framework for connection. And instead of merely covering the elections, we created a mechanism to highlight the candidates’ proposals—as well as their omissions.
The movement that has been set in motion
Culture as a Language
for mobilization
Virtual storytelling, regionalized content, and influencers who resonate with priority audiences transformed energy, climate, employment, and water into accessible, engaging, and culturally relatable conversations.
Territory as a starting point
The Caravan and the web series *Nordeste Potência* traveled through the São Francisco River basin, bringing together influencers, experts, and indigenous, quilombola, riverside, and farming communities. The stories shed light on complex issues through the experiences of those who live in and shape the region.
Elections as an Opportunity for Advocacy
Palanque Virtual analyzed the government platforms in the northeastern states, highlighted proposals and shortcomings, and provided a forum for expressing positions, holding candidates accountable, and engaging in dialogue with candidates, campaign committees, and the teams of elected governments.
The movement that has been set in motion
0
% of the Northeastern electorate reached
The campaign reached 1,960,973 people on Meta platforms (equivalent to approximately 5% of the Northeast’s electorate at the time).
The posts generated more than 756,000 interactions, with significant participation from women, young people, and people over 60—our key audiences.
A story spanning thousands of hours
The audiovisual ecosystem has achieved:
0
thousand
YouTube views
0
thousand
viewing hours
0
thousand
new subscribers to the channel
The choice of ambassadors was part of the strategy. Carla Perez’s participation, for example, brought the movement closer to audiences that would be difficult to reach through conventional social and environmental communication. A single piece of content accounted for 57% of the channel’s new subscribers and paved the way for Nordeste Potência’s presence at CarnaSol in Salvador.
From Awareness to Political Participation
The website received 27,450 visitors, of whom 23,867 accessed the Virtual Platform to learn about and compare the states' proposals.
More than just driving traffic, Palanque:
spurred protests and calls for public policies;
expanded its dialogue with candidates and the teams of elected administrations;
highlighted initiatives and shortcomings related to green development;
maintained the movement's nonpartisan nature in a highly polarized environment.
The consequence
Nordeste Potência helped shift the energy transition from a debate limited to experts to a public conversation about development, rights, and the future.
The movement brought together the region, its culture, public opinion, and politics to assert that the Northeast should not merely host development projects or supply clean energy to the country. It must participate in decision-making, distribute opportunities, and lead a transition that is also fair to its communities.
Our role: was not to present a ready-made plan. It was to create the conditions for it to become part of the culture, the political debate, and the decisions regarding the region’s future.
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