In environmental politics, social movements play a crucial role, promoting participatory rights and confronting injustice, inequality, and the interests of the powerful. This article examines an underexplored topic in the literature on social movements, especially in Latin America: the use of litigation to force decisionmakers to comply with participatory formats, specifically in the course of opposition to hydroelectric dams. These projects often are destructive to the local environment and communities. This study examines four cases of environmental litigation that halted dam construction in Brazil and Chile, singling out causal pathways for successful collective action. It focuses on two dimensions of movement success: the implementation of participatory formats and the resulting cancellation of dam projects. In line with the joint effect model of social movement theory, the cross-case comparison of legal disputes shows that pursuing legal strategies in parallel to broad social mobilization and the support of institutional allies, can lead to successful outcomes.

在环境政治中，社会运动发挥着至关重要的作用，促进参与权并对抗不公正、不平等和强权利益。本文探讨了社会运动文献中一个尚未充分探讨的主题，特别是在拉丁美洲：利用诉讼迫使决策者遵守参与形式，特别是在反对水电大坝的过程中。这些项目往往对当地环境和社区造成破坏。本研究考察了巴西和智利停止水坝建设的四起环境诉讼案件，找出了成功集体行动的因果路径。它侧重于运动成功的两个方面：参与形式的实施以及由此导致的水坝项目的取消。