Rizpah Hollowell writes of how ThyssenKrupp’s steel mill in Rio de Janeiro employed public relations language and ‘corporate social responsibility’ to hide the violence it exerted on surrounding landscapes, human and non-human neighbours that had become covered in a fine metallic dust. Centring on the less visible dynamics of power this article examines how emotions can shape experiences of environmental conflict, form coalitional politics and contribute to the very landscapes of the Anthropocene.