Sustainable development
Sustainable development
Crossing borders, breaking stereotypes
Contributor(s): Mirosława Czerny (Editor), Ciro Alfonso Serna Mendoza (Editor)
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Geography, Regional studies, Human Geography, Rural and urban sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: city; region; spatial planning; Colombia; Warsaw; sustainable development
Summary/Abstract: In Poland and in Latin American countries socio-economic development has large environmental costs. The ruling elites, in the name of economic growth, do not care enough to follow the recommendations for such resource management as to reduce all types of pollution and emissions harmful to humans and the environment. The societies themselves are also not fully aware of these changes. This publication is a continuation of the topics discussed in earlier monographs, which were the result of joint research of Polish and Latin American geographers within many projects dedicated to urban issues. It is the second of the two volumes published in 2021 and contains texts presenting new case studies and new ideas about sustainable development, risk and local development in Poland, Colombia and other Latin American countries. Thousands of pages have already been written on sustainable development. However, the subject is still relevant. Processes occurring in the environment, especially the climate change, only emphasize the need for further research and discussion on the subject. In this monograph we return to the issue of understanding and implementing the idea of sustainable development in Poland and Latin America. We also join the discussion on sustainable urban development and governance. Finally, by presenting a few examples, we address the issue of the conflicting nature of sustainable development policies in some countries and regions. The book also introduces the reader to the issue of education on sustainable development. As part of the cooperation of Polish and Latin American geographers academics of the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies of Warsaw University have been lecturers at doctoral studies in urban and regional sustainable development and post-doctoral studies in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Manizales in Colombia (Doctorado en Desarrollo Sostenible y Posdoctorado en Ciencias de la Tierra y el Medio Ambiente). Doctoral students and lecturers from the University of Manizales have visited Poland many times in joint symposia and workshops. In 2017 a Polish-Colombian monograph in Spanish was published in Colombia and in 2018 two scientific monographs, both in Spanish and English, were brought out by the University of Warsaw Press. This volume is the second of the two published in 2021 and contains only English texts on sustainable development, risk and local development in Poland, Colombia and some other Latin American countries.
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-4886-7
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-4878-2
- Page Count: 430
- Publication Year: 2021
- Language: English
Eco-accounting: a Vision for “the Care of the Common Home” from the thought-feeling perspective
Eco-accounting: a Vision for “the Care of the Common Home” from the thought-feeling perspective
(Eco-accounting: a Vision for “the Care of the Common Home” from the thought-feeling perspective)
- Author(s):Ciro Alfonso Serna Mendoza, Eutimio Mejía Soto
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:15-22
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:bio-accounting; environmental accounting; eco-accounting; thought-feeling; socio-accounting; sustainability
- Summary/Abstract:The Multidimensional Accounting Theory MAT states that informed account studies all types of wealth controlled and affected by an organization. The research in the framework of a dialogue of knowledge has allowed advances in the development of accounting systems for the environmental (bio-accounting), social (socio-accounting) and economic (economic accounting) sectors that constitute three-dimensional accounting, which will be extended to new dimensions (four-dimensional, penta-dimensional...), depending on the theoretical, conceptual and procedural development of such dimensions (cultural, ethnic, indigenous, etc.) Some accounting theorists have conceptually grouped all the accounting dimensions and their relationship with the universe of knowledge under the term of eco-accounting, which is addressed in this document, in reference to a contextualized and correlated body of knowledge that integrates the reality of accounting and its potential within the framework of sustainability. This is conceived of as a guiding vision of a new relationship of man with nature, based on respect for ecosystems and protected by the principle of defending life in conditions of dignity and continuity for all expressions of existence, under a criterion of intra- and inter-generational responsibility, in the broadest spatial-temporal spectrum of respect and protection of the common home.
Ecosystem services as determinants of poverty
Ecosystem services as determinants of poverty
(Ecosystem services as determinants of poverty)
- Author(s):Hanna Marietta Orjuela Artunduaga, Duván Emilio Ramírez Ospina
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:23-37
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Environmental dimension of sustainable development; ecosystem services; poverty; systematic literature review
- Summary/Abstract:Based on the growing awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability to achieve inclusive sustainable development, this article aims to provide evidence regarding the links that exist between ecosystem services and poverty. The foregoing considers that these services provided by nature as elements of the environmental dimension of sustainable development constitute determinants of poverty, a condition that affects well-being of a large part of the population worldwide. Based on a systematic literature review, through scientometrics that follows four consecutive phases (planning, research, selection and analysis of scientific information, and identification of trends in the research areas of the subject matter), it was possible to examine, evaluate and compare the relationships that different authors, countries and/or institutions have established between ecosystem services and poverty during the last ten years of research. Results provide evidence for the impact of ecosystem services on people’s well-being, and establish the basis for interpreting poverty from the environmental dimension. When perceiving ecosystem services as determinants of poverty, progress is made in the comprehensive reading that is needed to guide assertive private and public actions that allow for changes in the real situation of people who suffer this plight that greatly deteriorates their quality of life and level of well-being.
Bio-accounting recognition approach of agronomic properties in "Brachiaria humidicola" pastures under a Silvopastoral System in the humid Amazon tropics
Bio-accounting recognition approach of agronomic properties in "Brachiaria humidicola" pastures under a Silvopastoral System in the humid Amazon tropics
(Bio-accounting recognition approach of agronomic properties in "Brachiaria humidicola" pastures under a Silvopastoral System in the humid Amazon tropics)
- Author(s):Víctor Julio Balanta Martínez, Ciro Alfonso Serna Mendoza
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:38-53
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Bio-accounting; T3C; silvopastoral systems; sustainability; pasture; traditional system
- Summary/Abstract:This study was conducted at the livestock company located in the San Rafael rural area of the municipality of Puerto Milán, Caquetá. For the development of the case study, the agronomic properties of "Brachiaria humidicola" pasture were evaluated, which are the basis for the bio-accounting processes in a Silvopastoral System (SPS). Under a descriptive research scope and a non-experimental study design, two comparative analyses of "Brachiaria humidicola" pastures are carried out; one analysis under a traditional system and another one in a silvopastoral system, obtaining the production of 93.5 gr/m2 forage more in the SPS in relation to the traditional system, which is counted under the guidelines of the Three-dimensional Accounting Theory (T3C). This system determines the productive and ecological importance of implementing sustainable production systems, which represent factors that need to be integrated into the accounting information system of organizations for decision making under the perspective of sustainability.
Peace, healthy environment, and autonomy
Peace, healthy environment, and autonomy
(Peace, healthy environment, and autonomy)
- Author(s):Diana María Rodríguez-Herrera, Luisa María Achicanoy Gómez, Aida Milena García Arenas
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:57-65
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:Sustainable Development Goals; agroecology; ecosystems; peace; Andean communities; transformation initiatives
- Summary/Abstract:Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are constituted by a set of targets of universal pretension, which aim to “transform our world” through prosperity. This paper asks about the local expression of these global goals. To do this, we analyzed some agroecological transformation initiatives led by Colombian Rural Andean Communities located in contexts influenced by armed conflict. We argue that agroecological practices based in cultural and territorial differences are local transformation alternatives that concur with the SDGs. These agricultural practices defend the ecosystems’ lives (SDG 15) and radically advocate for people’s autonomy, peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), which is crucial in peace processes and integral reparation to the victims of the Colombian armed conflict. Such approach allows to rebuild knowledge and identities in cases marked by forced migration of the rural communities. According to our inquiries, agroecological practices have the possibility to structure integral reparation proposals formulated by the victims themselves: “community museums to preserve historical memory of the exiled peasant”, “agroecology workshops”, “courses on alimentary security”, “implementing traditional seeds in crop diversification”, “implementing itinerant peasant libraries”, “agroecological fairs” and “mingas”, among others.
Environmental governance in south-central Caldas, a reflection on public policy for risk management
Environmental governance in south-central Caldas, a reflection on public policy for risk management
(Environmental governance in south-central Caldas, a reflection on public policy for risk management)
- Author(s):Jaime Mejía Gutiérrez
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:66-77
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:institutions; environment; governance; consensus; participation; climate change
- Summary/Abstract:This article on environmental governance in the Colombian territory contributes to the preservation of life, in a moment of pandemic and health threat by a virus that shapes a new way of coexistence. Governance in terms of the implementation of environmental public policies must be concerned with the preservation of air, water, and healthy food. Governance in today’s sense involves citizen participation and public eligibility. In the case of the southern center of Caldas, especially in what is considered as a future metropolitan area, it is essential to establish strategies for the maintenance of watersheds, to emphasize reforestation projects, to measure the climate as an instance of scientific understanding of climate change, to mitigate, adapt and resolve disaster management, associated with the phenomena of El Niño, La Niña, and the notorious instabilities of the hillside soils. Constructive conflict must prevail in the agreements of actors and their interests. Public institutions, private companies, citizen organizations must have their say in the new deal. In today’s world, as a central element in the management of development, the construction of consensus based on the public eligibility of the constitutional norm that directs the social contract needs to be worked on.
Infrastructure megaprojects observed: “the Grid” and “the Prophecies”
Infrastructure megaprojects observed: “the Grid” and “the Prophecies”
(Infrastructure megaprojects observed: “the Grid” and “the Prophecies”)
- Author(s):Paweł Wiechetek
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:78-88
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:megaprojects; sustainable infrastructure; socio-ecological transition; discourse and power; Anthropocene
- Summary/Abstract:This essay will address the so-called Infrastructure Consensus in terms of the consequences that it brings for Agenda 2030 in its various economic, social, and environmental components. Are massive investments in megaprojects the acclaimed “magic bullet” for our current multidimensional crisis? Or perhaps, by analogy to the concept of “bullshit jobs” formulated by David Graeber, we should speak of “bullshit projects”, which rather hijack the political agenda and public money while delaying the transition to a more sustainable world-system?
Determinants of the intensity of environmental conflicts in Latin America
Determinants of the intensity of environmental conflicts in Latin America
(Determinants of the intensity of environmental conflicts in Latin America)
- Author(s):Maciej Kalaska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:89-98
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:environmental conflicts; Latin America; statistical analysis
- Summary/Abstract:This pilot statistical study analysed several factors that were identified as potential determinants of the intensity of environmental conflicts in selected Latin American countries in 1990-2019. Thanks to the chi-squared test of independence, it was shown that 6 out of 12 variables included in the analysis significantly differentiated the intensity of these conflicts. However, the strength of these relationships – determined on the basis of the Cramér’s V coefficient – was usually very weak and only in the case of the type of main conflict-generating investment could it be assessed slightly higher (as weak).
Megacity Buenos Aires and its most recent conurbation impact
Megacity Buenos Aires and its most recent conurbation impact
(Megacity Buenos Aires and its most recent conurbation impact)
- Author(s):Gustavo D. Buzai, Claudia A. Baxendale, Eloy Montes Galbán
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:101-113
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Buenos Aires; megacity; urban sprawl; conurbation; socio-spatial periodization
- Summary/Abstract:Some three decades of work have allowed us to analyze the spatial trends of the Buenos Aires agglomeration in order to define its shape and distinctive phases of expansion as indicators of the economic and socio-demographic history of Argentina. We consider urban geometry a spatial manifestation of multiple processes; its modelling was carried out from census data, from 1869 to 2001. In this lapse of time it is possible to define distinct periods: Argentina as agro-exporter (1869–1914); initial industrial development of consumer goods (1914-1947); development of base industries based on international capital (1947-1970); de-industrialization processes and financial modifications(1970-1991); deepening of neoliberal policies, convertibility and crisis (1991-2001); and the turn to the nationalist and populist left (2001-2015). The presentation focuses on the latest expansion of the Buenos Aires agglomeration, a conurbation process which integrates intermediate-sized cities of contiguous municipalities. The expansion process developed along five axes that incorporate different cities of the metropolitan region to the urban area at a median distance from the main center (the CBD, Central Business District) of 61 km. The development of the grey infrastructure, as an urban continuum, made it possible to capture its current configuration via the analysis of night-time satellite images. Based on this structure, the megacity Buenos Aires exceeds approximately 15 million inhabitants in an urban area of some 4,000 km2, consolidating itself as the third largest metropolitan area in Latin America.
Urban conflicts over the space
Urban conflicts over the space
(Urban conflicts over the space)
- Author(s):Mirosława Czerny, Andrzej Czerny
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:114-126
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:urbanization; socio-spatial segregation; mountainous areas; land speculation; displaced persons
- Summary/Abstract:Colombian cities are characterised not only by very dynamic development and growth of built-up areas, but also by progressive socio-spatial segregation. In addition, most cities are located in mountainous areas, where topography is an additional factor in the diversity of development forms. The population is poor, and most often occupies areas with a high level of risk from landslides, torrential rains and mudslides. The poor district of San José, located in the centre of Manizales, occupies precisely such difficult to build up areas. However, due to its central location, the areas it occupies are the subject of land speculation and developers’ investment plans. Their strategy leads to evicting the population from the mountain slopes that their poor huts occupy. The local authorities have no idea how to solve this problem.
Functions of public space and virtual space – post-pandemic scenario
Functions of public space and virtual space – post-pandemic scenario
(Functions of public space and virtual space – post-pandemic scenario)
- Author(s):Dorota Mantey
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:127-146
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:pandemic; physical public space; virtual space; Internet; social function of space
- Summary/Abstract:The best opportunity to anticipate which social functions of public space will still be fulfilled in physical space, and which can be successfully redirected to virtual space, is a sudden crisis situation, which forces people to reevaluate their needs, change their current behavior, and reflect on the nature of the publicness of space that they share with others. Two months of restrictions associated with COVID-19 in Poland inspired the author to attempt to verify the functions of contemporary physical and virtual public space, and to identify the directions of changes that both types of space are likely to follow in the future. The purpose of the chapter is to indicate the functions that – according to the respondents’ declarations – will permanently lose their significance in physical public space and the functions that will permanently gain importance in virtual public space. The above-mentioned functions and their changes have been analyzed in big cities, small towns, suburbs and rural villages in metropolitan areas of three Polish cities: Warsaw, Gdańsk and Wrocław. The research has shown that social function still remains the essence of public space. During lockdown, meeting friends in a physical space accessible to everyone was the most lacking activity as declared by residents of all types of settlement units. Along with meeting friends in public space, people were the least willing to permanently limit the use of local green and recreational areas (especially city dwellers). The pandemic has opened new possibilities of using the Internet, mainly as a space for working, learning and improving qualifications as well as indulging own passions. These activities, however, can, but do not necessarily impose social interactions.
Revitalisation and adaptation of cities in Poland
Revitalisation and adaptation of cities in Poland
(Revitalisation and adaptation of cities in Poland)
- Author(s):Agnieszka Dudzińska-Jarmolińska, Karolina Ćwiklińska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:147-163
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:revitalization; adaptation to climate change; nature based solution
- Summary/Abstract:In Polish cities, one of the most important tasks performed by local governments are the tasks related to leading degraded areas out of their critical condition with revitalisation activities. However, today highly urbanised areas have to contend with new challenges – processes of adaptation of cities to climate changes. Both activities are similar to each other in spatial, economic, social and environmental aspects, which would allow their parallel initiation in municipal structures. It would contribute to facilitated implementation of solutions both in the area of revitalisation and in the field of adaptation to climate changes. It would also dramatically reduce the costs of such municipal transformations and have a positive effect both on the social and environmental transformations in the city.
Discount trade in big city space – development or regress of a phenomenon?
Discount trade in big city space – development or regress of a phenomenon?
(Discount trade in big city space – development or regress of a phenomenon?)
- Author(s):Magdalena Fuhrmann
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:164-176
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:urban space; trade; trade chains; discount store
- Summary/Abstract:The article is a continuation of the discussion on the place of discount stores in urban space on the example of the Biedronka chain in Warsaw. The first research in this area was undertaken by the author of the article in 2015. This article presents the state as of 2020 and changes in the development of the discounting network in relation to urban space. Warsaw was used as the research field as it is the largest trade market in Poland as well as the arena of the greatest spatial changes related to the development of trade. The study focused on the location of shops, their surroundings and their architectural form.
Architecture styles in the process of spatial nationalization on the example of interwar Bydgoszcz
Architecture styles in the process of spatial nationalization on the example of interwar Bydgoszcz
(Architecture styles in the process of spatial nationalization on the example of interwar Bydgoszcz)
- Author(s):Jan Szczepański
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:177-188
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Bydgoszcz; nationalism; architecture; interwar; functionalism
- Summary/Abstract:This article attempts to stimulate the discussion on the causes, ways and effects of implementing the idea of new architectural styles (mainly functionalism) in Bydgoszcz during the Second Republic of Poland. Bydgoszcz was one of the largest Polish cities at that time. The article’s main focus are aspects related to construction investments from the late 1920s to 1939 and an emphasis on their architectural style on the basis of non-obvious national subtext. The author lists the most important conclusions, and briefly characterizes them. Moreover, he finds and shows evidence that the new facilities, apart from their useful and necessary functions for the city’s development, also played a symbolic role in building a completely new part of identity. This combination finally creates the unique Bydgoszcz atmosphere and recalls times of hidden nationalism in architecture.
Vegetation and ‘Biophilia’ from architectural design
Vegetation and ‘Biophilia’ from architectural design
(Vegetation and ‘Biophilia’ from architectural design)
- Author(s):César Alejandro Vargas Esperón
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:189-202
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Biophilia; nature; vegetation; architectural design; sustainability; human-nature relationship
- Summary/Abstract:At present, buildings and cities have become places that cause extensive environmental damage and constantly move away from their connection to nature. Sustainable design approaches focus on reduction, that is, on minimizing, mitigating, and avoiding negative effects on natural ecosystems. It is not enough to really ensure lasting sustainability in buildings and cities that promote health and well-being for their inhabitants. Human thinking about nature has been changing over time, acknowledging mainly three phaseswhere nature shifts from being the feared and dominant force, to a more balanced phase of adaptation to the environment and finally to the conquest by technological and industrial advances of our societies, constituting the basis for the ongoing environmental crisis. The need to rethink this idea as an alternative that contributes to the paradigm of sustainability and to reappraise the importance of the relationship between human beings and nature in architectural design has been raised. It is not intended to understand design as a final resolution instrument, but as part of the complex network that together with interdisciplinary and collective efforts can address one of the current paradigms of human beings. This article makes a brief compilation of the evolution of the human-nature relationship and introduces biophilia as a contemporary design approach, thereby introducing the question of its contribution to the paradigm of sustainability.
The appropriation of public space in the Gasca community
The appropriation of public space in the Gasca community
(The appropriation of public space in the Gasca community)
- Author(s):Alejandra Ojeda Sampson
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:203-210
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:appropriation; public space; community;violence affected;
- Summary/Abstract:The community of Gasca is a rural town that has little basic equipment, urbanization and adequate infrastructure, and few opportunities to access well-paid jobs. Under this context, many members of the community have been involved in illicit activities such as the theft of fuel – locally called “huachicol” – and the drug addiction of the youth, leading to violence inside it and physical deterioration of the public space. These groups are preventing the community from living the public space to reconfigure or conform, thereby causing a weakening of the social tissue and a decrease in community life. The community is proud of its squares and its patron saint festivities. Given this, its recovery is proposed through its redesign and the incorporation of cultural and recreational activities. Likewise, capacity building workshops for self-employment and generation of family businesses are proposed. Families are expected to reconstitute as a community, helping to reduce violence and drug addiction. This research was a documentary and field investigation with ethnographic techniques. The research method was the dialectic-criticism. Semi-structured interviews, site readings and documentary reviews were carried out. The main categories that provided the basis for the interviews and site readings were selected. With all this, the interpretations that give substance to the work presented were built.
Social and territorial inequality in Colombia
Social and territorial inequality in Colombia
(Social and territorial inequality in Colombia)
- Author(s):Luis Alfredo Muñoz Velasco, Sylwia Kulczyk
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:213-230
- No. of Pages:18
- Keywords:social inequality; territorial inequality; social magma
- Summary/Abstract:The paper discusses the development gaps between Colombian regions. On the basis of the extensive literature review the indices used by National Planning Department (Departamento Nacional de Planeaciòn) and IDERE-LATAM index are selected. Referring to the concepts of social inequality and territorial inequality, and using departmental typologies, the analysis of development environments on the regional level is conducted. Synthetic indicators are used to measure development progress and to show the existing gaps between the regions. The way to combat social and territorial inequality is to reduce the factors that generate political instability in the region. These are the loss of governance, the promotion of migration within and between regions, the slowdown of economic and social progress and the promotion of class division.
Rural youth and migration
Rural youth and migration
(Rural youth and migration)
- Author(s):Claudia Jurado Alvarán
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:231-242
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:rural youth; globalization; generational change; times of pandemic
- Summary/Abstract:This article presents a research analysis of some ways of understanding the migratory movements of rural youth in Caldas in times of pandemic. The fundamental thesis is that the global transformations, the environmental, economic and social trends of the quarantines decreed during the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to the resignification of young people’s life in the countryside and rural territories in the department of Caldas (Colombia). The methodology used considered the narratives of rural youth as inputs into analyzing the trends of staying in the countryside or migrating, based on the changes that occurred in their areas, in the framework of the policies decreed as a result of the pandemic such as prolonged quarantines. The results show that rural youth are beginning to develop a new sense of living and staying in the countryside, addressing issues related to the changes in the populated centers closest to their rural areas and the new socio-economic and environmental dynamics of the countryside in the transit of the year 2020.
Citizen electoral participation in Colombian sustainable development
Citizen electoral participation in Colombian sustainable development
(Citizen electoral participation in Colombian sustainable development)
- Author(s):Hernando Gil Tovar
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:243-261
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:citizen participation; political parties; sustainable development;Colombia’s international status;
- Summary/Abstract:Elections are crucial to democracy because they provide citizens with a way to show their public policy preferences, and a way to keep elected officials accountable for their performance. The word citizen has an intrinsically political meaning that involves a certain kind of relationship between the people and the government. Citizens have a set of rights and responsibilities, including the right to participate in decisions that affect the public welfare. Based on a methodology which stems from the Survey of Political Culture ECP-DANE (2019), using a Probit model, this study establishes a relation between social-demographic variables and electoral participation. The results illustrate how the influences that regions, age, and educational level have on electoral participation are important factors for the achievement of the welfare goals of the national community, citizen participation and the achievement of community and government objectives. As a result, this is an indispensable element in sustainable development.
(Dis)ordered bodies: gender and territorial planning in La Celia, Risaralda, Colombia
(Dis)ordered bodies: gender and territorial planning in La Celia, Risaralda, Colombia
((Dis)ordered bodies: gender and territorial planning in La Celia, Risaralda, Colombia)
- Author(s):Juan Camilo Betancur Jaramillo
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:262-269
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:women’s association; gender equity; public policies; sustainability; development
- Summary/Abstract:To question the relationships between body, gender and territory is essential to comprehend the territorialization processes. These have been studied from diverse points of view, counting the Feminist Geography among them, which has underlined the relevance of gender as a category that allows to explain the territory in function of problems, necessities, inequality’s origins and ways in which places are inhabited. Many international policies have raised questions about this topic, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in its 5th Development Objective and other national policies and plans. Nevertheless, the territorial ordering policies in Colombia have not questioned a heteronormative and patriarchal model of dwelling in the world, which is evidenced in the existence of Territorial Ordering and Development Plans that do not include gender analysis and thus ignore or even aggravate gender associated problems by replicating exclusionary and victimising viewpoints. Therefore, this document questions how women have been represented in territorial ordering policies in La Celia between 1999 and 2019, as well as their practical reflection in a local coffee grower women’s association. The data allow to explain how, amidst the male perspective of the municipal policies and the usage of the term gender to designate a vulnerable other, the women from Celianese Coffee Grower Women’s Association [AMCECAFE] try to subvert femininity stereotypes and boost their entrepreneurship in coffee growing. Furthermore, they make evident how for them femininity is a field in tension that defies the models of vulnerable woman, productive woman and reproductive woman that the policies represent.
Citizens, territory and disaster risk: a complex relationship for participation in Colombia
Citizens, territory and disaster risk: a complex relationship for participation in Colombia
(Citizens, territory and disaster risk: a complex relationship for participation in Colombia)
- Author(s):Tulia Elena Hernández Burbano, Javier Gonzaga Valencia Hernandez
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:270-277
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:citizen participation; communities; social innovation; disaster risk; safe territories
- Summary/Abstract:In terms of participation, the social practices of the 21st century present transformations that are expressed in diverse forms as citizens organize themselves to face the challenges and economic, social and environmental difficulties. In this way, today’s societies have stopped being passive in the face of the decisions of the state that involve them in order to achieve spaces of participation with an impact on the management of public affairs. The participation of citizens in Colombia in decisions that affect the environment and society in their territories, despite the important advances made since the 1991 Constitution was adopted faces threats and challenges that must be overcome due to the situation of violence against social leaders.
Integral diagnosis and conservation strategies for the Otomí Mexica Park of the State of Mexico
Integral diagnosis and conservation strategies for the Otomí Mexica Park of the State of Mexico
(Integral diagnosis and conservation strategies for the Otomí Mexica Park of the State of Mexico)
- Author(s):Jesús Gastón Gutiérrez Cedillo, Luis Miguel Espinosa Rodríguez, Daniel Villegas Martínez
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:281-294
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:conservation strategies; integral diagnosis; Otomí Mexica Park; protected natural areas; systemic analysis
- Summary/Abstract:The objective of this study was to carry out a comprehensive diagnosis based on a systemic analysis for the Otomí Mexica Park of the State of Mexico, and on this basis design relevant and feasible conservation strategies for this protected natural area, which due to its location between two large metropolitan areas, that of Mexico City and that of Toluca City, are subject to demographic, economic and social pressures. The methodology applied is based on the integral characterization of the park territory that was carried out under the epistemological considerations of the geographical principles of location, description, comparison, causality, activity and relationship, with a systemic thinking approach, centered on the culture-nature relationship and applying geographic information systems. These foundations allowed to locate, analyze and describe from the systemic approach, the interrelations that exist between the elements that make up the biophysical subsystem and the socio-cultural subsystem of the park and thereby determine its current state. The methodological design applied for the integral diagnosis of the territory is due to a systemic structure, in which an integral analysis was carried out on the components of the environmental, socio-cultural and administrative subsystem that converge and integrate the geographical space of the park and through methodologies such as SWOT Analysis and Analysis under the Logical Framework Approach established and used by different organizations worldwide and national level. And with this support it was feasible to design strategies for the conservation of natural resources in this protected natural area.
Objective six of sustainable development 2030: characterization in hydrosocial territory in the south of the State of Mexico
Objective six of sustainable development 2030: characterization in hydrosocial territory in the south of the State of Mexico
(Objective six of sustainable development 2030: characterization in hydrosocial territory in the south of the State of Mexico)
- Author(s):Alan Noe Jim Carrillo Arteaga, Jesús Castillo Nonato
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:295-308
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:water; social actors and territoriality
- Summary/Abstract:Objective six has as a priority “to guarantee the availability, sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. This is an important human right, yet, there are millions of people who have difficulties in accessing basic services related to water. Such is the case of the equitable and fair distribution of volumes of liquid among the different social actors, which are found in the so-called hydrosocial territories. The concept of hydrosocial territory under the interaction between nature and society is represented by the water element and the human being. This relationship sets the standard for interrelationships marked by various sociocultural manifestations, as well as hydraulic work, regulations and agreements that make it constant, durable and dynamic. Human action encourages the formation of hydrosocial territories in which the different social actors seek access and control of water. In this sense characterizing a territory as hydrosocial concerns the investigation of the relationships between three elements; water, territory and society. The latter being the one that develops economic activities, based on water resources, through the infrastructure in the municipality of Coatepec Harinas, in the State of Mexico. The objective of the work is to present the characterization of the hydrosocial territory in which the forms of social organization presented by small entrepreneurs, producers and irrigation units that carry out agricultural and fl oricultural activities using the water resource are described and with this they have built a territoriality and the configuration of the hydrosocial territory.
Industrialization of the Amazon, a dialectical antagonism
Industrialization of the Amazon, a dialectical antagonism
(Industrialization of the Amazon, a dialectical antagonism)
- Author(s):Yuri Sandoval-Montes, Gema Elvira Ríos-Araníbar
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:309-316
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:Amazonia; industrialization; dialectical antagonism; sustainable development
- Summary/Abstract:The Amazon as everyone’s ecosystem, presents a breadth of wealth of natural resources beyond simple tropical forests, and although it is pointed out that it is a world heritage site, not everyone makes decisions about its use. In fact, its industrialization from its“ colonization” is greatly affecting the entire planet as the agricultural frontier has been constantly expanding for the purposes of agribusiness, biofuels, livestock and transgenic agriculture. In antagonistic opposition there is the idea of industrializing the Amazon rainforest, reducing the great breadth and variety of ecosystems, homogenizing production systems, reducing diversity and generalizing the extractive agribusiness under a capitalist and globalizing development model, without considering the environmental importance of this great global ecosystem. This presentation aims to dialectically analyse this antagonistic model in order to determine to what extent the sustainability of this exploitative model can be guaranteed and if it is actually the model that is needed in this millennium to guarantee the socio-natural subsistence of this great world ecosystem.
Heat sources in the Eastern region of Bolivia between 2000 to 2019
Heat sources in the Eastern region of Bolivia between 2000 to 2019
(Heat sources in the Eastern region of Bolivia between 2000 to 2019)
- Author(s):Guillermina Miranda Torrez
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:317-335
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:heat waves; maximum temperature; heat sources; forest fires; Oruro
- Summary/Abstract:The emissions produced in forest fi res are transported through the air to different areas of the emission source causing an increase in the concentrations of different pollutants in cities. On June 20, 2020 in Verjoyansk (Russia, Eastern Siberia) the temperature reached a maximum of 38ºC (100.4°F) as a result of a heat wave caused by increased forest fires. In the same way, Bolivia had forest fires causing various direct and indirect effects in the last years. Forest fires which occurred between 2000 and 2019 in the eastern region of Bolivia could influence the maximum temperatures recorded in Oruro and as a consequence of this relationship heat waves were formed. The hypothesis tested was: “The higher the number of fire sources in the eastern region of Bolivia, the higher the maximum temperature values in Oruro”. Maximum temperature series (TM) and heat sources (FC) stored in INPE-Brazil were evaluated with descriptive statistics parameters, assumptions of the linear regression models, and Spearman’s correlation. Heat waves were detected with 90th percentile and four consecutive days of TM. In 20 years the TM series goes from 11.8 to 26.6ºC and the FC series goes from 9 to 34.574. Both series do not respond to the assumptions of the linear model, so the Spearman correlation was applied. Based on the proposed research hypothesis it is concluded that there is a correlation between the monthly maximum temperatures and the monthly heat sources in the months of April and May with a level of significance of = 0.05. In this case the daily series of TM show the formation of heat waves.
Trade trends in cyberspace before COVID-19
Trade trends in cyberspace before COVID-19
(Trade trends in cyberspace before COVID-19)
- Author(s):Martha Cedillo Alonso, Francisco Monroy Gaytán, Rodrigo Huitrón Rodríguez
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:336-348
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:trade trends; commerce; online sales; online shopping; geography of trade
- Summary/Abstract:The present work aims to make a comparative analysis of trade trends in cyberspace before and during COVID-19 for the case of Mexico, based on studies conducted by the Mexican Association of Online Vending (AMVO). 1) Study of online sales 2020, 2) Impact of COVID-19 on online sales in Mexico, carried out in January 2020 and in a period from April to October, respectively, with the aim of knowing the behavior of the online consumer in the face of this emerging phenomenon.
COVID-19 in Mexico
COVID-19 in Mexico
(COVID-19 in Mexico)
- Author(s):Marcela Virginia Santana Juárez, Giovanna Santana Castañeda, Luis Ricardo Manzano Solís, Noel Bonfilio Pineda Jaimes, Rebeca Angélica Serrano Barquín
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:349-360
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:COVID-19; spatio-temporal behavior; socio-spatial conditioning factors
- Summary/Abstract:The purpose of this work is to show the spatio-temporal behavior of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, with an approach from the socio-spatial conditioning factors, from February 28th to October 31st, 2020. The socio-spatial conditioning factors considered are geographic, demographic, epidemiological, social, and cultural. The methods and techniques used are statistical, graphical and cartographic. The sources of information are official data from the Federal Government, international organizations, consultation of the Geosalud webpage in Mexico, as well as a hemerographic review. The results indicate that, eight months after the pandemic, there is a heterogeneous spatial-temporal behavior, affecting the population in a different way, according to the socio-spatial conditioning factors of each territorial context and the stages of the pandemic. The trends in the number of cases and deaths show different behaviors: a significant constant rise in infections and a slight rise in deaths. Considering the trend of new daily cases, the highest values were recorded in July, which subsequently declined. Significant ascents began in mid-October, a situation that can be affected by not taking health measures into account and both the autumn season and the coming of winter.
Facing sanitarian crisis: between sustainability and compatibility
Facing sanitarian crisis: between sustainability and compatibility
(Facing sanitarian crisis: between sustainability and compatibility)
- Author(s):Guillermo Torres Carral
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:361-367
- No. of Pages:7
- Keywords:sustainability; unsustainability; compatibility; incompatibility; pandemic
- Summary/Abstract:This paper discusses the theoretical derivations from the foundations of the sustainability paradigm, taking into account its epistemic difficulties and the few practical advances in the world, in a situation where the speed of devastation is rapid, so there is a need to devise a new strategy which will stop environmental predator model, contributing to the battle against climate change and the extreme poverty. The concept should be updated with better practices, through the principle of compatibility and initiating new alternatives forms of life, facing incongruity and ineffectiveness of the known institutional definition.
Water management: environmental and social impacts of dam construction
Water management: environmental and social impacts of dam construction
(Water management: environmental and social impacts of dam construction)
- Author(s):Bruna Angela Branchi, Cibele Roberta Sugahara, Denise Helena Lombardo Ferreira
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:368-375
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:water crisis; sustainability; environmental law
- Summary/Abstract:Brazil is well known for its biodiversity and water endowment. Due to its continental dimension, the distribution of water is quite unequal. The Brazilian National Water Authority identified different critical basins. Among them there is the Piracicaba-Capivari-Jundiaí watershed (BH-PCJ) located in the southeastern state of São Paulo. In the BH-PCJ live more than 5 million people, responsible for more than 5% of Brazilian GDP. In 2014 a severe water crisis affected the area, and strategic decisions for supply and water management were taken. Among them, a plan for building two dams to reduce the risk of a future water crisis. Although the benefits of dam construction are numerous, they have severe social and environmental impacts. From the literature review, there is evidence that environmental licensing has been weakened by different laws and constitutional amendments in Brazil. This research, based on official publications and legal documents, aims to describe the administrative process that led to the decision of dam construction and to evaluate its social and environmental consequences. This study showed that environmental licensing is an obstacle to be overcome instead of being considered an instrument for protecting environmental resources and promoting sustainable development.
Economic valuation of flood control ecosystem service in natural wetlands
Economic valuation of flood control ecosystem service in natural wetlands
(Economic valuation of flood control ecosystem service in natural wetlands)
- Author(s):Christian Alejandra Vidal Sierra, Ciro Alfonso Serna Mendoza, Coral Jazvel Pacheco Figueroa, Gloria Yaneth Flórez Yepes
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:376-385
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:flood control; ecosystem service; mitigation; bibliometric analysis; environmental economics
- Summary/Abstract:In order to build the state of the art of the Economic Valuation of Flood Control Ecosystem Service of wetlands (VESECI, as per its acronym in Spanish), a systematic review of scientific information was carried out through which a bibliometric analysis was prepared, supported by bibliographic maps of networks and density processed in the VOSviewer® software. Likewise, the information of scientific articles was arranged in an Excel® database, which allowed us to identify the generalities of the valuation studies and obtain information on the economic value of flood control worldwide. The main findings indicate that the Asian continent leads research on the matter, with China being the country with the most research in this regard, and that the dominant subject area of research is Environmental Science with 37% of the studies found. The results showed that coastal wetlands, such as swamps, mangroves, and floodplains, are preferred in VESECI’s analyzes. It was found that the Environmental Economics approaches have been the most used in this kind of studies and that the value of wetlands varies according to the valuation method used, the scale of the study and the type of wetland studied. In general terms, it is concluded that the value of flood control ecosystem service (SECI) ranges between $ 238 USD/ha/year and $ 65 billion USD/year.
Earth science in education and its purpose in liquid modernity
Earth science in education and its purpose in liquid modernity
(Earth science in education and its purpose in liquid modernity)
- Author(s):Ciro Alfonso Serna Mendoza, Diana Sofía Serna Giraldo
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:389-399
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:liquid modernity; Bauman; Bauman’s theory; social responsibility
- Summary/Abstract:In Liquid modernity, Zygmunt Bauman explores those attributes of capitalist society which have remained and changed over time. He seeks to underscore the traits that are some-what visible in early stages of accumulation and which become central in the late stage of modernity.
“How were we supposed to know?” – the problem of embedding education for sustainable development in the learning process
“How were we supposed to know?” – the problem of embedding education for sustainable development in the learning process
(“How were we supposed to know?” – the problem of embedding education for sustainable development in the learning process)
- Author(s):Małgorzata Klein
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:400-410
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:sustainability; education; climate change; teaching curricula
- Summary/Abstract:There is a broad scientific consensus that climate change has the potential to significantly transform the natural environment. If correct, this will have dire socio-economic consequences. This topic, together with the closely related issues of the rate, scale, direction, and means of achieving economic development, is studied under the rubric of sustainable development (SD). We are now confronted with having to thoroughly transform our lifestyle (Druckman, 2016; Dubois et al., 2019). In view of this fact, it seems shortsighted that primary and secondary education in Poland lacks a compulsory, separate subject dedicated to the causes, consequences, and adaptive measures required in these new circumstances. The country has yet to produce a textbook on the subject. This paper examines and compares SD education in secondary schools in Poland, France and New Zealand. These three countries are analyzed in terms of their efforts to build social awareness of the ongoing and impending environmental and socio-economic transformations through the education system. France and New Zealand have made substantial progress, Poland, however, has fallen far behind in implementing ESD.
Equal access to education as an aspect to serve Mexico’s vulnerable population by 2020
Equal access to education as an aspect to serve Mexico’s vulnerable population by 2020
(Equal access to education as an aspect to serve Mexico’s vulnerable population by 2020)
- Author(s):Agustín Olmos Cruz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:411-421
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:equal access; education; vulnerability; marginalization
- Summary/Abstract:Equal access to education is of relevance to serving Mexico’s vulnerable population by 2020 and without a doubt, they are premises that need to be implemented to achieve sustainable development. However, the educational diagnosis is a shadow rather than the COVID-19 health crisis, which is now looming and will have great repercussions in academic training in the short, medium and long term. The objective of the work is to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics of the school-age population of basic education in Mexico and how it accesses the program “Learn at Home”, through the technological means available to continue their studies in the school year 2020-2021, supported by the digital means they have at home. The methodology for conducting the study has been built by combining the geographical, ethnographic, and phenomenological method, which helps to understand human behavior towards this new national educational normality. As a result, data and mapping on population marginalization were obtained at the national level, as well as the data related to health services in basic education, taking into account inclusion and equity under the current situation, which becomes more vulnerable due to COVID-19.
Do SDGs have a transformative power? 2020 Human Development Report The next frontier
Do SDGs have a transformative power? 2020 Human Development Report The next frontier
(Do SDGs have a transformative power? 2020 Human Development Report The next frontier)
- Author(s):Bogumiła Lisocka-Jaegermann
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies
- Page Range:422-430
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:SDGs; HDI; Anthropocene; nature-based development; transformative initiatives
- Summary/Abstract:The text aims at presenting the close affinity between the SDGs critiques and new global context’s demands described in the 2020 Human Development Report, showing the main post-pandemic SDGs challenges. In order to act as a transformative mechanism SDGs have to be reinterpreted and adapted to the new situation, undergoing radical changes.