Historia Ambiental Latinoamericana y Caribeña (HALAC - E-Journal)
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“Guanaquitos” y “punta wool”. La Comodificación de la Naturaleza en la Patagonia Austral
Full text linkBook Review
Solury, John. Creatures of fashion. Animal, Global markets and the transformation of Patagonia. Chapell Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2024.Book Review
Solury, John. Creatures of fashion. Animal, Global markets and the transformation of Patagonia. Chapell Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2024.Book Review
Solury, John. Creatures of fashion. Animal, Global markets and the transformation of Patagonia. Chapell Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2024
Afectados Ambientales y el Conflicto por los “Basurales Petroleros” en la Provincia de Neuquén, Argentina
Full text linkThe advance of the hydrocarbon frontier in Argentina is expressed, since 2013, in the development of the activity to extract unconventional hydrocarbons through the technique of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. This activity became relevant in Neuquén, where the oil activity is central to the economy and permeates the political, social, and cultural life of the province. With the beginning of the exploitation, conflicts of different intensity developed in several points of the province due to the environmental impacts, in the health and in the alteration of the daily life of different social groups that this activity generates. The present work analyzes, from a qualitative sociological perspective, and hand in hand with the contributions of political ecology, the conflict and the organizational process of environmental affected that generated the expansion of the waste treatment plants of the hydrocarbon industry in the outskirts of the city of Neuquén.El avance de la frontera hidrocarburífera en Argentina se expresa, desde el año 2013, en el desarrollo de la actividad para extraer hidrocarburos no convencionales mediante la técnica de la fractura hidráulica, o fracking. Esta actividad cobró relevancia en Neuquén, donde el sector petrolero tiene centralidad en la economía y permea en la vida política, social y cultural de la provincia. Con el inicio de la explotación se desarrollaron en varios puntos de la provincia conflictos de distinta intensidad debido a los impactos ambientales, en la salud y en la alteración de la vida cotidiana de distintos grupos sociales que esta actividad genera. El presente trabajo analiza, desde una perspectiva sociológica cualitativa, y de la mano de los aportes de la ecología política, el conflicto y el proceso organizativo de afectados ambientales que generó la expansión de las plantas de tratamiento de los desechos de la industria hidrocarburífera en la periferia de la ciudad de Neuquén.El avance de la frontera hidrocarburífera en Argentina se expresa, desde el año 2013, en el desarrollo de la actividad para extraer hidrocarburos no convencionales mediante la técnica de la fractura hidráulica, o fracking. Esta actividad cobró relevancia en Neuquén, donde el sector petrolero tiene centralidad en la economía y permea en la vida política, social y cultural de la provincia. Con el inicio de la explotación se desarrollaron en varios puntos de la provincia conflictos de distinta intensidad debido a los impactos ambientales, en la salud y en la alteración de la vida cotidiana de distintos grupos sociales que esta actividad genera. El presente trabajo analiza, desde una perspectiva sociológica cualitativa, y de la mano de los aportes de la ecología política, el conflicto y el proceso organizativo de afectados ambientales que generó la expansión de las plantas de tratamiento de los desechos de la industria hidrocarburífera en la periferia de la ciudad de Neuquén
O Caso da Fronteira Agrícola na Região do Vale Médio do Rio Magdalena – Colômbia
Full text linkChanges in land occupation and use are the object of a great deal of research due to their environmental, social and economic consequences. Theoretical models were developed to understand this process, among them the identification of moments that characterize significant changes, related to the expansion of the Frontier. In this work, we carried out a study on the dynamics of change in land use and occupation in the Middle Valley of the Magdalena River (VMRM), in Colombia, based on the theoretical model of Frontier Expansion. For this purpose, a geomorphic-environmental zoning was carried out in order to interrelate the history and geography of the region and analyze its occupation. Through documentary and bibliographical research and classification of satellite images using Random Forest algorithms, it was possible to conclude that the occupation process in the VMRM is strongly related to the natural characteristics of the space and that the transformation of the geographic space is not linear, a since currently the forms or stages proposed by the frontier expansion model coexist.As mudanças na ocupação e uso da terra são objeto de grande esforço de pesquisa em função de suas consequências ambientais, sociais e econômicas. Modelos teóricos foram desenvolvidos para a compreensão desse processo dentre eles a identificação de momentos que caracterizam mudanças significativas, relacionadas com a expansão da Fronteira. Realizamos nesse trabalho um estudo sobre a dinâmica da mudança do uso e ocupação do solo no Vale Médio do rio Magdalena (VMRM), na Colômbia com base no modelo teórico de Expansão das Fronteiras. Para tanto, foi feito um zoneamento geomorfo-ambiental com o intuito de inter-relacionar a história e a geografia da região e analisar a ocupação da mesma. Através de pesquisa documental e bibliográfica e classificação de imagens de satélites com uso de algoritmos de Random Forest foi possível concluir que o processo de ocupação no VMRM está fortemente relacionado com as características naturais do espaço e que a transformação do espaço geográfico não é linear, uma vez que atualmente as formas ou as etapas propostas pelo modelo de expansão de fronteiras coexistem.As mudanças na ocupação e uso da terra são objeto de grande esforço de pesquisa em função de suas consequências ambientais, sociais e econômicas. Modelos teóricos foram desenvolvidos para a compreensão desse processo dentre eles a identificação de momentos que caracterizam mudanças significativas, relacionadas com a expansão da Fronteira. Realizamos nesse trabalho um estudo sobre a dinâmica da mudança do uso e ocupação do solo no Vale Médio do rio Magdalena (VMRM), na Colômbia com base no modelo teórico de Expansão das Fronteiras. Para tanto, foi feito um zoneamento geomorfo-ambiental com o intuito de inter-relacionar a história e a geografia da região e analisar a ocupação da mesma. Através de pesquisa documental e bibliográfica e classificação de imagens de satélites com uso de algoritmos de Random Forest foi possível concluir que o processo de ocupação no VMRM está fortemente relacionado com as características naturais do espaço e que a transformação do espaço geográfico não é linear, uma vez que atualmente as formas ou as etapas propostas pelo modelo de expansão de fronteiras coexistem
Paving the Way for Pandemics: Proximate and Remote Causes of COVID-19
Full text linkThis paper investigates how the historians Donald Worster and Dipesh Chakrabarty, independently, employ the concept of remote causes in their assessment of causes of the COVID-19 pandemic. After introducing these two categories within the sphere of the evolutionary theory, we will try to show that both historians argue that evolutionary theory is necessary, but certainly not sufficient, to understand how humans interact with other species, especially animals (wild and domesticated), which is related to the spillover of pathogenic species. They note that the human impulse to control and manipulate natural phenomena for our own benefit is an evolutionary adaptation that has gotten out of control and was one of the fundamental remote causes of the pandemic. We conclude with a call for closer ties between medicine informed by evolutionary theory and the social sciences in an attempt to combine proximate and remote causes and better understand humankind\u27s place in nature, along with the politic e societal risks of utilizing natural resources without taking this into account.This paper investigates how the historians Donald Worster and Dipesh Chakrabarty, independently, employ the concept of remote causes in their assessment of causes of the COVID-19 pandemic. After introducing these two categories within the sphere of the evolutionary theory, we will try to show that both historians argue that evolutionary theory is necessary, but certainly not sufficient, to understand how humans interact with other species, especially animals (wild and domesticated), which is related to the spillover of pathogenic species. They note that the human impulse to control and manipulate natural phenomena for our own benefit is an evolutionary adaptation that has gotten out of control and was one of the fundamental remote causes of the pandemic. We conclude with a call for closer ties between medicine informed by evolutionary theory and the social sciences in an attempt to combine proximate and remote causes and better understand humankind\u27s place in nature, along with the politic e societal risks of utilizing natural resources without taking this into account.This paper investigates how the historians Donald Worster and Dipesh Chakrabarty, independently, employ the concept of remote causes in their assessment of causes of the COVID-19 pandemic. After introducing these two categories within the sphere of the evolutionary theory, we will try to show that both historians argue that evolutionary theory is necessary, but certainly not sufficient, to understand how humans interact with other species, especially animals (wild and domesticated), which is related to the spillover of pathogenic species. They note that the human impulse to control and manipulate natural phenomena for our own benefit is an evolutionary adaptation that has gotten out of control and was one of the fundamental remote causes of the pandemic. We conclude with a call for closer ties between medicine informed by evolutionary theory and the social sciences in an attempt to combine proximate and remote causes and better understand humankind\u27s place in nature, along with the politic e societal risks of utilizing natural resources without taking this into account
Tecnología y Evolución: Revitalizando una Relación para la Historia Ambiental Regional en Latinoamérica
Full text linkThis paper explores the topic of technology as an input for Latin American environmental history, taking up, on the one hand, a critical approach to the relationship between technology and the environment and, on the other, recalibrating the scope of the historical horizon from which it can be technology as a guiding thread of research in environmental history. If the posthumanist turn in the social sciences is taken into account, the focus of attention of environmental history goes back beyond the great periods of modernity. Likewise, if the resource of the longue durée is dispensed with and if the interfaces with the natural sciences such as ecology, geology, among others, are considered, environmental history often makes use of an evolutionary framework as an explanatory resource. By virtue of the above, it is necessary to address what type of evolutionism is consonant with the epistemic assumptions of contemporary environmental historiography, I discuss Niche Construction Theory and Historical Ecology, especially in relation to the decentering of the anthropos, as well as in terms of envisioning an integral environmental history in Latin America.El presente trabajo explora el tópico de la tecnología como insumo para la historia ambiental latinoamericana retomando, por un lado, un abordaje crítico sobre la relación entre tecnología y ambiente y, por el otro, recalibra el alcance del horizonte histórico desde el cual se puede apuntalar la tecnología como hilo conductor de investigaciones en historia ambiental. Si se toma en consideración el viraje posthumanista en las ciencias sociales, el foco de atención de la historia ambiental se retrotrae más allá de los grandes periodos de la modernidad. Asimismo, si se prescinde del recurso de la longue durée y si se considera las interfaces con las ciencias naturales como la ecología, la geología entre otras, la historia ambiental muchas veces hace uso de un marco evolutivo como recurso explicativo. En virtud de lo anterior es necesario abordarqué tipo de evolucionismo es consonante con los presupuestos epistémicos de la historiografía ambiental contemporánea, se discute la Teoría de construcción de nicho y la Ecología histórica, especialmente en relación al descentramiento del anthropos, así como en función de entrever una historia ambiental en Latinoamérica de carácter integral.El presente trabajo explora el tópico de la tecnología como insumo para la historia ambiental latinoamericana retomando, por un lado, un abordaje crítico sobre la relación entre tecnología y ambiente y, por el otro, recalibra el alcance del horizonte histórico desde el cual se puede apuntalar la tecnología como hilo conductor de investigaciones en historia ambiental. Si se toma en consideración el viraje posthumanista en las ciencias sociales, el foco de atención de la historia ambiental se retrotrae más allá de los grandes periodos de la modernidad. Asimismo, si se prescinde del recurso de la longue durée y si se considera las interfaces con las ciencias naturales como la ecología, la geología entre otras, la historia ambiental muchas veces hace uso de un marco evolutivo como recurso explicativo. En virtud de lo anterior es necesario abordarqué tipo de evolucionismo es consonante con los presupuestos epistémicos de la historiografía ambiental contemporánea, se discute la Teoría de construcción de nicho y la Ecología histórica, especialmente en relación al descentramiento del anthropos, así como en función de entrever una historia ambiental en Latinoamérica de carácter integral
Extractivismos en el Golfo de California: Una Expresión Colonial del Antropoceno
Full text linkExtractivisms in the Gulf of California: an environmental history of the Capitalocene
Abstract
Knowing the history of extractivisms that has been carried out for more than five centuries in the Gulf of California, offers the possibility of sizing the socio-ecological impacts of the Anthropocene in a specific region and in a precise context. From the 16th century to the present, the exercise of power in turn has been expressed through policies that denote the colonial asymmetry between those who make the decisions and those who suffer the consequences of these, condemning the region to be a sacrifice zone at the service of the capitalist system. This article aims to show how different forms of overexploitation of work and nature have imposed productivity vocations on a sea perceived and used as an empty space, and whose extraordinary biocultural diversity has been transformed into commodities, turned into valued and coveted resources. Valuing profit over life, exchange value over use value, is rapidly leading the region towards an environmental collapse typical of the Capitalocene era.
Keywords: Anthropocene; Mining extractivism; Overfishing; Touristization.Conocer la historia de los extractivismos que se han llevado a cabo por más de cinco siglos en el Golfo de California, brinda la posibilidad de dimensionar los impactos socioecológicos del Antropoceno en una región concreta y en un contexto preciso. Desde el siglo XVI hasta el presente, el ejercicio del poder en turno se ha expresado mediante políticas que denotan la asimetría colonial entre quienes toman las decisiones y quienes sufren las consecuencias de éstas, condenando a la región a ser una zona de sacrificio al servicio del sistema capitalista. Este artículo tiene por objetivo mostrar cómo diferentes formas de sobreexplotación del trabajo y de la naturaleza han impuesto vocaciones productivistas a un mar percibido y usado como un espacio vacío, y cuya extraordinaria diversidad biocultural ha sido transformada en mercancía, convertida en cotizados y codiciados recursos. Valorar el lucro por encima de la vida, el valor de cambio por encima del valor de uso, conduce aceleradamente a la región hacia un colapso ambiental propio de la época del Capitaloceno.Conocer la historia de los extractivismos que se han llevado a cabo por más de cinco siglos en el Golfo de California, brinda la posibilidad de dimensionar los impactos socioecológicos del Antropoceno en una región concreta y en un contexto preciso. Desde el siglo XVI hasta el presente, el ejercicio del poder en turno se ha expresado mediante políticas que denotan la asimetría colonial entre quienes toman las decisiones y quienes sufren las consecuencias de éstas, condenando a la región a ser una zona de sacrificio al servicio del sistema capitalista. Este artículo tiene por objetivo mostrar cómo diferentes formas de sobreexplotación del trabajo y de la naturaleza han impuesto vocaciones productivistas a un mar percibido y usado como un espacio vacío, y cuya extraordinaria diversidad biocultural ha sido transformada en mercancía, convertida en cotizados y codiciados recursos. Valorar el lucro por encima de la vida, el valor de cambio por encima del valor de uso, conduce aceleradamente a la región hacia un colapso ambiental propio de la época del Capitaloceno
Identificação e Mapeamento de Legados Socioecológicos: Um Caminho para Leitura da Paisagem na Mata Atlântica
Full text linkThe forest fragments of the Atlantic Forest constitute an ecological mosaic of past uses, being also the product of human agency and work. However, the forested landscapes of the Atlantic Forest are deceiving, as at first glance they appear to be virgin and untouched forests, but, in fact, we see that they are actually territories that have been managed for a long time and are now full of human marks. There is diverse evidence of past uses in this biome, understood as socioecological legacies, that is, products of the historical relationship between past populations and their environment. In this sense, the landscape reading methodology seeks to investigate traces and marks from the past to shed light on the complexities of the present from an interdisciplinary and multi-scale perspective spatially and temporally. However, to find the clues necessary to interpret the landscape, refined research skills are required. Thus, we seek to provide support for improving the landscape reading methodology, based on the details of its second investigative stage: the method of identifying and mapping socio-ecological legacies. Seeking to elucidate this methodological stage, we bring examples of its application in a forest fragment of the Atlantic Forest, located in the Tijuca Massif in the city of Rio de Janeiro.Os fragmentos florestais da Mata Atlântica constituem um mosaico ecológico de usos pretéritos, sendo em parte produto da agência e do trabalho humano. Entretanto, as paisagens florestadas da Mata Atlântica enganam, pois à primeira vista insinuam a aparência de matas virgens e intocadas, mas, na verdade, vemos que se tratam de territórios há muito tempo manejados e que hoje são repletos de marcas humanas. Existem diversas evidências de usos passados neste bioma, entendidas como legados socioecológicos, ou seja, produtos da relação histórica entre populações passadas com o seu meio. Nesse sentido, a metodologia de leitura da paisagem busca investigar vestígios e marcas do passado para trazer luz sobre as complexidades do presente a partir de um olhar interdisciplinar e multiescalar espacialmente e temporalmente. No entanto, para encontrar as pistas necessárias para interpretar a paisagem são necessárias capacidades de investigação apuradas. Assim, procuramos fornecer subsídios para o aperfeiçoamento da metodologia de leitura da paisagem, a partir do detalhamento de sua segunda etapa investigativa: o método de identificação e mapeamento de legados socioecológicos. Buscando elucidar esta etapa metodológica, trazemos exemplos de sua aplicação em um fragmento florestal de Mata Atlântica, localizado no Maciço da Tijuca na cidade do Rio de Janeiro.Os fragmentos florestais da Mata Atlântica constituem um mosaico ecológico de usos pretéritos, sendo em parte produto da agência e do trabalho humano. Entretanto, as paisagens florestadas da Mata Atlântica enganam, pois à primeira vista insinuam a aparência de matas virgens e intocadas, mas, na verdade, vemos que se tratam de territórios há muito tempo manejados e que hoje são repletos de marcas humanas. Existem diversas evidências de usos passados neste bioma, entendidas como legados socioecológicos, ou seja, produtos da relação histórica entre populações passadas com o seu meio. Nesse sentido, a metodologia de leitura da paisagem busca investigar vestígios e marcas do passado para trazer luz sobre as complexidades do presente a partir de um olhar interdisciplinar e multiescalar espacialmente e temporalmente. No entanto, para encontrar as pistas necessárias para interpretar a paisagem são necessárias capacidades de investigação apuradas. Assim, procuramos fornecer subsídios para o aperfeiçoamento da metodologia de leitura da paisagem, a partir do detalhamento de sua segunda etapa investigativa: o método de identificação e mapeamento de legados socioecológicos. Buscando elucidar esta etapa metodológica, trazemos exemplos de sua aplicação em um fragmento florestal de Mata Atlântica, localizado no Maciço da Tijuca na cidade do Rio de Janeiro
Agua Potable en el Extremo Sur del Gran Chaco la Consolidacion de un Palimpsesto Hidrosocial, 1930-1960
Full text linkThis study delves into the decades of the 1930s and 1940s, when hydraulic modernization initiatives, driven by the need for water supply and hygienic ideas, radically transformed the landscape and socio-economic structure in the southernmost part of the Gran Chaco, encompassing parts of the provinces of Córdoba, San Luis, and La Rioja (Argentina). The "conquest of water" became a central component of state intervention in the region, giving rise to water systems managed by provincial and national governments. Although incomplete, this process heightened conflicts and notable inequalities between benefited areas and those that barely experienced changes in access to drinking water. Through a hydrosocial and diachronic approach that transcends political boundaries, the study explores the hydrosocial territorial dynamics associated with the supply of drinking water and sanitation. The complex interactions between hydrological dynamics and human decisions are analyzed, highlighting the crucial influence of hydraulic modernization driven by the national government. Through a historiographical analysis of primary and secondary sources, including official documents, demographic records, relevant laws, scientific research, and cartography, the study contributes to a deep understanding of the environmental history of the Gran Chaco. Additionally, it provides valuable insights for future water governance policies in the region and reflects on how political decisions and power strategies have influenced not only environmental conditions but also persistent water injustices in critically important regions.Este estudio se sumerge en las décadas de 1930 y 1940, cuando las iniciativas de modernización hidráulica, impulsadas por la necesidad de suministro de agua y las ideas higienistas, transformaron radicalmente el paisaje y la estructura socioeconómica en el extremo sur del Gran Chaco, abarcando partes de las provincias de Córdoba, San Luis y La Rioja (Argentina). La "conquista del agua" se convirtió en un componente central de la intervención estatal en la región, generando sistemas de agua corriente gestionados por los gobiernos provinciales y nacionales. Aunque incompleto, este proceso potencio conflictos y desigualdades notables entre áreas beneficiadas y aquellas que apenas experimentaron cambios en el acceso al agua potable. A través de un enfoque hidrosocial y diacrónico que supera las delimitaciones políticas, se exploran las dinámicas territoriales hidrosociales asociadas con el suministro de agua potable y saneamiento. Se analizan las complejas interacciones entre dinámicas hídricas y decisiones humanas, destacando la influencia crucial de la modernización hidráulica impulsada por el Estado nacional. Mediante un análisis historiográfico de fuentes primarias y secundarias, que incluye documentos oficiales, registros demográficos y leyes pertinentes, investigaciones científicas y cartografía se contribuye al entendimiento profundo de la historia ambiental del Gran Chaco. Además, se aportan valiosos insights para futuras políticas de gobernanza del agua en la región y se reflexiona sobre cómo las decisiones políticas y estrategias de poder han influido no solo en las condiciones ambientales, sino también en las persistentes injusticias hídricas en regiones de importancia crítica.Este estudio se sumerge en las décadas de 1930 y 1940, cuando las iniciativas de modernización hidráulica, impulsadas por la necesidad de suministro de agua y las ideas higienistas, transformaron radicalmente el paisaje y la estructura socioeconómica en el extremo sur del Gran Chaco, abarcando partes de las provincias de Córdoba, San Luis y La Rioja (Argentina). La "conquista del agua" se convirtió en un componente central de la intervención estatal en la región, generando sistemas de agua corriente gestionados por los gobiernos provinciales y nacionales. Aunque incompleto, este proceso potencio conflictos y desigualdades notables entre áreas beneficiadas y aquellas que apenas experimentaron cambios en el acceso al agua potable. A través de un enfoque hidrosocial y diacrónico que supera las delimitaciones políticas, se exploran las dinámicas territoriales hidrosociales asociadas con el suministro de agua potable y saneamiento. Se analizan las complejas interacciones entre dinámicas hídricas y decisiones humanas, destacando la influencia crucial de la modernización hidráulica impulsada por el Estado nacional. Mediante un análisis historiográfico de fuentes primarias y secundarias, que incluye documentos oficiales, registros demográficos y leyes pertinentes, investigaciones científicas y cartografía se contribuye al entendimiento profundo de la historia ambiental del Gran Chaco. Además, se aportan valiosos insights para futuras políticas de gobernanza del agua en la región y se reflexiona sobre cómo las decisiones políticas y estrategias de poder han influido no solo en las condiciones ambientales, sino también en las persistentes injusticias hídricas en regiones de importancia crítica
Nature Conservation in Brazil in the 20th Century
Full text linkThe text explores actors and institutions involved in the conservation of nature in Brazil during the 20th century. It seeks to understand their ideas, themes and proposals while also focusing on their activism. It deals with convergences and divergences between activists and organizations considering the political contexts in which they operated. We conclude that the continuity among actors was difficult but highly important and that it led to the development of integrated public policies that conserve biodiversity and promote the controlled and equitable use of natural resources. We also identified the relevance of ecocentric environmental ethics, focused on the notion that all species have an intrinsic value.The text explores actors and institutions involved in the conservation of nature in Brazil during the 20th century. It seeks to understand their ideas, themes and proposals while also focusing on their activism. It deals with convergences and divergences between activists and organizations considering the political contexts in which they operated. We conclude that the continuity among actors was difficult but highly important and that it led to the development of integrated public policies that conserve biodiversity and promote the controlled and equitable use of natural resources. We also identified the relevance of ecocentric environmental ethics, focused on the notion that all species have an intrinsic value.The text explores actors and institutions involved in the conservation of nature in Brazil during the 20th century. It seeks to understand their ideas, themes and proposals while also focusing on their activism. It deals with convergences and divergences between activists and organizations considering the political contexts in which they operated. We conclude that the continuity among actors was difficult but highly important and that it led to the development of integrated public policies that conserve biodiversity and promote the controlled and equitable use of natural resources. We also identified the relevance of ecocentric environmental ethics, focused on the notion that all species have an intrinsic value