- Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Researcher in Political Ecology and Ecological Economics at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Au... moreResearcher in Political Ecology and Ecological Economics at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Autonomous University of Barcelona. Currently working within the Environmental Justice Project, focusing on the social and biophysical dimensions of renewable energy production. Member of the Advisory Board of the Mesoamerican Society of Ecological Economics.
Investigadora en Ecología Política y Economía Ecología, dentro del Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Ambiental de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Actualmente trabaja como dentro del proyecto Environmental Justice, analizando las dimensiones sociales y biofísicas de las energías renovables. Miembro de la Junta Directiva de la Sociedad Mesoamericana de Economía Ecológica. edit
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In this chapter, we revise the trajectory and relevance of the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice (EJAtlas) as one of the main research projects and outcomes of the Barcelona Research Group in Environmental Justice Studies and... more
In this chapter, we revise the trajectory and relevance of the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice (EJAtlas) as one of the main research projects and outcomes of the Barcelona Research Group in Environmental Justice Studies and Political Ecology. We first trace the origins, scope, and methodology of the EJAtlas as a unique participatory mapping project that is both global in scope and informed by the co-production of knowledge between academia and groups seeking environmental justice. We then highlight how the work of the EJAtlas reflects and contributes to a larger trend in the field of Environmental Justice that looks to integrate critical cartography and mapping practices into both research and activist efforts. Looking ahead, we reflect on the limits and unresolved challenges of the platform, as well as on the innovative uses of the tool for advancing a spatial, comparative, and statistical political ecology.
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Coal has long been one of the fossil fuels underpinning the energy systems of many countries around the world. Because of its long-standing history, many actors have an interest in retaining the status quo. In this article, we explore the... more
Coal has long been one of the fossil fuels underpinning the energy systems of many countries around the world. Because of its long-standing history, many actors have an interest in retaining the status quo. In this article, we explore the complexities of a coal phase-out in different countries. Drawing on empirical material from Germany, India, Mexico, Serbia and South Africa, we look at the way coal is represented in public debate. We do so by analysing the respective political arguments of key actors about coal phase-out in the chosen countries and analyse their inherent justice claims. Our research illustrates how state institutions, fossil fuel companies and other actors have contributed to framing coal as a formative factor of social relations and as an asset for development. Further, we find that there is considerable overlap of justice claims between global North and global South countries, even though actors from global South countries also invoke global inequalities and historical climate debt. Based on our results, we argue that policymakers must (a) critically interrogate justice claims and (b) consider injustices created by the status quo to ensure a Just Transition.
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El presente articulo analiza como el aprovechamiento de las energias renovables en la India esta cambiando (o manteniendo) el modelo de crecimiento y desarrollo desigual que la ha caracterizado como “economia emergente”. En concreto,... more
El presente articulo analiza como el aprovechamiento de las energias renovables en la India esta cambiando (o manteniendo) el modelo de crecimiento y desarrollo desigual que la ha caracterizado como “economia emergente”. En concreto, contrastamos dos procesos que se desarrollan en Anantapuramu, un distrito rural marcado por altos indices de pobreza y vulnerabilidad climatica. Por un lado, analizamos la progresiva expansion de mega-infraestructuras de energia eolica como detonante de una transformacion regional a favor de la “industrializacion verde”. Por el otro, nos centramos en el trabajo y la resistencia del Colectivo Timbaktu, una organizacion de base que trabaja en la regeneracion de tierras comunales “improductivas”, promueve la gestion colectiva de recursos y fortalece relaciones de cooperacion dentro de las comunidades locales. Bajo esta perspectiva de contraste, buscamos hacer visibles diferentes maneras de entender la sustentabilidad, asi como sus implicaciones politicas e...
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In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related... more
In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related mobilizations to date. We find that (1) Place-based resistance movements are succeeding in curbing both fossil-fuel and low-carbon energy projects. Over a quarter of projects encountering social resistance have been cancelled, suspended or delayed. (2) The evidence highlights that low carbon, renewable energy and mitigation projects are as conflictive as FF projects, and that both disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as rural communities and Indigenous peoples. Amongst LCE projects, hydropower was found to have the highest number of conflicts with concerns over social and environmental damages. (3) Repression and violence against protesters and land defenders was rife in almost all activities, with 10% of all cases analysed involving assassination ...
Research Interests: Social Movements, Environmental Science, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Political Ecology, and 13 moreEnergy and Environment, Environmental Justice, Environmental Sustainability, Multidisciplinary, Hydropower, Climate Justice, Energy Transitions, Low Carbon Technologies, Environmental Conflicts, Energy Sovereignty, Indigenous, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, and Energy Democracy
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The ongoing expansion of renewable energies entails major spatial reconfigurations with social, environmental, and political dimensions. These emerging geographies are, however, in the process of taking shape, as their early... more
The ongoing expansion of renewable energies entails major spatial reconfigurations with social, environmental, and political dimensions. These emerging geographies are, however, in the process of taking shape, as their early configurations are still open to democratic intervention and contestation. While a recent line of research highlights the prominent role that maps are playing in directing such processes, the potential effects of countermapping on these evolving geographies have not yet been explored. In this article, we present a countermapping initiative promoting a dialogue between critical geography, political ecology, and environmental justice. Our work is the result of an alliance between Geocomunes—a collective of activist cartographers based in Mexico—and the EjAtlas—a global collaborative project tracking cases of grassroots mobilizations against environmental injustices. We take the case of Mexico's low-carbon development strategy to dissect the spatial expansion o...
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Research Interests: History, Environmental Science, Economics, Development Economics, Anthropology, and 15 morePolitical Economy, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Peace and Conflict Studies, Corporate Social Responsibility, Political Ecology, Ecological Economics, Ecology, Environmental Justice, Global Environmental Change, Environmental Sustainability, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Pergamon, and Environmental Conflicts
In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related... more
In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related mobilizations to date. We find that (1) Place-based resistance movements are succeeding in curbing both fossil-fuel and low-carbon energy projects. Over a quarter of projects encountering social resistance have been cancelled, suspended or delayed. (2) The evidence highlights that low carbon, renewable energy and mitigation projects are as conflictive as FF projects, and that both disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as rural communities and Indigenous peoples. Amongst LCE projects, hydropower was found to have the highest number of conflicts with concerns over social and environmental damages. (3) Repression and violence against protesters and land defenders was rife in almost all activities, with 10% of all cases analysed involving assassination of activists. Violence was particularly common in relation to hydropower, biomass, pipelines and coal extraction. Wind, solar and other renewables were the least conflictive and entailed lower levels of repression than other projects. The results caution that decarbonization of the economy is by no means inherently environmentally innocuous or socially inclusive. We find that conflicts and collective action are driven by multiple concerns through which community mobilization seeks to reshape the energy regime and its impacts. These include claims for localization, democratic participation, shorter energy chains, anti-racism, climate-justice-focused governance, and Indigenous leadership. Climate and energy policymakers need to pay closer attention to the demands and preferences of these collective movements pointing to transformative pathways to decarbonization.
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In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related... more
In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related mobilizations to date. We find that (1) Place-based resistance movements are succeeding in curbing both fossil-fuel and low-carbon energy projects. Over a quarter of projects encountering social resistance have been cancelled, suspended or delayed. (2) The evidence highlights that low carbon, renewable energy and mitigation projects are as conflictive as FF projects, and that both disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as rural communities and Indigenous peoples. Amongst LCE projects, hydropower was found to have the highest number of conflicts with concerns over social and environmental damages. (3) Repression and violence against protesters and land defenders was rife in almost all activities, with 10% of all cases analysed involving assassination of activists. Violence was particularly common in relation to hydropower, biomass, pipelines and coal extraction. Wind, solar and other renewables were the least conflictive and entailed lower levels of repression than other projects. The results caution that decarbonization of the economy is by no means inherently environmentally innocuous or socially inclusive. We find that conflicts and collective action are driven by multiple concerns through which community mobilization seeks to reshape the energy regime and its impacts. These include claims for localization, democratic participation, shorter energy chains, anti-racism, climate-justice-focused governance, and Indigenous leadership. Climate and energy policymakers need to pay closer attention to the demands and preferences of these collective movements pointing to transformative pathways to decarbonization.
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Research by ecological economists on degrowth is a flourishing field. Existing research has focused on limits to (green) growth and on economic alternatives for prospering without growth. Future research, we argue here, should pay more... more
Research by ecological economists on degrowth is a flourishing field. Existing research has focused on limits to (green) growth and on economic alternatives for prospering without growth. Future research, we argue here, should pay more attention to, and be written, from the "margins"-that is from the point of view of those marginalized in the growth economy. We conduct a comprehensive systematic review of the prevalent themes in the existing literature on the ecological economics of degrowth, and its engagements with North-South relations and gender issues. The analysis identifies seven research areas where ecological economics can better integrate these matters, namely: the study of post-growth policies for the Global South; the unequal exchanges that sustain an imperial mode of living; the deconstruction of ecological economic concepts that reproduce problematic Western or gendered assumptions; the study of the clash of metabolisms in peripheries of the Global South; the metabolism of care-work in growth economies; the leading role of women in ecological distribution conflicts, and the reproduction of gender inequalities in alternative post-growth spaces. We propose that ecological economics should welcome more contributions from critical feminist scholarship and scholars from the Global South.
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Introducción Durante los últimos años, la India ha ido estable-ciendo ambiciosas políticas para la explotación y aprovechamiento de fuentes renovables de ener-gía (hidráulica, eólica y solar) a lo largo del país 1. En la economía india,... more
Introducción Durante los últimos años, la India ha ido estable-ciendo ambiciosas políticas para la explotación y aprovechamiento de fuentes renovables de ener-gía (hidráulica, eólica y solar) a lo largo del país 1. En la economía india, una de las que más crecen en el mundo, el horizonte de las renovables se ha traducido en la articulación progresiva de un discurso en el que el crecimiento adquiere una nueva faceta "inclusiva y sostenible", al tiempo que permite continuar con la rápida expansión de industrias, servicios y megalópolis urbanas 2 (Planning Commission, 2012). En el discurso, la apuesta por el crecimiento verde se proyecta como la trayectoria necesaria para eliminar la pobreza y generar acceso a los beneficios de la modernidad (ver, por ejemplo: Bhuchar en The Guardian, 2015). En la práctica, sin embargo, estas promesas parecen reproducir las contradic-ciones que el "desarrollo globalizado" (Shrivasta-va y Kothari, 2012) ha traído consigo a lo largo de las últimas décadas. Resumen: El presente artículo analiza cómo el aprovechamiento de las energías renovables en la India está cambiando (o manteniendo) el mo-delo de crecimiento y desarrollo desigual que la ha caracterizado como "economía emergente". En concreto, contrastamos dos procesos que se desarrollan en Anantapuramu, un distrito rural marcado por altos índices de pobreza y vulnera-bilidad climática. Por un lado, analizamos la pro-gresiva expansión de mega-infraestructuras de energía eólica como detonante de una transfor-mación regional a favor de la "industrialización verde". Por el otro, nos centramos en el trabajo y la resistencia del Colectivo Timbaktu, una or-ganización de base que trabaja en la regeneración de tierras comunales "improductivas", promueve la gestión colectiva de recursos y fortalece rela-ciones de cooperación dentro de las comunida-des locales. Bajo esta perspectiva de contraste, buscamos hacer visibles diferentes maneras de entender la sustentabilidad, así como sus impli-caciones políticas en las dinámicas ecológicas, sociales y espaciales de territorios concretos.
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Wind power is expanding globally. Simultaneously, a growing number of conflicts against large-scale wind farms are emerging in multiple locations around the world. As these processes occur, new questions arise on how electricity from wind... more
Wind power is expanding globally. Simultaneously, a growing number of conflicts against large-scale wind farms are emerging in multiple locations around the world. As these processes occur, new questions arise on how electricity from wind is being generated, how such energy is flowing within societies, and how these production-flows are being shaped by specific power structures. The present paper explores the expanding geography of wind energy conflicts by analyzing 20 case studies from across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Based on the Environmental Justice Atlas database, it reflects on how land pressures and patterns of uneven development emerge as two features of the current expansion of wind farms. Following a relational analysis, these patterns are examined to interpret the plural instances of opposition emerging throughout the rural spaces of the world. The article argues that previously unexplored forms of collective action are expanding the scope and content of the “wind energy debate”. In addition to the claims of “landscape” and “wildlife protection” addressed by the existing literature, this study sheds light on the rural/peripheral contexts where opposition emerges through the defense of indigenous territories, local livelihoods and communal development projects. The study contends that these “emerging storylines” embrace an environmental justice perspective when challenging the socially unequal and geographically uneven patterns reproduced by the ecological modernization paradigm. From this lens, cases of local opposition are not interpreted as selfish forces blocking a low-carbon transition, but instead, are understood as political instances that enable a wider discussion about the ways such transition should take place.
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This article studies the expansion of large-scale wind energy projects on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico) and local socio-environmental conflicts that have emerged in response. It explores how the neoliberal agenda in Mexico is... more
This article studies the expansion of large-scale wind energy projects on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico) and local socio-environmental conflicts that have emerged in response. It explores how the neoliberal agenda in Mexico is shaping a specific way of implementing wind energy projects, and how this is leading to local resistance and the production of alternatives. The article is based on a historical analysis reconstructing the main features of wind power development, and pathways of struggle. By following a political ecology perspective, wind energy is seen as embedded in a wider frame of power relations and the uneven patterns of the Mexican economy. The struggles of indigenous groups are thus analyzed as the expression of peripheral communities against the enclosure of communal lands, the private appropriation of benefits, and the lack of democratic procedures involved in these projects. The discussion emphasizes the role of communal identities and institutions in building successful networks, while introducing new concepts (energy sovereignty) and alternative schemes in wind power production (cooperatives). The overall approach of the article is that any move towards a different energy system should be politically encouraged by social and cultural means, rather than be largely economically motivated.
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In October 2016, the FEMSA Foundation launched the XII Biennial of visual arts in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. For the first time in its 22 years of existence, this internationally well-known biennial has included a parallel curatorial... more
In October 2016, the FEMSA Foundation launched the XII Biennial of visual arts in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. For the first time in its 22 years of existence, this internationally well-known biennial has included a parallel curatorial program to articulate diverse pieces into a single discourse: The poetics of degrowth. How to live better with less?
This novel project enhances new critical spaces of doing, living and thinking. It constitutes an outstanding opportunity of debating the relevance of degrowth in the South, as well as advancing the ‘art and degrowth’ agenda. However, the art exhibition is a paradox in itself, since it is supported by FEMSA, one of the biggest Mexican corporations. Shall this biennial be seen as a strategic opportunity for enhancing critical debates, a case of contradictory discourses, or both at the same time?
This novel project enhances new critical spaces of doing, living and thinking. It constitutes an outstanding opportunity of debating the relevance of degrowth in the South, as well as advancing the ‘art and degrowth’ agenda. However, the art exhibition is a paradox in itself, since it is supported by FEMSA, one of the biggest Mexican corporations. Shall this biennial be seen as a strategic opportunity for enhancing critical debates, a case of contradictory discourses, or both at the same time?
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La apropiación del agua de buena calidad en México por parte de una inter-nacionalizada y voraz industria embotelladora de bebidas es un tema poco estudiado, a pesar de la gran relevancia por sus repercusiones en materia so-cioeconómica,... more
La apropiación del agua de buena calidad en México por parte de una inter-nacionalizada y voraz industria embotelladora de bebidas es un tema poco estudiado, a pesar de la gran relevancia por sus repercusiones en materia so-cioeconómica, legal, ecológica y de afectaciones a la salud. El presente trabajo colectivo, de carácter interdisciplinario, ofrece una revisión nacional, identificando los principales actores y su emplazamiento geográfico, sus acciones, discursos e implicaciones. Se aterriza con el análisis de tres casos de estudio: dos plantas refresqueras y una cervecera, develando las modalida-des en que se fundan las relaciones de poder y de cómo se establece el negocio entre el sector privado, el Estado y la población local. Tanto en el caso de las implicaciones a la salud como en la modalidad en la que se concesiona y se regula el sector de bebidas embotelladas en el país, se revisan a detalle las acciones y omisiones del Estado en tanto garante de los derechos humanos más básicos ante el empuje de esquemas de autorregula-ción preferidos por el sector privado. Una obra accesible y abundante en datos, figuras e ilustraciones, útil para es-pecialistas, tomadores de decisiones y público en general.
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La noción de "transición justa" se ha ido construyendo como una serie de demandas de organizaciones obreras y ambientales frente a los planes de transición energética, particularmente en el Norte Global. Ello ha conllevado a un creciente... more
La noción de "transición justa" se ha ido construyendo como una serie de demandas de organizaciones obreras y ambientales frente a los planes de transición energética, particularmente en el Norte Global. Ello ha conllevado a un creciente interés por el término desde actores diversos, así como a una notable disputa sobre sus sentidos políticos y estratégicos. El presente artículo propone ampliar el lente que predomina en la literatura sobre la "transición justa" para privilegiar las condiciones y debates que se gestan en la región latinoamericana. En particular, se propone explorar cómo las tensiones estructurales entre desarrollo, matriz extractiva y justicia ambiental que son propias de la región, se reproducen o resuelven frente al imperativo de la transición energética justa. Tomando a México como caso de estudio, el artículo revisa los debates en torno a la política energética del gobierno de la "Cuarta Transformación" (4T) en el gobierno de AMLO, caracterizada por un viraje antineoliberal y una ambiciosa estrategia para reestructurar el sistema eléctrico nacional. Bajo este análisis, se argumenta la progresiva construcción de dos sentidos para la "transición justa" en México, en los cuales sindicatos y movimientos del ambientalismo popular articulan planteamientos conceptuales y programáticos diferenciados. Se concluye sugiriendo rutas de investigación-acción para favorecer sinergias obreras y ambiental-populares frente al declive y salida del modelo energético fósil.
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The ongoing expansion of renewable energies entails major spatial reconfigurations with social, environmental, and political dimensions. These emerging geographies are, however, in the process of taking shape, as their early... more
The ongoing expansion of renewable energies entails major spatial reconfigurations with social, environmental, and political dimensions. These emerging geographies are, however, in the process of taking shape, as their early configurations are still open to democratic intervention and contestation. While a recent line of research highlights the prominent role that maps are playing in directing such processes, the potential effects of countermapping on these evolving geographies have not yet been explored. In this article, we present a countermapping initiative promoting a dialogue between critical geography, political ecology, and environmental justice. Our work is the result of an alliance between Geocomunes—a collective of activist cartographers based in Mexico—and the EjAtlas—a global collaborative project tracking cases of grassroots mobilizations against environmental injustices. We take the case of Mexico's low-carbon development strategy to dissect the spatial expansion of wind and solar mega-projects at both national and regional scales. Our project consists of a series of databases and maps aimed to “fill” the spaces and relations otherwise “emptied” by the state's cartographic tools designed to promote investments in the sector. When presenting our results, we highlight how renewable energy projects in Mexico have so far juxtaposed with local territories, peoples, and resources, in ways that trigger instances of environmental injustice on the ground. We close this article by discussing the role of critical cartography and countermapping in building alternative political–economic projects for the energy transition.
Keywords
Maps, political ecology, neoliberalism, energy transitions, land
Keywords
Maps, political ecology, neoliberalism, energy transitions, land
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In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related... more
In this article we undertake a systematic mapping of 649 cases of resistance movements to both fossil fuel (FF) and low carbon energy (LCE) projects, providing the most comprehensive overview of such place-based energy-related mobilizations to date. We find that (1) Place-based resistance movements are succeeding in curbing both fossil-fuel and low-carbon energy projects. Over a quarter of projects encountering social resistance have been cancelled, suspended or delayed. (2) The evidence highlights that low carbon, renewable energy and mitigation projects are as conflictive as FF projects, and that both disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as rural communities and Indigenous peoples. Amongst LCE projects, hydropower was found to have the highest number of conflicts with concerns over social and environmental damages. (3) Repression and violence against protesters and land defenders was rife in almost all activities, with 10% of all cases analysed involving assassination of activists. Violence was particularly common in relation to hydropower, biomass, pipelines and coal extraction. Wind, solar and other renewables were the least conflictive and entailed lower levels of repression than other projects. The results caution that decarbonization of the economy is by no means inherently environmentally innocuous or socially inclusive. We find that conflicts and collective action are driven by multiple concerns through which community mobilization seeks to reshape the energy regime and its impacts. These include claims for localization, democratic participation, shorter energy chains, anti-racism, climate-justice-focused governance, and Indigenous leadership. Climate and energy policymakers need to pay closer attention to the demands and preferences of these collective movements pointing to transformative pathways to decarbonization.
Research Interests:
This article studies the expansion of large-scale wind energy projects on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico) and local socio-environmental conflicts that have emerged in response. It explores how the neoliberal agenda in Mexico is... more
This article studies the expansion of large-scale wind energy projects on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico) and local socio-environmental conflicts that have emerged in response. It explores how the neoliberal agenda in Mexico is shaping a specific way of implementing wind energy projects, and how this is leading to local resistance and the production of alternatives. The article is based on a historical analysis reconstructing the main features of wind power development, and pathways of struggle. By following a political ecology perspective, wind energy is seen as embedded in a wider frame of power relations and the uneven patterns of the Mexican economy. The struggles of indigenous groups are thus analyzed as the expression of peripheral communities against the enclosure of communal lands, the private appropriation of benefits, and the lack of democratic procedures involved in these projects. The discussion emphasizes the role of communal identities and institutions in building successful networks, while introducing new concepts (energy sovereignty) and alternative schemes in wind power production (cooperatives). The overall approach of the article is that any move towards a different energy system should be politically encouraged by social and cultural means, rather than be largely economically motivated. Résumé Cet article interroge l'expansion des projets d'énergie éolienne à grande échelle sur l'isthme de Tehuantepec (Mexique) et les conflits socio-environnementaux locaux qui ont émergé en réponse. Il explore comment l'agenda néolibéral au Mexique met en forme une manière spécifique de mettre en oeuvre des projets d'énergie éolienne, et comment cela conduit à la résistance locale et à la production d'alternatives. L'article est basé sur une analyse historique qui reconstruit les principales caractéristiques du développement de l'énergie éolienne et sa résistance. En suivant une perspective d'écologie politique, l'énergie éolienne est considérée comme intégrée dans un cadre plus large de relations de pouvoir et les modèles inégaux de l'économie mexicaine. Les luttes des groupes indigènes sont donc analysées comme l'expression des communautés périphériques contre l'enclos des terres communales, l'appropriation privée des bénéfices et l'absence de procédures démocratiques impliquées dans ces projets. La discussion met l'accent sur le rôle des identités et des institutions communautaires dans la mise en place et l'exploitation réussies de leurs réseaux, tout en introduisant de nouveaux concepts (souveraineté énergétique) et des programmes alternatifs dans la production d'énergie éolienne (coopératives). L'approche globale de l'article est que tout mouvement vers un système énergétique différent devrait être politiquement encouragé par des moyens sociaux et culturels, plutôt que d'être extrêmement motivé économiquement (comme actuellement).
Research Interests: Wind Energy, Political Ecology, Neoliberalism, Cooperatives, Ecología Política, and 19 moreCooperativas, Ecologia Política, Socio-Environmental Conflicts, Neoliberalisme, écologie Politique, Energia Eólica, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Coopératives, Neoliberalismo, Energy Sovereignty, Conflictos socioculturales y ambientales, Soberanía Energética, Le Néolibéralisme, Istmo de Tehuantepec, Tehuantepec, énergie éolienne, conflits socio-environnementaux, souveraineté énergétique, and conflictos socio-ambientales
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- Support of environmental defenders requires better understanding of environmental conflicts. - Environmental defenders employ largely non-violent protest forms. - Indigenous environmental defenders face significantly higher rates of... more
- Support of environmental defenders requires better understanding of environmental conflicts.
- Environmental defenders employ largely non-violent protest forms.
- Indigenous environmental defenders face significantly higher rates of violence.
- Combining preventive mobilization, tactical diversity and litigation increases activists’ success.
- Global grassroots environmentalism is a promising force for sustainability.
Abstract
Recent research and policies recognize the importance of environmental defenders for global sustainability and emphasize their need for protection against violence and repression. However, effective support may benefit from a more systematic understanding of the underlying environmental conflicts, as well as from better knowledge on the factors that enable environmental defenders to mobilize successfully. We have created the global Environmental Justice Atlas to address this knowledge gap. Here we present a large-n analysis of 2743 cases that sheds light on the characteristics of environmental conflicts and the environmental defenders involved, as well as on successful mobilization strategies. We find that bottom-up mobilizations for more sustainable and socially just uses of the environment occur worldwide across all income groups, testifying to the global existence of various forms of grassroots environmentalism as a promising force for sustainability. Environmental defenders are frequently members of vulnerable groups who employ largely non-violent protest forms. In 11% of cases globally, they contributed to halt environmentally destructive and socially conflictive projects, defending the environment and livelihoods. Combining strategies of preventive mobilization, protest diversification and litigation can increase this success rate significantly to up to 27%. However, defenders face globally also high rates of criminalization (20% of cases), physical violence (18%), and assassinations (13%), which significantly increase when Indigenous people are involved. Our results call for targeted actions to enhance the conditions enabling successful mobilizations, and for specific support for Indigenous environmental defenders.
Keywords: Environmental justice, Environmentalism of the poor, Environmental conflicts, Sustainability, Statistical political ecology, EJAtlas
- Environmental defenders employ largely non-violent protest forms.
- Indigenous environmental defenders face significantly higher rates of violence.
- Combining preventive mobilization, tactical diversity and litigation increases activists’ success.
- Global grassroots environmentalism is a promising force for sustainability.
Abstract
Recent research and policies recognize the importance of environmental defenders for global sustainability and emphasize their need for protection against violence and repression. However, effective support may benefit from a more systematic understanding of the underlying environmental conflicts, as well as from better knowledge on the factors that enable environmental defenders to mobilize successfully. We have created the global Environmental Justice Atlas to address this knowledge gap. Here we present a large-n analysis of 2743 cases that sheds light on the characteristics of environmental conflicts and the environmental defenders involved, as well as on successful mobilization strategies. We find that bottom-up mobilizations for more sustainable and socially just uses of the environment occur worldwide across all income groups, testifying to the global existence of various forms of grassroots environmentalism as a promising force for sustainability. Environmental defenders are frequently members of vulnerable groups who employ largely non-violent protest forms. In 11% of cases globally, they contributed to halt environmentally destructive and socially conflictive projects, defending the environment and livelihoods. Combining strategies of preventive mobilization, protest diversification and litigation can increase this success rate significantly to up to 27%. However, defenders face globally also high rates of criminalization (20% of cases), physical violence (18%), and assassinations (13%), which significantly increase when Indigenous people are involved. Our results call for targeted actions to enhance the conditions enabling successful mobilizations, and for specific support for Indigenous environmental defenders.
Keywords: Environmental justice, Environmentalism of the poor, Environmental conflicts, Sustainability, Statistical political ecology, EJAtlas