This thesis examines the discourses surrounding the subject of climate change, with particular emphasis on the discourse(s) of the emerging social movement for climate justice. Positioned within the social constructivist and critical research paradigms, the methodology involves a Foucauldian-inspired discourse analysis in which discourse is defined as a historically-situated, materially-embodied, and power-imbued set of statements and rules that comprise a unique and coherent representation of the world. A review of the climate change-related literature reveals four primary discourses on the phenomenon of rising greenhouse gas emissions: early scientific, climate modernization, climate change denial, and climate justice. The statements and rules of these four discourses, as well as the theoretical trends and sociopolitical, economic, and ecological factors affecting their historical development are described. A deeper analysis using 26 primary documents representing every major climate justice organization reveals that rather than a single coherent discourse, the climate justice movement encompasses four individual sub-discourses: global, peasant-oriented, Indigenous, and civil rights. Focussed on climate-related inequities in developing countries of the Southern Hemisphere, the global discourse constructs climate change as a problem of the structures and logic of the globalized capitalist economy. The peasant-oriented discourse emphasizes inequities to peasant farmers, and represents climate change as largely the result of industrialized agriculture and food systems. With specific concern for the wellbeing of Indigenous communities, the Indigenous discourse locates the cause of climate change in the “violation of the sacred” and the loss of harmony with Mother Earth. The United States-based civil rights discourse primarily emphasizes the rights and interests of African American communities and constructs climate change as a problem of externalized ecological costs and failure to incent a “green” economy. The relations of power between the four climate justice sub-discourses and the prevailing climate modernization discourse are tentatively explored on the basis of three indicators of strength (internal coherence, material foundations, and adaptive capacity), on which basis several questions related to discursive resistance are proposed as possible avenues of future research. / Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2012-10-11 09:45:29.397

En 2010, la Thirty Meter Telescope Corporation, représentée par une alliance interuniversitaire de chercheurs en astronomie, a présenté le projet du Thirty Meter Telescope ayant comme lieu de prédilection la montagne sacrée Mauna Kea, située sur l’île d’Hawai’i. S’inspirant de Idle No More, un mouvement d’activisme Hawaiien est né afin d’empêcher la désacralisation de ce temple naturel. Rapidement, un mouvement est né : ‘A’ole TMT, signifiant « non au TMT ». Ce mémoire illustre les raisons motivant cette initiative sociale et les outils mobilisés par les agents actifs de ce mouvement. Cette dissertation montre comment – s’inscrivant dans le contexte, d’abord, du Mouvement des Droits Civiques aux États-Unis et, ensuite, du mouvement de justice sociale et environnementale Idle No More – les activistes du ‘A’ole TMT Movement ont su procéder au re-branding de leurs attributs culturels et spirituels et, ainsi raviver l’authenticité de leur nation et de leur environnement, caractérisée par la réappropriation des lieux de mémoire hawaiiens. / In 2010, the Thirty Meter Telescope Corporation, composed of an inter-university alliance of researchers in astronomy, presented the Thirty Meter Telescope project, proposed to be built on the sacred mountain Mauna Kea, located on Hawai’i Island. Inspired by Idle No More, a grassroots Hawaiian activism movement was formed in an attempt to stop the desecration of this natural temple. Rapidly, a movement was born: ‘A’ole TMT, meaning “No to the TMT”. This dissertation shows the reasons motivating such a social initiative and presents the resources that active agents to the ‘A’ole TMT Movement mobilized to formally halt the TMT project. This thesis establishes how – in the context, first, of the accomplishments of the American Civil Rights Movement and, second, of the social and environmental justice movement Idle No More – Hawaiians have managed to re-brand their cultural and spiritual attributes and hence revive the authenticity of their nation as a singular and unique place through a renewed connection with Hawaiian lieux de mémoire.

Småskaliga vattenkraftverk har varit en viktig del för landsbygden på många platser runt om i Värmland under en lång tid. Men vad som en gång var en vital del för landsbygdens utveckling är idag något som hotar de naturliga bestånden av fisk och vattenlevande fauna. Småskaliga kraftverk som inte är miljöanpassade står ofta i vägen för att ett vattendrag ska kunna uppnå god ekologisk status enligt EU:s miljömål. Detta görs för att skapa en hållbar utveckling för en hållbar framtid. Men att miljöanpassa ett kraftverk är en process som är mycket utmanande, tidskrävande och dyr för de enskilda kraftverksägarna. Bara processen kan kosta över hundra tusen kronor och då är inte kostnaderna för miljöanpassningarna inräknade. Miljöanpassningarna som ofta utgörs av konstruerandet av fiskvandringsvägar kan uppnå kostnader på flera miljoner kr. Om inte kraftverksägaren kan, vill eller tillåts tillståndsprövas hotas verksamheten av utrivning vilket även det resulterar i dyra kostnader och eventuellt polisanmälan för verksamhetsägaren. Hur än ägarna gör så är de ovilligt satta i situationer där de på ett och ett annat sätt kommer förlora stora summor och utsättas för psykiskt påfrestande processer. Denna uppsats ämnar att kritiskt granska just hur de ekologiska, ekonomiska och sociala principerna i hållbar utveckling vägs mot varandra i tillsyn och tillståndsprocesserna gällande småskaliga vattenkraftverk i Värmland. / Small scale hydropower stations have been a vital part for the rural areas in Värmland, Sweden for a long time. But what once was a vital part for the rural development in the areas is today threatening the natural habitats and species in the rivers. Small scale hydropower stations that are not environmentally adapted often hinder the streams they are in to achieve good ecological status according to the environmental goals set forth by the European Union. This is done so that sustainable development and a sustainable future can be set in motion. But to adapt a small scale hydropower station is no easy feat. It's a highly challenging, expensive and time demanding for the individual owners. The process itself can cost up to several hundreds of thousands in Swedish crowns, and that's without counting the environmental adaptations that might be installed. Fish ladders are often the preferred choice and the cost of constructing one could cost several millions of Swedish crowns. if the owner of the power plant is unable, not willing or not allowed to have his/hers power plant authorized the dam risks being torn down and the owner risk getting charged with criminal activity. Whatever the owners choose to act they are stuck in between a rock and a hard place. They are forced to pay huge sums regardless of the outcome not to speak of the mental strain the processes places upon the owners. This essay aims to critically review how the ecological, economic and social principles of sustainable development are weighed against one another in the oversight process and the permission process regarding small scale hydropower stations.

A presente tese focaliza o processo de ocupação dos mananciais do sul da metrópole de São Paulo, abordando um quadro de relações que se estabeleceu na formação e consolidação de loteamentos precários. Os loteamentos irregulares estudados foram construídos durante os anos 1990, em São Bernardo do Campo, na bacia da Billings - área ambientalmente protegida por lei desde os anos 1970. A análise abrange desde a autoprovisão de infraestruturas, passando pela reivindicação de redes públicas pelos moradores, até a realização de projetos de urbanização. Abordam-se as articulações entre agentes públicos e privados, suas práticas espaciais, bem como as leis e as políticas de mananciais que, perpassadas pela especificidade da propriedade privada, engendraram, direta ou indiretamente, a forma urbana dos loteamentos irregulares. Esse quadro de agentes, num outro contexto, também construiu a necessidade da recuperação ambiental, na qual se associou à implementação de infraestruturas públicas a regularização fundiária e urbanística de interesse social. Os conflitos socioambientais que emergem nesse processo colocam em questão as concepções e a forma de expansão das redes de infraestrutura, o que extrapola a escala local, e evidenciam os descompassos que se estabelecem na realização da política habitacional e de saneamento. Nesse quadro, a fragmentação do espaço articula diferentes escalas de análise, explicitando os limites e as possibilidades, ainda que residuais, de uma apropriação socialmente justa do ambiente urbano. As transformações em curso na paisagem dos mananciais, engendradas pelo capitalismo periférico, nos permitem problematizar concepções hegemônicas acerca do novo paradigma ambiental, à luz da reflexão crítica da relação sociedade-natureza. A pesquisa visa, então, contribuir para o debate da \"questão ambiental urbana\". / The present work focuses on the process of occupation of water source areas in the south of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, addressing the conflicts related to the production of infrastructure during the constitution and consolidation of precarious settlements that expanded in the 1990\'s, in São Bernardo do Campo, in the Billings Basin - an area that has been protected by environmental laws since the 1970\'s. From the self-provision of infrastructure, passing through the demand of public networks on behalf of the dwellers, reaching the implementation of urbanization projects, we address the articulations between public and private agents, their spatial practices, as well as the laws and policies regarding water source areas, whose relations mediated by the specificity of the private property, engendered, directly or indirectly, the urban shape of irregular settlements. And, secondly, also created the need for environmental recovery, associating the implementation of public infrastructure with land and urban regulation of social interests. The socio-environmental conflicts that emerged during this process challenged the conceptions and the way infrastructure networks expanded, which extrapolates the local scale, and pointed out the unsteadiness that was established when executing housing and sanitation policies. In this panorama, the fragmentation of the space articulates in the different scales of analysis, making explicit the limits and possibilities, although residual, of a collective and socially fair appropriation of the urban environment. The changes that are taking place in the landscape of water source areas enable us to problematize hegemonic conceptions concerning the new environmental paradigm, based on a critical reflection between society and nature. This study aims at contributing to the debate about the urban \"environmental issue\".

Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-08-19T19:00:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert THIAGO DA SILVA FERREIRA.pdf: 2170199 bytes, checksum: 55980b70fed9f12cbea47f1f7c15a6f1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-08-22T16:51:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert THIAGO DA SILVA FERREIRA.pdf: 2170199 bytes, checksum: 55980b70fed9f12cbea47f1f7c15a6f1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-22T16:51:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert THIAGO DA SILVA FERREIRA.pdf: 2170199 bytes, checksum: 55980b70fed9f12cbea47f1f7c15a6f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-14 / O presente estudo tem o objetivo de analisar os impactos da implementação por uma empresa de petróleo e gás natural dos empreendimentos GNL (gás natural liquefeito) e GLP (gás liquefeito de petróleo) aos pescadores artesanais de Magé, Estado do Rio de Janeiro no período de 2007 a 2016. Em termos metodológicos, a pesquisa se apoiou na revisão sistemática da literatura adotada tanto para oferecer o devido embasamento teórico sobre licença social para operar e justiça ambiental, quanto para apoiar a construção de instrumentos de coleta de dados aplicados junto a distintos stakeholders. Dentre os resultados destacaram-se: a necessidade de um maior esforço por um diálogo para além dos requisitos legais para licenciamento dos empreendimentos, assim como a busca por uma maior contribuição da academia e poder público na comunicação e esclarecimentos sobre os riscos e impactos locais do empreendimento, e suas respectivas oportunidades, quando existem. / This study aims to analyze the impacts of the implementation from LNG projects (liquefied natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) by an oil company and natural gas to the fisherfolk of Magé, State of Rio de Janeiro in the period 2007-2016. In terms of methodology, the research relied on the systematic review of the literature to both provide theoretical basis of social license to operate and environmental justice, and to support the construction of data collection instruments applied along the different stakeholders. The results highlighted the need for a greater effort for dialog beyond the legal requirements for the licensing of enterprises, as well as the search for a greater contribution of academia and public power in communication on the local risks and impacts, as their opportunities, when it exists.

The U.S. Southwest is a semi-arid region affected by numerous environmental problems. Chicana/o communities have been directly affected by such problems, especially ever since the region was annexed from Mexico by the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. From this moment onwards they lost their environmental sovereignty, mostly through their dispossession of the natural resources.   This environmental humanities dissertation focuses on the ethics, politics, and practices around water (management), for water is a key natural resource and a central element of Chicana/o cultural identity. It explores the ways in which Chicana/o culture is interconnected with environmental practices and sites in subaltern literary works about the Chicana/o experience. It investigates how the hegemonic Anglo-American environmental, political, and economic practices have challenged and undermined Chicana/o culture, identity, and wellbeing, and how this has been addressed in fiction; and it questions whether establishing such a connection adds any useful insights to the larger discussion on the global socio-environmental crisis. This dissertation also analyzes the writer activist character of the subaltern narratives of the corpus, with attention to the relevance of rhetoric in subverting and constructing environmental discourses and ethics.   By examining regional and border narratives, as well as fiction and non-fiction narratives about the socio-environmental struggles of other ethnic minorities in the Southwest and in other parts of the world, this dissertation puts literature about the Chicana/o experience in a regional, national, and transnational context. It moreover explores the pivotal role of literature in reclaiming environmental sovereignty, in asserting cultural identities, and in countering the environmental crisis by imagining alternative managerial practices and socio-environmental relations, as much as in challenging cultural hegemonies. / <p>QC 20170508</p>

A presente tese focaliza o processo de ocupação dos mananciais do sul da metrópole de São Paulo, abordando um quadro de relações que se estabeleceu na formação e consolidação de loteamentos precários. Os loteamentos irregulares estudados foram construídos durante os anos 1990, em São Bernardo do Campo, na bacia da Billings - área ambientalmente protegida por lei desde os anos 1970. A análise abrange desde a autoprovisão de infraestruturas, passando pela reivindicação de redes públicas pelos moradores, até a realização de projetos de urbanização. Abordam-se as articulações entre agentes públicos e privados, suas práticas espaciais, bem como as leis e as políticas de mananciais que, perpassadas pela especificidade da propriedade privada, engendraram, direta ou indiretamente, a forma urbana dos loteamentos irregulares. Esse quadro de agentes, num outro contexto, também construiu a necessidade da recuperação ambiental, na qual se associou à implementação de infraestruturas públicas a regularização fundiária e urbanística de interesse social. Os conflitos socioambientais que emergem nesse processo colocam em questão as concepções e a forma de expansão das redes de infraestrutura, o que extrapola a escala local, e evidenciam os descompassos que se estabelecem na realização da política habitacional e de saneamento. Nesse quadro, a fragmentação do espaço articula diferentes escalas de análise, explicitando os limites e as possibilidades, ainda que residuais, de uma apropriação socialmente justa do ambiente urbano. As transformações em curso na paisagem dos mananciais, engendradas pelo capitalismo periférico, nos permitem problematizar concepções hegemônicas acerca do novo paradigma ambiental, à luz da reflexão crítica da relação sociedade-natureza. A pesquisa visa, então, contribuir para o debate da \"questão ambiental urbana\". / The present work focuses on the process of occupation of water source areas in the south of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, addressing the conflicts related to the production of infrastructure during the constitution and consolidation of precarious settlements that expanded in the 1990\'s, in São Bernardo do Campo, in the Billings Basin - an area that has been protected by environmental laws since the 1970\'s. From the self-provision of infrastructure, passing through the demand of public networks on behalf of the dwellers, reaching the implementation of urbanization projects, we address the articulations between public and private agents, their spatial practices, as well as the laws and policies regarding water source areas, whose relations mediated by the specificity of the private property, engendered, directly or indirectly, the urban shape of irregular settlements. And, secondly, also created the need for environmental recovery, associating the implementation of public infrastructure with land and urban regulation of social interests. The socio-environmental conflicts that emerged during this process challenged the conceptions and the way infrastructure networks expanded, which extrapolates the local scale, and pointed out the unsteadiness that was established when executing housing and sanitation policies. In this panorama, the fragmentation of the space articulates in the different scales of analysis, making explicit the limits and possibilities, although residual, of a collective and socially fair appropriation of the urban environment. The changes that are taking place in the landscape of water source areas enable us to problematize hegemonic conceptions concerning the new environmental paradigm, based on a critical reflection between society and nature. This study aims at contributing to the debate about the urban \"environmental issue\".

This study aims to explore the possibility of environmental justice as social consensus and an institutional framework to reduce socioeconomic differences in natural disaster vulnerability through a case study of flood risk management in Johnson Creek, Portland, Oregon. First, by analyzing institutions, policies, and currently ongoing flood mitigation projects, this study investigates how federal and local governments are addressing and responding to current flood problems. Second, through flood expert surveys and GIS spatial analysis, this study examines various factors that contribute to communities' susceptibility to flood risks, and whether there exist spatial differences between physically and socioeconomically vulnerable communities within the Johnson Creek area. Lastly, this study conducted comparative analysis of perceptions using Q-methodology to explore the diverse range of meanings and understandings that flood experts and urban practitioners construct in relation to the dilemmas of environmental justice in flood mitigation practice. The findings of this study indicate that institutional blind spots and barriers in natural disaster mitigation policy and planning can be generated by flood experts' and urban practitioners' different understandings of vulnerability, different interpretations of human rights, and different perspectives on the extent of institutional responsibility to assist socioeconomically vulnerable populations.

<p>Genetic resources are vital to all people, but especially the poor. They are also important for biodiversity, in turn a key factor in sustainable development. Since 1980, the bio industries have utilized genetic resources in their work, for example on pharmaceuticals, and patented their findings. This has created mistrust and malcontent among biodiverse poor countries in the South. To promote biodiversity protection and ensure access to and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the usage of genetic resources, the Convention of Biological Diversity requests an international regime. Negotiations for the Access and Benefit Sharing regime began in 2001 and have intensified as its end date, 2010, draws nearer.</p><p>People in Babati, Tanzania are as dependant on traditional medicine, which utilizes wild genetic resources, as they are on modern medicine. The status in the regime of communities such as those of Babati is principally important if sustainable development is to be reached. The greatest issue for the model currently under negotiation to deal with in order to truly promote sustainable development is equity.</p>

Genetic resources are vital to all people, but especially the poor. They are also important for biodiversity, in turn a key factor in sustainable development. Since 1980, the bio industries have utilized genetic resources in their work, for example on pharmaceuticals, and patented their findings. This has created mistrust and malcontent among biodiverse poor countries in the South. To promote biodiversity protection and ensure access to and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the usage of genetic resources, the Convention of Biological Diversity requests an international regime. Negotiations for the Access and Benefit Sharing regime began in 2001 and have intensified as its end date, 2010, draws nearer. People in Babati, Tanzania are as dependant on traditional medicine, which utilizes wild genetic resources, as they are on modern medicine. The status in the regime of communities such as those of Babati is principally important if sustainable development is to be reached. The greatest issue for the model currently under negotiation to deal with in order to truly promote sustainable development is equity.