A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Central to the study of animal ecology is the usage an animal makes of its environment. In arid and semi-arid environments worldwide, the availability of surface water largely determines the behaviour, distribution and abundance of animals. As a consequence, the distribution and quality of water are factors that influence carrying capacities of protected areas in environments such as the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Just as wildlife may select water sources according to water quality, they may also select drinking locations according to perceived predation risk. Predation risk can therefore strongly influence the patch use and resource selection of animals. Similarly, human traffic and activity in natural areas can also have an effect on the behaviour and resource use of resident wildlife. This research investigates mammal usage patterns at selected water sources within the Makuleke Wetland System in Kruger National Park to contribute towards management planning for this important Ramsar Wetland Site. The research examines daily and seasonal trends in usage as well as possible links to water quality, land cover and human disturbance. Camera traps were set up seasonally at perennial pans and rivers within the Makuleke Wetland system to determine mammal species’ usage patterns. Environmental characteristics associated with each water source, such as water quality, vegetation cover and extent of human activity were also determined. A cluster analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) were run in order to determine how environmental variables may influence mammal species’ seasonal drinking site selection. Overall, mammals appear to be selecting for drinking sites with increased distances to ground cover where they are more likely to see predators in advance. Mammal species appear to be avoiding the Zimbabwean border as a result of human activity in the Zimbabwean side of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. The perennial pans and rivers appear to be a significant water source during the dry months to large herbivore and large carnivore species, which display the greatest seasonal fluctuations. Elephants show the greatest demand for water during the dry season and access the perennial water sources throughout the day and night. The Makuleke wetland system, and in particular the perennial water sources, provide an important dry season refuge for the northern Kruger National Park’s and the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park’s elephant population. The Luvuvhu River and its associated pan (Nwambe), within its floodplain, are sources of water for the greatest diversity and richness of species when compared to the water sources associated with the Limpopo floodplain, within the Makuleke Wetland System. Information from this study may aid South African National Parks management with their “adaptive management” strategy for Kruger National Park, to manage the park in an ever changing environment. It is widely accepted that emphasis be placed on the major role river systems play in biodiversity, and hence their high priority in conservation.

Swartkrans Cave, famous for abundant hominin fossils of P. robustus and the site where the first evidence of the co-existence of two hominin species was recovered, has yielded a wealth of information on early hominin behaviour. In 2005 a new program of research and excavation began at the site, and its results form the central part of this thesis. This study has focused on the early Pleistocene Member 1 deposits which include an Earlier Stone Age industry and the late Pleistocene Member 4 Middle Stone Age deposits. The thesis has four areas of focus. First the new work has resulted in clarification and new interpretations for the formation of the hominin rich Hanging Remnant deposit of Member 1, which lacks stone tools. This extensive calcified conglomerate which spans most of the north wall of the cave is now seen as a non-homogenous unit that represents material entering from at least four avens. However, this study also established that the newly exposed central portion of the Hanging Remnant and the hominin fossil-rich northwest corner infill worked by Robert Broom in the 1940s derived from the same depositional episode. Secondly, the new excavations in the Lower Bank of Member 1 have resulted in an enlargement of the previously ambiguous Earlier Stone Age assemblage. Analysis of this new assemblage, in conjunction with recently released dating results, has now confirmed that the artefacts belong to the Oldowan Industrial Complex. Thirdly, new excavations in the Member 4 deposit have resulted in the recovery of over 3,200 Middle Stone Age (MSA) stone tools and a clearer understanding of their context. The stone tool-bearing deposits of Member 4 are now understood to derive from a surface colluvium, rather than a cave infill. This MSA assemblage consists of a high number of retouched pieces that are dominated by steep-sided scrapers and denticulated scrapers with a near-absence of points. The technology of a variety of core types suggests a superior understanding of raw material flaking qualities by the tool makers. The limited types of formal tools suggest that the site was used for one or more specific activities, rather than for a range of activities by the tool makers. Fourthly, excavation of the deposits underlying the Member 4 colluvium has resulted in the discovery of two previously unknown hominin-bearing deposits. It is now established that what was originally called Member 4 is composed of three distinct deposits. The lowest of these is an east extension of the Member 1 Lower Bank (LB East Extension), which has yielded P. robustus fossils. This is overlain by a large talus cone (TCD), which also has yielded P. robustus fossils. The latter is capped by flowstone dated to ~110,000 years, followed by the MSA-tool bearing colluvium.

The Appalachian Land Ownership Study was a participatory action research project in one of our nation’s poorest regions suffering from absenteeism, poverty, powerlessness, and improper taxation. In discovering who owned the region’s land, the participants sought to organize against the social, economic and environmental injustices imposed on the Appalachian land and people. Most sociological and historical accounts of the Land Study focus on the process of participatory action research and the work of the project’s Task Force. However, over 50 citizen researchers also participated in the study. These citizen researchers encountered rich learning experiences as they struggled against scientific, corporate, and governmental power. The purpose of this oral history study was to discover the learning and experiences of citizen researchers involved with the Appalachian Land Ownership Study of 1979-1981. Significant themes emerged which contribute to understanding the complex personal, cultural, and social framework for environmental adult education. First, the Appalachian backdrop was a critical context for informal and experiential learning from the land and its people. Second, the Appalachian Ownership Task Force leaders were critical environmental adult educators who facilitated the learning of citizen researchers through dialogue. Third, agency was fostered as citizen researchers were moved to act in defense of a threatened lifeworld, and thus also became critical environmental adult educators. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

Both Thoreau and Rawlings call attention to humanity's need to expand its perceptions and interpretations of what it means to be a part of a community in Walden and Cross Creek, respectively. Building on the established idea of what it means to be incorporated into a human community, each author also implores his or her readers to extend the perceived boundaries of what comprises a "community" to include the natural world. Ultimately, both texts point to the need for the establishment of what Aldo Leopold calls a land ethic, which requires the re-drawing of communal boundaries to include the land with man as a citizen rather than a conqueror of Nature. Thoreau and Rawlings demonstrate how an individual can start to expand his or her conception of community to move closer to Leopold's ideal by recounting the different experiences they have with human society and nature while living at Walden Pond and in Cross Creek, Florida. However, each author uses different approaches. Thoreau concentrates primarily on reflecting upon improving his individual self in order to eventually improve his Concord community. Rawlings, on the other hand, makes a greater effort to reflect upon her interactions with the people of Cross Creek in addition to her interactions with Nature in order to strengthen her bonds with these things. Such a difference causes Rawlings to be read as presenting a re-vision of Thoreau's ideas about the relationship between humankind, one's community, and Nature. While the kinds of experiences Thoreau and Rawlings encounter might be different, in the end it is their emphasis on the importance of an individual's relationship to the community-one that includes both humans and Nature-that resonates with readers. / by Julianne Curran. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

[pt] Este estudo tem como pressuposto a idéia de que há uma relação entre degradação das condições ambientais do planeta e desatenção às necessidades e desejos das crianças em espaços de Educação Infantil. Entendendo que os seres humanos são, simultaneamente, seres de cultura e de natureza; e que o pertencimento à natureza foi se perdendo no processo de produção da visão de mundo moderna, a pesquisa buscou elementos para a compreensão das conexões entre esta visão dicotômica e o modo de funcionamento de instituições educacionais. O referencial para conectar os planos micro e macro-políticos foi encontrado nos campos da ecologia, do feminismo e da micropolítica. A pesquisa de campo desenvolveu-se em parceria com uma instância de formação da Secretaria Municipal de Educação de Blumenau (SEMED), Santa Catarina; e envolveu profissionais dos Centros de Educação Infantil (CEIs), que atendem à crianças na faixa etária de 0 a 6 anos, em horário integral. Através de uma investigação qualitativa que inclui observação participante, questionários e entrevistas, foram analisados os espaços físicos de 70% dos CEIs de Blumenau, no que se refere à tempo ao ar livre e contato com elementos do mundo natural, como terra, areia, água e vegetação. A pesquisa inclui, ainda, entrevistas com as profissionais que atuam junto às crianças, buscando elementos para a compreensão do conjunto de referências conceituais que definem um cotidiano distanciado da natureza. Os dados obtidos revelam concepções e práticas educacionais coerentes com uma visão de mundo que separa ser humano e natureza, corpo e mente, razão e emoção. Nesta medida, contribuem para a reprodução de um modo de funcionamento social que é gerador de desequilíbrio ambiental, desigualdade social e sofrimento pessoal. / [en] This study is based on the idea that there is a relationship between the degradation of the environmental conditions of the planet and the lack of attention to children needs and wishes in Childish Education. If there is an undertanding that human beings are, at the same time, culture and nature beings and that the nature perception has been lost during the production process of the modern world vision, the research gathered elements for the comprehension of the relationships between this docotomic vision and the way educational institutions work. The references to connect the micro and macro political plans was found in ecology, feminism and micro political fields. The field research was developed through a partnership with a formation instancy of the Education Municipal Secretary in Blumenau, Santa Catarina; it involved professionals of the Childish Education Centers (CECs), that attend to children from 0 up to 6 years old, in a full time mode. Through a qualitative investigation which includes the participant observation, answers to interviews and questionnaires, the physical spaces of 70% of Blumenau CECs were analysed, regarding the out of door time and contact with elements of the natural world, such as sand, ground, water and vegetation. The research also includes interviews with the professionals who act with the children, searching elements to understand the set of conceptual references which define an everyday far away from nature. The obtained data show educational conceptions and practices that are consonant to a world vision which put apart human being and nature, body and mind, good sense and emotion. Thus, they contribute for the reproduction of a kind of social working method which generates environmental unstability, social inequality and personal suffering.

Syftet med studien var att ta reda på om aktivt deltagande i föreningsliv bidrar till ett högre förtroende för polisen bland universitetsstuderande. Under hela uppsatsen jämförs förtroendet hos manliga och kvinnliga studenter. För att kunna studera detta användes en kvantitativ studie, varav 121 studenter deltog i studien. Undersökningen bestod av både kvalitativa och kvantitativa frågor. Resultaten från Chi-två-testerna visade att aktivt deltagande i föreningsliv som en enskild faktor inte avgör om en elev har högre förtroende eller inte. Hypotesen i denna uppsats kan inte förkastas, så det kan inte bekräftas att det finns en koppling mellan deltagande av föreningsliv och ett högre förtroende för polisen. Resultaten av undersökningen visade också att manliga studenter har lägre förtroende för polisen än kvinnor hade. Men männen visade ett högre deltagande i föreningsliv och en högre grad av förtroende för medborgare än kvinnor. Resultatet jämförs sedan med Putnams teori och tidigare forskning. / The purpose of the study was to find out if active people in social activities contribute to a higher trust in the Police among university students. Throughout the essay the trust of male and female students is compared. To be able to study this, we used a quantitative study, of which 121 students answered. The survey consisted of both qualitative and quantitative questions. The results from the Chi-two tests showed that activity in social activities as a single factor does not determine whether a student has high trust or not. The hypothesis in this essay cannot be rejected, so it cannot be confirmed that there is a connection between activity within social activities and a higher trust in the Police. The results of the survey also showed that male students have a lower trust in the Police than women had. However, men showed a higher participation in social activities and a higher level of trust in fellow-citizen than women. The result is then compared to Putnam's theory and previous research.

Lake Tana is a biodiversity and natural reservoir for fresh water supply contributing significantly to the economy of Ethiopia and downstream recipient countries, namely: Sudan and Egypt. The Lake Tana Ecosystem provides a variety of goods and services such as: provisioning, regulating, amenity and supporting services. These services are affected by high human activities which threaten the water quality and biodiversity of the lake. Hence, this study aims to assess the impact of human activities on water quality, biodiversity and livelihood of Lake Tana and its shore sides.To assess the impact of anthropogenic activities of Lake Tana; physicochemical parameters, macroinvertebrates, macrophytes and livelihood of the Lake side communities were collected in the year 2014/2015 during dry and wet seasons for 11 sampling sites as indicated in Figure 1.1 and Table 1.1. The variations of physicochemical, metals and bacterial parameters were investigated. The overall water quality parameters (mean analytical results) of Lake Tana were found to be: Temp (Temperature)23.0OC, pH 7.5, EC (Electrical conductivity)180.1 μS/cm, BOD5 (Biological oxygen demand in 5 days)37.3 mg/l, COD (Chemical oxygen demand)316.5 mg/l, TSS 0.3 mg/l, TDS 93.1 mg/l, SO4 2- 11.0 mg/l, PO4 3- 42.4 mg/l, Cr (0.08 mg/l), (Mn (0.01 mg/l), E. Coli (13.4 Cell/ml), F. Coliform (82.5 Cell/ml), T. Coliform (113.0 Cell/ml), etc. These parameters did not show significant variation among the sites but were significantly different between wet and dry seasons (P<0.05). The highest concentration values were recorded during the wet season. However, most of the parameters under investigation were within the Ethiopian EPA (Environmental protection agency) permissible range except PO4 3-, S2-, E. Coli (Cell/ml), F. Coliform (Cell/ml) and T. Coliform (Cell/ml). Based on the analysis of the water quality index (WQI), Lake Tana water was unfit for drinking purpose and needs treatment. For theMacroinvertebrates analysis, a total number of 629 macroinvertebrate individuals are belonging to 9 orders and 38 families were found. In the study year impacted areas number of identified macroinvertebrates were 478 (76%); of this, 233 (37%) were in the wet season and 245 (39%) in the dry season and the total number of individuals identified in the reference area was 151 (24% of the total) in the wet season 61 (9.7%) and in the dry season 90 (14.3%) individuals. The diversity was more in the dry season. The dominant orders were Odonata (156 individuals), Coleoptera (153 individuals) and Hemiptera (141 individuals). The literature indicated that the presence of more Odonata, Coleptera and Hemipteran larvae is an indication of water quality deterioration due to pollution. From the collected samples, the total number of tolerant individuals was 303 (48.2%) and facultative individuals were 243 (38.7%) while intolerant individuals were 80 (12.7%). Most of the taxa (48.2%) had tolerance scores ranging from 7 to 10. The analysis of different forms of indices showed poor water quality. The water quality of Lake Tana was also determined by developing the LTMI (Lake Tana Metric Index). The index indicated the impairment levels of the study sites. Seven of the sites were in the category of poor (disturbed) and the other three were very poor (highly disturbed). The study on macrophytes recorded 43 species and 18 families during the two seasons (wet and dry), throughout the study year. 2687 individual macrophytes were collected; 1756 in the wet season and 931 in the dry season. Poaceae (15 species) with abundance mean 215.40 ± 421.7 was the most dominant family, followed by Cyperaceae (5 species) 35.40 ± 68.3. Sacciolepis africana was the dominant macrophyte species in Lake Tana. But in the study area Ambobahir, the dominant species was Cyperus papyrus while the Megech study area was invaded by the nuisance exotic weed Eichhornia crassipes. In the present study, the low macrophyte diversity values of Shannon Wiener index (2.90), Simpson Diversity Index (1-D) (0.90), Simpson Dominance Index (D) (0.10), Margalef’s index (M’) richness index (5.32) and Evenness Index (E) (0.77) throughout the study year indicate moderate water quality status while the presence of certain bio-indicator species like Eichhornia, Potamogeton and Cyperus in the lake also confirm pollution. Because of the effect of human activities on water quality and biodiversity, the livelihood of the riparian community is affected indirectly. Hence, to recommend mitigation and remediation actions, this study also focused on the assessment of the change of livelihoods of people living in the study area using qualitative research methods (key informant interview, focus group discussion (FGD), observations, published and unpublished materials and photographes). Lake Tana is a home to different flora and fauna including endemic species. The flora such as macrophytes and forest resources are used mainly for traditional medicine, fuel wood, rope, pole, habitat for birds, animal feed, etc. and the fauna includes fish, hippos, crocodiles, invertebrates, etc. Further, the Lake Tana area is a good habitat for indigenous cattle breeds (Fogera breed) and field crops gene center. The major resources around Lake Tana are land (the major source of livelihood), vegetation resources (macrophytes and forest resources), wildlife resources (fish, the other important source of livelihood) and cultural landscapes (churches and monasteries). Lake Tana is exposed to a set of interrelated environmental problems induced by human influence such as deforestation, erosion, sedimentation, water level reduction, erratic rainfall, flood, and competition for water resources, pollution and introduction of alien species. The causes to these problems were overgrazing, farmland expansion, cultivation of marginal lands (shorelines), encroachment of communal land, pollution and vegetation removal to meet demand for food and fuel wood. It is observed that alteration of Lake Tana and its fringe wetlands has affected the whole dynamics of the Lake’s ecosystem and the livelihood of the surrounding community. Ecosystem components are interlinked; hence correlation analysis was done between physicochemical parameters and macroinvertebrates of Lake Tana. Thus, correlations among many of the physicochemical parameters and macroinvertebrates families have been observed. To mention some of the correlations, the changes in the physical, chemical and biological characteristic of the lake affected the aquatic life forms and significantly affect economic activities that the lake supports. The RDA(Canonical redundency analysis) ordination of the species-environmental variable association indicated that pH, Cd, Pb and SO42- and Velidae, Chironomidae, Physidae, Gerridae, Corixidae, Dytiscidae, Caenidae, Coenogrionidae Simuliidae and Psephenidae were negatively correlated while Mussidae positively correlated with these environmental variables. This study concludes that the main threat to aquatic ecosystems in Lake Tana arises from agricultural activities, urbanization and industrialization that deteriorated water quality and biodiversity. Thus, it is recommended that proper management of Lake Tana should be put in place to prevent further deterioration of water quality and biodiversity of the lake for its sustainable development. / Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environmental Science)

Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2016. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Page 156/Figure B-1 contains text that runs off the edge of the page margin. / Includes bibliographical references. / Paleoclimate archives place the short instrumental record of climate variability in a longer temporal context and allow better understanding of the rate, nature and extent by which anthropogenic warming will impact natural and human systems. The ocean is a key component of the climate system and records of past ocean variability are thus essential for characterizing natural variability and quantifying climate sensitivity to radiative forcing. Coral skeletons are high-resolution archives of tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs), but inconsistencies call the accuracy of existing coral proxy records into question. In this thesis, I first quantify the errors associated with the traditional coral thermometer, Sr/Ca, by comparing in situ logged SST with Sr/Ca-derived SST in four corals on the same reef. I show that intercolony disparities in mean Sr/Ca, amplitude of variability, and trend are not due to differences in water temperature, but rather to "vital effects" that result in a ±2° C uncertainty on reconstructed SST. I then expand, refine, and test a new paleothermometer, Sr-U, across multiple coral species and through time. I show that Sr-U captures spatial SST variability with an uncertainty of ±0.6° C. When applied to two corals outside of the calibration, Sr-U accurately captures the mean SST and the 20th century trend in the Western Tropical Atlantic. Finally, I apply Sr-U to a coral from the Little Ice Age (LIA) to address uncertainties in the magnitude of western tropical Atlantic cooling during a 95-year period spanning 1465-1560. Results suggest the region was 1.1° C±0.6°C cooler than the 1958-1988 mean, but within error of early 20th century SST at this site. Critically, several periods of warmth, equivalent to the 1958-1988 mean, occurred during a solar minimum that is widely believed to have been a cool period of the LIA. My results indicate that Sr/Ca exaggerates the actual cooling by almost 3° C. My record demonstrates the value of Sr-U and highlights the need for continuous accurate SST records to better constrain the amplitude, drivers, and mechanisms of LIA tropical climate change. / by Alice Elizabeth Alpert. / Ph. D.

Este trabalho fundamenta-se no desenvolvimento e aprimoramento de metodologias para a melhor representação do aterramento elétrico sob uma análise transiente. O estudo concentrase no estabelecimento de contribuições ao estado da arte associadas à análise e modelagem de aterramento impulsivo e em altas frequências. O estudo vincula-se também à avaliação da suportabilidade de seres humanos submetidos a potenciais produzidos na superfície do solo, provenientes da corrente elétrica gerada por um surto atmosférico. A concepção das metodologias propostas baseou-se no uso do Método da Modelagem por Linhas de Transmissão em uma dimensão (TLM-1D). Destacam-se três grandes tópicos da pesquisa. O primeiro concentra-se no desenvolvimento de formulação para a inclusão do fenômeno de ionização do solo ao Método TLM-1D clássico. A formulação desenvolvida tem como característica ser uma técnica generalista, independente das propriedades do meio, dimensões do eletrodo e do surto atmosférico. O segundo foco concentra-se no aprimoramento e desenvolvimento de equacionamento analítico para a estimação de potenciais gerados na superfície do solo, originados pela corrente elétrica estabelecida sobre eletrodo de aterramento. Tal equacionamento tem grande aplicabilidade em conjunto com metodologias numéricas unidimensionais, as quais não são capazes de determinar diretamente os referidos potenciais. Por fim, a realização de estudo de suportabilidade e segurança de seres humanos em contato com eletrodos de aterramento submetidos a surto atmosférico, considerando modelo representativo baseado em circuitos elétricos, consolida o trabalho desenvolvido. / This work is based on the development and improvement of methodologies for the best representation of the electrical grounding under a transient analysis. The study concentrated on establishing contributions to the state of the art related to the analysis and modeling of impulsive and high frequencies grounding systems. The study is also associated to the evaluation of the supportability of human beings submitted to the potentials produced on the soil surface from the electric current generated by a lightning. The conception of the proposed methodology was based on the Transmission Line Modeling Method in one dimension (TLM- 1D). Three major research topics can be highlighted. The first involves the development of a formulation to include the soil ionization phenomenon in the classic TLM-1D algorithm. The developed formulation is a generalist technique, independent of the medium properties, characteristic of the electrode and lightning surge. The second aims at the improvement and development of analytical equations for estimating the generated potential on the soil surface, originated by the electric current calculated in the grounding electrode. Such equationing has great applicability in conjunction with one-dimensional numerical methods which are not able to determine such potential directly. Finally, the achievement of a supportability study and personal safety of humans in contact with the grounding electrodes subjected to a lightning, considering a representative model based on electrical circuits, consolidates the developed work.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-11-09T11:21:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Homero Jorge Mazzola.pdf: 6715257 bytes, checksum: 0ca8ade2e27bf06bea8cc8e5da6d6b4d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-09T11:21:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Homero Jorge Mazzola.pdf: 6715257 bytes, checksum: 0ca8ade2e27bf06bea8cc8e5da6d6b4d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-27 / To build a sustainable future is humanity's great mission in a world characterized by deep social inequalities and environmental changes. Saint-Exupéry said: "The future is not a place where we are going, but a place we are creating. The path to it is not found but built and the act of doing so transforms both the creator and his destiny". Man has the competence to begin its construction, however, must transform himself to make it happen. The purpose of this thesis, elaborated in the form of an essay, is to explore possibilities to build this auspicious future, committed to future generations without under valuating the forces that defend the continuity of our way of life. Three fundamental questions ground this work: where do we come from, what are we and where are we going to, that are structured in three human journeys: past, present and future. In the first we find the lessons and learnings of the evolution process, essential for understanding the present and planning the future. The second journey depicts both the human capacity to transform the planet, adapting it to its needs and desires, as the resistance of those who stand against the continuity of the capitalist world system and defy humanity to metamorphose into a meta system rich in possibilities or to sink in a generalized insignificance. On the last journey, the future, it is approached a vision of the complexity of the world and the human psychic nature, which feed discussions about the individual and collective transformations that must occur to generate a desired future. Man has before him uncertainties, bifurcations and dilemmas, which can result in catastrophe or well-being. The social and climatic deterioration, perverse by itself, can also be good, taking the humanity off passivity, leading it to an overall transformation. A plausible path is a new civilizing context grounded in holistic and ecological educational reform, and structured through a truly global society: the World-Society. There is a great challenge ahead. What will happen, however, only the future will show / Construir um futuro sustentável é a grande missão da humanidade em um mundo assinalado por desigualdades sociais enraizadas e mudanças ambientais profundas. Saint-Exupéry disse: “O futuro não é um lugar para onde estamos indo, mas um lugar que estamos criando. O caminho para ele não é encontrado, mas construído e o ato de fazê-lo transforma tanto o realizador quando o destino”. O homem tem competência para iniciar sua construção, mas deverá se transformar para concretizá-lo. Com esta tese, elaborada na forma de um ensaio, exploram-se possibilidades para se construir esse futuro auspicioso, comprometido com as gerações futuras, sem desprezar as forças que defendem a continuidade do nosso modo de vida. Três questões fundamentais a embasam: de onde viemos, quem somos e para onde vamos, que na tese são abordadas na forma de jornadas humanas: passada, presente e futura. Da primeira extraem-se as lições e aprendizados da história evolutiva, imprescindíveis para se compreender o presente e planejar o futuro. A segunda jornada retrata tanto as profundas transformações que o homem produziu no planeta, adequando-o às suas necessidades e desejos, como as reações dos se posicionam contra a continuidade do sistema mundo capitalista e convidam a humanidade a metamorfosear-se em um metassistema rico em possibilidades ou sucumbir no abismo da insignificância generalizada. Na última jornada, a futura, são abordados conhecimentos sobre a complexidade do mundo e sobre a natureza psíquica humana, que alimentam discussões sobre as transformações individuais e coletivas que devem ocorrer para que se possa engendrar um futuro desejado. O homem tem diante de si incertezas, bifurcações e dilemas, que podem conduzi-lo à catástrofe ou ao bem-estar. A deterioração social e climática, perversa por si, pode ser também um bem e tirar a humanidade da passividade, conduzindo a uma mudança abrangente. Um caminho plausível é um novo contexto civilizatório embasado em uma reforma educacional holística e ecológica, e estruturado através de uma sociedade realmente global: uma Sociedade-Mundo. Há um grande desafio à frente. O que acontecerá, entretanto, só o futuro dirá