Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-10-10T14:06:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 deniseaparecidaavelinodeoliveirafernandes.pdf: 3151817 bytes, checksum: 473b771638b53bd4bf19c6c8d85f0c51 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-10-16T13:29:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 deniseaparecidaavelinodeoliveirafernandes.pdf: 3151817 bytes, checksum: 473b771638b53bd4bf19c6c8d85f0c51 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-16T13:29:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 deniseaparecidaavelinodeoliveirafernandes.pdf: 3151817 bytes, checksum: 473b771638b53bd4bf19c6c8d85f0c51 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-29 / O presente estudo apresenta um caminho de reflexão e análise da dinâmica socioespacial observada no bairro Igrejinha, zona norte do município de Juiz de Fora – Minas Gerais. A análise tem por objetivo revelar as repercussões socioambientais da produção capitalista do espaço no que tange à apropriação e dominação espacial pelo capital (representado pela Votorantim Metais e Zinco SA) na comunidade de Igrejinha. Para tanto, a pesquisa parte do pressuposto de que há um conflito latente de uso do solo, considerando a incompatibilidade entre o uso industrial e o residencial. A discussão desta temática se sustenta nas bases teórica e metodológica da Geografia, observando e analisando os elementos basilares no que tange ao espaço e sua categoria de análise e produção do espaço, em associação com as salutares teorias da Ecologia Ambiental e da Justiça Ambiental, no intuito de clarificar a questão proposta. / This study presents a path for reflection and analysis on the socio-spatial dynamics observed in Igrejinha neighborhood, located on the northern area of Juiz de Fora – Minas Gerais. The analysis aims at unveiling socioenvironmental impacts of the capitalist production of space in terms of the capital‟s spatial appropriation and domination (represented by Votorantim Metais e Zinco SA) in Igrejinha community. For this purpose, the research assumes that there is an emerging dispute over land use considering the incompatibility between industrial and residential uses. To clarify the proposed problematic, the discussion around this theme is sustained in the theoretical and methodological basis of Geography, observing and analyzing the basic elements related to space and its category of analysis and production of space, in association with theories from Environmental Ecology and Environmental Justice.

This paper examines and problematize the effects of biofuel production by focusing on local communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The premise lays in a critique of neoliberal thoughts of development and the concept of sustainable development. The establishment of biofuel production in SSA has been depicted to carry with it opportunities of development for the rural population. However, there have been a big interest from foreign actors looking to invest in sub-Saharan biofuel production which have raced concern for land grabbing. A conflict of interest has emerged between Southern and Northern interests. A literature study is used as the method to examine reported outcomes on local communities in the proximity of biofuel production in order to determine if sub-Saharan biofuel production is established for the development need of SSA or the interest of the North. To analyze the results a theoretical framework has been constructed from concepts of large-scale land acquisition (land grabbing), environmental justice and the four worldviews market liberalism, institutionalism, bioenvironmentalism and social greens. The paper concludes that the large-scale production of biofuels is highly problematic due to the risk of land grabbing and Northern mitigation schemes are based on Southern lands raises the question of environmental justice. Depending on which worldview one adopts there can be several explanations to why this occur.

M.A. / This research expounds upon the themes of religio-cultural belief systems in relation to the Earth, belief systems which shape humankind’s attitude toward the Earth. That is, this research sets out to consider the flows and influences of religious belief systems on the relationship between humankind and their environment. The focus of this research is a comparison between the Christian and Tsonga worldviews of the ideological status of the Earth, and the implications of this for Mozambicans. The term “Subjectivation” is being used in this research with the understanding that it refers to the viewing of the Earth and all its components – biotic and abiotic – as endowed with life; that is, “Subjectivation” refers to the religious world-view of animating the Earth and all its components, thus viewing it as a “subject” in its own right. The aim of this research is to highlight the necessity for eco-justice living between humankind and the rest of the Earth’s community; for, it is proven that the lack of eco-just living due to the view held about the Earth (as a commodity), leading to humankind’s exploitation of the Earth, has resulted in negative environmental and climactic repercussions “…putting the future of the planet in jeopardy” (Habel 2000a: 49).The purpose of this study is to make humankind aware that it is critically important that they adopt an eco-just attitude toward the Earth, with the basis in the valuation of the dignity of Earth. At stake is the human self-hegemony that unjustifiably is perpetrated against the Earth. Humans, in most cultural interpretations have bestowed on themselves the authority of doing at one’s will, on the ostentation of the unfounded superiority in relation to the Earth. Habel’s (2000a: 42-53 six ecojustice principles, retrieved and developed from the Christian biblical perspective, were the framework used, with the intention of discovering their presence (or lack thereof) within the Tsonga belief system. A comparative analysis shows that there are structural similarities between the two religious traditions with regard to the Earth and ecology. In both traditions are ecological values within the belief systems, and if lived out, there would be no serious ecological crisis within its communities. However, there is a strong criticism for Westerners who imposed their culture and religious traditions on indigenous people in general and on Tsonga people in particular, thus radically changing their traditional living, which was eco-friendly all along. There is an old Portuguese proverb that says: “other peoples’ (in this case, beings’ on Earth) peace depends on ours and vice versa”. If such is the case, then we can logically pose the questions: How can humanity know peace on Earth, while the Earth itself and all its other components are not enjoying peace due to the very same humanity’s exploitation and pillaging of it? What belief systems and attitude should the Christian and the Tsonga hold towards the Earth, especially the Mozambican Earth? One encouraging sign of our developing ecological awareness is the “Green Revolution” which has also surfaced in Mozambique. From social to political, producer to consumer, calls are echoing for green living. More and more pro-Earth organisations are emerging. Today there is a vast gamut of them from all social spheres: secular non-governmental organisations (NGO’s), governments, political parties (in Mozambique there are three ecological parties—MINED 2006: 245), and religious. However, as Fernando Pessoa, (quoted by Chiambe 2010: 7) said, “Society is a system of malleable egoism, of intermittent concurrence”. This being so, treaties, laws, regulations, and policies on environment and development have the sound of two voices which overlap and end up remaining only on paper and are never implemented. It is especially by means of a comprehensive and focused educational endeavour that the people of Mozambique need to be sensitized about the sacredness of the Mozambican Earth and their responsibility towards it.

Over the last few years, the town of La Oroya, in Perú’s central Andes has received significant international attention due to the alarming number of children suffering from high levels of lead poisoning as a result of pollution from the town’s smelter. Paradoxically, instead of collectively unifying voices to claim the protection of their health and environment, a significant portion of members of this community opted to minimize the problem with the purpose of defending job opportunities at the smelter.This dissertation examines the deep structural causes that have placed residents of this community in the difficult position of having to sacrifice their human right to health in order to preserve their right to work at the smelter. I argue that the La Oroya community acquiesced in forfeiting their own rights because they have been historically trapped in a “context of systemic unfreedom.” This is a historically formed and politically and economically reproduced context of human rights abuses, a context that affects the overall well-being of individuals and communities, and diminishes their ability to challenge such abuses and transform their realities. To assess the exact contours and components of the context of systemic unfreedom in La Oroya, and respond to the question of how this context has encouraged the trade-offs of health for work, I have designed a “capability-oriented model of human rights.” Conceptually, this model builds upon structural approaches to human rights proposed by authors such as Paul Farmer, Tony Evans and Mark Goodale. It also adopts Séverine Deneuline’s relational-political interpretation of the capability approach pioneered by Amartya Sen. Methodologically, a salient feature of my model is its incorporation of voices of affected community members as an important source of knowledge. Results of this study show the extent to which the context of systemic unfreedom in La Oroya has been sustained by the interconnection of a constellation of factors: environmental (historical pollution); institutional (economic dependency, the state’s leniency in enforcing the smelter company’s environmental obligations, the extraction-based model of economic development in Perú, the institutional fragility of the human rights discourse); social (migration, loss of collective identity, socio-economic and gender inequalities, uncertainty about pollution, limited access to information, assignment of responsibility for pollution-based illness to individuals, stigma against the poor); and personal (individual values and needs, characteristics of individual identity). These factors have converged over time and intersected at the macro, meso and micro levels, trapping residents from La Oroya in a vicious cycle of disadvantage. I conclude by suggesting that, in order to effectively address “systemic unfreedom” in this smelter town, both short-term and long-term solutions are required. That is, in addition to promoting the completion of proposed environmental mitigation and soil remediation plans in La Oroya, I offer suggestions towards reversing entrenched socio-economic and gender inequalities and reconstituting a collective community identity. Fundamentally, the ultimate goal of structural transformation in La Oroya requires addressing current patterns of power, economic dependency, and domination, thus fostering changes in the state’s vision of development. / Graduate / 2016-04-30

In recent years, there has been a great deal of debate about the pervasiveness and persistence of neoliberal thinking. In the context of the post-2008 ‘great recession’ the resilience of neoliberalism is particularly confounding. To begin to unravel the ways in which neoliberalism is situated relative to risk, this study identifies an increasingly important neoliberal knowledge practice: malagnogenesis. Malagnogenesis is proposed herein as the production of ignorance that normalizes harm for and amongst marginalized populations. To shed light on the phenomena of malagnogenesis, this study investigated the history of leaded gasoline in the U.S. To that end, I followed the production of ignorance from the introduction of gasoline lead additives in the early 1920s to the contemporary discursive failure surrounding the impact that leaded gasoline has had on late 20th century urban crime rates. Finally, this study supported the hypothesis of malagnogenesis in academia via a survey of academics.

The quest for sustainable development has always involved the complex task of reconciling the need for socio-economic development with public health and environmental protection. This challenge has often emerged in the trade and environment debate but has most recently been evident in international trade in used electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE). While international trade in UEEE provides means for socio-economic development in the developing world, it also serves as a conduit for transboundary dumping of e-waste in the developing world giving rise to serious health and environmental concerns. This research investigates the socio-economic as well as health and environmental impacts of international trade in UEEE in two developing countries – Nigeria and Ghana. The research identifies a major loophole in the existing international legal framework as the primary factor responsible for e-waste dumping in the developing world. This loophole relates to the absence of a legal framework for differentiating between functional UEEE and junk e-waste. This has resulted in both functional UEEE and junk e-waste being concurrently shipped to the developing world as “used electrical and electronic equipment”. The research proposes two policy frameworks for addressing this problem. On the part of developing countries, the research proposes a trade policy framework crafted in line with WTO rules. This framework will entail the development of an international certification system which will serve to differentiate functional used electronics from junk e-waste. While the former may be eligible for import, the research proposes an import ban on the latter. On the part of developed countries, the research proposes the development of a policy framework which regulates the toxic and hazardous substances that go into the production of electrical and electronic equipment as well as enhance their reusability and recyclability at end-of-life. The framework should take into consideration the entire life cycle of the products from the design stage to end-of-life. The research argues that the implementation of this design framework will go a long way in reducing the health and environmental impacts of such equipment when subsequently shipped to the developing world at end-of-life.

"Somos semillas" -we are seeds is a slogan, a sentiment, and a belief that emerges and circulates in a myriad of spaces from Ferguson Black Lives Matter protests advocating for racial justice in the United States, to struggles against state violence in Ayotzinapa, Mexico, to climate justice and food sovereignty movements in Latin America. Seeds are both symbolic and material embodiments of futurity. In this dissertation, I examine the discourses around seeds, particularly genetically modified seeds (GM), and the role of biotechnology as our only purveyor of futurity. In "Seeds", I examine the dominant discourses around GM seeds produced by pro-GM actors such as agro-industries including Monsanto and Syngenta, and USDAID programs such as Feed the Future. These discourses are constructed around social and environmental looming crises that include hunger and overpopulation, loss of biodiversity and climate change. In "Seeds", thinking through the decolonial option, I challenge the single Western narrative that presents GM seeds and crops as the only path to solve these crises and for humanity to have a utopian future."Seeds" takes on 'studying up' approach that as scholar Laura Nader argues investigates those in power instead of those that are being oppressed."Seeds" then works alongside other academic, indigenous, campesin@s, and farmer intellectuals and activists to elucidate a number of ways that people around the world are engaging with such crises and are building different paths to decolonial futures.

The demand for natural resources and energy continues to growin the developed world and, with it, the negative impacts on the environment and the rights of the peoples directly affected by extractive activities undertaken by the largest transnational corporations. Three factors compel victims of serious environmental damage to resort simultaneously to any available avenue of legal action (whether judicial or non-judicial, national or international): (1) the link between environmental damage and human rights abuses; (2) weak legislation, combined with the inability or unwillingness of the law-enforcing institutions in many countries where such extractive activities take place; and (3) the absence of international avenues to claim direct liability from corporations. We call this phenomenon intertwined actions, as the various judicial actions undertaken by the victims end up mutually reinforcing and increasing the visibility of the problem. The aim of this paper is to show this reality on the basis of the various instances of litigation that are taking place in the specific context of Shell’s activities in the Niger delta. / La presión de la demanda de recursos naturales y de energía en el mundo desarrollado sigue creciendo y, con ello, los impactos negativos sobre el medio ambiente y los derechos de las personas vinculados en especial a las actividades extractivas llevadas a cabo por las mayores empresas transnacionales. La suma de tres factores —la vinculación entre daños al medio ambiente y vulneración de derechos humanos, la debilidad de la legislación y la incapacidad o la falta de voluntad de la institucionalidad que debe aplicarla en muchos de los países donde se desarrollan dichas actividades y la inexistencia de vías internacionales para reclamar la responsabilidad directamente a las empresas— ha llevado a las víctimas de graves daños ambientales a utilizar a la vez todo tipo de vías disponibles (judiciales y nojudiciales, nacionales e internacionales), en lo que cabe denominar acciones entrelazadas, puesto que todas ellas acaban por reforzarse mutuamente y aumentan la visibilidad del problema. El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar esta realidad a partir del caso concreto del impacto de las actividades de la empresa petrolera Shell, una de las empresas que opera en el delta del Níger.Este artículo se basa en uno de los estudios de caso realizados en el marco de un proyecto más amplio de investigación vinculado al Proyecto Environmental Justice Organizations, Liabilities and Trade (EJOLT), VII Programa Marco de la Unión Europea, Número FP7-SCIENCE-IN-SOCIETY-2010–1, y al proyecto de investigación, financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España, «La garantía jurídica de la vertiente intrageneracional de la justicia ambiental como aspecto social del desarrollo sostenible» (DER2010-19529).

Planning and regulatory environmental agency San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) plays an important role in the permitting of development around the San Francisco Bay. As the agency works to add an environmental justice amendment to its primary policy document, this research explores the S.F. Bay Area’s history of approved development project proposal permits, and the associated patterns of land use and environmental justice implications in order to support the proposed change in permitting policy. By classifying all major permits found within BCDC’s internal permit database into groups based on the type of land use associated with the permit project, i.e. Industrial, Flood Control, Ports, etc., it was possible to create maps showing the geographic distribution of each group of permits. To analyze potential environmental justice implications of the patterns of geographic distribution of development permits, each group of permit types was layered on top of spatial data representing areas around the SF Bay that have been identified as highly socially vulnerable. Based on the findings of this project, it appears that highly socially vulnerable communities around the San Francisco Bay bear a disproportionate amount of land-use related environmental burdens. Furthermore, it is crucial to recognize the limitations of geospatial analysis tools in conveying the magnitude of disproportionate environmental and community health impacts of land use on socially vulnerable communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

By analyzing two radical history walking tours in Seattle, WA, and Berkeley, CA, this thesis aims to examine how Asian American communities can find their places in the U.S. environmental movement. I argue that these walking tours provide generative pedagogical tools to engage the general public to unpack the complex Asian American history embedded within urban spaces. I also articulate how these walking tours have the capacity to situate environmental struggles and activism within urban spaces, illustrating that various Asian American social and political activism has always been addressing environmental concerns. Furthermore, I argue that these walking tours of Asian American cultural landscapes enable us to recognize the long history of cross-ethnic organizing in Asian American activist movements. Lastly, I advocate for an Asian American environmental movement that incorporates a decolonial/indigenous framework, which could allow all marginalized communities to envision more just practices of spatial organizing and land use in the future.