Aspects To Consider When Dealing With Climate Change From A Political Ecology Perspective

Abstract

This paper focuses on a series of aspects, evident in dealing with climatic change, from the Latin American political ecology point of view. These are: the promotion of extractivism in Latin America and environmental and social movements that emerged as a direct consequence of this; the manifest power relations between institutions and countries that are leaders in research worldwide, which, at the same time, ignore alternatives to control pollution effects locally; and last, climate change as an hegemonic discourse which is at risk of becoming just a motto and makes us wonder if it could be suitable to talk about environmental crisis given this context.

The theoretical framework provided by Latin American political ecology sets its bases in a deep consideration of history marked by the conquest. In its analysis, relations between political, economic and cultural elites with metropolis and natural resources are key.

Methodology applied in the research focused on reading and analysis of theoretical bibliography as much as study cases and recent news stories on the subject.

We conclude that climate change process becomes a slogan that ends up co-existing with on-going extractive activities which contribute to the spoilage of environment itself. It is necessary to go further in decolonial reflection and practices.

Keywords: political ecology; climate change; socio-environmental crisis; extractivism.