Socio-environmental Problem Research Articles

Cars and consumption

Cars are increasingly accepted as a socio-environmental problem. However, they are rarely considered as a political problem. This article critiques the dominant trend for research into supposedly more sustainable alternatives to the present car system, such as electric vehicles, taking to task the major theoretical school that attempts to lead this charge. In so doing, it recognises car ownership of any variety as embroiled in the culture of consumption, and suggests that any attempt to overcome the trouble with cars will also require a fundamental reappraisal of our consumption patterns.

GESTIÓN AMBIENTAL ARTICULADA, SOSTENIBLE Y EFECTIVA EN COSTA RICA

During the Arias Sanchez Administration the environmental agenda has been seriously affected by policies that threaten its preservation and maintenance. Specifically, the land use has become one of the more serious and persistent socioenvironmental problem; being affected not only by deficient legislation and weak implementation, but also by the severe lack of coordination between institutions that has turn into a transversal axis present in every level of the governmental organization in the country.

When climate science became climate politics: British media representations of climate change in 1988

Climate change has become a pressing environmental concern for scientists, social commentators and politicians. Previous social science research has explored media representations of climate change in various temporal and geographical contexts. Through the lens of Social Representations Theory, this article provides a detailed qualitative thematic analysis of media representations of climate change in the 1988 British broadsheet press, given that this year constitutes an important juncture in this transition of climate change from the domain of science to that of the socio-political sphere. The following themes are outlined: (i) "Climate change: a multi-faceted threat"; (ii) "Collectivisation of threat"; (iii) "Climate change and the attribution of blame"; and (iv) "Speculative solutions to a complex socio-environmental problem." The article provides detailed empirical insights into the "starting-point" for present-day disputes concerning climate change and lays the theoretical foundations for tracking the continuities and discontinuities characterising social representations of climate change in the future.

Modelo de intervención social y ambiente: el caso de algunos barrios antiguos de Xochimilco / Social and Environmental Intervention Model: The Case of Certain Old Neighborhoods in Xochimilco

En este artículo se examina el concepto de modelo de intervención social y su aplicación en la solución a problemas socioambientales a partir de las encuestas de opinión que se realizaron durante 2007 y 2008 en dos barrios de Xochimilco sobre la ejecución del programa “A no generar basura”, dirigido a evitar la contaminación de los canales del lago; se concluye que los resultados fueron limitados dadas la persistencia de la contaminación por basura y aguas negras en los canales y la presencia de asentamientos irregulares en la zona chinampera. La hipótesis de trabajo, corroborada con instrumentos analíticos, plantea que una alternativa a esta deficiente instrumentación es el establecimiento de un proceso de intervención social basado en la educación ambiental, cuyo principal eje sea considerar que el problema es contrario a una buena calidad de vida del grupo social afectado. Con ello se activaría su participación para alcanzar una solución efectiva a dicha problemática socioambiental.AbstractThis article examines the concept of the model of social intervention and its use in the solution of socio-environmental problems on the basis of the opinion surveys conducted in 2007 and 2008 in two neighborhoods in Xochimilco on the implementation of the “No More Garbage” program, designed to prevent the pollution of the lake channels. It concludes that the results were limited due to the persistence of pollution from rubbish and sewage in the canals and the presence of irregular settlements in the chinampa zone. The working hypothesis, corroborated by analytical instruments, posits that the alternative to this inefficient implementation is the establishment of a process of social intervention based on environmental education, whose main axis involves considering that the problem is not conducive to a good quality of life for the social group affected. This would activate their participation in order to achieve an effective solution to this socio-environmental problem.

Em busca de carvão vegetal barato: o deslocamento de siderúgica para Amazônia

The article analyzes the process the installation and operation, in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon area, of merchant pig iron producers the past two decades. In a smaller number and in a slower rhythm than expected by the state planners, twelve producers have settled in the Carajas Railroad Corridor. A merchant pig iron production requires high amounts of energy, supplied by charcoal. The article indicates meant an industry migration to that region whereas, until the 90’s, such producers were almost exclusively located in the Brazilian southeast, and that the charcoal demand is the main link between the industrial plants and the regional socio-economy. The charcoal production has resulted in many social and environmental impacts. Impacts materialized by the big pressure on the Amazon rain forest through imprudent environmental practices, and by charcoal production supported by precarious labor conditions, unhealthy working environment, and low wages. Such a scenario draw one alternative: the maintenance of pig iron production using the current patterns and the attachment of electric arc furnace on the existents blast furnaces in order to produce steel. At end the article appoints that the installing minimills do not solve the main socio environmental problem in the region: the processing of iron ore linked to the harmful effects caused by charcoal production. On the contrary, they can be even worsened.

Adoption of riparian forest buffers on private lands in Nebraska, USA

Pesticide and nutrient runoff from agricultural fields is a socio-environmental problem in the Midwestern United States. Riparian forest buffers (RFBs) are a proven conservation practice that effectively manage this problem, though adoption rates are low. A mail survey was conducted to determine differences between adopter and nonadopter characteristics and attitudes with regard to the use of RFBs. Data were collected from 48 RFB adopters and 261 RFB nonadopters in two Nebraska watersheds. Inferential and multivariate statistics were used to identify differences between adopter status and producer status groups. About half (50.8%) the respondents were nonproducers. Nonproducers are agricultural landowners not farming that make decisions about whether to install conservation practices on their land. Among the adopter respondents, non-farming agricultural landowners (nonproducers, n=25) were as likely to adopt RFBs as producers (n=23). Adopters were more informed about RFBs and willing to accept government payments. Receiving technical and financial assistance was a major key to adoption. The research has identified important opportunities for more effective and targeted RFB extension education programming.

Homelessness: An Interior Design Education Challenge?

Homelessness in the United States is growing at an alarming rate. Thousands of families and individuals have not achieved the basic need for shelter. This paper presents homelessness as a socio–environmental problem which requires the involvement of government, professional organizations, and the educational community. Evidence is presented of past activity and opportunity for future involvement of interior design programs.