Political ecology, ecological economics, and public health: interfaces for the sustainability of development and health promotion
01 Jan 2007-Cadernos De Saude Publica (Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz)-Vol. 23
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus contributions from political ecology and ecological economics to the field of collective health with a view towards integrating the discussions around health promotion, socio-environmental sustainability, and development.
Abstract: This article proposes to focus contributions from political ecology and ecological economics to the field of collective health with a view towards integrating the discussions around health promotion, socio-environmental sustainability, and development. Ecological economics is a recent interdisciplinary field that combines economists and other professionals from the social, human, and life sciences. The field has developed new concepts and methodologies that seek to grasp the relationship between the economy and ecological and social processes such as social metabolism and metabolic profile, thereby interrelating economic, material, and energy flows and producing indicators and indexes for (un)sustainability. Meanwhile, political ecology approaches ecological issues and socio-environmental conflicts based on the economic and power dynamics characterizing modern societies. Collective health and the discussions on health promotion can expand our understanding of territory, communities, and the role of science and institutions based on the contributions of political ecology and ecological economics in analyzing development models and the distributive and socio-environmental conflicts generated by them.
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01 Jun 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make a general assessment of the relationship between the Brazilian agrarian model and the impacts of pesticide use on health and environment, and propose a research agenda that integrates the different sectors engaged in protecting health, environment and also food safety and sovereignty.
Abstract: The hegemonic agrarian model in Brazil is based on crops for export that are intensive in mechanized technologies and in the use of pesticides. The country became the world largest pesticide consumer and is ranked as the market that will grow the most in the near future. The purpose of this article was to make a general assessment of the relationship between the Brazilian agrarian model and the impacts of pesticide use on health and environment. To confront these problems, we propose a research agenda that integrates the different sectors engaged in protecting health, environment, and also food safety and sovereignty. We evidenced and discussed the need to: give greater visibility to the impacts as well as socio-environmental and health costs of the predominant model, adopt economic instruments that will encourage the use of cleaner technologies and healthier production models compatible with family farming, discourage productive systems that offer more environmental and health risks, along with developing and implementing public policies based on advances in ecological economics and agroecology, with the participation of social movements, regulatory institutions, and research groups.
68 citations
TL;DR: The Map of Environmental Injustice and Health in Brazil as mentioned in this paper has 570 emblematic environmental conflicts in all regions of Brazil, including mining expansion, oil and gas extractions, infrastructure (roads, mega-dams), agribusiness, and pesticide pollution.
Abstract: This article discusses the experience of the map of conflicts related to environmental injustices and health in Brazil and its potential contribution to international movements for environmental justice. Inventories and maps of environmental injustices are important instruments of struggle against injustice and racism, since they increase the visibility of populations, whose lives are threatened. The Brazilian map is published online since 2010 and was an initiative of FIOCRUZ, a public health and academic institution, and the NGO FASE, in cooperation with the Brazilian Network of Environmental Injustice (RBJA), created in 2001. Environmental justice arised in Brazil as a field of reflection and mobilization, and as a rallying point to identify the struggle of several groups and entities, such as rural and urban grassroots movements, indigenous peoples, traditional populations, and peasants affected by different hazards and risks, as well as environmentalists, trade unions, and scientists. Currently, the map has 570 emblematic environmental conflicts in all regions of Brazil. Many economic activities are causing the conflicts such as mining expansion, oil and gas extractions, infrastructure (roads, mega-dams), agribusiness, and pesticide pollution, often with the support of governmental institutions.
42 citations
Cites background from "Political ecology, ecological econo..."
...In contrast, there is a plurality of demands, protests, and collective rights achievements which, through their joint coordination, produce subjectivities, platforms, agendas networks, and social movements wider than stakeholders (Porto and Martinez-Alier 2007), which are fundamental to social transformation....
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...during the production or transport stage or, ultimately, the disposal of tailings (Porto and Martinez-Alier 2007)....
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...…there is a plurality of demands, protests, and collective rights achievements which, through their joint coordination, produce subjectivities, platforms, agendas networks, and social movements wider than stakeholders (Porto and Martinez-Alier 2007), which are fundamental to social transformation....
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...These occur in accordance with moments along the ‘‘commodity chain’’ from the material’s extraction or the production of energy used, during the production or transport stage or, ultimately, the disposal of tailings (Porto and Martinez-Alier 2007)....
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...flicts in Latin America and Brazil has been recently discussed by some authors (de Molina and Toledo 2014; Porto and Martinez-Alier 2007)....
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TL;DR: The characteristics of the Brazilian model of development, its impacts and conflicts within social, environmental and health fields are discussed and some elements that could be incorporated by a research agenda committed to the debate about the 'socioenvironmental crisis' are proposed.
Abstract: A realizacao da 1a Conferencia Nacional de Saude Ambiental, a ser realizada em dezembro de 2009, apresenta inumeros desafios ao campo da Saude Coletiva. Seus objetivos e eixos adotam conceitos-chave como desenvolvimento, sustentabilidade, processos de producao e consumo, a questao da democracia e das politicas publicas, revelando a abrangencia, a novidade e o forte carater interdisciplinar e intersetorial da Saude Ambiental. Ao resgatar e articular temas importantes para a Saude Coletiva, a conferencia aponta para a necessidade de refletirmos sobre os determinantes socioambientais da saude na atualidade, de forma a avancarmos na construcao de diretrizes e acoes de vigilância e promocao da saude. Este artigo discute as caracteristicas do modelo de desenvolvimento brasileiro, seus impactos e conflitos socioambientais e sanitarios. Usamos como referenciais teoricos e empiricos os acumulos provenientes dos campos da economia ecologica e da ecologia politica, assim como as experiencias de cooperacao junto a Rede Brasileira de Justica Ambiental e diversos movimentos sociais. Dois casos serao aprofundados, o do agronegocio e uso de agrotoxicos, e a expansao da cadeia siderurgica no pais. Ao final, elencamos alguns pontos para compor uma agenda da "crise" socioambiental.
39 citations
TL;DR: Historical and conceptual aspects of those fields are described in a summarized manner, as well as some shared features and expected actions of the Health System, with emphasis to the role of Primary Health Care and to the importance of the dialogue with the social movement.
Abstract: This paper has the purpose of contributing to the discussion of the crossing areas between Environmental Health and Workers Health, in the Brazilian context of Labor, Production, Environment and Health. This paper emerges in the context of the current organizational changes of the Brazilian National Health System (SUS), with a major focus on Primary Health Care, having in mind, also, the preparation of the 1st National Environmental Health Conference (1 feminine CNSA) to be held in December of 2009. So, historical and conceptual aspects of those fields are described in a summarized manner, as well as some shared features and expected actions of the Health System, with emphasis to the role of Primary Health Care and to the importance of the dialogue with the social movement. Finally, some topics for a common agenda were identified by the authors.
34 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present theoretical contributions to the construction of a critical socio-environmental approach from a review of the literature structured around previous work on the mapping of environmental conflicts, and conducting empirical studies in conflicting areas.
Abstract: The phenomenon of globalization and the increase in neo-extractivism in the global periphery intensify the search for new territories and natural resources for the economy, resulting in significant impacts on ecosystems and on the lives of vulnerable populations. It is considered that the environmental crisis imposes new challenges and requires an updating of the theoretical and methodological foundations of collective health and the social determinants of health. The scope of this paper is to present theoretical contributions to the construction of a critical socio-environmental approach from a review of the literature structured around previous work on the mapping of environmental conflicts, and conducting empirical studies in conflicting areas. The contributions of sociology, political ecology, postcolonial studies and geography is summarized for the discussion of the socio-environmental determinants of health, as well as experiences that integrate emancipatory knowledge, political subjects, resistances and alternatives for society.
28 citations
References
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TL;DR: The ecosystem approach developed by researchers in the Great Lakes Basin meets the requirements of this approach for open and democratic communication, negotiation, and ecological awareness and makes its implementation worthwhile.
Abstract: Disease and health outcomes occur within a complex socio-ecological context characterized by feedback loops across space and time, self-organization, holarchies, and sudden changes in organization when thresholds are reached. Disease control programs, even if they are successful, may undermine health; conversely, programs in agriculture and economic development designed to improve health may simply alter disease patterns. A research and development strategy to promote sustainable health must therefore incorporate multiple scales, multiple perspectives, and high degrees of uncertainty. The ecosystem approach developed by researchers in the Great Lakes Basin meets these criteria. This has implications for community involvement in research, development policies, and for understanding and controlling tropical and emerging diseases. Even if unsuccessful in achieving specific outcome targets, however, the requirements of this approach for open and democratic communication, negotiation, and ecological awareness make its implementation worthwhile.
100 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a discussao implica numa abordagem de questoes teorico-conceituais, de aspectos historicos e dos resultados cientificos em termos dos estudos realizados nesta area.
Abstract: Neste artigo, pretende-se apresentar e discutir a incorporacao da tematica saude e ambiente no campo de conhecimento e praticas de intervencao da "Saude Coletiva". Essa discussao implica numa abordagem de questoes teorico-conceituais, de aspectos historicos e dos resultados cientificos em termos dos estudos realizados nesta area. Compreende, tambem, uma rapida incursao sobre as acoes preconizadas para mitigacao, prevencao e controle das situacoes ambientais potencialmente causadoras de agravos a saude e destes proprios agravos. O eixo principal de abordagem sera aquele das relacoes entre a producao, o ambiente e a saude, enfatizando algumas possibilidades metodologicas deste campo do conhecimento cientifico.
98 citations
TL;DR: In the 1970s, an emergent new school of thought caused great excitement and hope among a diverse group of critical thinkers as mentioned in this paper, and the publication of Schumacher's best-seller Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered (Schumacher, 1973) was experienced as a path-breaking public event.
96 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an analise de dados sobre grupos de pesquisa, a producao de teses e dissertacoes e a publicacao de artigos cientificos reveal that o campo da saude coletiva ocupa um papel marginal na pesquise sobre o tema problemas ambientais e a pesquisis e a produção das ciencias sociais respondem por uma parcela muito pequena.
Abstract: Problemas ambientais e sua interface com a saude estao sempre presentes nos discursos e praticas sanitarias. Em meados do seculo 19, com os intensos impactos do processo de industrializacao e urbanizacao sobre as condicoes sanitarias e de saude, esses problemas sao vistos como resultados de processos politicos e sociais. Mas com o paradigma microbiano essa relacao foi reduzida aos problemas de saneamento e a controle de vetores. A dimensao social e politica passa a ocupar lugar marginal e periferico. Para os movimentos ambientalistas e a medicina social latino-americana a nocao de problemas ambientais e de problemas de saude e ampliada. Apesar dos avancos, a analise de dados sobre grupos de pesquisa, a producao de teses e dissertacoes e a publicacao de artigos cientificos revelam que o campo da saude coletiva ocupa um papel marginal na pesquisa sobre o tema problemas ambientais e a pesquisa e a producao das ciencias sociais respondem por uma parcela muito pequena. O quadro atual impoe a necessidade de se avancar quantitativa e qualitativamente na pesquisa e producao cientifica da saude coletiva sendo urgente no que se refere as ciencias sociais e, particularmente, nas ciencias sociais em saude.
86 citations
01 Jan 1999
TL;DR: The International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) was formed in 1988, and major international conferences have brought together ecologists, economists and a broad range of other scientists and practitioners.
Abstract: HISTORICAL ROOTS AND MOTIVATIONS Ecology and economics have developed as separate disciplines throughout their recent histories in the 20th century. While each has addressed the way in which living systems self-organize to enable individuals and communities to meet their goals, and while each has borrowed theoretical concepts from the other and shared patterns of thinking with other sciences, they began with different first principles, addressed separate issues, utilized different assumptions to reach answers, and supported different interests in the policy process. Bringing these domains of thought together and attempting to reintegrate the natural and social sciences has lead to what we call ecological economics. After numerous experiments with joint meetings between economists and ecologists in the 1980's (e.g. Jansson 1984), the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) was formed in 1988, the journal, Ecological Economics, was initiated and published its first issue in February of 1989 (currently publishing 12 issues per yea r), and major international conferences have brought together ecologists, economists and a broad range of other scientists and practitioners. Several ecological economic institutes have been formed around the world, and a significant number of books have appeared with the term ecological economics in their titles (e.g. Martinez Alier 1987, Costanza 1991, Peet 1992, The Group of Green Economists 1992, Jansson et al 1994, Barbier et al. 1994, Costanza et al. 1997a, Edward-Jones et al. 2000). As Martinez-Alier (1987) and Cleveland (1987) point out, ecological economics has historical roots as long and deep as any field in economics or the natural sciences, going back to at least the 17th century. Nevertheless, its immediate roots lie in work done in the 1960s and 1970s. Kenneth Boulding's classic "The economics of the coming spaceship Earth" (Boulding 1966) set the stage for ecological economics with its description of the transition from the "frontier economics" of the past, where growth in human welfare implied growth in material consumption, to the "spaceship economics" of the future, where growth in welfare can no longer be fueled by growth in material consumption. This fundamental difference in vision and world view was elaborated further by Daly (1968) in recasting economics as a life science-akin to biology and especially ecology, rather than a physical science like chemistry or physics. The importance of this shift in "pre-analytic vision" (Schumpeter 1950) cannot be overemphasized. It imp lies a fundamental change in the perception of the problems of resource allocation and how they should be addressed. More particularly, it implies that the focus of analysis should be shifted from marketed resources in the economic system to the biophysical basis of interdependent ecological and economic systems, (Clark, 1973; Martinez-Alier, 1987; Cleveland, 1987; and Christensen, 1989). The broader focus of ecological economics is carried in a 'systems' framework. The systems approach, with its origins in non-linear mathematics, general systems theory, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, and ecosystem ecology, is a comparatively recent development that has opened up lines of inquiry that were off the agenda for earlier work in what Lotka termed biophysical economics (Clark 1976, Cleveland 1987, Martinez-Alier 1987, Christensen 1989, Clark and Munroe 1994). While bioeconomic and ecological economic models both incorporate the dynamics of the natural resources under exploitation, the former tend to take a partial rather than a general equilibrium approach (van der Ploeg et al. 1987). The core problem addressed in ecological economics is the sustainability of interactions between economic and ecological systems. Ecological economics addresses the relationships between ecosystems and economic systems in the broadest sense (Costanza 1991). It involves issues that are fundamentally cross-scale, transcultural and transdisciplinary, and calls for innovative approaches to research, to policy and to the building of social institutions (Costanza and Daly 1987, Common and Perrings 1992, Holling 1994, Berkes and Folke 1994, d'Arge 1994, Golley 1994, Viederman 1994). …
70 citations