Social Environmental Conflicts In Mexico

What are the political economic conditions that have given rise to increasing numbers of social environmental conflicts in Mexico? Why do these conflicts arise in some local and regional contexts and not in others? How are social environmental movements constructed and sustained? And what are the alternatives? These are the questions that this book seeks to address. It is organized into three parts. The first provides a panoramic view of social environmental conflicts in Mexico and of alternatives that are being constructed from below in rural areas. It also provides an analysis of the recent reforms to open the country’s energy sector to private and foreign investment. The second is comprised of local-level case studies of conflict (and no conflict) in diverse geographic locations and cultural settings, particularly in relation to the construction of wind farms, hydraulic infrastructure, industrial water pollution, and groundwater overdraft. The third explores alternatives from below in the form of community-based ecotourism and traditional mezcal production. A concluding chapter engages comparative and global analysis.

'Mexico in Focus' complies the work of many authors who examine Mexico as a whole, giving the reader an insight into its social, economic, political and environmental problems.

Mexican Americans have traditionally had a strong land ethic, believing that humans must respect la tierra because it is the source of la vida. As modern market forces exploit the earth, communities struggle to control their own ecological futures, and several studies have recorded that Mexican Americans are more impacted by environmental injustices than are other national-origin groups. In our countryside, agricultural workers are poisoned by pesticides, while farmers have lost ancestral lands to expropriation. And in our polluted inner cities, toxic wastes sicken children in their very playgrounds and homes. This book addresses the struggle for environmental justice, grassroots democracy, and a sustainable society from a variety of Mexican American perspectives. It draws on the ideas and experiences of people from all walks of life—activists, farmworkers, union organizers, land managers, educators, and many others—who provide a clear overview of the most critical ecological issues facing Mexican-origin people today. The text is organized to first provide a general introduction to ecology, from both scientific and political perspectives. It then presents an environmental history for Mexican-origin people on both sides of the border, showing that the ecologically sustainable Norteño land use practices were eroded by the conquest of El Norte by the United States. It finally offers a critique of the principal schools of American environmentalism and introduces the organizations and struggles of Mexican Americans in contemporary ecological politics. Devon Peña contrasts tenets of radical environmentalism with the ecological beliefs and grassroots struggles of Mexican-origin people, then shows how contemporary environmental justice struggles in Mexican American communities have challenged dominant concepts of environmentalism. Mexican Americans and the Environment is a didactically sound text that introduces students to the conceptual vocabularies of ecology, culture, history, and politics as it tells how competing ideas about nature have helped shape land use and environmental policies. By demonstrating that any consideration of environmental ethics is incomplete without taking into account the experiences of Mexican Americans, it clearly shows students that ecology is more than nature study but embraces social issues of critical importance to their own lives.

This Element analyses the political dynamics of neo-extractivism in Latin America. It discusses the critical concepts of neo-extractivism and the commodity consensus and the various phases of socio-environmental conflict, proposing an eco-territorial approach that uncovers the escalation of extractive violence. It also presents horizontal concepts and debates theories that explore the language of Latin American socio-environmental movements, such as Buen Vivir and Derechos de la Naturaleza. In concluding, it proposes an explanation for the end of the progressive era, analyzing its ambiguities and limitations in the dawn of a new political cycle marked by the strengthening of the political rights.

True progress toward an ecologically sound environment and a socially just culture will be initially expensive in money and effort. The longer we wait, however, the more disastrous the environmental condition will become, the more disputes will arise as a result of our declining quality of life, and the more expensive and difficult the necessary social changes will be. The second edition of a bestseller, Resolving Environmental Conflicts demonstrates how to practice the type of conflict resolution that not only settles a dispute but also heals the people. Once the consultants and mediators leave, the work must go on. This second edition covers the basic transformative concepts vital for resolving environmental conflicts. It includes discussions of the inviolate biophysical principles, how the English language is changing, as well as the critical principles of social behavior. It also examines new dynamics in making decisions along with the effects of the younger generations shifting their interests from nature-oriented interest to technologically oriented interests and their subsequent lack of understanding the importance of the natural environment to a sustainable society. No biological shortcuts, technological quick fixes, or political rhetoric can mend what is broken. Dramatic, fundamental change is necessary if we are really concerned with bettering the quality of life. It is not a question of can we change or can't we, but one of will we change or won't we. Change is a choice, a choice of individuals reflected in the collective of society and mirrored in the landscape throughout the generations. Considerably more than a "how to" directive, this book examines the "whys" of the mediation process and broadens the knowledge base by providing the philosophical underpinnings of "a new environmental responsibility."

This book compiles the works of many authors from some of the best academic institutions in the world, all related to Mexico's contemporary general conditions. The main objective of this compilation is to examine Mexico as a whole, giving the reader an insight in its social, economic, political and environmental problems. For this purpose, the texts have been chosen in a way that after analysing a few of them, one will find them all correlated. The problems analysed in this book range from very recent (some of them occurring this past year) to others that go back decades or even centuries. In this sense, this contribution gives readers a historical perception of the problems captured. Some chapters develop scientific conclusions based on strict scientific research; however, the reader will find that the language is not overwhelming and the chapters can be thoroughly and easily read. Overall, it is a wonderful compilation made possible by all contributing authors and their interest to publish their most recent research on it. We hope that readers enjoy going through the pages of these chapters as they venture through contemporary Mexico, analysing topics from the environmental difficulties of Coahuila's sand dunes to social changes in the Meseta Purépecha, passing through other topics, such as, the conditions of human rights protection in Mexico or the return of the PRI regime, among other great discussions. The authors' interests are as different as their disciplines, but, in this case, diversity is important for maintaining multidisciplinary interpretations on the current needs of the Mexican society.