Pollution in Latin America
Pollution is one of the major causes of the ecological crisis in many countries in Latin America. This is the dark outcome of industrial development and human intervention. While helping many people from hardships and their needs, this development has also created new forms of oppression for human and nonhuman natures. Air pollution in specific is the biggest environmental risk for health in Latin America according to the World Health Organization.
One of the most known reasons why air pollution in Latin America is very pertinent in the number of population and number of vehicles that release all types of emissions into the air in Latin America and its growing steadily. I personally find this topic relevant for the study of Latin American environment history because as we have learned in class and read on the article by Serenella Iovino and watched on the film about the catadores and Brazil. These people make a living out of trash because they have family needs to fulfill and also these examples relate to the wider problem of environmental destruction and preservation. Although Brazil and Mexico have the highest death tolls due to air pollution in Latin America, a result not entirely unexpected, as these countries have the largest populations in the region, they do not necessarily have the region’s highest urban pollution levels. Instead, Chile had some of the most polluted cities in Latin America in 2019. These high levels have been mostly ascribed to a cultural tradition of wood-fired cooking. A similar situation can be found in Haiti. We can also see in The Vieques Case and how it shows how the military destroyed the island’s ecosystem and its people in search of a desperate fight for justice. Efforts to reduce dangerous air and climate pollutants by Latin American and Caribbean countries could reap immediate and long-term benefits for health, food security and the climate.
· Lucy Walker, Waste Land download (Also available on Prime Video and YouTube
· Max Mönch, Kings in Paradise: The Vieques Case
Optional Resources:
· Serenella Iovino, “Pollution” download
