Fighting for the Rainforest: Sustainable Development and Environmental Justice in Amazon

The preservation of the Amazon plays a key role in the efforts to combat climate change. However, the rainforest is currently undergoing a profound loss of biodiversity on a scale not seen in 65 million years. Infrastructure projects, extractive industries, and deforestation for agriculture are some of the main threats to the region¿s wildlife. Deforestation have also put human health, food and water security at risk while diminishing the capacity to adapt to future anthropogenic changes. This course explores the political, social-economic, and environmental conflicts that arise from the struggles over natural resources in the Amazon lowlands and the tropical Andes with a focus on the possibility of promoting a sustainable development and environmental justice agenda. As many biodiversity-rich countries in the region face the challenge of balancing biodiversity conservation and economic growth that alleviates poverty and generates job opportunities, there is an inherent tension between environmental and economic priorities.