The Challenge to Revert Unsustainable Trends: Uneven Development and Water Degradation in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area

Sustainability

Antonio A. R. Ioris¹ 

[1] Lecturer in Geography, School of Geosciences, and Research Fellow at the Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), University of Aberdeen. Postal address: Department of Geography, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen, UK, AB24 3UF

关键词: Water sustainability;    water policy;    water conflicts;    river restoration;    environmental justice;    integrated water management;    Baixada Fluminense;    Rio de Janeiro.;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su1020133

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The search for water sustainability requires not only a combination of technical and managerial responses, but also firm action against socioeconomic injustices and political inequalities. The recognition of the politicised nature of water problems deserves particular attention in areas marred by long-term trends of environmental degradation and social exclusion. A case study of the Baixada Fluminense, an urbanised wetland in the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro, illustrates the challenge to reverse unsustainable practices in situations where water problems have been politically and electorally exploited. The research made use of an interdisciplinary approach to assess past and present initiatives that have attempted, but systematically failed, to restore river ecology and improve water services. The empirical results have important implications for water policy making and urban planning.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2009 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.