Inequality and Care for the Earth

The pursuit of human flourishing for all in balance with ecosystems is today’s greatest moral and policy imperative. Yet, the pursuit of these two objectives often remains in tension. Under what conditions are concerns for social equity and care for the Earth addressed jointly, and under what conditions are they in tension? How is the idea of care for the earth, or environmental concern, invoked and translated into different demands, policies and practices? How is injustice experienced and voiced by different actors? Who bears the costs of social inequity and/or environmental injustice and the benefits of environmental remediation efforts, and at which scale?

In collaboration with the Oxford Department for International Development, the LSRI has initiated a research collaboration with academics based at Latin American universities to answer the above questions through selected territorial-based case studies from Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru, Chile and Mexico. The research will be published in a special issue in the journal Oxford Development Studies.