Reclaiming the Green Continent: Ecology, Globalization, and Policy and Decision in Latin America

Abstract

This essay examines Latin American technological development and its connections with regional economic development, ecological deterioration, political freedoms’ fluctuations, and globalization processes—understood as the spreading interconnectedness of business, science, technology, politics, and culture through large regions or the entirety of the world. The essay investigates how policy and decision issues resulting from Latin American technological development and its correlates can be plausibly addressed and argues for several theses, most notably, that in dealing with the issues, national legislation and international treaties have attained and are likely to attain their purposes only to a limited extent and in a mixed manner; that less legislation-dependent procedures evidence greater effectiveness and political feasibility; and that some globalization processes help fuel the environmental issues, while others help facilitate their resolution. The essay provides some concrete examples of how the issues can be soundly addressed.