El cambio climático en Puerto Rico: la contribución del trabajo social ambiental al desarrollo de estrategias de adaptación y la formulación de políticas de justicia social: el caso del corredor del Yagȕazo Inc.

Abstract

This study explores opportunities for the theoretical methodological development of Environmental Social Work in Puerto Rico taking as a starting point the experience of “El Corredor del Yaguazo, Inc”., ecological and community work located in the Community of Juana Matos in Cataño, Puerto Rico. The research consists of an integrated case study to examine the process of resilience development and adaptation that mitigate the social and biophysical impacts of climate change identified in this community. During the case study, the coexistence elements was identified constituting a deprivation of fundamental human rights related to the environmental exposure of air, water and soil contamination and lack of essential resources for safety and health. In terms of public policy, the climate problem and its impact on marginalized communities represents a vast challenge for the Government of Puerto Rico. The impact of this phenomenon is multiple, of unpredictable dimensions and affecting all biodiversity. At the municipal level, obtaining the necessary technical capacity that allows the design of eco - social policies requires a strategic and multisectoral effort. Facing the climate challenge demands policies that integrate the multiple academic knowledge giving coherence to public management, relevance and permanence for the future. The research supports the thesis that states that communities through the exercise of eco-organization are fundamental natural scenarios for the development of public policies aimed at addressing complex social problems. In addition, I examine the usefulness of the case study to provide practical tools for a transdisciplinary work before the imminent complexity of the global climatic phenomenon.

This study explores opportunities for the theoretical methodological development of Environmental Social Work in Puerto Rico taking as a starting point the experience of “El Corredor del Yaguazo, Inc”., ecological and community work located in the Community of Juana Matos in Cataño, Puerto Rico. The research consists of an integrated case study to examine the process of resilience development and adaptation that mitigate the social and biophysical impacts of climate change identified in this community. During the case study, the coexistence elements was identified constituting a deprivation of fundamental human rights related to the environmental exposure of air, water and soil contamination and lack of essential resources for safety and health. In terms of public policy, the climate problem and its impact on marginalized communities represents a vast challenge for the Government of Puerto Rico. The impact of this phenomenon is multiple, of unpredictable dimensions and affecting all biodiversity. At the municipal level, obtaining the necessary technical capacity that allows the design of eco - social policies requires a strategic and multisectoral effort. Facing the climate challenge demands policies that integrate the multiple academic knowledge giving coherence to public management, relevance and permanence for the future. The research supports the thesis that states that communities through the exercise of eco-organization are fundamental natural scenarios for the development of public policies aimed at addressing complex social problems. In addition, I examine the usefulness of the case study to provide practical tools for a transdisciplinary work before the imminent complexity of the global climatic phenomenon.