Latin America is a region of great significance for current global challenges related to development and the environment. It is a continent of diversity; with its immense rainforests containing a large share of the Earth’s biodiversity, it holds vital resources for climate mitigation as well as the conservation of species. Its rich natural resources have also been a requisite for the rapid industrialisation and economic growth of rising economic powers whose demand for natural resources pose a significant challenge to Latin America’s own sustainable development. The last decade of innovative social policies and poverty reduction schemes in Latin America have become models for developing countries worldwide. Its historically rooted inequality continues to profoundly challenge Latin American societal development. On the global political scene Latin America and its emerging great power, Brazil, pose new challenges to the dominance of Western powers. Brazil, a member of the BRICS group – made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – is in a state of removing itself out of its historical dependence from the United States. Concurrently, this all occurs while indigenous populations that historically have been marginalised and oppressed have challenged the political control and ideological domination of the old elites and provided new visions for alternative development paths. Latin America: Developmental Trends The Centre views Latin America development as of particular significance and balance to global trends. Our researchers have been investigating Latin America’s developmental trends for more than two decades and have a strong, capable expertise and regional network. In Latin America we have research experience in sustainable consumption, socio-economics and well-being, gender and agricultural vocation, social inequality, governance and nature conservation, alterations in political and economic elite-ship and public-private relations in regards to development and environmental governance. The Centre has been working closely with a number of Brazilian, Mexican and European institutions that foresee considerable variation among Latin American countries.
Throughout the last century, most of Latin America has experienced some form of sustained development. The crisis years of the 1980s may have been an irregularity, caused by policy errors, adverse industrial country-based policies or misfortune. Over the last decade, in particular, national markets have been created and fortified, production has been decentralised and many Latin American countries have become well integrated with the global economy. A host of recent political, economic and institutional transformations should facilitate a renewal of Latin American modernisation at an accelerated pace. This overall argumentation is supported by considerable data and the Centre's ongoing research. Reference Mekonnen, M. M., Pahlow, M., Aldaya, M. M., Zarate, E., and Hoekstra, A. Y. (2015). "Sustainability, efficiency and equitability of water consumption and pollution in Latin America and the Caribbean". Sustainability, 7(2): 2086-2112. | RESEARCH SUSTAINABILITY HUMAN GEOGRAPHY DEVELOPING WORLD AFRICA ASIA LATIN AMERICA GLOBAL HEALTH REMOTE SENSING POPULATION MIGRATION TRANSPORTATION FOOD AND AGRICULTURE GIS ENVIRONMENT INTERDISCIPLINARY SOCIETAL STUDIES INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION  BRICS GROUP    |
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