Browsing by Author "Viegas, Vanda"
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- Alterações climáticas, perceções e racionalidadesPublication . Viegas, Vanda; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Dias, João Alveirinho; Alves, FátimaConsiderando que as Alterações Climáticas (AC) – uma das cinco áreas-guia da Estratégia 2020 da Comissão Europeia – são um problema global que requer respostas locais articuladas aos níveis macro, meso e micro; e que a sua compreensão implica a identificação das relações reciprocamente influentes entre a Natureza, a Sociedade e a Cultura; qualquer intervenção – seja no sentido da mitigação das AC, seja no sentido da adaptação às AC – envolve necessariamente essa mesma sociedade, em toda a complexidade das suas dimensões socioculturais e ambientais. Neste artigo, enquadrado pelas teorias compreensivas, refletimos brevemente sobre algumas das inter-relações entre os sistemas climáticos, ambientais e socioculturais e defendemos que as racionalidades leigas, por se enraizarem em tipos e fontes de saber plurais, são um dos pilares para melhor se compreender e lidar com o fenómeno das AC. Whereas Climate Change (CC) – one of the five prioritary areas of the Strategy 2020 of the European Commission – is a global challenge needing local responses, articulated at the macro, meso and micro levels; and while its understanding entails identifying mutually influential relationships between Nature, Society and Culture, any intervention – either to mitigate or adapt to CC – necessarily involves society itself, in the full complexity of its sociocultural and environmental dimensions. In a world in the midst of a major demographic transition, with a population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, issues like sustainability, resource use, scarcity and sharing, have been interwoven in the international, regional and local arenas. This paper develops in the light of comprehensive theories. The methodological procedures are based upon desk research and all the work relies on the reflexive notion and today´s ubiquitous complexity. The spirit of this pivotal approach is the interest in knowledge, curiosity for different dimensions of knowledge and how it is (re)produced, articulated and reflected in the relationships of the individual human being, with itself, with other human beings, with other living creatures and with the environment. This papers argues that the lay rationalities, because they take root in various types and sources of knowledge, are one of the pillars to better understand and deal with the phenomenon of CC. Part one of this paper makes a brief reference to ethical implications, preceded by a succinct analysis of the key dynamics and processes, which are considered responsible for the variability and climate change in a diachronic perspective. Part two discusses some of the sustainability issues, with a brief introduction to the pathways and strategies for mitigating and adapting to CC, which have been outlined and lie ahead, linking the global dimension to the local dimension, governments to markets and to civil society. Finally, focusing on lay rationalities, a brief approach is sought regarding the issues of reflexivity, social capital and the ‘knowledge-power’ concept, keeping in mind that the study of the social reality, which is complex in nature, is always a (de)constructed exercise of dialectics between generalization and specialization.
- Understanding social sciences students’ perceptions of environment and nature: implications for critical thinking, reimagine socioecological futures and enriching intercultural dialoguesPublication . Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Lourenço, Vitória; Viegas, Vanda; Filho, Walter Leal; Newman, Julie; Lange Salvia, Amanda; Viera Trevisan, Laís; Corazza, LauraThis study presents the results of a survey applied to students of the curricular unit called “Environment, Health, and Wellbeing” which is part of the undergraduate degree in Social Sciences at the Universidade Aberta (Open University), an online distance public university in Portugal. The purpose of the survey was to understand students’ perceptions of the environment and nature, as constructed in their particular sociocultural contexts. It consisted of a series of questions about their environmental perceptions, their position on the environmental crisis and a call to re-imagine future socio-ecological scenarios. The survey was applied online to a universe of 308 students, organised in 5 classes of this curricular unit. With a total of 92 responses (29.9%), the majority of responses came from females (79.8%), with an average age of 44 years old and employed. Through qualitative analysis and reference to established themes, we reveal the multifaceted nature of students’ perspectives on environmental challenges. Students are concerned about environmental issues such as climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity and believe that these issues should be addressed through policies and regulations. They were also capable of envisioning potential futures and exploring pessimistic, realistic, and optimistic scenarios. These findings underscore the significance of acknowledging and embracing diversity in social-ecological education. They bolster the argument that adjusting educational strategies to accommodate various perspectives, identifying obstacles, fostering critical thinking, and promoting innovation can inspire contextually relevant solutions to global socio-environmental challenges. Socio-ecological education needs to resonate with a wide range of students to empower them as agents of change in our rapidly changing world.