Loading...
7 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
- Exploring Portuguese physicians' perceptions of climate change impacts on health: a qualitative studyPublication . Ponte, Nidia; Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo GuedesIntroduction: Health professionals, as primary responders to climate change health impacts, must be wellinformed to effectively communicate adaptation risks and benefits to influence both patients and organizations. This study was undertaken in order to survey how physicians in Portugal understand, explain, and experience the impacts of climate change on health in their clinical practice. Understanding physicians’ knowledge level on this subject also can help determine whether training is needed, and through what educational mechanisms. Material and methods: Using a semi-structured interview script, this study applied a qualitative methodology with interviews of 13 physicians from various medical specialties in Portugal, aged 28 to 73. Results: All participants recognized that human action is the main contributor to climate change, indicating that fossil fuels and overproduction are the main factors responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. They also agreed that climate change affects human health. However, they reported that they find connecting diseases to climate change challenging in their clinical practice, and expressed the need for training on the effects of climate change on health. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that physicians recognized the importance of understanding and communicating the connection between climate change and health in their daily practice, and that failure to recognize these impacts may affect appropriate diagnosis and preparedness for extreme climate events. These results highlight the urgency of addressing the health impacts of climate change and underscore the role of education and awareness.
- Editorial: Shaping healthier cities. Ecosystem services and health for a responsive human-nature relationsPublication . Salata, Stefano; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Alves, Fátima; Ribeiro, Ana Isabel; Artmann, MartinaShaping Healthier Cities -Ecosystem Services and Health for a Responsive Human-Nature Relations Cities have become the predominant living environments of human beings worldwide. In an era of social-ecological crisis intensified by climate change, loss of biodiversity, and socio-environmental injustice, the shaping of responsive cities is crucial for fostering healthy and regenerative urban societies and nature preservation beyond the instrumental value. The role of urban environmental spatial qualities should be rethought in light of the COVID-19 pandemic diffusion (Bolleter et al., 2022). However, the relationship between the daily environmental conditions of urban citizens and their health, as well as the interconnection between healthy nature as a basis for resilient cities are lacking an organic inclusion in the urban design, thus limiting the capacity for shaping cities in the context of planetary health (Pineo et al., 2021;WBGU, 2021). Although ecosystem services' relations with urban planning have been at the center of numerous publications aiming to find practical solutions for building sustainable cities, the systematic investigation of how ecosystem services affect human health is still an open subject. Furthermore, the well-being of citizens is a concept that goes beyond the instrumental values of nature, which are the This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article focus of the ecosystem service concept. In this regard, an integrative ecosystem services valuation 39 needs to consider relational and intrinsic values unfolding in responsive human-nature relations 40 striving for a good life for humans and non-humans in cities and beyond. Healthy urban human-41 nature relations call for a fundamental shift in attitudes and norms regarding how we deal with non-42 humans, considering that our health is inseparable from nature's health, a web of interdependencies 43 (Moore, 2015). This is also linked with biocultural diversity, which has gained attention since 44 recognizing the intangible cultural values of the natural environment as a key for promoting 45 intercultural dialogue among communities. In fact, there is a need to integrate and consider the 46 sociocultural specificities in each territory and the diversity of visions of human-nature relations in the new shaping of healthier cities for all, humans and non-humans.
- Deliverable 2.3: research report on society and naturePublication . Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Valentim, Cristina Sá; Guazzini, Andrea; Duradoni, Mirko; Costa, Paulo Manuel; Novelli, Luca; Puttini, SpartacoIn this deliverable “Research Report on Society and Nature” (D2.3) we intend to contribute to three major aspects of the Phoenix project, namely, the understanding of society-nature relations and their construction, the sociocultural influence on the implementation of the European Green Deal, and the methodological approaches to foster green transition in each pilot territory. The deliverable firstly aims to contribute to (1) a broader understanding of how societies and individuals in each pilot territory make sense and produce meanings about their relation with nature and the environment from different socio-cultural backgrounds, as sociocultural constructions; (2) secondly, to understand to what extent different sociocultural constructions of Nature and Environment can condition the implementation of European Green Deal measures and contribute to the ecological transition; and thirdly, (3) based on the social construction of nature and the environment in each pilot territory, provide considerations for the identification of the best methodological approach for deliberative and participatory processes ). This report emphasizes that the successful involvement of people in the ecological transition requires mechanisms of participation that are grounded in fair, inclusive, and plural processes. A transformative policy for ecological transition must deeply understand the biophysical, socio-economic, and cultural characteristics of the territories, requiring transformative processes at both individual and structural levels.
- Interdependencies of societies and nature in democratic innovations for the ecological transitionPublication . Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Alves, FátimaNature has been understood as a condition of opposition to the organization of social life, according to Latour (2004), reporting symbolically and practically to non-human elements in nature/culture collectives that vary according to the relative positions of each one. Bearing this in mind, the European Green Deal (EGD) transition pathway is a major challenge for Europe, whose ambition requires joint efforts to articulate diverse contexts and visions of humans/nature collectives and relations. The challenge is to understand and consider the social construction of nature and the environment, as contextual, produced by a web of different dimensions interrelated and interdependent, comprising different meanings that condition the implementation of EGD’s measures.
- Cartografia social do território da Malcata: relatório territorializadoPublication . Alves, Fátima; Borges, Júlia; Castro, Paula; Gallo, Edmundo; Paula, Anabela; Vidal, Diogo GuedesO relatório "Cartografia Social do Território da Malcata" apresenta os resultados de um projeto colaborativo entre a Universidade de Coimbra e o Observatório Territórios Sustentáveis e Saudáveis da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), que resultaram de um trabalho participativo assente numa metodologia de cartografia social implementada na região da Serra da Malcata. O objetivo principal foi mapear as percepções sobre as características biofísicas e sócio-culturais e económicas dos territórios em foco, identificar os desafios e as potencialidades desses territórios a partir da perspectiva das comunidades locais, de modo a apoiar a transição ecológica e o desenvolvimento sustentável. As dinâmicas envolveram localidades como Vilar Maior, Sabugal e Malcata, identificando questões como despovoamento, insegurança hídrica e oportunidades no turismo de base comunitária. O estudo conclui com a proposta de estratégias de governança participativa e valorização dos patrimónios locais como ferramentas essenciais para revitalização e sustentabilidade territorial.
- The rights of nature and the human right to nature: an overview of the European legal system and challenges for the ecological transitionPublication . Alves, Fátima; Costa, Paulo Manuel; Novelli, Luca; Vidal, Diogo GuedesThe recognition of the Rights of Nature has been established though several constitutional, legislative, and judicial enactments, which aim to provide legal protection for non-humans’ entities and natural systems. Although some countries have made progress in recognizing the rights of nature, the prevailing assumption remains that nature is a resource to be exploited for human benefit. In the context of ecological transition debates, it is important to understand how the European legal system perceives Nature and its rights. Achieving a significant shift in legal and cultural norms that prioritize nature’s protection may be challenging.Methods: This paper reports on research conducted in a sample of 6 countries within the PHOENIX consortium, a European H2020 project that aims to develop participatory methodologies and democratic innovations to facilitate the ecological transition as envisioned by the European Green Deal, whose objective was to find out how these countries embodied the Rights of nature into their legal systems, both at constitutional level and at the level of environmental and related laws and policies.Results: The results indicate that in legislative terms, concepts of nature are absent, and instead, the term environment or natural resources are used. Furthermore, rights of nature are rarely recognized in all countries, with anthropocentric and in instrumental views prevailing. In contrast, the human right to Nature is widely recognized in all countries, referring to the right of all individuals to access to and live in a healthy environment.Discussion: Despite the importance of the human right to Nature as a matter of equity and justice, failure to recognise the rights of nature and protect/respect its limits may constitute a potential barrier to ecological transition.
- Voices seeking to be heard: rethinking nature's role in deliberative processes for an ecological democracyPublication . Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Alves, Fátima