Abstract

TETREAULT, Darcy Víctor. En torno al medio ambiente: una revisión de cuatro debates. Espiral (Guadalaj.) [online]. 2008, vol.14, n.42, pp.41-72. ISSN 1665-0565.

This essay explores four environmental debates about: 1. The limits of economic growth, 2. The seriousness of environmental problems on the international arena, 3. The relation between poverty and environmental degradation, y 4. The institutional faults associated to the so-called "tragedy of the common patrimony". These great debates emerged side by side to the environmental movement in the late 1960's, the early 1970's; they have evolved during the last forty years, but they have not been solved, partly due to the scientific uncertainty behind them, but also because they are inextricably entangled with political debates. This essay does not intent to solve them definitely; rather, an effort is made to present objectively the arguments by each party involved in every debate, pointing out how they relate to different political agendas.

Keywords : political ecology; environment; economic growth; poverty; sustainable development.