Water science and democracy in Colombia's extractive frontiers
department or school: Land and Food Systems, Faculty of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Rinaldi, Parisa Nourani
issued: 2023-06-08T18:18:34Z
issued: 2023
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Extractive frontiers are regions where resource extraction is expanding and intensifying to meet the needs of a global economy. Since extractive activities are often water-intensive, highly polluting or otherwise damaging to water bodies, extractive frontiers are often sites of water conflicts among state, industry and local actors. In Colombia, the complexities of resource extraction and water impacts have largely been addressed through a technocratic lens that projects scientific certainty and expertise. In recent years, social movements have raised the questions of precaution and uncertainty, calling for greater social dialogue and democratic processes in environmental decision-making. This dissertation employs a combination of discourse analysis, ethnographic fieldwork, and semi-structured interviews to investigate the interplay of complexities, uncertainties and the role of the expert at various scales where water science and democracy are practiced in Colombia’s extractive frontiers. Chapter 2 assesses water-oil controversies in the Colombian media between 2017 and 2021. The findings suggest that environmental narratives in Colombia have moved beyond traditional political and ideological boundaries and are now emphasizing issues of democracy, scientific uncertainty, and the precautionary principle. The study uses network analysis methods to examine the competing coalitions, storylines, and discourse frames for each controversy. Chapter 3 employs qualitative research methods (interviews, ethnography, and archival analysis) to investigate the temporal aspects of river-basin planning and the accrual of uncertainties in the Guayuriba River basin, a region subjected to multiple extractive activities, including oil extraction, palm oil cultivation and industrial gravel mining. The study finds that the drawn-out, technocratic planning process has perpetuated, accumulated, and obscured uncertainties related to flooding, water quality, and water use and availability. C…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/84818
note: WATER SCIENCE AND DEMOCRACY IN COLOMBIA'S EXTRACTIVE FRONTIERS by Parisa Nourani Rinaldi M.S., Georgia State University, 2013 B.S., Emory University, 2011 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) June 2023 © Parisa Nourani Rinaldi, 2023 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: Water Science and Democracy in Colombia’s Extractive Frontiers submitted by Parisa Nourani Rinaldi in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems Examining Committee: Les Lavkulich, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC Supervisor María Cecilia Roa-García, Associate Professor, Center for Interdisciplinary Development Studies, University of the Andes Co-supervisor Sandra Brown, Associate Professor of Teaching, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Pablo Jaramillo, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of the Andes Supervisory Committee Member Wade Davis, Professor, Department of Anthropology, UBC University Examiner Margarita Serje, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of the Andes University Examiner Tom Perreault, Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment, Syracuse University External Examiner Additional Supervisory Committee Members: Sean Smukler, Associate Professor, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC Supervisory Committee Member iii Abstract Extractive frontiers are regions where resource extraction is expanding and intensifying to meet the needs of a global economy. Since extractive activities are often water-intensive, highly polluting or otherwise damaging to water bodies, extractive …
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2023-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0433099
language: eng
degree discipline: Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Lavkulich, L. M.
contributor: Roa García, María Cecilia
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/84818