Habitar cuerpos y territorios enfermos: Políticas sociotécnicas frente a la problemática de salud ambiental en Espinar
Date
2023-10-09
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Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Abstract
En las últimas décadas, la cuestión ambiental en contextos de minería a gran escala ha
experimentado una expansión notable a través de la acción colectiva y conflictos ambientales.
En este proceso, dos ejes críticos de controversias resaltan: la definición de los impactos mineros
en el ambiente y la conexión entre estos impactos y la salud humana de la población. Para
atender a estas controversias, se producen socialmente políticas sociotécnicas, como
monitoreos ambientales participativos, estudios especializados en salud humana, procesos de
judicialización, planes de atención a la salud humana, entre otros. Sin embargo, a pesar de estos
esfuerzos, persisten los escenarios de sufrimiento ambiental a nivel local.
Este estudio se enfoca en analizar la construcción de los problemas de salud ambiental y el
diseño y evolución de políticas sociotécnicas, utilizando como caso de estudio el distrito minero
de Espinar. En este territorio convergen la vieja minería, caracterizada por sus legados tóxicos y
prácticas de violencia y despojo a la población, con la nueva minería, que se caracteriza por el
uso creciente de marcos normativos ambientales e instrumentos técnicos de gestión ambiental.
Estas condiciones, junto con la destacada capacidad de movilización social de la población local,
brindan la oportunidad de entender cómo evolucionó la construcción de los problemas de salud
ambiental, así como las políticas sociotécnicas que buscan resolverlos y el papel desempeñado
de la acción colectiva en estos procesos.
En tal sentido, el objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar históricamente la evolución de las
políticas sociotécnicas y comprender sus alcances en la atención a los problemas de salud
ambiental en Espinar. Para responder a esta pregunta, la investigación siguió un diseño
metodológico cualitativo que incluyó la realización de entrevistas semiestructuradas a
funcionarios gubernamentales, representantes de la empresa privada, miembros de ONG,
líderes sociales y habitantes locales. Además, se llevó a cabo una revisión amplia de documentos
técnicos como informes demonitoreos ambientales, estudios de causalidad y planes de atención
a la salud humana.
Los resultados de la investigación demuestran, en primer lugar, que en Espinar la problemática
ambiental se ha acentuado en paralelo a la expansión minera, se crean y descubren nuevos
problemas ambientales y se integra a la salud humana bajo un paraguas de incertidumbres
técnicas. En segundo lugar, las políticas sociotécnicas de monitoreo ambiental y sanitario,
producción de conocimiento especializado sobre metales pesados y causalidad, y planes para la
atención a la salud humana, surgen y se desarrollan en base a la acción colectiva. Estos procesos
están cargados de disputas y controversias sociotécnicas, pero también incluyen acuerdos
temporales. En tercer lugar, se concluye que la acción social impulsa la creación de políticas
sociotécnicas, conduciendo a cambios en la gobernanza ambiental, que, a pesar de sus avances,
no responden de manera efectiva al sufrimiento ambiental local, en tanto no hay un
sinceramiento de las incertidumbres científicas y la acción social es fragmentada en el tiempo.
In recent decades, the environmental issue in large-scale mining contexts has experienced a remarkable expansion through collective action and environmental conflicts. In this process, two critical axes of controversy stand out: the definition of mining impacts on the environment and the connection between these impacts and the human health of the population. In order to address these controversies, socio-technical policies are socially produced, such as participatory environmental monitoring, specialized studies on human health, judicial processes, human health care plans, among others. However, despite these efforts, scenarios of environmental suffering persist at the local level. This study focuses on analyzing the construction of environmental health problems and the design and evolution of socio-technical policies, using the Espinar mining district as a case study. In this territory, old mining, characterized by its toxic legacies and practices of violence and dispossession of the population, converge with new mining, which is characterized by the growing use of environmental regulatory frameworks and technical instruments for environmental management. These circumstances, combined with the community's exceptional capacity for social mobilization, provide an opportunity to comprehend the evolution of environmental health concerns, as well the socio-technical policies devised to ameliorate them, and the role played by collective action in these processes. Thus, the objective of this research is to conduct a historical analysis of the development of socio-technical policies and to grasp their effectiveness in addressing environmental health problems in Espinar. To answer this question, the research followed a qualitative methodological design that included semi-structured interviews with government officials, private company representatives, NGO members, social leaders and local inhabitants. In addition, an extensive review of technical documents such as environmental monitoring reports, causality studies and human health care plans was carried out. The results of the research show, firstly, that in Espinar environmental problems have intensified in parallel to mining expansion, leading to the emergence and discovery of new environmental issues that are intricately tied to human health under an umbrella of technical uncertainties. Secondly, socio-technical policies of environmental and health monitoring, production of specialized knowledge on heavy metals and causality, and plans for human health care, emerge and develop on the basis of collective action. These processes are fraught with socio-technical disputes and controversies, but also include temporary agreements. Thirdly, it is concluded that social action drives the creation of socio-technical policies, leading to changes in environmental governance, which, despite their advances, do not respond effectively to local environmental suffering, due to an absence of candid acknowledgment of scientific uncertainties and social action remains fragmented.
In recent decades, the environmental issue in large-scale mining contexts has experienced a remarkable expansion through collective action and environmental conflicts. In this process, two critical axes of controversy stand out: the definition of mining impacts on the environment and the connection between these impacts and the human health of the population. In order to address these controversies, socio-technical policies are socially produced, such as participatory environmental monitoring, specialized studies on human health, judicial processes, human health care plans, among others. However, despite these efforts, scenarios of environmental suffering persist at the local level. This study focuses on analyzing the construction of environmental health problems and the design and evolution of socio-technical policies, using the Espinar mining district as a case study. In this territory, old mining, characterized by its toxic legacies and practices of violence and dispossession of the population, converge with new mining, which is characterized by the growing use of environmental regulatory frameworks and technical instruments for environmental management. These circumstances, combined with the community's exceptional capacity for social mobilization, provide an opportunity to comprehend the evolution of environmental health concerns, as well the socio-technical policies devised to ameliorate them, and the role played by collective action in these processes. Thus, the objective of this research is to conduct a historical analysis of the development of socio-technical policies and to grasp their effectiveness in addressing environmental health problems in Espinar. To answer this question, the research followed a qualitative methodological design that included semi-structured interviews with government officials, private company representatives, NGO members, social leaders and local inhabitants. In addition, an extensive review of technical documents such as environmental monitoring reports, causality studies and human health care plans was carried out. The results of the research show, firstly, that in Espinar environmental problems have intensified in parallel to mining expansion, leading to the emergence and discovery of new environmental issues that are intricately tied to human health under an umbrella of technical uncertainties. Secondly, socio-technical policies of environmental and health monitoring, production of specialized knowledge on heavy metals and causality, and plans for human health care, emerge and develop on the basis of collective action. These processes are fraught with socio-technical disputes and controversies, but also include temporary agreements. Thirdly, it is concluded that social action drives the creation of socio-technical policies, leading to changes in environmental governance, which, despite their advances, do not respond effectively to local environmental suffering, due to an absence of candid acknowledgment of scientific uncertainties and social action remains fragmented.
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Industria minera--Aspectos ambientales--Perú--Espinar (Cuzco : Provincia), Salud pública--Perú--Espinar (Cuzco : Provincia), Política ambiental--Perú--Espinar (Cuzco : Provincia), Recursos hidrológicos--Perú--Espinar (Cuzco : Provincia)
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