FEATURES FALL 2009
challenges into three key topics,
each of them addressed by well-known policymakers and scholars,
and some new arrivals. The first
topic is climate change. We’re proud
to include in this issue articles
by two leaders from the Americas
who have been actively engaged
in this topic and in the run-up to
Copenhagen. Former President of
Chile Ricardo Lagos (p. 38), writes
about the complexity of climate
change negotiations and proposes
a market-based solution to reduce
carbon emissions by developed and
developing countries alike. Senator
John F. Kerry (p. 44) proposes that
the U.S. partner with the rest of the
hemisphere to leverage our shared
experience and interests, thus
providing an example to the world
in Copenhagen and beyond.
The second topic is conservation.
For this we include an article
on the historic tension between
economic development and the
preservation of natural habitats.
Steven Sanderson (p. 82) proposes a
RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/GETTY
AMERICASQUARTERLY.ORG
more comprehensive system of
parks intended to protect at-risk
ecosystems and wildlife. And the
executive director of Greenpeace
Brasil, Sergio Leitão (p. 100),
analyzes the relationship between
land rights and environmental
protection in Brazil’s vast territory.
Topic three is cities. This
is an intentional departure
from the traditional focus
of environmentalists on
deforestation. We believe it is not
only an under-examined aspect
of environmental change but a
crucial one. Emissions from cities
constitute close to 75 percent of
total global carbon emissions.
And in urbanized Latin America,
citizens are most directly affected
by urban environments. City
planning and transportation also
have a dramatic effect on the
poor—their access to work, their
health and sense of community,
and their connection to the
broader city. To look at the complex
world of the urban environment
we feature articles by the founder
of the urban renewal movement
in the Americas, former mayor of
Curitiba, Brazil, Jaime Lerner (p.
62), by one of the world’s leading
urban architects, Michael Sorkin (p.
52), and an examination of urban
transport by the scholar Gonzalo
A. Moyano (p. 73). Daniel Becker
(p. 60), executive director of the
Center for Health Promotion in
Brazil, adds an intriguing take on
health and cities. By providing a
comprehensive view—literally
from the sky to the lives of
everyday people—we hope to spark
a debate on the inter-related factors
affecting our environment.
