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A geographical perspective on poverty–environment interactions
Author(s) -
GRAY LESLIE C,
MOSELEY WILLIAM G
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geographical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1475-4959
pISSN - 0016-7398
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4959.2005.00146.x
Subject(s) - poverty , perspective (graphical) , politics , blame , environmental degradation , scale (ratio) , political ecology , sociology , power (physics) , work (physics) , political science , ecology , development economics , positive economics , economics , economic growth , geography , social psychology , psychology , biology , mechanical engineering , physics , cartography , engineering , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
This paper examines prevailing wisdoms on the topic of poverty–environmental interactions, problematizes some standard assumptions and interrogates the geographical literature on the subject. Dominant development discourse has tended to blame the poor for environmental degradation, ignoring the role of other processes and actors at various scales in causing environmental degradation. We examine how definitions of poverty, institutional arrangements, conventional economic models and assumed feedback loops may influence our understanding of poverty–environment interactions. The article gives particular attention to the political ecology approach as a lens through which this dynamic may be understood. Recent work in political ecology has broadened views of poverty–environment interactions by focusing on issues of power, scale and discourse in influencing outcomes and policies.