Laboratory of Environmental Governance
and the Movement of Pollution
Team: [user id=jorge], [user id=maka], Danilo Mejía, Diana Brazales, Ronny Zegarra, Paola Galarza
This research project traces how pollution travels through the elements (air, water, earth, fire) and the human body. In doing so, we pay particular attention to the movement of pollution through the local history of medicine, government-protected areas such as the Cajas National Park, Cuenca's urban forest and rivers, brick-making sites, the public health system (respiratory diseases), air quality data networks, and the growing number of cars in the city. We are particularly interested in the different ways scientific capacity is developed and used in climate governance, and how pollution can migrate from one environment to another. For instance, a research team is trying to demonstrate how air pollution isn't atmospheric in the Cajas National Park because pollutants are being drawn to the bottom of lakes. At the moment, we are conducting interdisciplinary fieldwork in the following ethnographic sites: 1) Plutarco Naranjo's archive, 2) Cajas National Park, 3) Cuenca's urban forest and rivers, 4) brick-making ovens, 5) Hospital and Medical Schools, 6) local air quality data networks, 7) the car industry.