A STS perspective on addressing climate emergencies

Abstract

Discussions focused on environmental injustice, especially in addressing climate emergencies, are necessary as they aim to understand the paradigms between the natural and the artificial and their relationship with society. This is considering that currently this perception is discordant, given that society has a history of intensive use of the natural environment without even considering the consequences. Such actions affect different social classes in various ways, where the upper class, with its large industries, benefits from the extraction of these resources, monetizing them through products and services, while the lower class is relegated to the labor force for these activities. The research methodology included a literature review and consultation of works by Foladori, Latour, Leff, as well as materials from IPCC and NASA. The theoretical foundation explores the relationships between the natural and the non-natural, highlighting the rupture between nature and society. The discussion addresses Latour's view of nature as a resource market, highlighting environmental degradation as a civilizational crisis. However, only the lower class is affected since they do not have the same resources and infrastructure, especially considering the possible climate events present today, such as floods, temperature rise, loss of fauna and flora, and the intensification of diseases due to climate events. Given this, this article aims to foster critical thinking about capital and its adaptation process during the environmental crises experienced.