The ecological transition represents one of the most complex and urgent challenges of our time. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and environmental degradation are severe consequences of a socioeconomic system in needof a radical rethinking. Although this is a matter of global significance, profound imbalances exist between the Global North and the Global South in terms of both impacts and responsibilities. Due to historical, geographical, anddemographic reasons, the countries of the Global South are more exposed to the risks associated with the climate crisis andpossess fewer resources to implement adaptation strategies, despite having contributed less to greenhouse gas emissionsand unsustainable resource demands.
These disparities, in addition to limiting the capacity of institutions and citizens to promote effective policies andinterventions, are reflected in scientific research, which often focuses on Western contexts and is biased toward theoriesdeveloped in the Global North. However, greater awareness of the challenges and the crucial role played by cities andterritories in the Global South is not only essential to achieve true sustainability but also to embrace a justice-orientedhorizon. We believe that a post-colonial approach is necessary to investigate the differentiated responsibilities andimpacts of these processes on communities and territories marked by centuries of exploitation and domination. At thesame time, such an approach promotes participatory and place-based methods that value endogenous epistemologies,knowledge, and practices.
To broaden the academic debate on transition processes in the Global South and foster greater collaboration betweenthe North and South, the LabPSM – Laboratory on Cities and Territories in the Global South at the University of Florence proposes this issue of Contesti with the aim of inviting contributionsinspired by the following reflections:
Plans and Projects for Ecological Transition. Urban and metropolitan areas are the places where the contradictionsbetween the current socioeconomic system and the environmental crisis are most evident. These areas, in the face of rural expulsion and ecological and social desertification, concentrate unsustainable consumption patterns andgreenhouse gas emissions, while the effects of climate change and ecological degradation are particularly pronounced.
Despite the growing environmental and social vulnerability that characterizes urban areas, the availability of economicand cultural resources allows them to play a leading role in promoting sustainable policies, climate change mitigation andadaptation actions, and interventions to reduce risks linked to natural disasters. These challenges are even more pressingin the Global South, where vulnerabilities are exacerbated by persistent forms of poverty, segregation, and inequality,within a context shaped by rapid urbanization and suburbanization processes. Here, the built environment is often informal and precarious.
Promoting sustainability and adaptability—without negatively impacting existing inequalities and vulnerabilities—requires a careful understanding of the local context and the involvement of all stakeholders. Of particular interest is theuse of participatory and place-based processes capable of uncovering the specific environmental and socialcharacteristics of the area.
Non-Extractive Knowledge Systems and Co-Production. The creation of participatory processes aimed at acquiring local knowledge can serve as a functional tool for gathering information to develop a plan or project. However, when interpreted more profoundly and reflexively, it can also be a way to reveal plural and contextual knowledge that challenges the dominant techno-economic paradigm and existing power dynamics between groups and knowledge systems, potentially producing new epistemologies.
Local, rural, and Indigenous communities possess essential knowledge that transcends technical expertise, especially in the Global South. Interpreting these practices and situated processes through a post-colonial lens not only fostersreflection on the relevance of different systems of interaction with nature in defining projects and territorialtransformations but also nurtures the pursuit of planetary justice.
Studying the responses of local, rural, or Indigenous communities as they attempt to counter the disastrous effects of climate change and environmental degradation—including practices identifiable as Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) orcommunity-driven governance systems—must acknowledge the imbalances between those causing the problems and those suffering the consequences.
North-South Relations Through the Lens of Planetary Justice. Even the promotion of ambitious policies forecological transition can generate distorted effects and negative externalities in countries that have historically sufferedfrom centuries of domination and exploitation. Europe, through the European Green Deal, has launched a series of environmental policies aimed at positioning itself globally as the first Climate-Neutral continent—a goal that has also become central in cooperation initiatives with Global South countries.
However, achieving carbon neutrality relies significantly on the development of a global carbon credit market that oftenshifts actions and impacts elsewhere, undermining seemingly virtuous practices by imposing land-use restrictions orexpropriating areas—such as agricultural land—critical to local communities. Given its relatively recent emergence, limited research has been conducted on the impacts of large-scale areas allocated to carbon credit generation via NBSin Global South countries. Yet, phenomena such as displacement and land grabbing also arise in the context of seekingland for food production and pseudo-sustainable biofuels, driven by Global North or highly industrialized countries.The call invites further contributions on these topics.
INFO
The call is open until March 15, 2025.
To submit your full paper, please go to our submission platform: https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/contesti/about/submissions
Registration and login as Author with the CONTESTI system is required to submit and follow the submission process online.Later, the account is necessary for following the status of your submission.
The proposals have to be unpublished and written in Italian, English, French or Spanish; the article length has to be between 4000 and 7.000 words, including spaces, title, authors, abstract, keywords, captions and references.
Please pay attention on how to ensure a Double Blind Review when submit your paper.
The proposals can include a maximum of 10 pictures with good definition (at least 300 dpi/inch and 25 cm the smallest side) freefrom publishing obligations or accompanied with the specific permission.
The selected papers will be published in the 1|2025 issue of CONTESTI.
Download the CALL FOR PAPERS: ENG
