Introduction: Quo Vadis, Latin America? Human Rights, Environmental Governance and the Sustainable Development Goals

Siegel, Karen M.; Bastos Lima, Mairon G.

Abstract

This special section examines recent developments in human rights, environmental governance and the SDGs in different parts of Latin America. The articles of the special section show that the SDGs have in some cases provided civil society actors with tools to hold governments to account, a common language for accessing international funding, and a space for discussing what sustainability means to different people. Yet, the current global sustainability agenda has also condoned malpractices and aggravated socio-environmental risks in Latin America. New ‘green' technologies have mostly reproduced existing inequality patterns, while long-standing concerns over access rights and fair distribution remain.