Sustainable futures

From causes of environmental degradation to solutions

Bibliographic Data

ID23202124
AuthorsCarla Sofia Ferreira Fernandes (0000-0002-2650-9759, Universidade Aberta, corresponding author), Fátima Alves (0000-0003-2600-8652, Universidade Aberta), João Loureiro (0009-0000-0786-9102, University of Coimbra)
Year2024
Volume5
Issue1
Publication date2024-04-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDiscover Sustainability (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2662-9984 • E-ISSN: 2662-9984
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s43621-024-00242-1
OpenAlexW4394601541
LanguageEN
References cited29

The impacts of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution influence the living experiences of the various members of communities that rely on agriculture, shaping the adaptation responses to those phenomena and actions towards sustainable development. This study aims to understand how members of rural communities in Morocco perceive the causes of environmental degradation and the solutions meant to support the reduction of the vulnerabilities by applying a sustainable development lens. To achieve those objectives, this empirical study collects qualitative data by conducting semi-structured interviews on the local population's perceptions of environmental degradation causes and impacts, vulnerabilities, and solutions to adapt or cope with those impacts. The study includes a critical analysis of the proposals presented by the community members by addressing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of their implications for development. The most common issue identified was water management, underscoring the water stress affecting several regions. However, several solutions presented would lead to further depletion of non-renewable water sources, which endangers the pursuit of genuinely sustainable development. The study's conclusions highlight the importance of contextualising the communication and adaptation responses that address local perceptions, namely the low prevalence of perceptions attributing anthropogenic causes to environmental degradation, leading to sentiments of helplessness among members of the rural communities.

Business · Environmental degradation · Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Geography · Perception · Political science · Population · Sociology · Sustainable development · Climate change impacts on agriculture · Ecology · Environmental Science · French Urban and Social Studies · Psychology · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance

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