Environment, Climate Change and Good Living in Latin America and the Caribbean

Climate change and the relationship between humans and the environment have emerged as some of the most relevant issues in the world today, positioning themselves as strategic matters that mark the development of the 21st century through their understanding as a global phenomenon.

In this context, in which the environmental, social, economic and cultural consequences of climate change have intensified in relation to the various dimensions both globally and regionally, it has become necessary to generate clear scientific and political responses to its multiple problems. 

The increasing impacts of climate change on countries in the Global South and on certain populations living in situations of inequality and vulnerability motivate the exploration of the links between climate change and capitalist development. The unsustainability of the current development model, which is socioeconomically unequal and ecologically destructive, demands a structural transformation through public policies aimed at preserving societies and communities and their relationship with the environment. Discussions surrounding extractivism, as well as proposals based on Buen Vivir or Sumak Kawsay in Latin America and the Caribbean, are part of the approaches that require further research, building new evidence and highlighting under-recognized social experiences.

Likewise, in recent years we have witnessed a growing mobilization of broad sectors of society in Latin America and the Caribbean in defense of the environment, denouncing the harmful effects of certain activities such as deforestation, logging, mining, pollution, and the development of extensive, export-oriented agriculture and livestock farming, among others, which weaken Indigenous communities, biomes, and ecosystems. Similarly, the impacts of climate change exacerbate existing multidimensional inequalities that shape the living conditions of most Latin American and Caribbean populations.

Based on the understanding that knowledge production is social, situated, and collective, this call promotes the application of researchers and/or research teams made up of researchers from diverse backgrounds, trajectories, and experiences, who can incorporate public responsibility and work with environmental organizations and movements.

Proposals should focus on one of the following dimensions of the environment, climate change, and sustainable development:

• Public policy.
• Social movements and resistance.
• Discussions and experiences on development, alternatives, environment and society.

Based on the above, CLACSO is launching the "Environment, Climate Change and Good Living in Latin America and the Caribbean" individual and team research grants to produce rigorous and innovative knowledge about the proposed topics, as well as to generate public and social influence that contributes to counteracting their impacts in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Applicant profile.

• Applicants must be researchers with accredited links to CLACSO Member Centers.
• Submissions from individual authors or collectives with no more than three members will be accepted.
• In the case of teams, their composition must respect gender parity and one of the members must be selected as responsible for registering the project. Furthermore, at least one of the researchers must be a trained professional, that is, hold a master's degree, doctorate, or equivalent qualification and have a proven academic track record, and the other two must be researchers in training, meaning they are currently pursuing a master's or doctoral degree or are under 35 years of age.
• Each researcher or research team may only participate with one proposal in this call.
• If the scholarship is awarded and travel is necessary, the winners will be responsible for covering the costs of medical insurance or similar expenses.

Support to be granted

Ten scholarships will be selected and distributed as follows:

• At least 4 scholarships for trained researchers.
• Up to 6 scholarships for researchers in training.
• At least 50% will be for women or teams whose leaders are women.
• At least 30% will focus on Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru

The amounts of the scholarships awarded will consist of:

• $9600 for each of the individual or collective scholarships for trained researchers.
• $6200 for each of the individual or collective scholarships for researchers in training.

The consideration of the scholarships as being for trained or trainee researchers will be determined based on the exclusive criteria of the jury, based on what is established in this call for applications.

The proposed research will be carried out over a maximum period of ten (10) months. The scholarships will be paid in installments via bank transfers made to the recipients. It is expected that at least 60% of the scholarship funds will be used for activities related to gathering and processing the information necessary for the research, which must be reported to CLACSO with supporting documentation.

The winners will work with the support of tutors assigned by CLACSO who will follow the process of their research and results.

CLACSO will publish the final products in print and/or digital media, giving them wide publicity and dissemination through the means it deems appropriate. 

The authors will grant CLACSO the original publication rights to their works, although these works may subsequently be published in any other medium, always citing the grant received. Grant recipients must inform CLACSO of the subsequent publication of works resulting from the grant work.

Characteristics of the proposals

• The member centers to which the applicants are linked must not have any outstanding debts in the payment of membership fees corresponding to the year 2019, due on June 30 of the same year.
• Completed research projects will not be accepted. Proposals may be linked to ongoing research processes, but the final works must be original and unpublished products and developed within the period established by the call for proposals.
• Members of the Steering Committee or officials of the CLACSO Executive Secretariat may not participate.
• Proposals from researchers who are currently recipients of research grants, fellowships, or research projects organized by CLACSO will not be accepted. Applications from researchers who have previously received a CLACSO research grant will be accepted, provided that the recipient has fulfilled all obligations in a timely manner.
• Texts written in the four languages ​​commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish, English, Portuguese and French) will be accepted, depending on the country of origin of the proposal.
• Proposals should focus on one of the following dimensions of climate change and sustainable development:
• Public policy.
• Social movements and resistance.
• Discussions and experiences on development, alternatives, environment and society.

Selection criteria for proposals

• In the first stage, the submitted proposals will be reviewed for their formal and administrative aspects to ensure their compliance with the competition rules. Proposals that do not meet the established requirements will be rejected.
• Applications that pass to the next stage will be evaluated by an International Committee composed of experts who will assess the quality and relevance of the proposals, which will be submitted under a pseudonym.
• The Call may be declared void or a smaller number of scholarship recipients may be selected, if the proposals submitted do not meet the required quality and consistency.
• Situations not covered in this document will be resolved by the convening institution.
• The ruling will be final.

Characteristics of research papers

• The research projects will develop their work plan between March and December 2020. This plan will be implemented under the facilitation of tutors assigned by CLACSO.
• The progress and final reports submitted by the scholarship recipients will be reviewed by the tutors.
• In their final version, the research papers submitted as a result should be between 12.000 and 15.000 words in length (excluding appendices and bibliography), written in Times New Roman 12-point font, single-spaced. This is an approximate guideline, and CLACSO reserves the right to make adjustments or exceptions if deemed necessary.
• The structure of the text will be free, respecting the conventions of presentation of an academic text and the editorial standards of CLACSO.
• In addition, each team must submit a Guidelines for Action Document, containing inputs and recommendations for public policies and social intervention on the topics investigated.

Texts written in the four languages ​​commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish, English, Portuguese and French) will be accepted, depending on the country of origin of the proposal.

It is mandatory that the submission be made through the online registration system provided by CLACSO. Printed submissions and submissions sent by email will not be accepted. It is recommended to access the online system to review the registration form.  

1. Access the CLACSO website clacso.orgThe online registration system will be available from December 8th.
2. Register in the CLACSO Single Registration System (SUIC). The generated username and password will be required each time you wish to access the system to consult, modify, add, or submit information for this or any other CLACSO activity. Applicants submitting collective proposals must designate one of the authors as responsible for registration. This same person will receive the corresponding monetary award if the proposal is selected by the Jury.
3. Identify the proposal by indicating its title and the pseudonym of the applicant(s). Applications with pseudonyms that correspond to the applicant's first and/or last name will not be accepted. Once the corresponding fields are completed, the system will enable the uploading of the following data.
4. They must complete the registration form sworn declaration indicating the applicants' affiliation with a Member Center belonging to the CLACSO network. Consult the database of member centers at: https://www.clacso.org/institucional/centros-asociados/
5. Complete the form personal and academic data and attach the curriculum vitae in free format; the digital copy of the identity document, passport or ID card; the digital copy of the highest academic degree obtained (or proof of degree in process) and the photograph.
6. Once registration is closed, the system will produce an electronic certificate of receipt that will serve as proof.