Carolina Prado

Assistant ProfessorCarolina Prado

Environmental Studies

 
 
 
 

Current Research Activities

My current research is intervening in a long line of research looking at how environmental disparities and inequities play out spatially outside of the U.S. What does global environmental justice look like? How do the dynamics of the U.S.-México border region create spatialized inequality when it comes to access to environmental goods and exposure to environmental ills? My other line of research is asking- how can community leadership be best cultivated? What resources and skills do marginalized communities need in order to participate in the decision making processes that impact their lives?

Research Connections to Current Events

There is ample attention being placed at a national scale on the migration crisis going on in the U.S.-México borderlands. However, environmental disparities have been an ongoing issue in this dynamic and politically complex region. While we are seeing dehumanizing rhetoric about migrants moving North, we don't see much press about the illegal movement of hazardous materials moving South across the border line. While my research isn't specifically just looking at hazardous waste, understanding the environmental issues and how they impact communities in the border region is important for addressing the myriad of complex issues facing the border region.

Personal Connections to Research

As a bicultural and bilingual Chicana, I have been driven to focus on research that addresses the multiple intersections of my identity. While I began studying women's studies and border studies, I met an amazing group of women who are fierce environmental justice activists in the city of Tijuana, México. Because of their passion and commitment to an intersectional array of social issues, I have been motivated to do the best community based participatory research on border environmental justice I can.

Social Media

Google Scholar Profile

Keywords

Environmental justice, U.S.-México border region, border environmental justice, community participation, environmental governance, transnational feminism, community organizing

Other Languages

Spanish