Climate change has become one of the most important topics in each country’s government agendas. The current effects demand quicker actions in order to decrease the speed at which the global warming and climate is changing, which are commonly seen in global agreements to reduce pollution. However, the main changes to face and mitigate such phenomena depends on each country´s decision and not on global agreements as the causes are continent-wide although the effects and magnitudes may be local. One of the key components for an effective adaption and mitigation is the role that the population have over national decisions. For this reason, the level of awareness and knowledge about what is occurring in their surroundings vital, thus the importance of a correct information broadcast and education. For the aforementioned reasons, the current study compares the recent perception of a well-educated Ecuadorean community regarding the climate change worldwide and in Ecuador with the scientific evidence and historical facts, and how it affects its vulnerability to the climate change effects.

La comunidad Waorani Gareno, ubicada en la parroquia rural Chonta Punta de la provincia de Napo, Amazonía ecuatoriana, ha presentado un incremento en la generación de residuos sólidos domésticos (RSD) debido principalmente a la apertura de vías para el asentamiento del campo petrolero bloque 21 de la empresa operadora ecuatoriana Petroamazonas EP. Todo ello ha provocado un mayor acceso a los bienes y servicios prestados en las ciudades, cambiando su modo de vida y generando un nuevo tipo de residuos. En el presente trabajo se determinó la dinámica cuantitativa y cualitativa de generación, y la producción per cápita diaria (PPC) de residuos sólidos en la comunidad mediante la metodología usada para el análisis de los residuos sólidos establecida por la Organización Panamericana de Salud (OPS). Para tal actividad se consideró como muestra a toda la población, es decir a los 174 habitantes distribuidos en 32 viviendas y se obtuvieron como resultados que la quema de los residuos es el proceso principal para su eliminación y que no existe un sistema de manejo adecuado de los mismos. La PPC calculada fue de 0.26 kg/hab/día con una generación total diaria de 45.39 kg, lo cual demuestra todavía un bajo acceso de la población a materiales y productos urbanos. En cuanto a la caracterización física de los residuos se determinó que la mayor parte corresponde a contenido orgánico con un 74.8%, y la parte inorgánica aprovechable a un 18.1%. Además, a partir de los resultados obtenidos se plantearon alternativas de recolección, transporte, tratamiento y disposición final de los residuos sólidos en la comunidad Gareno, dentro del diseño de un sistema de gestión integral.

No abstract

No abstract

-The Ecuadorian Amazon has an area of 1,23 x 10 7 ha, due to its mega biodiversity and its distribution is classified as a hot spot in the world. The overlap in its territory by oil activities, protected areas, ancestral territories and intangible zones generates a series of environmental conflicts. The oil spills have generated negative impacts on the soil, plants and animals, promoting an increase in the quality of the soils in the region. The objective of this study was to evaluate the oil contamination process in soils of the Northern Region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Netlogo 3D software version 5.2.1 was used to simulate the evolution during 24 hours of oil percolation. The simulation scenarios were recorded according to the porosity (%) of the soils of the Northern Region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The temporal evolution of the occupation of the soil by the oil particles is conditioned by the variables: texture, dynamic pressure, volume, gravity, vegetation cover. The dynamics of oil percolation in the simulations is directly proportional to the existence of porous spaces in the Ecuadorian Amazonian soil. The understanding of this phenomenon allows to define strategies of prevention and to mitigate the potential risks for the ecosystems.