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In this issue we address the practice of rainwater harvesting in different settings, presenting experiences from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Paraguay. Some of the papers were originally presented at the IX International Meeting of the WATERLAT-GOBACIT Network“Water, Rights, and Utopias: priorities in the process of democratization of water politics“, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil, 3-7 September 2018. Article 1 was authored by David Sauri, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, co-editor of this issue. The article provides an overall introduction to the topic of rainwater harvesting. Article 2, by Martin Sanzana Calvet, Institute of Strategic Studies for Human Development (INEDH), Concepción, Bio-Bio, Chile, addresses the practice of fog catching in arid and semi arid regions of Chile. In Article 3, Daniel Tagle-Zamora, University of Guanajuato, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, presents findings from research on the implementation of public policies oriented at the provision of rainwater catchment technologies, mostly for domestic use ,in several municipalities of the semi arid State of Guanajuato, Mexico. Article 4 was co-authored by Roberto de Sousa Miranda, Federal University of the interior of Pernambuco and Federal University of Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil, and Laiany Tassila Ferreira, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil.The article discusses the implementation of a national plan to provide rainwater cisterns in the semi arid region of North eastern Brazil, with emphasis on the experience of the State of Paraiba. Finally, Article 5, by Ana Maria Attias Sole and Ricardo Lombardo Lopez, from the North-eastern National University, Resistencia, Chaco, Argentina, provides an overview of the historic legacy of water practices and technologies inherited fromthe“syncretism”between indigenous communities (Tupi-Guarani), and the Jesuit territorial expansion that took place between the early seventeenth and the mid eighteenth centuries in a large region of South America encompassing parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The article focuses mainly on examples from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and provides insights into the significance of historical-cultural research in the production of knowledge about rainwater technologies and the associated culture and practices, which also contributes to our network’s Thematic Area 7, Water-related Art, Communication, Culture, and Education.

El siglo XXI es el siglo de la sostenibilidad ambiental y de la lucha contra el cambio climático. El cambio climático va a condicionar políticas públicas y acciones privadas en todo el mundo para alcanzar el objetivo de reducción de emisiones establecidos en los acuerdos internacionales (Kyoto, París). El objetivo de este trabajo es llevar a cabo una revisión de los efectos ya constatados del cambio climático en la región mediterránea, así como las medidas de adaptación y mitigación a corto-medio plazo para hacer frente al calentamiento global, como son la adaptación de los espacios urbanos (escala local), y la mejora de la enseñanza sobre este fenómeno. Según la Agenda 2030, y concretamente los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, el nº13 (“Acción por el clima”), establece dos acciones principales que los países deben culminar en 2030: la aprobación de leyes y planes de mitigación y adaptación, y la puesta en marcha de programas educativos. Finisterra, Vol. 58 N.º 122 (AOP) (2023)

Spanish abstract: Unas notas sobre el final del libro 'El lugar del hombre en el cosmos' de Fred Spier, sobre la sostenibilidad de la actual comunicación globalizada. La Gran Historia sitúa al ser humano en el contexto de la evolución cósmica y de la ecología de los recursos. Vivimos hoy en la Era de los Combustibles Fósiles. Con esta energía, la globalización se acelera. Las estructuras económicas, y por ende las políticas, cabalgan a lomos de combustibles fósiles, y sobre esta economía descansa la red de comunicaciones global que tiende a creer que está autosustentada y a ignorar esta dependencia. __________________________________________________________________________________ English abstract: "Globalization and Sustainability" — Some notes on the end of Fred Spier's 'Big HIstory and the Future of Humanity', with regard to the sustainability of present-day globalized communications. Big History contextualizes humanity within the context of cosmic evolution and the ecology of resources. Today we live in the Age of Fossil Fuels—which fuel accelerated globalization. Economic structures, and political ones likewise, ride on the availability of fossil fuels, and so does the present-day network of global communications, which tends to forget this dependency and rests on an illusion of self-sustainability.

Olive cultivation is an activity that has been present in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula since ancient times. The way in which agricultural activities take place in the olive farms is a reflects the relationship between society and nature. However, these relationships are complex and there is no single form of connection between society and nature, but rather a dependence on both the natural and socio-economic context in which they develop. The society-nature relationship is influenced, on the one hand, by the social and economic framework in which it operates and, on the other hand, by physical and biological processes that determine how the transformations of natural resources are carried out. Understanding these interactions has required the development of a conceptual framework based on the ontological foundation of critical realism. This has allowed the integration, from the point of view of the complexity and transdisciplinarity, of different theoretical approaches that are related to the ecological economics. The aim of this investigation was the analysis of interactions between energy, material and economic processes in the agricultural system of the olive grove that, on the one hand, are conditioned by the natural characteristics of the territory and, on the other hand, driven by the social institutions involved in its development. The hypothesis assumes that currently an incipient change of energy consumption pattern exits, and consists in reducing the intensity of energy and material consumption in the society-nature relationship. The design of a consistent methodological approach that combines methodologies in a pluralistic framework through a relational link has allowed the integration of positivist and hermeneutic analysis tools for the representation of reality in its various dimensions. The results have confirmed the existence of an emerging trend, although minor and limited to certain processes of modernization, by which increased consumption of fossil energy is stopped and replaced by the use of renewable energy, while increases in production are achieved.

[ES] La aplicación de baterías acopladas a sistemas de conversión de energía renovable en las ciudades ayudará en gran medida a superar algunos de los retos tecnológicos para la electrificación de la red y el transporte, como la difícil accesibilidad a puntos de carga, y de coste, mejorando sus capacidades técnicas y haciendo que el sistema energético a nivel global sea más sostenible. Además, su aplicación tendrá un efecto inmediato en la salud de los ciudadanos debido a la disminución de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero a la atmósfera, así como otros contaminantes. A continuación, presentamos una revisión de los esfuerzos recientes para desarrollar nuevas tecnologías avanzados para las futuras baterías sostenibles. También destacaremos las estrategias actuales de reciclado de baterías que se aplican hacia un futuro con cero emisiones de carbono y basado en el concepto de economía circular. [EN] The application of batteries coupled to renewable energy conversion systems in cities will greatly help to overcome some of the technological challenges for grid electrification and transport, such as difficult accessibility to charging points, and cost, by improving their technical capabilities and making the energy system globally more sustainable. Furthermore, its implementation will have an immediate effect on citizens’ health due to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, as well as other pollutants. Below is a review of recent efforts to develop new advanced technologies for future sustainable batteries. We will also highlight current battery recycling strategies that are being implemented towards a zero-carbon future based on the concept of the circular economy. Peer reviewed 4 figuras