Urban Political Ecology from the margins: Peripheral youth and everyday agency for environmental justice in the Global South

Abstract

This article explores the everyday agency of peripheral youth in shaping Urban Political Ecology (UPE) and advancing environmental justice (EJ) in the Global South context. By integrating structural critique of UPE with grassroots actions of EJ analytical approach, the study highlights the potential of everyday agency in marginalized urban spaces. Using the Adapta Keraciaba Project as a case study, an initiative led by young students from the University of São Paulo in two communities in the periphery of São Paulo city, this research uncovers the diverse strategies employed by youth and community members to confront environmental and climate injustices. This article identifies key expressions of everyday agency, including local resistance to forced evictions, the construction of counter-narratives to combat stigmatization, everyday climate adaptation, the recognition of local knowledge, and youth mobilisation for environmental/climate justice. These practices reflect broader environmental struggles intertwined with race, class, and gender hierarchies, while also challenging the dominance of technocratic solutions that exclude local knowledge. This article argues that youth-led initiatives like Adapta Keraciaba not only empower marginalized communities but also contribute to a reconfiguration of UPE and EJ analytical approach. By foregrounding everyday agency, the study advances a situated understanding of political action transcending traditional activism and institutional spaces. The findings underscore the need for inclusive approaches that recognize the everyday experiences and knowledge of peripheral populations in addressing urban environmental inequalities.