The Origin of Deep Rooting

Nestled in the Tropical Andes of Colombia is a territory full of life; a natural, archeological, and cultural heritage site known as the Southwest of Antioquia (or Suroeste de Antioquia in Spanish). This subregion is a place I am privileged to steward and call home. Many of my life experiences, both personal and professional, intersect at this corner of the Earth. The Southwest of Antioquia is the land that saw the birth of my father as well as both my maternal and paternal ancestors. I spent my early childhood here exploring my curiosity and love for the natural world while being captivated by the natural pyramid of Cerro Tusa and the Andean mountain ranges. 

Childhood memories in the Southwest of Antioquia, Colombia.

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I left Colombia at ten years of age during a time of internal conflict for the country. Returning to the Southwest of Antioquia became my vision and goal as a young woman. I always knew I wanted to return at some point in my adult life, but it took time to understand the connection between what I left behind in the Tropical Andes and who I was becoming as part of the US-American culture. 

In 2019, I became aware of the presence of the foreign multinational mining giant AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) in the Southwest of Antioquia. I learned about AGA’s intention to obtain a mining license to operate and extract copper, gold, and other metals from the one place that has been a constant in my life and has influenced my beliefs about the natural world. In the middle of so much uncertainty and concern, and while being over 2,000 miles away in New York City, I began to see how my life experiences were connecting and intersecting with similar concerns and life experiences of others around the world and those who were part of the Southwest of Antioquia. It was during this time, and later with the onset of the 2020 Global Pandemic, that I began to question my role in nature as well as the powerful mechanisms of extractivism, its effects on the well-being of communities, its connection to climate change and global economics, and its long-term contributions to biodiversity and cultural loss. Using my background and knowledge in evolutionary psychology, human development, and policy, I dove deep into scientific research to find answers. 

I am learning that the effects of globalization, ecological and economic disparities between the global north and south, poverty, consumerism, and the ongoing climate crisis are fundamentally interconnected. This realization brought an immense amount of eco-anxiety in the earlier stages of my research. Climate change and mental health researcher Dr. Britt Wray defines climate and eco-anxiety as “a moral emotion, which stems from an accurate understanding of the severity of our planetary health crises.” I consider these emotions to be rooted in our human biology as a natural response to the potential threat climate change poses to the well-being of our species. 

In her book Generation Dread, Wray describes precisely what I began to discover in my process of exploration; she writes: “It is haunting to connect the dots between imperialism, colonialism, the genocide of Indigenous peoples, racial capitalism, industrialism, and extraction, and to reveal the shadowy footprint of these logics in the places where those who are most vulnerable to environmental trauma now dwell.” 

Holding the privilege and responsibility of being a citizen of two nations comes with realizing how they can be interrelated yet diverge so profoundly. While the United States is the world's largest economy located in the Global North, Colombia is a developing nation with a long history of social trauma and profound social inequity in the Global South. While Colombia has immeasurable potential and opportunities, it is carrying the challenge of environmental injustice due to its abundant wealth in natural resources that are at risk to powerful mechanisms of extraction and exploitation by the Global North.  

In navigating these complex yet interrelated issues that require action at the individual to the collective and the policy level, I begin to ask, what can I do differently? How can I support communities and collectives taking environmental and climate action? What environmental policies are implemented or are needed to ensure the right to a healthy environment and well-being? What needs to change? 

In the time I began this exploration, including the time since my return to the Tropical Andes, I have met extraordinary people doing incredible work in climate action, conservation, and regenerative sustainability. At the human level, taking action and exploring ways of doing things differently while recognizing something is fundamentally troubling about the current planetary crisis means becoming aware of our human experience and ecological footprint, and learning to understand emotions that surface in realizing the gaps and limitations in global systems. Navigating uncertainty with curiosity and accepting support from people experiencing similar concerns may allow us to take action and go beyond the doom and gloom that comes from realizing these complex issues. 

Mama in the Southwest of Antioquia, Colombia. © Ana María Cañas.

As I observe Mama, the mountain at risk of metal mining extraction, I wonder: What kind of ancestor do I want to be? How do I want future generations to remember my presence here? What is my role in nature? How does the relationship I hold with myself, with others, and with the natural world influence action?

I hope to break down many of these complex issues, questions, and findings through these reflections while also making a connection with my experience returning to the Tropical Andes. 

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