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Green transition and productive structure in Latin America: the role of innovation, finance, and the energy matrix in ALADI countries
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026-06-22)
Morales-Urrutia, Ximena
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Núñez-Naranjo, Aracelly Fernanda
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Solórzano, Melissa
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Naranjo-Gaibor, Jefferson Napoleon
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Acosta-Vargas, Patricia
Introduction The green transition in Latin America takes place within structurally heterogeneous economies characterized by dependence on primary exports, uneven technological capabilities, and partially diversified energy matrices. This study examines how technological innovation, financial development, renewable energy consumption, trade openness, economic growth, and industrialization influence CO 2 emissions in member countries of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI). Methods A balanced panel dataset covering 11 ALADI countries for the period 2000–2021 was analyzed using a two-step System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM) estimator. This approach addresses endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, and the dynamic persistence of emissions. Additional robustness analyses were conducted using pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Random Effects (RE) estimators. Results The findings indicate that structural factors are the main determinants of CO 2 emissions. Industrialization and trade openness exert positive and statistically significant effects, highlighting the role of productive structure and international integration in shaping environmental outcomes. Economic growth is also positively associated with emissions, suggesting that production expansion remains linked to environmental pressure. In contrast, technological innovation, renewable energy consumption, and financial development do not exhibit statistically significant effects in the dynamic specification. Discussion The results suggest that the green transition in ALADI countries is not automatic and cannot be driven solely by technological progress or financial expansion. Persistent structural characteristics, including carbon-intensive productive systems and patterns of global economic integration, continue to constrain environmental sustainability. Achieving a successful transition therefore requires deeper transformations in productive structures, industrial policies, and energy systems to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.
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Determinants of the Ecological Footprint in ALADI Countries: Economic Growth, Trade Openness, Energy Intensity, and ICT Services Exports
(MDPI AG, 2026-05-26)
Morales-Urrutia, Ximena
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Núñez-Naranjo, Aracelly Fernanda
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Solórzano, Melissa
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Pico-Barrionuevo, Fanny
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Acosta-Vargas, Patricia
Environmental degradation has become a critical structural challenge for sustainable development, particularly in regions where economic growth remains closely linked to natural resource exploitation. In Latin America, and specifically within ALADI countries, limited empirical evidence exists on the dynamic interactions among economic growth, trade integration, energy efficiency, and digital transformation in shaping environmental pressures. This study addresses this gap by employing a dynamic panel data approach based on System GMM for the period 2000–2021. The results reveal that economic growth and trade openness have a positive, statistically significant effect on the ecological footprint, confirming the persistence of scale effects and the absence of structural decoupling between economic expansion and environmental degradation. In contrast, energy intensity and ICT service exports, although positively associated with environmental pressure, did not show statistically significant effects, suggesting that their role in driving sustainability transitions remains limited under current structural conditions. These findings highlight that structural economic factors predominantly drive environmental dynamics in the ALADI region, while the estimated effects associated with technological and efficiency-related variables remain comparatively weak and statistically inconclusive under current structural conditions. From a policy perspective, the study underscores the need for deeper structural transformations, including cleaner energy transitions, stronger environmental regulation in trade, and a more effective integration of digitalization into sustainability strategies. The study contributes to the literature by providing robust dynamic evidence on socio-environmental interactions in developing economies and advancing the understanding of sustainability transitions in Latin America. © 2026 by the authors.
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Designing the UI/UX of a Gamified Platform to Raise Awareness About Water Conservation Using the User-Centered Design Method
(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026)
Jadán Guerrero, Janio
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Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio
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Piedra Ansatuña, Mario
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Sanchez-Gordon, Sandra
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Acosta-Vargas, Patricia
Water conservation and responsible usage are critical to ensuring the sustainability of life on Earth. Raising awareness about these practices is essential to fostering behavioral changes in everyday life. This study aimed to design a gamified environment, integrating both digital and physical mediums, to promote awareness of water conservation. The proposed solutions included digital games, board games, interactive maps, and card games, blending entertainment with education. The research employed the Game Thinking methodology, involving ten master’s students specializing in user experience design. The process adhered to the principles of user-centered design across all phases. Initially, the problem of water scarcity was explained to participants, who subsequently proposed design concepts tailored to this issue. These concepts were developed into prototypes and tested with users representative of the intended age groups. Preliminary results from the first usability tests revealed areas for improvement. Feedback from peer reviews highlighted the need to enhance narrative elements, interface design, usability, and accessibility. Iterative refinements based on this feedback significantly improved the prototypes’ alignment with the project’s educational objectives. In conclusion, the study demonstrated the potential of gamification as a powerful tool for promoting water conservation awareness. Future work will focus on completing functional prototypes and evaluating their impact in real-world settings to measure their effectiveness in instilling responsible water usage behaviors
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Towards Accessible and Sustainable Universities: Web Accessibility and Human–Computer Interaction in Latin America
(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026)
Acosta-Vargas, Patricia
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Acosta-Vargas, Gloria
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Salvador-Acosta, Belén
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Salvador-Ullauri, Luis
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Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio
This study examines web accessibility in Latin American higher education institutions from a Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) perspective, highlighting its relevance to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). A quantitative and descriptive research design was applied to 50 universities included in the 2025 Webometrics Ranking, using automated HCI-based evaluation tools (WAVE and Google Lighthouse) to assess compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. The evaluation identified 1,238 accessibility errors and 1,393 contrast-related issues, with most violations concentrated in the Perceivable (67.23%) and Operable (28.36%) principles. Countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia exhibited the highest levels of noncompliance, while others showed comparatively lower error densities. These results indicate that accessibility barriers in university websites are primarily systemic, stemming from deficiencies in visual perception, navigation, and semantic structure rather than isolated implementation flaws. The findings reinforce the view that web accessibility should not be treated solely as a technical compliance task, but rather as a human-centered, sustainability-oriented dimension of interaction design. Integrating accessibility within HCI frameworks can enhance digital inclusion, reduce educational inequalities, and promote the development of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable digital ecosystems in higher education across Latin America. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.

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