Research Associate Nicolás Zanetta-Colombo, M.Sc.
Nicolás Camilo Zanetta Colombo is a researcher passionate about environmental justice. His academic journey began at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he earned both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Geography. For the past decade, the Atacama Desert has been his primary field of study, fostering close collaboration with local communities. This experience extends beyond the Atacama, with projects in Central America and South Africa enriching his understanding of global environmental challenges. He arrived at the South Asia Institute in June 2022 to complete his doctoral studies, and he became a Research Associate in October 2023. Now, he leverages his diverse background to tackle critical issues mining communities face. His current research focuses on the intersection of pollution and its impact on human health.
Research Topics
Environmental justice
Health disparities
Geochemistry
Environmental monitoring
Community involvement
Science Outreach
Selected Publications
Zanetta-Colombo NC, Scharnweber T, Christie DA, Manzano CA, Blersch M, Gayo EM, Muñoz AA, Fleming ZL & Nüsser M (2024): When another one bites the dust: Environmental impact of global copper demand on local communities in the Atacama mining hotspot as registered by tree rings. Science of The Total Environment, Volume 920, 170954, ISSN 0048-9697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170954.
Zanetta-Colombo NC, Fleming ZL, Gayo EM, Manzano CA, Panagi C, Valdés J & Siegmund A (2022): Impact of mining on the metal content of dust in indigenous villages of northern Chile. Environment International, Volume 169, 107490, ISSN 0160-4120, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107490.
Vargas-Machuca BD, Zanetta-Colombo NC, De Pol-Holz R & Latorre C (2021): Variations in local heavy metal concentrations over the last 16,000 years in the central Atacama Desert (22°S) measured in rodent middens. Science of The Total Environment, Volume 775, 145849, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145849.
Teaching
Political Ecology
Critical Physical Geography
Geographies of Extraction
Research Associate
Department of Geography
South Asia Institute
Universität Heidelberg
Voßstraße 2, Building 4130
D-69115 Heidelberg
Room: 130.03.14
Tel: +49 6221 54-15247
Email: nicolas.zanetta@stud.uni-heidelberg.de