Veganism and Living Well

I argue that many philosophical arguments for veganism underestimate what is at stake for humans who give up eating animal products. By saying all that’s at stake for humans is taste and characterizing taste in simplistic terms, they underestimate the reasonable resistance that arguments for veganism will meet. Taste, they believe, is trivial. Omnivores, particular those that I label “meaningful omnivores,” disagree. They believe that eating meat provides a more meaningful meal, though just how this works proves elusive. Meaningful omnivores could find little in the philosophical literature to help them clarify and support their position until recently. A few philosophers have argued that our culinary practices involve something more significant than taste. I categorize these arguments into three kinds. They either argue that culinary practices are a form of artistic achievement, that our diet forms part of our identity, or that a specific diet facilitates honest engagement with the world. Each of these arguments connects some aspect of our culinary practices to living a meaningful life. I examine each argument to see if it can defend the meaningful omnivore’s position. In the end, I conclude that it cannot. Nonetheless, this argument has significant implications for the animal welfare movement. Given the intense suffering caused by contemporary animal agriculture, concern for meaning is not sufficient to justify eating meat and often dairy. Concern for meaning does, however, require that we look for ways to preserve and extend culinary traditions while making them more humane.     

Hope in Environmental Philosophy

Ecological philosophy requires a significant orientation to the role of hope in both theory and practice. I trace the limited presence of hope in ecological philosophy, and outline reasons why environmental hopelessness is a threat. I articulate and problematize recent environmental publications on the topic of hope, the most important worry being that current literature fails to provide the necessary psychological grounding for hopeful action. I turn to the psychology of hope to provide direction for conceptualizing hope and actualizing hoped for states of affairs. If positive moral action is the goal, hope is a vital concept for underwriting ecological philosophy and a practice requiring considerably more attention.     

环境小卫士--绿色地球的希望

自2001年国家环境保护总局、教育部、全国少工委联合开展的争当环境小卫士系列活动,历时一年多,现已圆满结束. 本次活动的特点是领导重视、组织落实、参赛人数多、效果显著.全国有百万名小学生参与,其系列活动中的"全国小学生环保知识大赛"、"全国小学生环保知识电视对抗赛"和"组织小学生开展具体的环保活动"三项主要活动获得了很大成功.     

盛夏生活支几招

盛夏家庭空调省电有几招 如今空调也成了家庭夏日生活的必备品,随着夏日用电高峰的到来,为了节能和自己的钱包,如何做到空调省电,也是我们应该注意的细节。     

这是一项有意义的 "绿色希望工程"--第二届"争当环境小卫士活动"即将启动

首届“争当环境小卫士活动”是由国家环保总局、教育部、全国少工委联合主办,在全国开展的一项加强儿童环保知识教育、培养儿童环境意识,使之逐步成长为爱护环境、保护环境、建设环境的新一代公民的“绿色希望工程”。首届争当环境小卫士活动(时间为2001年6月—2002年9月)参与的小学生突破百万,在社会上产生了广泛而深远     

Conservation in a Third World Country

Summary The problems of man’s increasing abuse and misuse of his environment are multiplying in direct proportion to the increase in the human population. This is particularly true of much of the Third World, where often a low level of literacy is accompanied by a steadily growing birthrate. Small island habitats, because of their long geological separation from the large land masses frequently have flora and fauna that are unique but the pressures on their environment are considerably greater. In the struggle to compete in an increasingly mechanised and industrial world they are forced to devastate the natural habitat of many of their indigenous species in order to obtain agricultural land, building materials and fuel. While wooing the tourist market on the one hand with the beauty of their beaches, they are at the same time removing the sand wholesale for construction purposes. If the people themselves are to survive, industrial growth is quite obviously essential. Because the practices that at present place the environment under threat are, in many cases, vital to the individual’s ability to support himself, reasonable alternatives must be offered before they can be effectively controlled. Ms Maria Grech came to Saint Lucia originally in 1961 and spent almost eighteen years in the restaurant business. When she sold out in 1979 she decided to devote more time to writing and specifically to writing about the island which had become her home. For two years now she has written and illustrated a monthly conservation news-sheet that is distributed throughout the schools here by the local Forestry Division. In November 1981 the paper—Bush Talk—was awarded a prize for creative journalism and funding is now being sought to have it published in book form. She is an executive member of the Saint Lucia Naturalists’ Society and is currently compiling their first year book. She has also been a regular contributor to the Caribbean Conservation News.     

BSF型注水井洗井液处理装置

BSF型注水井洗井液处理装置根据气浮、过滤等工艺原理，成功地解决了油田注水井洗井水的污染问题，经现场生产性试验证明，处理效果达到排放甚至回用标准。本文详细介绍了该装置的工艺流程、工作原理、试验效果及其应用价值等情况。     

在自然中生活

当我躺在乡村的草丛中,长久地凝视一滴露珠的时候,我会在一瞬间变成一株植物,失去了对人类生活的记忆。在风中,我听见我的骨节都在响了,那应该是植物拔节生长的声音。而我真的对现实生活有过温存的记忆吗？我走在回家的路上,远望这一节一节像火车上车厢组成的楼房,我就感觉到自己的滑稽可怜。     

Living with Pollution in Egypt

Environmental issues are increasingly discussed in Egypt, and there is some progress in dealing with pollution. This paper examines the environmental understandings of Egyptians living in four localities. People are preoccupied with such pollution problems as dirty streets, dirty air and water, and noise, for they aspire to live in a clean, healthy environment. To achieve this, they pressure the government, and take certain individual and collective actions themselves, although direct political action is rare.     

Navigating the Perfect Storm: Research Strategies for Socialecological Systems in a Rapidly Evolving World

The ‘Perfect Storm’ metaphor describes a combination of events that causes a surprising or dramatic impact. It lends an evolutionary perspective to how social-ecological interactions change. Thus, we argue that an improved understanding of how social-ecological systems have evolved up to the present is necessary for the modelling, understanding and anticipation of current and future social-ecological systems. Here we consider the implications of an evolutionary perspective for designing research approaches. One desirable approach is the creation of multi-decadal records produced by integrating palaeoenvironmental, instrument and documentary sources at multiple spatial scales. We also consider the potential for improved analytical and modelling approaches by developing system dynamical, cellular and agent-based models, observing complex behaviour in social-ecological systems against which to test systems dynamical theory, and drawing better lessons from history. Alongside these is the need to find more appropriate ways to communicate complex systems, risk and uncertainty to the public and to policy-makers.     

World data centre for greenhouse gases

News And Comments

World data centre for greenhouse gases     

生物多样性：人类赖以生存的物质基础

生物多样性是指一定范围内多种多样活的有机体（动物、植物、微生物）有规律地结合所构成稳定的生态综合体,是人类赖以生存的物质基础。随着人类社会的发展,自身生存的基础正在受到严重威胁,保护生物多样性已成为2l世纪全人类共同关注的重点。随着环境的污染与破坏,目前世界上的生物物种正在以每天几十种的速度消失。     

危害电工电子产品的生物霉菌

本文分析了霉菌对电工电子产品的影响,并指出预防方法。     

合肥城里生活的洋面孔

“老外”一词是在改革开放后,人们对于外国人一种形象的称呼,如今走到大街上,看见路人“老外”,我们早已习以为常。在日渐都市化的安徽合肥,开咖啡店、当城管、当外教、卖快餐……“老外”们正在以更多样的途径融入这座城市的生活。     

The World Bank and Petroleum Development in the Third World

The issues that arise between state sovereignty over natural resources and the desire of the State to finance the development of its petroleum resources from external sources are briefly examined. The problem is particularly acute for the least developed countries. It is suggested that financing obtained from international agencies such as the World Bank, may provide a means for such countries to maintain full sovereignty over their petroleum resources and at the same time obtain needed financing. To this end the petroleum lending activities of the World Bank are examined both in terms of policy and in terms of the financial resources available. A special lending facility to help underwrite financial risk of petroleum exploration in the least developed countries is proposed.     

Hunting for a Living: Wildlife Trade,Rural Livelihoods and Declining Wildlife in the Hkakaborazi National Park,North Myanmar

Hunting is a threat to wildlife within the Hkakaborazi National Park in north Myanmar. We used questionnaire surveys to obtain data on variables such as commonly targeted species, prices of traded wildlife, reasons for hunting and the relative importance of livelihood sources. We examine (a) the significance of hunting and trade for livelihoods and explore (b) the impacts of hunting on targeted species. Ninety per cent of trade records (n = 803) was constituted by seven species commonly targeted by hunters (serow, red goral, muntjac, bear, Assamese macaque, black musk deer and takin). Commercially valuable species previously targeted by hunters (tiger, otter, pangolin) appear to be completely absent from current harvest records and potentially in decline. Although farming is the predominant occupation, hunting (driven by trade) represents a significantly higher source of income than other livelihood activities. Management recommendations include increased investment in enforcement, education and outreach, small livestock development, improved crop productivity, demarcation of no-take areas for wildlife and biological monitoring of targeted species.     

论生活社区污染物的就地分散处理

我国目前的生活社区污染物治理方式主要是收集后集中处理,这种处理方式存在若干问题,如会影响集中处理场所和转运沿线周边社区的环境质量、不利于处理产物的资源化利用、收集系统的成本较高等。文章提出生活社区污染物宜就地处理,使本社区的污染物不会转移到其他社区,同时便于污染治理产物的资源化利用,而且可以促进环保产业升级,提高农村社区居住环境质量,促进绿色农业的开展,减轻政府环保工作压力。     

Microcomputers in the Third World: Recommendations for Use in Water Resources

The paper provides an introduction for professionals in the water resources field who are considering the use of a microcomputer in their work. The types of hardware and software available are discussed, as well as the factors which should be considered in choosing an appropriate system. Two microcomputer systems are suggested, an 'ideal' and a 'minimum', along with some indicative prices.