Nature,Crisis, Risk,Science, and Society: What is Our Ethical Responsibility?

In his keynote address, Robert Cox raised key questions, many of which force us to consider the larger question of the role of academics in society. The authors respond by suggesting that environmental communication, like other communication studies, is inherently normative and that environmental communication scholarship is closely aligned to risk as a centerpiece to crisis analysis. The authors discuss the productive connections among science, communication and sound public policy that make society more fully functional, including the formation of effective public policy through science that is normative while seeking objectivity, evaluating and symbolizing motives in discourse, acknowledging uncertainty and acceptable uncertainty, and that material and symbolic dimensions of the environment are interdependent. Thus, such studies focus on the ethics of environment and must balance sound science and cultural considerations.     

David Buckland,Founder, Cape Farewell,with Renée Lertzman

Cape Farewell is the brainchild of London-based artist David Buckland. The project is centered round a series of sailing voyages into the Arctic, through routes that were previously icebound but are now passable. The expeditions take teams of world-renowned artists, educators, writers, musicians and thinkers into the Arctic, onboard a hundred-year old schooner, with the invitation to engage with scientists (from the National Oceanography Centre, as well as Southampton), to make art, and to draw people's attention to the effects of ocean currents on us and our climate. Since its first expedition in 2003, the project has grown to include educational programs, an award-winning website, a BBC documentary, and an exhibit, “The Ship, The Art of Climate Change,” developed with the Natural History Museum and which has embarked on a worldwide tour. In August 2007, Cape Farewell began a three-year residency at Southbank Centre, operating as a cultural eco-hub for the Centre's creative climate change initiatives, and has started a collaboration with the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK.

This interview was conducted in the Cape Farewell offices, which are in David Buckland's studio atop his family home in Camden, London. Currently, Renée Lertzman is conducting a PhD in critical psychology studies at Cardiff University in Wales, UK. Her interviews and writings relating to environmental communication have appeared in The Sun Magazine, Orion, Land and People (Trust for Public Land), Speak Magazine, Terra Nova, and Organization & Environment. Lertzman can be contacted at http://www.reneelertzman.org. For more information about Cape Farewell, visit http://capefarewell.com.     

Glutathione S-transferase cytosolic isoform in the pink-shrimp, Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis, from Conceição Lagoon, Santa Catarina Island, SC, Brazil

Contaminant input into the environment can affect the biochemical responses of exposed organisms. Activity of conjugation enzymes, such as glutathione S-transferase (GST) has been proposed as a biomarker of susceptibility to the presence of potentially damaging xenobiotics. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the activity of total and Pi-class GST in the hepatopancreas of pink-shrimp Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis. The shrimp were caught at a single site at Concei??o Lagoon and transplanted to another site (Canto da Lagoa - CA) in the same lagoon, and to the laboratory (LAB), where they were kept for 15 days. This experiment was carried out in winter 2003 and in summer 2004. Shrimp were sampled before the exposure, at a zero time (t0), and after 15-days at CA site and LAB. The activity of total GST and Pi-isoform were analyzed using CDNB and ethacrynic acid (EA) as substrates, respectively. Shrimp caught in winter showed higher levels of Pi-class GST than those caught in summer, for both t0 and CA groups. Moreover, differences in the activity of this GST isoform between groups were observed only in winter, where the animals from t0 and CA groups presented higher activity when compared to those kept in the laboratory. This difference could be associated either to changes in the contaminant input or to other water quality parameters in this ecosystem. The elevated GST Pi activity observed in the shrimp of both t0 and CA groups sampled in winter could be related to salinity, since it was higher in winter than in summer. We could also suggest a possible association of this finding to a seasonal metabolic variation in this penaeid. If that is the case, one should take into account these alterations when considering the use of this GST isoform as biomarker in F. brasiliensis in environmental monitoring programs.     

More aid, better institutions, or both?

It has been nearly 20 years since a working definition for “sustainable development” was put forward by the World Commission on Environment and Development. The concept endures in the mission statements and frameworks of action of various societal actors, including those of neighborhood associations, metropolitan development authorities, environmental ministries, and United Nations (UN) specialized organizations, to name a few. Yet many observers doubt that sustainable development is occurring in poor countries. This failure, the critics contend, stems from miserly transfers of foreign aid. The extent to which inadequate aid is to blame for poor environmental/developmental outcomes is an open question. But vocal demands for increasing aid to meet sustainable development goals come from many parts of society and are persistent. Exhortations for more aid to help poor countries are noble, perhaps even justifiable, but there are understandable doubts about the wisdom of transferring large capital and technical resources to countries that are slow to adopt needed institutional reforms. Aid without institutional reform is a recipe for wasted resources and donor fatigue. Worse, it may enhance inequities of wealth and power in recipient countries. There are few illustrations to draw on demonstrating how institutionally impoverished societies are affected when they are compelled to absorb massive aid inputs over a short period––a remedy suggested by some prominent aid experts. As a proxy, it is valuable to examine instances where swift macroeconomic changes, spurred by external investment and export-led growth, has occurred without significant institutional development. The case of Equatorial Guinea and its sudden oil riches is examined to discern whether, in the absence of meaningful institutional reform, rapid and profound increases in foreign direct investment and export income enable poverty alleviation and sustainable development.

长江三角洲区域发展与人口,资源,环境

历史时期,长江三角洲地区经济发展,具有与人口增长基本同步的三个发展时期。在此过程中,人口增长因素,在不同历史时期,对区域发展起着各具特色的作用。南北朝以来,人口增长过快而产生一系列人口、资源、环境失衡问题,其中某些如水域环境变化等,对当今区域经济的发展,仍然起着深刻的作用与影响。当今随着经济的纵深发展,在历史问题基础上,深化产生了许多新问题,使人口、资源、环境关系更为复杂。对此必须抓住人口增长这个主要方面,挖掘资源潜力,统一规划,加强管理,使自然-社会-经济系统的各个方面处于最佳协调状态,控制熵增,以求区域环境的久治长安、区域经济的持续增长。     

“Single-minded,compelling, and unique”: Visual Communications,Landscape, and the Calculated Aesthetic of Place Branding

Place branding strategies play a significant role in the professional composition of landscape imagery, including the depiction of “natural” landscapes. In this paper, Brand Blue Mountains, a brand currently implemented in the Blue Mountains region (Australia), is discursively analyzed. The brand sets out an all-encompassing “Vision” defining the identity, values and personality of the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains landscape, summarized in the tagline Elevate Your Senses. This “vision” is visually translated into a strictly coordinated and copyrighted suite of logos, graphic design, color, fonts and various photographic styles. Analysis reveals that the degree of control that place brand strategists seek to exert over the visual expression of landscape identity is significant. A highly selective narrative of positive nature-based sensory experience is constructed through the holistic application of contemporary visual media. The brands' communications strategy naturalizes and reinforces a particular market-friendly version of place. The framework that brands set for the representation of landscapes overall amounts to an exercise in calculated aesthetics, whereby the form and content of landscape images of various kinds is measured to achieve the greatest market differentiation and impact which technologies allow. The result of this calculated aesthetic system, with its taglines, saturated color, careful composition and magazine-format brevity, is a reduction in the complexity of landscape representations and a perpetuation of nature stereotypes.     

Population,Land Use and Deforestation in the Pan Amazon Basin: a Comparison of Brazil,Bolivia, Colombia,Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela

This paper discusses the linkages between population change, land use, and deforestation in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, and Venezuela. We begin with a brief discussion of theories of population–environment linkages, and then focus on the case of deforestation in the PanAmazon. The core of the paper reviews available data on deforestation, population growth, migration and land use in order to see how well land cover change reflects demographic and agricultural change. The data indicate that population dynamics and net migration exhibit to deforestation in some states of the basin but not others. We then discuss other explanatory factors for deforestation, and find a close correspondence between land use and deforestation, which suggests that land use is loosely tied to demographic dynamics and mediates the influence of population on deforestation. We also consider national political economic contexts of Amazon change in the six countries, and find contrasting contexts, which also helps to explain the limited demographic-deforestation correspondence. The paper closes by noting general conclusions based on the data, topics in need of further research and recent policy proposals.Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue     

人口,资源,环境与发展系统研究的基本思路

人口、资源、环境与发展问题相互关联,构成了一个复杂巨系统。应用系统科学的思想方法研究这个复杂巨系统,是当前最令人注目的重大学术领域。本文探讨了这一系统研究的范围框架、基本内容结构和研究方法,建立了针对我国实际问题的系统概念模型。这一概念模型首次把人口、资源、环境、经济、科技、教育、文化等基本要素组织在一个完整的社会核算体系中。     

新的学术生长点：人口,资源,环境经济学研究

本文构造了人口、资源、环境关系的基本框架、认为：人口、资源、环境经济学研究是新的学术生长点，但目前还处在初级阶段。在方法论上，作者强调了系统方法的重要性，并提出了人口、资源、环境经济学研究值得关注的几个问题，譬如，资源环境的人口承载力问题，人口的活动方式，消费方式和生态意识问题，以及小区域的人口、资源和环境问题。     

推进城市化进程,跨越水资源门槛,实现大开发战略

人类社会的城市化进程始终是与对水资源的开发利用同步的 ,水资源短缺将是制约城市发展的一道门槛。然而 ,在我国西部地区存在着严重的水资源短缺和难以利用的情况 ,无序的城市化又进一步恶化了本已极为严峻的水资源短缺。但城市化始终是实现西部开发的必然选择。因此 ,在实现西部大开发战略 ,推进城市化进程的过程中 ,必须通过严格控制中心城市规模 ,以控制对水资源的局部过度需求 ;通过进一步优化城镇体系布局 ,在推进城市化进程的同时 ,实现区域范围内水资源的供需平衡 ;通过对现有的城市产业结构加以调整 ,以提高水资源的利用效率。只有依靠这种适宜的城市化战略 ,才能在城市化进程中跨越水资源门槛 ,最终实现西部地区的可持续发展     

世纪之交我国人口,资源,环境的趋势分析与对策

本文全面分析了我国人口、资源、环境的现状;及其在“九五”和2010年的发展趋势;并提出了促进我国经济建设与人口、资源、环境协调发展的对策和建议。     

中国的人口,资源,环境问题及若干战略选择

中国具有十分特殊的基本国情,如何根据中国的国情以及特定的历史与现实条件,选择适宜的组织机制,实施正确的长期发展战略,加速中国的现代化进程,这是一个十分紧迫而又令人关注的重大课题。本文主要从人口、资源、环境等方面分析中国现代化所面临的困境,以及应采取的战略选择。     

江苏昆山市人口,资源,环境与可持续发展的战略思考

本文从区域可持续发展的角度,着重分析了搞土地批租给经济建设、农业生产和环境保护带来的利弊,指出土地批租具有经济发展上的进取性,资源利用上的合理性,环境治理上的主动性和社会发展的全面性,关键是要因势利导,加强管理,才能达到可持续发展的根本目的。     

鲁北绿色产业战略：资源,生态,环境与经济发展的统一

在近两个世纪中 ,随着两次工业革命的兴起 ,人类不仅以前所未有的速度创造出了巨大的社会财富 ,而且也形成了以人类中心论为背景的工业文明。在相当长的时期内 ,这一文明还只限于关心人类自身的发展 ,忽视人与自然的合谐 ,而破坏了人类赖以生存的自然环境。传统的经济发展模式造成的资源浪费、温室效应、臭氧层破坏、土地沙化、森林植被的大面积毁灭、各种有毒有害废物的污染以及资源匮乏等 ,致使人类生存发展空间面临严重压力。更为值得注意的是 ,迄今为止 ,人们仍习惯于将环境保护作为一种公益事业 ,因而造成一边是工业发展 ,一边是环境污…     

长江中下游地下水中Cr,V,Co的形成及分布规律

以丰富的实际资源，论证了地下水中Ｃｒ、Ｖ、Ｃｏ元素的形成，含量及其分布规律，除了与地下水的含水介质成分有关外，主要爱乔石和氧化还原环境的控制。     

Sustainable Development of Export： Theoretical Meaning, Evaluation Model, and Empirical Research

With the effect of the human trade doctrine in the international trade field, almost all the countries have paid more attention to the sustainable development of international trade. This article chose the export sustainable development as the research object. On the basis of the analysis of the theoretical connotation of the export sustainable development, this article tried to establish an evaluation indices system and set up an evaluation model of the export sustainable development level, and finally made some empirical research on China. The result indicates that the comprehensive level of the export sustainable development in China showed a tendency to rise from 1985 to 2003 and the export sustainable development level of China in these years can be divided into four grades： excellent, good, moderate and poor. In most years, the social economic benefits of export was obtained at the cost of the deterioration of environment and the depletion of resources, and the economic profit of export did not increase with the enlargement of the export scale because of the deterioration of the terms of trade. Therefore, China should be careful about the problem of poverty accompanied by the increase of export.     

可持续的,可持续性与可持续发展

本文分析了可持续发展，可持续性和可持续发展的概念的历史成因及区别，并详细论述了如何使用这几个概念。     

循环经济,长江流域可持续发展的必由之路

长江流域是中国经济发展的主驱动轴,其发展速度和水平直接关系到我国全面建设小康社会和第三步战略目标的顺利实现。但目前该流域的可持续发展面临诸多问题,环境污染日趋严重,资源利用效率低下．生态安全遭到威胁,三大差距不断拉大,严重影响到2l世纪长江流域的长远发展。而循环经济以其“减量化、再使用、再循环”三大准则,从根本上解决了经济发展和环境保护之间的冲突,成为可持续发展的最佳模式。长江流域的循环经济建设需从生态产业、生态工业园、生态城市和生态流域等不同层面上加以推进。其实施和推广不仅需要政府强有力的宏观调控,企业、科学界和社会公众的共同参与,同时依赖于资金、技术以及法律、制度等软硬环境的强力支撑。     

生物多样性,保护区与持续发展

在过去的20年里,生物多样性保护与社会经济持续发展的相互作用得到日益广泛的认识。如今,许多持续发展的项目都把最大程度减少生物多样性的丧失做为设计目标。而许多保护生物多样性的努力也指望产生经济与社会效益,尤其是给那些与保护区有关的,并为自然保护提供机会的人们带来利益。现在许多政府和国际机构都认识到保护生物多样性与持续发展之间的关联。因此,针对具体的社会、经济及文化环境制定出特定时期的实施措施,将可能成为90年代的重要任务。