Adaptive mechanisms of nonspecific resistance to heavy metal ions in alkanotrophic actinobacteria

Sensitivity to heavy metal (HM) exposure has been studied in actinobacterial cultures maintained at the Regional Specialized Collection of Alkanotrophic Microorganisms (acronym IEGM; http://www.iegm.ru/iegmcol). Possible mechanisms of nonspecific resistance of actinobacteria to HMs are discussed, which may be due to their ecological preferences, alkanotrophy, and ability to synthesize biosurfactants. Hydrocarbon-oxidizing strains have been selected that are characterized by high emulsifying activity and resistance to increased (>250 mM) HM concentrations.     

Application of environmentally conscious manufacturing strategies for an automotive component

Application of appropriate environmentally conscious manufacturing strategies enables the sustainable development of products and processes. Automotive component manufacturers recognise the potential of applying appropriate strategies for attaining Triple Bottom Line benefits. In this context, three strategies such as eco-efficiency, waste minimisation and material efficiency are being applied to minimise environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of automotive products and its associated processes. A case study of an automotive component manufacturing firm has been exemplified. After conducting the study, the potential environmental impact was reduced by 20% and eco-efficiency was improved by 13%. Further, improvements have been observed in terms of overall resource consumption and material efficiency. The overall power consumption was reduced by 18% and weight of the component was reduced by 11%. The study aimed at improving the sustainable performance of product by incorporating green and environmentally friendlier manufacturing practices.

Abbreviations: USEPA: United Nations Environmental Protection Agency; OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; WBCSD: World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Eco-QFD: Environmental Quality Function Deployment; WCED: World Commission on Environment and Development; LCA: Life Cycle Assessment     

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.     

National implications of a 50% global reduction of greenhouse gases, and its feasibility in Japan

This paper considers three questions concerning a low-carbon society. The first is the implication of a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 2050. In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, released in 2007 (IPCC 2007b; http://www.gtp89.dial.pipex.com/chpt.htm), the suggested limit of increase in average worldwide temperatures is 2–3°C above the current level, but is this consistent with a 50% reduction by 2050? Second, when a 50% reduction in global emissions is envisioned, what is the level of reduction needed in Japan? Should the 50% reduction be uniform for advanced industrial countries and developing countries, or differentiated based on a country’s emissions? Third, how feasible are emission reduction targets in Japan? Even if the emission reduction target set for each country takes into account climate change impact and equity, whether the target is technically, or socially and economically, acceptable is another matter.     

Wind farm and fauna interaction: detecting bird and bat wing beats through cyclic motion analysis

Recent Government announcements have implied that wind power will play a major part in providing energy for the UK (BBC 2007 BBC. 2007. Wind ‘could power all UK homes’ [online], British Broadcasting Corporation. Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7135930.stm [Accessed 20 January 2008] [Google Scholar]). However, there is much concern that wind farms can have a significant impact on flying fauna (bats and birds) using the area, particularly at night. As part of an Environmental Impact Assessment, thorough appropriate surveys are necessary for quantifying and minimising any risk wind farms may cause flying fauna. Manual surveys that are commonly used are not always cost‐effective, efficient or practical. Remote systems based on motion detection are increasingly being used to monitor wildlife.

Fast‐moving airborne targets such as aeroplanes can falsely trigger motion‐detection based remote systems. As birds and bats repetitively flap their wings, this oscillating motion can be used to distinguish them from other airborne targets. Time periods between wing oscillations are not always constant, and hence the motion is not periodic. A method to detect cyclic motion based on similarity matrices is proposed, and synthetic and real data are used.     

Trends in social metabolism and environmental conflicts in four Andean countries from 1970 to 2013

In the global map of environmental injustices (http://www.ejatlas.com), the Andean countries (AC) report many ecological distribution conflicts. Our hypothesis is that the patterns of such conflicts are explained by the structural shifts of the economies and the concomitant changes in their metabolic profiles. Since the 1990s, these countries went through a strong reprimarization process, which changed their social metabolism as well as intensified environmental pressures and conflicts. In monetary terms, in the AC group of countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia), the primary sector increased its importance both in exports as well as in GDP. In the metabolic dynamics, the Domestic Extraction of materials (measured in tons) increased by a factor of 3.4 after jumping from 336 to 1145 MT between 1970 and 2012. This was driven by the fossil fuel and mining sectors. This reality was reflected in the environmental conflicts. Mining, fossil fuels, biomass and hydropower plants are the most conflictive sectors. The research in this article relies on a study of material flow analysis for the four AC carried out by the authors as well as 244 environmental conflicts reported in the EJAtlas until August 2016. The shifts in the metabolic–economic patterns help explain the dynamics and characteristics of the environmental conflicts in the AC. Such conflicts produce social mobilizations, which if successful, might help move society towards sustainability and environmental equity.     

Risk and Responsibility in Public Engagement by Climate Scientists: Reconsidering Advocacy During the Trump Era

The election as US President of Donald J Trump, who denies the scientific consensus on climate change, raises questions about the role of scientists in public discourse. How far should scientists wade into the waters of advocacy before risking their credibility of fair arbiters of knowledge? The new study by Kotcher, Myers, Vraga, Stenhouse, and Maibach [2017. Does engagement in advocacy hurt the credibility of scientists? Results from a randomized national survey experiment. Environmental Communication. doi:10.1080/17524032.2016.1275736] is a reminder that scientists are among the most trusted people in public life and have some freedom to engage publicly without harming their reputation. However, with the power to influence public debate comes the responsibility to carefully consider the impact of statements and actions. This commentary discusses the challenges facing scientists at a time of great potential for public engagement, and for a gap between perceived and actual intent of public statements.     

Geo-Profiling: beyond the Current Limits. A Preliminary Study of Mathematical Methods to Improve the Monitoring of Invasive Species

The Geographic Profiling (GP) is a data analysis tool that has great potential. Presently, it is used only minimally, and is almost always used “as it is”, independently on other analysis or data processing methods. GP was initially created as a forensic tool, to find the origin of a series of events (crimes) done by a single actor. However, using this method in integration with others, it is possible to enlarge the opportunities of geographical data analysis. The promising results of this method in integration with others, even if some of them are quite well known methods since many years–and thus well tested–show a number of further possible applications. Here we treat data clustering and partitioning with Kmeans and Dbscan methods; space partitioning (Voronoi tessellation) and a method to assign weights to the events constituting the data set. The software used in this review was written in Python, was released under GPL license and is available on Bitbucket (https://bitbucket.org/ugosnt/al_and_ugo/).     

Promoting integration and cooperation for sustainability views from the symposium held at UNESCO headquarters September 19, 2013

This public symposium explored ways to integrate knowledge about and strengthen cooperation on complex and interconnected global sustainability issues. (The symposium was organized by the United Nations University (UNU), The University of Tokyo Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), as well as UNESCO. Co-organizers were the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology-Japan (MEXT) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Participants included representatives from key institutes and UNESCO’s programs in the areas of water, ocean and ecological sciences as well as social and natural sciences, UNESCO Member states, scholars and policymakers. The symposium program and list of speakers is attached. See also www.isp.unu.edu). The central question put to symposium deliberations was one that many policy- and decision-makers as well as academic scholars struggle with today: how can we overcome barriers to action that will put societies around the world on a path to a more stable and sustainable future? This article examines the presentations made during the symposium and draws upon them to explore opportunities for sustainability scientists to help meet this challenge. The paper is divided into three parts: Part I provides a brief introduction that places the symposium in context of current debates on sustainability science and discusses (a) the role of UNESCO and (b) the relevance of sustainability science to policy- and decision-making for sustainable development. Part II examines three steps that can be taken now to overcome barriers to sustainability and the role of sustainability science in each (a) building societal and environmental resilience; (b) increasing collaboration across geographical and disciplinary boundaries as well as between scientists and decision-makers; and (c) enhancing education for sustainable development (ESD). The paper concludes with a review of why these keys are essential and steps that can be taken in the future to facilitate their widespread application at multiple scales.