Famine in Africa — the real causes and possible solutions

Summary Following an analysis of the scenario behind the causes of famine in the continent of Africa, the author suggests a number of ways in which the continent's current position of potential bankruptcy and starvation could be alleviated.Brian W. Walker, as President of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), is normally located at the European Office, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD. This paper was first presented as a Presidential Address in Washington to the IIED on 11th February, 1985.     

Moral Considerability and the Argument from Relevance

The argument from relevance expresses an intuition that, although shared by many applied ethicists, has not been analyzed and systematized in the form of a clear argument thus far. This paper does this by introducing the concept of value relevance, which has been used before in economy but not in the philosophical literature. The paper explains how value relevance is different from moral relevance, and distinguishes between direct and indirect ways in which the latter can depend on the former. These clarifications allow the argument to explain in detail how we can make two claims. The first one is that being a recipient of value should be the only criterion for full moral considerability. This follows if we accept that value relevance should determine, directly or indirectly, moral relevance. The second claim is that, given what the main theories of wellbeing imply regarding what entities can be recipients of value, sentience is both a sufficient and a necessary criterion for full moral considerability. The paper argues that this conclusion stands even if we hold views that consider other values different from sentience.     

Agricultural Biotechnology and the Future Benefits Argument

In the face of criticisms about the current generationof agricultural biotechnology products, some proponents ofagricultural biotechnology offer a ``future benefitsargument'(FBA), which is a utilitarian ethical argument thatattempts to justify continued R&D. This paper analyzes severallogical implications of the FBA. Among these are that acceptanceof the FBA implies (1) acceptance of a precautionary approach torisk, (2) the need for a more proportional and equitabledistribution of the benefits of agricultural biotechnology, andmost important, (3) the need to reorient and restructurebiotechnology R&D institutions (and the agriculturalbiotechnology community's values and attitudes) so that futurebenefits are indeed achieved through agricultural biotechnology.     

Food production in the city: (re)negotiating land,food and property

This paper addresses issues of access to land for food production in Toronto by offering fresh perspectives on urban agriculture in the neo-liberal city of the global north. It examines attempts to scale up urban agriculture that emphasise changing the relationships between land access, property and new collaborative relationships among different stakeholders. These initiatives involve renegotiating access to land for growing food between private property owners and landless growers, concomitant shifts in control over valued resources and commercialisation. These shifts are often based on relations of trust within a sharing economy rather than public battles over political decisions to develop urban agriculture lands. Growing food on private lands in the city is political in challenging taken-for-granted ideas and practices of property and urban agriculture. New approaches offer options for training and income, as well as expanding the land base for urban agriculture. Small-scale farming projects are affirmative political manoeuvres. They challenge urban residents to consider land for food production across the categories of public and private property. We document three approaches that challenge current property relations: temporary use of a development site through “soft” squatting; redesignating suburban backyards for farmer training and community-based and private food production; and garden sharing of private home backyards for urban food production and commercial growing. Such initiatives articulate alternative visions of sustainability and food security that rely on principles of collaboration and a sharing economy that challenge prevailing notions of property ownership and food security.     

环境影响评价制度改革应着力回归环评本质

环评倍受关注,主要因为其作为环保部门的最大权力,不仅没有起到预防污染发生的作用,反而成了一些不正当利益输送的通道。本文从回顾环评在中国的发展历程和剖析环保部门、建设单位或规划编制机关、环评机构在环评中的相互关系入手,试图回答“作为环保部门最大权力为什么预防不住环境污染”的问题。研究认为,应以促进环评回归其本质作为环评制度改革的目标,按“环评脱钩→环评审批→环境违法严惩→维护公众环境权益”优先顺序,全面推进环评制度改革;环评脱钩是环评制度改革的切入点或起点;环评制度改革须抓住“如何防止环评及干预环评的任性权力”这一关键点,即环评制度改革的“牛鼻子”应是环评审批;以信息公开、社会监督确保事中有效监督,确保公众环境权益、强化污染者的损害担责,倒逼环评回归其本质;以法治和社会监督防止环评及干预环评的权力任性。     

涂装(前处理)废水处理工艺简介

概括总结了目前涂装(前处理)废水处理工艺,并对这些工艺进行了比较分析,并针对某厂家的涂装废水提出了可行可靠的处理工艺流程。最后提出几点建议来改善和优化涂装废水工艺。     

简论废气氮氧化物(NO_X)浓度单位PPm与mg/m~3的换算系数关系

空气中污染物浓度的表示方法有两种,体积浓度表示法(ppm)与质量浓度表示法(mg/m3)。氮氧化物不是单一的化合物,存在多种化合物。因此目前对氮氧化物(NOX)单位换算不清,造成浓度结果计算错误。本文对这一问题作一简介。     

排污权交易初始分配中的权利配置与救济

排污权初始分配合理与否在很大程度上决定着市场交易能否持续,因而初始分配权利的合理配置是排污权交易制度设计的核心。初始分配中政府主导地位、政府失灵和公众参与的利益诉求决定了应该对政府权力加以约束,应该构筑以政府权力约束为核心,采取直接和间接权力约束方式的权利分配机制。同时,还应着重从环保问责制和环境公益诉讼两方面构建和完善初始分配中的权利救济制度。