Coconut oil as a fuel in the Pacific Islands

The steadily increasing world market prices for fossil fuels in the past years have significantly increased interest in the development of indigenous sources of energy in the Pacific islands. As an import substitution strategy, many Pacific island Governments are looking into the use of local biomass resources to replace traditionally imported fuels such as petrol and diesel by biofuels. An overview of biofuel activities is given, with experiences and key achievements in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati and Marshall Islands with regard to efforts to develop alternative fuels. There are strong linkages between developments in the various Pacific island countries and lessons to be learned from experiences and policies implemented among Governments in the Pacific region. The paper concludes that there is a need for standardization, quality control and testing facilities for biofuels in the region. Governments need to investigate further the level of support that is required to make biofuel operations viable and maximize macroeconomic and environmental benefits.     

Educating the South Pacific about the environment

Summary Environmental education is currently fashionable. However, some educators are viewing it with suspicion as a trendy subject which will disrupt their carefully planned syllabii which are geared largely towards the passing of examinations. In the South Pacific there have been a number of attempts to increase people's awareness of their surroundings and to build up a respect for what is loosely termed our physical environment. These programmes have included, increasing the amount of environmental examples in a range of primary and secondary school subjects, formal courses in environmental planning at the tertiary level, and conservation messages through the media.Dr Jenny Bryant is a Lecturer in Geography at the University of the South Pacific, and recently Secretary, now Acting Chairperson, of the South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology and the Environment (SPACHEE).     

Environmental education in the South Pacific: Towards sustainable development

Summary This paper suggests that for environmental education to have any meaning in the South Pacific, the variety of physical and cultural environments must be taken into account. It is not possible, however, for each country to develop its own programme, and thus, a kind of dependent development which is sustainable should be undertaken. Environmental education is much wider than utilising formal educational curricula; it should include the use of the media, the employment of environmental economists, and a continuous sharing of information between those who carry out environmental research and those who design and implement policy.Dr Jenny Bryant is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of the South Pacific and Chairperson of the South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology and the Environment (SPACHEE). This paper was first presented to the 16th Pacific Science Congress in Seoul, Korea in August, 1987. It has been published elsewhere as part of a UNEP Regional Report (Dahl, 1988).     

Stockholm Recommendation 96: Viable in the Dominican Republic

Summary The Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries face serious challenges to their natural resource base. In recent years the government of the Dominican Republic has taken major steps toward the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan for national natural resources management. This plan is called Plan Sierra. An important component of this plan is the outline of actions for carrying out an environmental education programme within the country. This demonstrates a commitment to fulfill Recommendation No. 96 of the Stockholm Conference in a way that could become a model for other Latin American nations. Clinton L. Shepard is Assistant Professor in the Division of Environmental Education, School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University. Dr Shepard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Kentucky and graduate degrees from The Ohio State University in Natural Resources/Environmental Education and Education-Foundations and Research. He has worked as an interpreter and Environmental Education Coordinator for the State of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, a research associate for ERIC—Science, Math, and Environmental Education Clearinghouse, and College instructor in interpretive methods, environmental education methodology, resident outdoor programming, and natural resources development. He is also involved in international research and development, especially in the Caribbean Basin. Robert E. Roth is Chairman/Professor in the Division of Environmental Education, School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University. Dr Roth received a Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Management, a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Science Education, a Master's degree in Conservation Education from The Ohio State University, and his Ph.D. in Environmental Education from The University of Wisconsin. he came to OSU in 1969 and since that time has designed and institutionalized the only academic unit in the US that offers both well developed undergraduate and graduate programmes in Environmental Communications, Education and Interpretation and has published over 40 works in the field. He has been instrumental in implementing a growing international environmental education research and development emphasis in the wider Caribbean, he continues as an Executive Editor of theJournal of Environmental Education.     

Management of environment in developing countries

Summary Environmental problems in developing countries partly arise out of lack of development, hence they are intricately linked to the socio-economic conditions. Environmental awareness and environmental education are critical under these conditions but these are time consuming and slow solutions. Integration of economic and environmental plans for various regions have to be attempted systematically. Time is running out, and unless comprehensive steps are taken up some of the capital assets (such as forests, fresh water, soils, etc.) are likely to be irretrievably damaged.Dr B. Bowonder was, until recently, Chairman of the Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology at the Administrative Staff College, Hyderabad. He recently joined this Journal's Advisory Board and his analysis of the Bhopal Incident (The Environmentalist, 5 (2) 89–103) created considerable interest. He is currently a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific.     

Environmental impact assessment in ghana-anex post evaluation of the volta resettlement scheme: the case of the Kpong Hydro-electric project

Summary Many Third World Countries (TWCs), like Ghana, have not concerned themselves seriously with environmental problems as part of the entire socio-economic development process, until recently. This, for example, can be seen in their environmental policies and the rate at which these now are being made. Not only are environmental issues being considered in the formulation and implementation of new development programmes and projects, but it is being realised that earlier implemented projects need some evaluation,ex post, for possible, correction of past mistakes or, at least, as a source of self-containment. Thus, there has been interest in the impact assessment of past macro-projects as agricultural and resettlement schemes.An attempt is made to apply a simple matrices methodology to theex post evaluation of the Kpong Hydro-electric Project resettlement aspect, based on identified project and environment components. The results show that the impact on the socio- economic life of the settlers is positively greater than the physical and biological impacts. But considering other elements of the programme package and taking a perspective view, the settlers are after all, no better off. In view of the fact that a number of such schemes are now under consideration, it is useful for policy-makers and planners to learn from these lessons.Sam Ofori-Cudjoe is a Lecturer in Geography at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He is currently studying planning research at the Centre for Planning, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. He obtained a BA (Hons) in Geography from the Department of Geography, University of Ghana, Legon, in 1978, and a MSc (Regional Planning) from the Department of Planning, University of Science and Technology (UST), Kumasi, Ghana, in 1981.     

The pedagogy of atmospheric issues and the UK Atmospheric Research and Information Centre's Education Programme

Mrs Sue Hare is the education and information services coordinator of the UK Atmospheric Research and Information Centre (ARIC). Professor James Longhurst was recently the director of the ARIC and Joe Buchdahl its global climate change information services coordinator. Professor Longhurst is now head of the Department of Environmental Health and Science, University of the West of England, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY. Kelvin Williams is a geography consultant and is head of geography at Ysgol y Creuddyn, Penrhyn Bay, Llandudno, Gwynedd LL30 3LB. The pedagogy of atmospheric issues is identified in the context of environmental education in this paper. The UK Atmospheric Research and Information Centre (ARIC) has developed an education programme which has responded to the dynamic issues relating to the atmosphere since the establishment of the ARIC in 1984. The main route for the teaching of atmospheric issues is identified as being through the UK's National Curriculum although public awareness of issues has increased through the media and more recently through government publicity campaigns.     

Environmental education in Sweden

Summary Schools and higher education institutions in Sweden have developed a wide range of innovative and demanding curricula to meet the objectives of Sweden's environmental policy. Environmental education in compulsory schools is taught principally through biological sciences, although social studies are beginning to occupy a substantial component of the environmental curriculum. Upper secondary schools offer more opportunities to develop environmental awareness, understanding and practical skills than comparable sixth form and post-secondary colleges in England. In Sweden there is a strong emphasis on practical work developed through projects based on contemporary environmental issues and their resolution. The development of environmental education has been well supported by a substantial input of new resources, especially materials developed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Industry. Universities have also begun to adopt new organisational structures to help develop inter-disciplinary teaching and research teams. Several universities are experimenting with common core courses, parts of which comprise environmental elements.Dr P. Brown is currently Visiting Professor of Environmental Education, in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Hertfordshire. All five authors were until recetly members of Her Majesty's Education Service Inspectorate.     

The rise and fall of new knowledge interests in the Dutch environmental movement

Summary Since the late 1960s concern about the pollution of our physical environment has grown into a social and political issue. In this process of increasing awareness, environmental activists have played a catalysing role in most Western countries. Moreover the environmentalists formulated an alternative set of ideas and strategies concerning the production and use of knowledge. These new knowledge interests were organised around three dimensions: cosmology, technology, and the organisation of knowledge production. On the basis of a case-study of Dutch environmentalism this paper tries to demonstrate how the articulation of these new knowledge interests of international scope actually occurred in the particular Dutch national setting. The analysis shows that many of the ideas brought forward in the course of time by Dutch environmentalists have been imported from abroad, especially from the United States, Great Britain and West Germany. However, the specific ways in which Dutch environmentalists have defined the content of their own knowledge interests have depended very much on the particularities of the political culture and socio-economic climate of the Netherlands, as well as the internal dynamics within the various environmental groups themselves.Dr Jacqueline Cramer was until very recently a member of staff in the Department of Science Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam. She has now moved to the TNO Centre for Technology and Policy Studies, P.O. Box 541, 7300 AM, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. This paper forms part of a comparative study of the development of environmentalism in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands carried out in association with Ron Eyerman and Andrew Jamison of the University of Lund, Sweden.)     

Marine shrimp aquaculture and natural resource degradation in Thailand

Rising demand for shrimp in the developed nations has helped to foster a dramatic growth in marine shrimp aquaculture, particularly in South America and South Asia. In Thailand, Marine shrimp aquaculture is now an important earmer of foreign exchange. The growth in Production has been achieved through the expansion of the culture area and the adoption of intensive production methods. The conversion of near-shore areas to shrimp culture, however, is proving to have many consequences that impinge on the environmental integrity of coastal areas. This paper reviews the development of Thailand's marine shrimp culture industry and examines the nature of the environmental impacts that are emerging. It then discusses the implications these have for rural poor and the long-term viability of the culture industry.     

Environmental education research news

Summary The literature of education is replete with studies concerning attitudes and values as they exist, and the results of efforts to cause changes in attitudes in desired directions. It is clear that student attitudes toward learning are positively related to learning itself, and that student attitudes toward environmental concerns can be influenced by changes in cognitive knowledge levels. But much of the research has produced inconsistent results; much remains to be learned about precise relationships between and among attitudes/values, cognitive knowledge, and environmental activity.Compiled by John F. Disinger, Professor, School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1085, USA; also Associate Director, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education (SMEAC).     

Sea level rise: Some implications for Tuvalu

Summary Much current evidence suggests that global temperatures are slowly increasing. It is believed that this increase will be associated with a sea level rise. Tuvalu, approximately 1000 km north of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean, is one of six countries, all of them island states, that could face total destruction when sea levels rise. If sea level rises occur anywhere near the extreme projections that have been made, we can write these nations off the map. (Pernetta, 1988). This paper examines possible implications to the people of Tuvalu.James Lewis is a Fellow in Development Studies at the University of Bath, UK. This paper is based on the report of a field mission by the author on behalf of The Commonwealth Expert Group on Climate Change and Sea Level Rise (Lewis, 1988).Since submission of this article, James Lewis has taken part as a resource person at the Small States Conference on Sea Level Rise at Male, capital of the Maldives, 14th to 18th, November, 1989. A report of the Conference will be submitted for a subsequent issue ofThe Environmentalist.     

The decade of the 80s may be a failure without a decisive effort in environmental education

Summary This paper reviews development in environmental education in the three preceding decades of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. It then sets out the major sets of obstacles which need to be examined. Finally it deals with the 1980s and why this should be the decade of action. Referring to the IUCN World Conservation Strategy it is concerned with speeding up of the awareness of environmental problems in order to beat our race against time.Directeur, Programme Interdisciplinaire du territoire et développement régional, Université Laval. Member of Commission on Education, IUCN.     

Wilderness: A medium for improving psychological health

Summary In the current push for wildland preservation it is imperative to consider the inherent value of wilderness as a medium for improving psychological health. As Fritz Perls and other Gestalt psychologists have pointed out, we are living in an increasingly complex social structure which is causing us to lose touch with our ‘inner voice’—the voice that Perls claimed could tell us how to maintain organismic health and balance, if only we paid attention to it. He emphasized the need for an individual to become self-aware and self-responsible in order to reach psychological maturity (internal versus external support). However learning and developing self-awareness need not occur in a therapeutic setting alone. The process of personal growth may be greatly expedited by spending time in a wilderness setting. Environmentalists have long known about the healing powers of nature. From Thoreau to Abbey, they have pointed out the unique qualities of wilderness—simplicity and impartiality—which, in contrast to a complex, value-governed society, make it an ideal setting for self-exploration and understanding. People who experience the wilderness can return empowered to act as responsible, aware human beings, in a currently unhealthy, dehumanizing society. Ms. Suttie is a native of Northern California where the natural beauty of rugged coastline and wooded hills impressed upon her the importance of preserving the environment. Ms. Suttie completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry-Molecular Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (1981) and is presently involved in the master of Arts programme in Confluent Education, also at UCSB. She is studying under the direction of Dr George Brow, a noted Gestalt therapist. She hopes to combine the insights of the Gestalt approach with her particular interest—environmental education. Ms. Suttie has traveled extensively in Europe and the US and spent a year at St. Andrew's University, Scotland while an undergraduate. An avid backpacker, she has hiked the major mountain ranges of the Pacific northwest. Currently a resident of Santa Barbara, California, she finds the nearby San Rafael Wilderness and the coastal ranges ideal as settings for testing out her theories regarding the relationship between health and wilderness experience. Little is to be expected of that day... to which we are not awakened by our Genius, but by the mechanical nudgings of some servitor, are not awakened by our own newly acquired force and aspirations from within, accompanied by the undulations of celestial music, instead of factory bells...     

Environmental education research notes (USA)

Conclusion The Commission's efforts are currently in a second phase directed toward identification and additional of more research papers and higher levels of analysis. Funding support is provided from the operating budget of the National Association for Environmental Education. Persons interested in additional information concerning the activities of the NCEER may contact Professor Iozzi at The Institute for Science, Technology, and Social Science Education, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, Doolittle Hall, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 USA. Copies ofResearch in Environmental Education 1971–1980 may be obtained from the publisher, SMEAC Information Reference Center, The Ohio State University, 1200 Chambers Road, Columbus, OH 43212 USA, for $15. also Associate Director, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education (SMEAC). In preparing these notes, use was made of abstracts printed inResearch in Environmental Education 1971–1980.     

The legacy of migration in response to climate stress: learning from the Gilbertese resettlement in the Solomon Islands

The long‐term threat of sea‐level rise to coral atoll and reef island communities in Kiribati, Tuvalu and other nations has raised the possibility of international migration. Historical resettlements in the Pacific may provide valuable insight into the long‐term effect of future climate change‐related migration on communities. This study evaluates the challenges faced by Gilbertese people resettled from modern‐day Kiribati to Ghizo in the Solomon Islands by the British colonial administration in the mid‐1900s. Drawing upon field interviews (n = 45) conducted in 2011 and the available historical literature, the study examines the circumstances of the initial failed resettlement in the equatorial Phoenix Islands, the subsequent relocation to Ghizo, and the recent concerns of the Gilbertese in Ghizo. Focus is placed on the struggle to recover from the 2007 tsunami that devastated the unprepared community. The analysis reveals that uncertainty about land tenure (raised by 61% of respondents) persists 60 years after resettlement, and is linked to the ability to recover from the tsunami, tensions with the Melanesian population, concerns over political representation, cultural decline, and education and employment opportunities. The Gilbertese experience can serve as a cautionary tale for policymakers considering mechanisms for facilitating climate change‐related migration.     

Environmental reporting requirements under the EU: eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)

The fifth Action Programme on the Environment: Towards Sustainability, defines European Union (EU) environmental policy until the year 2000 and emphasises the need for greater disclosure of environmental information. This paper discusses the Eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS), and EU market based instrument designed to bring more industrial environmental performance data into the public domain. The paper discusses the purpose of the Regulation's environmental statement identifying the potential audiences and their requirements. Using six corporate environmental reports, the paper analyzes how these meet the Regulation's reporting requirements and what modifications would be needed in current reporting trends. The paper concludes that existing reporting requirements will need to change to satisfy EMAS requirements and the increasing public demands for industrial environmental performance information.Ruth Hillary successfully completed a MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, University of London, and is currently undertaking a doctorate to continue her research into the fields of environmental auditing and environmental management. She was placed at the European Commission's Industry and Environment Division of DG XI where she worked on the draft Eco-management and audit Regulation during its progress towards adoption and application. She is the Series Editor for the Business and the Environment Practitioner Series, a series of practical business reports addressing current and emerging environmental topics of importance to companies, and has recently published a reportThe Eco-management and audit Scheme-A Practical Guide. She has also published many papers on the subjects of environmental auditing and the EU Eco-management and audit scheme.     

Modelling environmental concern: Theory and application

Summary Human concern for the quality and protection of the natural environment forms the basis of successful environmental conservation activities. The social sciences have considered this concern as an area of research activity. In the present paper environmental concern research is considered and emphasis is placed upon studies which have depicted it in multiple dimensions. The results are then presented from research which has attempted to ask What are the dimensions of this concern? These findings suggest that individuals perceive different environmental issues differentially using multiple concurrent dimensions of evaluation. In general, issues are ascribed to a series of different categories which embody evaluations of; type (or referent) of issue, issue scale, environmental importance and personal importance of the issue.Dr Paul Hackett was until recently a staff member in the Consumer Research Unit of the Department of commerce at the University of Birmingham Business School. He is now on the staff of the Department of General Practice, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff.     

Teaching for community environmental action: an alternative instructional model for environmental concepts and issues in schools

Summary Whether environmental education in the school curriculum is treated as a separate subject or as an interdisciplinary entity, the end product should be the same: to provide learners with the desire to preserve or develop optimum environments and to improve less desirable ones. In this endeavour, the learners must ultimately reach out to participate in community decisions and environmental management activities, for that is where the environmental problems abound. Moreover, young persons are generally more knowledgeable than many adults on environmental matters and are more aware of the effects of environmental degradation. When they participate in community environmental management, they may also develop unique and particularly dynamic qualities.Research worldwide suggests that very few teaching programmes encourage environmental participation. In Kenya teachers tend to use deductive teaching methods which do not encourage participation, although there may be ample opportunities in the local environment to facilitate such participation. A more refined, reconstructivist inquiry strategy, committed to the attainment of participative environmental education objectives is suggested. The approach, referred to as an operation-environment instructional model emphasizes action research, supported by a series of other vital stages, as fundamental to the agenda for environmental learning.William W. Toili possesses both Bachelor and Master's Degrees in Education from Nairobi as well as a Master's Degree from the University of Leeds, UK. He is currently a lecturer in Environmental Education at Maseno University College.     

Environmental education research notes (USA)

Conclusion Selections reported above were chosen as representative and reflective of the varieties of environmental education research currently reported in the literature. They were picked for this paper somewhat arbitrarily, from among more than 70 surviving an initial screening. No selection bias was intended, other than for the purpose of providing a representative variety. In most cases, abstracts printed in theCurrent Index to Journals in Education, Resources in Education, orDissertation Abstracts International were used in preparing these notes.These notes have been compiled by John F. Disinger, Professor of Environmental Education, School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA; he is also Associate Director, Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education (SMEAC). This contribution by Professor Disinger is in response to the editorial, Invitation to Promote Research Cooperation (The Environmentalist, 1 (3) 177–178.