Local governance of greenhouse gas emissions from air travel

Global greenhouse gas emissions from air travel (GHG-A) are on the rise, and projections point towards a rapid growth in the coming decades. This study aims to examine how local government (cities), addresses GHG-A in their Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAP). To fulfil this aim, over 200 SEAPs were analysed focusing on three issues: (1) Treatment of GHG-A in local emissions inventories; (2) Policy initiatives within this domain; and (3) The cities’ perceptions of the conflicts of interests. Results showed that more than half of the cities acknowledge the challenge of GHG-A, around one third include GHG-A in their emissions inventories, and more than one quarter have initiated policy interventions. To categorise these interventions, we have added a mode ‘governing by agenda setting’ to an existing analytical framework, ‘Modes of governing’. With their authority limited to the local setting, this mode of governing is a common channel for cities to push changes at higher levels.     

Falls prevention through community intervention – A Swedish example

In order to control and reduce fall-related injuries, particularly among women over the age of 55, a safety management and falls prevention campaign was structured and implemented during 2006–2007 in the small industrial town of Södertälje, Sweden. A local campaign was launched to recruit falls prevention agents, to inform key target groups in the local community, and to educate older people about fall risks. A survey showed that the campaign had a greater impact among professionals with a special relation to fall risk than among the general population. Medical records were used in the evaluation of the outcomes. The results show that between 2005 and 2007 there was a drop of fractures related to falls in the council: an overall drop of 16.7% in the population; among men 55 or older a drop of 12%, among women 55 or older a drop of 15%, among home-dwelling women 55 or older a drop of 5.7% and among women in special accommodation a drop of 44.4%. Expressed in terms of years lost to disability (YLD), the overall drop in hip fractures treated at the local hospital between 2005 and 2007 was 48%. A comparison with National medical records for the same period shows the drop for the intervention area to be much larger than that for Sweden as a whole, although the effect was not statistically significant. The study demonstrates the advantages of a broad, community-based approach to injury prevention.     

The evolving structure of the European mining industry

A major restructuring of the mining industry has been going on since the early 1980s. Using 11 important minerals this paper analyses the changing pattern of control in the mining industry for European based mining companies. In general, European mining companies have increased their control over mineral production worldwide while North American based companies have shown a decline in control of production. Production of European state-owned mining companies has declined as a result of privatization.     

波罗的海鱼类和甲壳类的毒性物质及繁殖失调

在波罗的海生态系统中,由于毒性物质(例如DDT,PCB)的生物积累作用,在食物链上层捕食者(如海豹和食鱼鸟类)中已出现了繁殖失调.在过去25年间繁殖失调还影响到鱼类.然而,还没有强有力的证据说明这些问题是有毒物质引起的.更确切地说,这种失调似乎是由两种以上生物或生物的因素共同引起的.杀死鲑鱼和鳟鱼幼体的M74综合症,是由于缺乏硫胺素(维生素B1).许多因素可以导致维生素B1缺乏,包括鲑鱼的食物和卤代有机化合物.鳕鱼不生M74病,其资源得不到恢复是由于繁殖区域溶解氧缺乏和过度捕捞.肉类加工厂排放物中的毒性物质,而不是机械作用和活性物质,抑制了生殖腺的发育.肉类加工厂所在海域的外侧鱼类资源缺乏可以解释为幼鱼缺乏食物,而不是繁殖失败.有关波罗的海甲壳类繁殖失调的资料很少.大部分资料都是关于端足类Monoporeoaaffnis的研究,该种生物已被用于监测计划.该种生物的繁殖失调现象例如胚胎畸形、死亡,以及雌雄性不同时成熟等已有报道.     

Spatial occurrence of a habitat-tracking saproxylic beetle inhabiting a managed forest landscape.

Because of the dynamic nature of many managed habitats, proper evaluation of conservation efforts calls for models that take into account both spatial and temporal habitat dynamics. We develop a metapopulation model for successional-type systems, in which habitat quality changes over time in a predictable fashion. The occupancy and recruitment of the predatory saproxylic (dependent on dead wood) beetle Harminius undulatus was studied in a managed boreal forest landscape, covering 24,449 ha, in central Sweden. In a first step, we analyzed the beetle's occupancy pattern in relation to stand characteristics, and the amounts of present and past habitat in the surrounding landscape. Managed forest is suitable habitat when > or =60 years old, and immediately after cutting, but not between the ages of 10 and 60 years. The observed occupancy of H. undulatus was positively correlated with the stand's age as habitat. We used a metapopulation model to predict the current probability of occurrence in each forest stand, given the spatiotemporal distribution of suitable forest stands during the last 50 years. Metapopulation parameters were estimated by matching predicted spatial distributions with observed spatial distributions. The model predicted observed spatial distributions better than a similar model that assumed constant habitat quality of each forest stand. Thus, metapopulation models for successional-type systems, such as dead wood dependent organisms in managed forest landscapes, should include habitat dynamics. An estimated 82% of the landscape-wide recruitment took place in managed stands, which covered 87% of the forest area, in comparison with 18% in unmanaged stands, which covered 13% of the forest area. Among the managed stand types, > or =60-year-old stands and 3-7-year-old clear-cuttings contributed to 79% of the total recruitment while 8-59-year-old stands only contributed 3%. The results suggest the following guidelines to improve conditions for H. undulatus and other species with similar habitat requirements: (1) the proportion of the landscape constituted by younger stands should not be allowed to grow too large, (2) the rotation period of managed stands should not be allowed to be too short, and (3) dead wood should be retained and created at final cutting.     

Monitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs): examples from Lake Vättern, Sweden

Lake V?ttern in southern Sweden is a large oligotrophic lake with high surface to catchment area ratio (ca. 0.4) and a water residence time of 60 years. The lake combines sensitivity to atmospheric POP-pollution with general susceptibility for effects of POPs and slow concentration decline. Time series, from the 1960s until 1996, of PCBs and DDT in fish and data on TCDD in sediment of L. V?ttern are presented and compared to other large lakes. The long time dataset of POPs in Arctic char (Salvelinus salvelinus) shows a significant annual decline of about 5% for PCBs and 13% for DDT. These rates are in agreement with other studies. Nutrients as well as biological effects and factors affecting the fate of POPs in oligotrophic lakes with long residence times are discussed. We propose that oligotrophic clear lakes are important ecosystems for monitoring POPs in biota.     

Animals need not be killed to reveal their body-burdens of chlorinated hydrocarbons

The levels of persistent, lipophilic pollutants in different organs and body-fluids of birds are governed by partitioning, i.e. the levels are correlated. This implies that it may be possible to estimate the total body-burden of chlorinated hydrocarbons, without sacrificing the animals, by examining the levels in secretory fluid. This hypothesis was tested on the goosander, a fish-eating waterfowl. We found that levels of PCB and DDE in secretions from the uropyginal gland were linearly related to levels in the breast muscle. Thus, by estimating the amounts of persistent pollutants in water-repellent secretions, the total body-burden could be calculated.     

Secretor Status is Associated with Susceptibility to Disease in a Large GII.6 Norovirus Foodborne Outbreak

Food and Environmental Virology - Norovirus is commonly associated with food and waterborne outbreaks. Genetic susceptibility to norovirus is largely dependent on presence of histo-blood group...