A study of a watershed planning process in the Cache River Watershed in southern Illinois revealed that class divisions, based
on property ownership, underlay key conflicts over land use and decision-making relevant to resource use. A class analysis
of the region indicates that the planning process served to endorse and solidify the locally-dominant theory that landownership
confers the right to govern. This obscured the class differences between large full-time farmers and small-holders whose livelihood
depends on non-farm labor. These two groups generally opposed one another regarding wetland drainage. Their common identity
as “property owner” consolidated the power wielded locally by large farmers. It also provided an instrument – the planning
document – for state and federal government agencies to enhance their power and to bring resources to the region. The planning
process simultaneously ameliorated conflicts between government agencies and the large farmers, while enhancing the agencies’
capacity to reclaim wetlands. In this contradictory manner, the plan promoted the environmental aims of many small-holders,
and simultaneously disempowered them as actors in the region’s political economy.
An erratum to this article is available at . 相似文献
Summary The balance of evidence suggests a perceptible human influence on global ecosystems. Human activities are affecting the global
ecosystem, some directly and some indirectly. If researchers could clarify the extent to which specific human activities affect
global ecosystems, they would be in a much better position to suggest strategies for mitigating against the worst disturbances.
Sophisticated statistical analysis can help in interpreting the influence of specific human activities on global ecosystems
more carefully. This study aims at identifying significant or influential human activities (i.e. factors) on CO2 emissions using statistical analyses. The study was conducted for two cases: (i) developed countries and (ii) developing
countries. In developed countries, this study identified three influential human activities for CO2 emissions: (i) combustion of fossil fuels, (ii) population pressure on natural and terrestrial ecosystems, and (iii) land
use change. In developing countries, the significant human activities causing an upsurge of CO2 emissions are: (i) combustion of fossil fuels, (ii) terrestrial ecosystem strength and (iii) land use change. Among these
factors, combustion of fossil fuels is the most influential human activity for CO2 emissions both in developed and developing countries. Regression analysis based on the factor scores indicated that combustion
of fossil fuels has significant positive influence on CO2 emissions in both developed and developing countries. Terrestrial ecosystem strength has a significant negative influence
on CO2 emissions. Land use change and CO2 emissions are positively related, although regression analysis showed that the influence of land use change on CO2 emissions was still insignificant. It is anticipated, from the findings of this study, that CO2 emissions can be reduced by reducing fossil-fuel consumption and switching to alternative energy sources, preserving exiting
forests, planting trees on abandoned and degraded forest lands, or by planting trees by social/agroforestry on agricultural
lands. 相似文献
Ethological farm programs as they exist in Switzerland are compared with environmental farm programs in respect of demand and supply. Because animal welfare is not a public good but rather a relation that causes psychological externalities, the demand for animal welfare has a different standing in economic theory than the demand for a clean environment. The supply of animal welfare by farmers, however, largely follows the patterns known from the delivery of environmental goods. Farm size, age and education, and also family size and capital intensity are influencing variables. The paper concludes that the design of ethological farm programs should be based on broad public discussions as described by deliberation theorists rather than willingness-to-pay studies. 相似文献
The industrialization of agriculture not only alters the ways in which agricultural production occurs, but it also impacts the decisions farmers make in important ways. First, constraints created by the economic environment of farming limit what options a farmer has available to him. Second, because of the industrialization of agriculture and the resulting economic pressures it creates for farmers, the fact that decisions are constrained creates new ethical challenges for farmers. Having fewer options when faced with severe economic pressures is a very different situation for farmers than having many options available. We discuss the implications of constrained choice and show that it increases the likelihood that farmers will consider unethical behavior. 相似文献
In her recent article, “Does autonomy count in favor of labeling genetically modified food?,” Kirsten Hansen argues that in Europe, voluntary negative labeling of non-GM foods respects consumer autonomy just as well as mandatory positive labeling of foods with GM content. She also argues that because negative labeling places labeling costs upon those consumers that want to know whether food is GM, negative labeling is better policy than positive labeling. In this paper, we argue that Hansen’s arguments are mistaken in several respects. Most importantly, she underestimates the demands of respecting autonomy and overestimates the cost of positive labeling. Moreover, she mistakenly implies that only a small minority of people desire information about GM content. We also explore the extent to which her arguments would apply to the US context, and argue that any discussion of the relationship between autonomy and labeling should include not just considerations of consumer autonomy but also considerations of what we call citizen autonomy. 相似文献
Few moral arguments have been made against vegetarian diets. One exception is the “Logic of the Larder:” We do animals a favor
by purchasing their meat, eggs, and milk, for if we did not purchase these products, fewer animals would exist. This argument
fails because many farm animals have lives that are probably not worth living, while others prevent a significant number of
wild animals from existing. Even if this were not so, the purchase of animal products uses resources that could otherwise
be used to bring a much greater number of animals into existence. 相似文献
Acid mine drainage (AMD) represents a major source of water pollution in the small watershed of Xingren coalfield in southwestern Guizhou Province. A detailed geochemical study was performed to investigate the origin, distribution, and migration of REEs by determining the concentrations of REEs and major solutes in AMD samples, concentrations of REEs in coal, bedrocks, and sediment samples, and modeling REEs aqueous species. The results highlighted that all water samples collected in the mining area are identified as low pH, high concentrations of Fe, Al, SO42? and distinctive As and REEs. The spatial distributions of REEs showed a peak in where it is nearby the location of discharging of AMD, and then decrease significantly with distance away from the mining areas. Lots of labile REEs have an origin of coal and bedrocks, whereas the acid produced by the oxidation of pyrite is a prerequisite to cause the dissolution of coal and bedrocks, and then promoting REEs release in AMD. The North American Shale Composite (NASC)-normalized REE patterns of coal and bedrocks are enriched in light REEs (LREEs) and middle REEs (MREEs) relative to heavy REEs (HREEs). Contrary to these solid samples, AMD samples showed slightly enrichment of MREEs compared with LREEs and HREEs. This behavior implied that REEs probably fractionate during acid leaching, dissolution of bedrocks, and subsequent transport, so that the MREEs is primarily enriched in AMD samples. Calculation of REEs inorganic species for AMD demonstrated that sulfate complexes (Ln(SO4)+and Ln(SO4)2?) predominate in these species, accounting for most of proportions for the total REEs species. The high concentrations of dissolved SO42? and low pH play a decisive role in controlling the presence of REEs in AMD, as these conditions are necessary for formation of stable REEs-sulfate complexes in current study. The migration and transportation of REEs in AMD are more likely constrained by adsorption and co-precipitation of Fe-Al hydroxides/hydroxysulfate. In addition, the MREEs is preferentially captured by poorly crystalline Fe-Al hydroxides/hydroxysulfate, which favors that sediments also preserve NASC-normalized patterns with MREEs enrichment in the stream.