Some of the Nineteenth Century Origins of the Sustainability Concept

Interpreting and applying the concept of sustainable development is increasingly viewed as being the way to promulgate just and practicable economic, environmental and social policy. It is thus important that there be increased public and political awareness concerning the origins of economic theory, and its early relationship to sustainability concepts. While the term 'sustainable development' was popularised by the World Commission on Environment and Development report Our Common Future in 1987, it is generally recognised that notions of sustainability were promoted in `limits to growth' and 'green' discourses in the early 1970s (Meadows et al.: 1974, The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome, Potomac Associates and Pan Books, London and Sydney). However, there is little acknowledgement of the way in which nineteenth century intellectuals, from a range of disciplines, conceptualised the importance of balancing economic, social and environmental sustainability in their quest for justice and the conservation of nature.There was a considerable exchange of ideas on `political economy' and nature across Europe, and later the Americas, from the middle of the eighteenth century. This discourse reached its intellectual peak in the nineteenth century. During that era there was a proliferation of literature that was aimed at improving the human condition and recognising humanity's dependence upon nature. In Europe and the USA the participants in the debate included Cantillon, Quesnay, Condorcet, Galiani, Von Hayek, Marx and George. Due to the breadth of this influential body of work, we focus here on the British Victorian thinkers such as Darwin, Malthus, Martineau and Mill. These thinkers influenced each other in developing their theories and ideas in science, politics, economics and philosophy, and were influenced in turn by an earlier generation of intellectuals, such as Adam Smith. For the Victorian thinkers, conserving nature while trying to improve the distribution of wealth was a not a paradox, but a moral duty, and for them Smith's `rational' pursuit of self-interest could only be followed if it did not interfere with 'the rules of justice'. We argue that the manner in which these thinkers conceptualised their theories and ideas represents the nineteenth century origins of sustainability concepts.     

Eclogites with a short-lived granulite facies overprint in the Moldanubian Zone, Czech Republic: petrology, geochemistry and diffusion modelling of garnet zoning

The petrology and geochemistry of a newly discovered suite of high-pressure garnet + clinopyroxene-bearing rocks from the Monotonous Series of the Moldanubian Zone of the Bohemian Massif, southwest Czech Republic have been investigated. Three types [common eclogites, quartz ± kyanite ± (clino)zoisite eclogites and garnet-hornblende-clinopyroxenites] are distinguished by petrography and geochemistry. All underwent a significant degree of partial breakdown under granulite and amphibolite facies conditions during exhumation. Important features include the growth of orthopyroxene in breakdown domains after garnet and omphacite and anorthite + spinel ± corundum ± exceedingly peraluminous sapphirine replacing kyanite. Garnet zoning and inclusion patterns support a prograde evolution from low pressures for at least some of the samples. The post-eclogite stage granulite facies overprint indicates that high temperatures prevailed during exhumation, but preservation of zoning in some garnets and the results of diffusion modelling suggest that this overprint took place over a very short time-scale. The geochemical and petrological results allow characteristic differences to be recognized between these eclogites and metabasites found in other tectonic units of South Bohemia and consequently the assigning of all high-pressure rocks to a single, now disrupted, tectonic unit is a gross simplification that seriously misrepresents the tectono-metamorphic history of the region.     

Catalytic NOx reduction with simultaneous dioxin and furan oxidation

The engineering, construction, performance and running costs of a catalytic flue gas cleaning component in the low dust area of a municipal waste incinerator is discussed. For this purpose, the case study of a Flemish incineration plant is presented, covering the history, the design procedure of the catalyst, relevant process data and the financial aspects. A reliable PCDD/F-destruction by means of oxidation by the catalyst to typical values of 0.001 ng TEQ/Nm3 has been demonstrated. At the same time, NOx- and CO-emissions are reduced by 90% and 20% to about 50 mg/Nm3 and below 10 mg/Nm3, respectively.     

The effect of chloroquine, quinacrine, and metronidazole on both soybean plants and soil microbiota

Chloroquine, quinacrine, and metronidazole are used extensively for therapeutic purposes. Substantial quantities of these compounds end up in the environment. The potential effect of these compounds on soybean and on the protozoa in soil was assessed. The growth of soybean plants was affected by increasing concentrations of the chloroquine, metronidazole, and quinacrine dihydrochloride. The plants were particularly sensitive to low concentrations of metronidazole. The number of bacteria and protozoa in soil was either unchanged or increased in the presence of chloroquine and quinacrine. However, in the presence of only 0.5 mg metronidazole g(-1) soil, the density of protozoa in the rhizosphere was reduced by a 10-fold.     

Oryzalin fate and transport in runoff water in Mediterranean vineyards

An experimental study was conducted in a 91.4-ha Mediterranean vineyard catchment in southern France to characterize the fate and transport of oryzalin in runoff water and thus to assess the risk of contamination of surface waters. Oryzalin concentrations in soil were monitored on two fields, one no-till and one tilled from March 1998 to March 2000. Concentrations in solution and on solid phase of runoff water were measured at the outlets of both fields and the catchment. The droughts in the two summer periods reduced the dissipation of oryzalin and increased its field half-life up to 35 days. Consequently, oryzalin was detected throughout the year in runoff water, with maximum dissolved concentrations > 600 microg l(-1) at the field scale. Oryzalin transport essentially occurred in solution. At the no-till field, seasonal losses were 2.29% and 1.89% of the applied amount in 1998 and 1999, respectively. The corresponding values at the tilled field were 1.56% and 0.29%, since tillage reduced total losses by reducing surface runoff. At the catchment scale, oryzalin concentrations were smaller than those at the field scale, due to dilution effects and staggering of application. Large part of the overland flow from the fields reinfiltrated in the ditches before reaching the outlet of the catchment. As a result, seasonal oryzalin losses were <0.2% of the applied amount.     

Remediation of MTBE from drinking water: air stripping followed by off-gas adsorption

The widespread use of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) as an oxygenate in gasoline has resulted in the contamination of a large number of ground and surface water sources. Even though air stripping has been proven to be an effective treatment technology for MTBE removal, off-gas treatment often is required in conjunction with it. This study evaluated the combined treatment technologies of air stripping followed by off-gas adsorption on a pilot scale for the treatment of MTBE-contaminated water. The effect of air/water ratios on the treatment efficiency was studied, and the mass transfer coefficient was determined. Air/water ratios of 105:1, 151:1, 177:1, 190:1, 202:1, and 206:1 were used, and a treatment efficiency of >99% was achieved for all the runs conducted. The depth of packing required to achieve maximum treatment efficiency decreased with increasing air/water ratio. Relative humidity (RH) impacts on the MTBE adsorption capacity of a granular activated carbon (GAC) and carbonaceous resin were determined from pilot plant studies. Breakthrough profiles obtained from the pilot plant studies conducted at 20, 30, and 50% RH indicated that GAC has a higher adsorptive capacity than resin. The adsorptive capacity of GAC decreased with increasing RH, whereas RH did not impact the resin adsorptive capacity.     

A global assessment of adaptation investment from the perspectives of equity and efficiency

Equity and efficiency should be considered when allocating resources for climate change adaptation. More than a decade after the Least Developed Countries Fund approved adaptation funds for 18 countries in 2003, it is possible to take the stock of investment data and to test empirically whether equity and efficiency have been factored into adaptation investment decision-making. To evaluate equity, one must determine if resources were distributed to areas of greatest need. Vulnerability assessments provide information on the global distribution of the need for adaptation. To evaluate efficiency, one must compare cost and benefit of an investment. Although it is difficult to assess ex-ante the cost and benefit of investment strategies, it is possible to measure efficient use of expenditures with readiness assessment, as a metric of capacity to deploy adaptation resources. We used vulnerability and readiness measures of the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) Country Index as proxies of equity and efficiency. This article quantitatively interrogates—through the lens of public fund allocation—the roles of vulnerability and readiness in shaping adaptation investment decisions. Our findings suggest that countries facing increasing impacts from climate change have received more adaptation investments from international sources than countries with less vulnerability. Further, international investments also preferentially flow to countries that are more ready to deploy adaptation resources. Since the most vulnerable countries are likely to be less ready for investment, our findings support the efforts to improve the investment potential of the most vulnerable countries by investing first to enhance their readiness, in order to unlock adaptation solutions.     

Assessing the Impact of Carbon Tax Differentiation in the European Union

To what extent do the welfare costs associated with the implementation of the Burden Sharing Agreement in the European Union depend on sectoral allocation of emissions rights? What are the prospects for strategic climate policy to favor domestic production? This paper attempts to answer those questions using a CGE model featuring a detailed representation of the European economies. First, numerical simulations show that equalizing marginal abatement costs across domestic sectors greatly reduces the burden of the emissions constraint but also that other allocations may be preferable for some countries because of pre-existing tax distortions. Second, we show that the effect of a single country's attempt to undertake a strategic policy to limit impacts on its domestic energy-intensive industries has mixed effects. Exempting energy-intensive industries from the reduction program is a costly solution to maintain the international competitiveness of these industries; a tax-cum-subsidy approach is shown to be better than exemption policy to sustain exports. The welfare impact either policy – exemption or subsidy – on other European countries is likely to be small because of general equilibrium effects.     

Determination of VOCs in yellow eel from various inland water bodies in Flanders (Belgium)

Twenty freshwater eels caught in Flanders (Belgium) were analysed by GC-MS for a total of 52 VOCs. The most prominent VOCs are the BTEX and a number of chlorinated compounds such as chloroform and tetrachloroethene. The observed concentrations which, typically, were in the low ng/g wet weight range, could be linked to the major emission sources and the present study gives new evidence that combustion of fossil fuels is a major source of BTEX in the environment. The concentration levels in eels seem to be a reflection of the actual concentrations in their environment. For eels from the same location similar patterns and concentrations were observed, and the concentrations agree with what can be expected from those of the water column. Generally speaking, the observed concentrations do not seem to pose a threat for organisms. More definite statements will, however, require a larger dataset. The study suggests that the yellow eel can possibly be used as a biomonitor or sentinel organism for VOCs.     

Modified Whittaker plots as an assessment and monitoring tool for vegetation in a lowland tropical rainforest

Resource exploitation in lowland tropical forests is increasingand causing loss of biodiversity. Effective evaluation and management of the impacts of development on tropical forests requires appropriate assessment and monitoring tools. We proposethe use of 0.1-ha multi-scale, modified Whittaker plots (MWPs) to assess and monitor vegetation in lowland tropical rainforests.We established MWPs at 4 sites to: (1) describe and comparecomposition and structure of the sites using MWPs, (2) compare these results to those of 1-ha permanent vegetation plots (BDPs),and (3) evaluate the ability of MWPs to detect changes in populations (statistical power). We recorded more than 400 species at each site. Species composition among the sites was distinctive, while mean abundance and basal area was similar. Comparisons between MWPs and BDPs show that they record similarspecies composition and abundance and that both perform equallywell at detecting rare species. However, MWPs tend to record morespecies, and power analysis studies show that MWPs were more effective at detecting changes in the mean number of species of trees 10 cm in diameter at breast height (dbh) and in herbaceous plants. Ten MWPs were sufficient to detect a change of 11% in the mean number of herb species, and they were able to detect a 14% change in the mean number of species of trees 10 cm dbh. The value of MWPs for assessment and monitoringis discussed, along with recommendations for improving the sampling design to increase power.