A guidance framework for mainstreaming resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production in a developing country context

Mainstreaming represents an integrated, cross government agency approach to incorporating an issue into programmes and policies. Mainstreaming of resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production (SCP and RE) has been identified to be essential to ensuring the development of policies, programmes, actions and initiatives with a wider reaching set of outcomes than if these were to be undertaken on their own. This paper outlines a guidance framework which was developed to support practitioners, champions and UN support teams on mainstreaming of SCP and RE. The framework is based on the programmatic approach to environmental mainstreaming which has been developed through wide-ranging experience on other environment and poverty-environment related topics. The approach presented here is not linear, and each of the elements requires ongoing evaluation and updating. In addition, it is identified that mainstreaming of SCP and RE should form part of overall environmental mainstreaming efforts. Furthermore, unless a country has already developed a national SCP programme, the development of such a programme and the mainstreaming process discussed in this current document should be done in parallel, not as separate processes.     

Pesticides in ground water in the united states: Monitoring,modeling, and risks from the U.S. perspective

Abstract

Scientific and regulatory interest in ground water contamination by pesticides increased significantly in 1979. This was prompted by findings of the nematicide 1,2‐dibromo‐3‐chloropropane (DBCP) and the nematicide/insecticide aldicarb (Temik®) in ground water in several states. Since that time, at least 130 pesticides and pesticide metabolites have been detected in ground water in over 150 studies, but detection frequencies are 4–10% nationally. Detection frequencies of pesticides over Health Advisory Levels are generally lower. Screening‐level models and detailed computer simulation models are useful for risk assessments and regulatory decisions. Attenuation Factor, CMLS, PRZM2, GLEAMS, and LEACHM are all useful models.     

Sustainable consumption American style: Nutrition education,active living and financial literacy

The 1992 Earth Summit highlighted the critical role of consumption in affluent nations as a source of global environmental deterioration. While most developed countries have begun over the past decade to grapple with the difficult challenges of reducing household demand for energy and materials, sustainable consumption has yet to attract substantive attention in the United States. There exist, however, several strategic openings that American proponents of more environmentally benign household provisioning could exploit to launch a public dialogue about the environmental implications of contemporary consumption. First, public health professionals have in recent years begun to make significant strides publicizing the nutritional inadequacy of the American diet and the contributory role it plays in elevating incidences of chronic disease. Second, the rapid increase in the rate of obesity in the country is now coming to be understood as a health problem that is attributable to the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles. Finally, there is growing public concern in the United States over the accumulation of unprecedented levels of consumer debt and the epidemic of personal bankruptcies. The intent of this paper is to highlight the need to consider the personal dimensions of everyday life when formulating strategies to foster more sustainable consumption.     

A New Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Development

A critical review of the multidisciplinary literature on sustainable development reveals a lack of a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding sustainable development and its complexities. A critical review shows that the definitions of sustainable development are vague; there is a lack of operative definitions and disagreement over what should be sustained; the concept is unclear in terms of emotional commitment; and it “remains a confused topic”, “fraught with contradictions”. This article aims to theoretically synthesize the interdisciplinary literature on sustainable development, and then identify the results by broad categories. Therefore, this article uses conceptual analysis, which reviews multidisciplinary literature on sustainable development, which recognizes patterns and similarities within the literature, then it synthesizes the patterns to different categories and independent concepts, where each concept has distinctive meanings and represents close ideas on sustainability. The analytical process elaborates seven concepts that together assemble the theoretical framework of ‘sustainable development’ and each concept represents distinctive meanings of the theoretical framework.     

Shortened fetal long bones: a possible in utero manifestation of placental function

Shortened fetal long bones (SFLB) are usually indicative of a skeletal dysplasia. Our aim in this observational retrospective study was to describe a new association between SFLB, small for gestational age (SGA) fetuses and placental abnormalities, and to suggest an aetiologic explanation. During the last decade we have evaluated nine cases in which SFLB (more than 2SD below the mean) was associated with SGA, abnormal maternal serum placental hormones and abnormal placental sonography. Six cases had significantly increased second trimester maternal serum βhCG and four developed toxaemia of pregnancy or had chronic hypertension. On histology, mature placentas with vascular abnormalities, including chorangiosis, large infarcts and slightly increased syncytial knots were noted. The combination of SFLB, SGA fetuses and placental abnormalities (sonographic, as well as histological) suggested a possible common pathway in the aetiology of this association. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Complex karyotypic mosaicism as a result of non-disjunction and subsequent centromere fission

Karyotypic discrepancy among four different cell types is described in tissues derived from a pregnancy terminated because of chromosomal anomalies. Chorionic villus cells demonstrated 46,XX (direct preparation) and 46, XX/47,XX,+marl (cultured cells) karyotypes, while fetal skin fibroblasts had a karyotype of 47,XX,+ 18 and the placenta showed a triple mosaicism of 47,XX, + 18/47,XX,+mar1/48,XX,+ 18,+mar2. The origin of this complex chromosomal distribution and its significance are discussed in comparison with findings in similar cases.