Lynn White Jr. and the greening‐of‐religion hypothesis

Lynn White Jr.’s “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis,” which was published in Science in 1967, has played a critical role in precipitating interdisciplinary environmental studies. Although White advances a multifaceted argument, most respondents focus on his claim that the Judeo‐Christian tradition, especially Christianity, has promoted anthropocentric attitudes and environmentally destructive behaviors. Decades later, some scholars argue contrarily that Christianity in particular and the world's predominant religions in general are becoming more environmentally friendly, known as the greening‐of‐religion hypothesis. To test these claims, we conducted a comprehensive review of over 700 articles—historical, qualitative, and quantitative—that are pertinent to them. Although definitive conclusions are difficult, we identified many themes and dynamics that hinder environmental understanding and mobilization, including conservative theological orientations and beliefs about the role of divine agency in preventing or promoting natural events, whether the religion is an Abrahamic tradition or originated in Asia. On balance, we found the thrust of White's thesis is supported, whereas the greening‐of‐religion hypothesis is not. We also found that indigenous traditions often foster proenvironmental perceptions. This finding suggests that indigenous traditions may be more likely to be proenvironmental than other religious systems and that some nature‐based cosmologies and value systems function similarly. Although we conclude White's thesis and subsequent claims are largely born out, additional research is needed to better understand under what circumstances and communication strategies religious or other individuals and groups may be more effectively mobilized to respond to contemporary environmental challenges.     

Strong maternal effects and extreme heterogeneity of progeny development in the caridean shrimp Sclerocrangon boreas (Crangonidae)

Sclerocrangon boreas is uncommon among marine coastal carideans in having a non-dispersing, abbreviated (2-stage) larval phase. We investigated the implications of this strategy in terms of fecundity, offspring provisioning and brood care in S. boreas from the St. Lawrence Gulf and Estuary in 2009–2010. Fecundity scaled positively to female body size but was low due to the production of large, lipid-rich eggs. Offspring size at all stages of development was positively related to female size. Larval traits and lipid dynamics indicate obligatory lecithotrophic development from hatching to juvenile. The larva becomes a juvenile on the mother and remains associated with her for sometime after. The co-occurrence of early egg stages among many juveniles in some clutches raises the possibility that maternal care of juveniles includes the provisioning of trophic eggs or eggs reclaimed from other females.     

Assessing environmental factors in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) growth in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA: From conceptual model, envirogram, to simulation model

This study provides a method for assessing a multiplicity of environmental factors in red spruce growth in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) of Southeastern USA. Direct and indirect factors in the annual growth increment are first organized into a schematic input-output envirogram (ARIRS), and this information is then used to construct a simulation model (ARIM). The envirogram represents a structured conceptualization of most environmental factors involved in growth, as developed from relevant literature. This interdisciplinary synthesis distinguishes direct vs. indirect factors in growth and takes account of the systems ecology concept that indirect factors may be as important as or more important than direct ones in regulating growth. The ARIRS envirogram summarizes hierarchically organized, within- and cross-scale, local-to-global interactions, and its construction makes it obvious that growth is influenced by many cross-scale spatiotemporal interactions. More research on genecology is still needed to clarify the role of phenotypic plasticity and adaptive capacity in nutrient cycling, global change, and human disturbance.     

Comparison of Extraction Methods for the Detection of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus RNA in Goat Raw Milk and Cream Cheese

Food and Environmental Virology - Infection with the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) can cause meningitis, meningoencephalitis and myelitis in humans. TBEV is an enveloped RNA virus of the...     

Typologies of collaborative governance for scaling nature-based solutions in two strategic South African river systems

Scaled up planning and implementation of nature-based solutions requires better understanding of broad characteristics (typologies) of the current governance and financing landscape, collaborative approaches amidst local complexities, and factors of scalability. An inventory was compiled of water-related ecological infrastructure intervention projects in two river systems in South Africa, incorporating actor, environmental, social, and financial dimensions and benefits. Qualitative participatory analysis revealed eight typologies. Post-hoc classification analysis determined similarities and/or unique characteristics of seven quantitative typologies. Key characterising factors included the complexity/size of financial flows, complexity of partnership/governance arrangements, mandates/goals of actors, type of ecological infrastructure, trade-offs in investment in ecological/built infrastructure, and the model used for social benefits. Identified scalable typologies offer structures suited to increased investment, with other typologies offering specialised local value. A range of ecological infrastructure intervention typologies with differing biophysical and socioeconomic outcomes provide choices for investors with specific goals, and benefits to landscape actors.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01531-z.     

Experts and the sense of things

ABSTRACT

In a world, in which measurements, indices and agreed-upon standards are ubiquitous, Bessy and Chateauraynaud’s work on experts and counterfeiters has gained new relevance. The French social scientists provide a rich theory on the sense of things, explaining how experts evaluate the authenticity of objects. Along with the mobilisation of a shared language and stabilised criteria, the sense of things generates from everyday interactions between experts and objects. While social scientists tend to prioritise the study of the commonly-accepted aspects of evaluation, the concept of the sense of things directs attention to the subtle micro interactions and sensory experiences on the ground. This process can initiate shifts in stabilised evaluations of the true and false. This article presents the central theoretical arguments of the book “Experts et Faussaires” (Experts and Counterfeiters) and sketches their relevance for the study of environmental phenomena.     

Determining Relative Contributions of Vegetation and Topography to Burn Severity from LANDSAT Imagery

Fire is a dominant process in boreal forest landscapes and creates a spatial patch mosaic with different burn severities and age classes. Quantifying effects of vegetation and topography on burn severity provides a scientific basis on which forest fire management plans are developed to reduce catastrophic fires. However, the relative contribution of vegetation and topography to burn severity is highly debated especially under extreme weather conditions. In this study, we hypothesized that relationships of vegetation and topography to burn severity vary with fire size. We examined this hypothesis in a boreal forest landscape of northeastern China by computing the burn severity of 24 fire patches as the difference between the pre- and post-fire Normalized Difference Vegetation Index obtained from two Landsat TM images. The vegetation and topography to burn severity relationships were evaluated at three fire-size levels of small (<100 ha, n = 12), moderate (100–1,000 ha, n = 9), and large (>1,000 ha, n = 3). Our results showed that vegetation and topography to burn severity relationships were fire-size-dependent. The burn severity of small fires was primary controlled by vegetation conditions (e.g., understory cover), and the burn severity of large fires was strongly influenced by topographic conditions (e.g., elevation). For moderate fires, the relationships were complex and indistinguishable. Our results also indicated that the pattern trends of relative importance for both vegetation and topography factors were not dependent on fire size. Our study can help managers to design fire management plans according to vegetation characteristics that are found important in controlling burn severity and prioritize management locations based on the relative importance of vegetation and topography.