Journalism and Science: How to Erode the Idea of Knowledge

This paper discusses aspects of the relationship between the scientific community and the public at large. Inspired by the European public debate on genetically modified crops and food, ethical challenges to the scientific community are highlighted. This is done by a discussion of changes that are likely to occur to journalistic attitudes – mirroring changing attitudes in the wider society – towards science and scientific researchers. Two journalistic conventions – those of science transmission and of investigative journalism – are presented and discussed in relation to the present drive towards commercialization within the world of science: how are journalists from these different schools of thought likely to respond to the trend of commercialization? Likely journalistic reactions could, while maintaining the authority of the scientific method, be expected to undermine public trust in scientists. In the long term, this may lead to an erosion of the idea of knowledge as something that cannot simply be reduced to the outcome of negotiation between stakeholders. It is argued that science is likely to be depicted as a fallen angel. This may be countered, it is posited, by science turning human, by recognizing its membership of society, and by recognizing that such membership entails more than just commercial relations. To rethink its relationship with the public at large – and, in particular, to rethink the ideal of disinterested science – is an ethical challenge facing the scientific community.     

RUNOFF EVENT IMPACTS ON A WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIR: SUSPENDED SEDIMENT LOADING, TURBID PLUME BEHAVIOR, AND SEDIMENT DEPOSITION1

Abstract: The impacts of runoff events on external suspended solids loading to Schoharie Reservoir, New York, and patterns of light scattering and sediment deposition in this reservoir are assessed. The assessment is based on monitoring of suspended solids concentrations in the reservoir's primary tributary, detailed vertical profiles of optical backscattering (a surrogate measure of light scattering) in the reservoir water column, and analysis of sediment trap collections, over a seven-month interval of high runoff. These impacts are reported to be tightly temporally coupled and strongly positively related to the magnitude of runoff events. The primary tributary entered the reservoir as a plunging inflow during runoff events, causing conspicuous subsurface peaks in light scattering, with vertical patterns that varied strongly for different events. Deposition quantified by near-bottom trap deployments is reported to be more representative than results from metalimnetic deployments that were generally within, rather than below, the turbid layers. Direct inputs of sediment, transported by density currents, are found to drive deposition, rather than resuspension/redeposition. More than 50 percent of the reported deposition occurred in less than 15 percent of the study period, associated with the four largest runoff events.     

IMPACT OF SEWAGE TREATMENT MODIFICATIONS ON WATER QUALITY OF A RESERVOIR1

ABSTRACT. As a result of several investigations conducted in the Department of Civil Engineering through the Water Resources Research Center at The University of Tennessee, dating from 1966 to the present, a rather comprehensive surveillance of water quality conditions has been maintained in Forth Loudoun Reservoir on the Tennessee River near Knowville, Tennessee. During the period covered by these investigations, the Knoxville Third Creek Sewage Treatment Plant was upgraded from a primary plant to a secondary (activated sludge) treatment plant. Comparison of the collected data is being undertaken herein to elucidate the impact of these modifications upon water quality conditions in the reservoir. Consideration is given to the improvements of water quality as related to the expenditure for modification of the treatment facilities. In addition, comment is directed toward the public health significance of the water quality conditions determined.     

重大事故的应急救援预案编制技术

重大应急预案编制是安全生产的一项重要基础工作 ,对于提高应急救援能力 ,控制事故与灾害的恶化 ,保障人民安全具有重大意义。笔者从应急预案编制的技术层面上 ,论述了应急预案的基本框架和应急预案体系 ;认为该体系可以由 6个一级和 2 0个二级的核心要素构成。其中 ,应急策划是制定应急预案的技术基础 ,包括风险评价、资源分析和法律法规要求 3个二级要素 ;应急准备包括机构与职责、应急设备设施与物质、应急人员培训、预案演练、公众教育和互助协议 6个二级要素 ;应急响应是应急预案中核心的内容 ,包括现场指挥与控制等 1 1个二级要素。所提出的应急救援预案文件体系 ,建议一般按照四级文件形式的设想 ,应急预案的目标是提高整体应急能力 ;建议把应急预案的具体编制过程划分为 6个基本的步骤 ,对于预案编制与实施应实现持续改进的机制     

铁路事故救援系统的构建研究

在研究事故救援现状的基础上 ,分析并提出了铁路事故救援系统的构建条件 ,将铁路事故救援的可用资源分为内部资源和社会资源两大类 ,归纳总结了参与铁路事故救援的各部门组织的结构关系 ;根据实践中铁路事故救援的工作程序 ,归纳出事故救援系统的工作流程 ,探索了事故救援预案的构成内容 ;将铁路事故救援系统划分为救援资源、救援预案库、事故救援辅助决策等 6个功能模块 ,并进行了功能模块的分析以及系统的特点分析。该系统已经应用在大同铁路分局的运输生产中 ,达到了缩短救援响应时间、减少事故的损失和降低对运输生产的影响等效果。     

The Wild Kangaroo Industry: Developing the Potential for Sustainability

Wildlife resources the world over have long been subject to harvest and management. As wildlife uses have grown, so too have the need and desire to ensure their sustainability. This new context of sustainability presents opportunities to merge ecological, economic and social elements to foster development. This paper presents the management and harvesting of wild kangaroos as an example of the potentially sustainable use of a natural resource. Some comparisons are drawn between the use of other wild living resources, deer in Europe and crayfish in Western Australia. However, sustainability of kangaroo species and the industry is not just a matter of market economics and ecology, it must also be socially sustainable. The public policy instrument of a statutory advisory board with a marketing function is proposed in order to integrate the cultural and social aspects of kangaroo management with the economic and ecological aspects. Through such integration, full sustainability of a wild resource then might be achieved.     

Effects of a tropical cyclone on the drinking-water quality of a remote Pacific island

The effect of a cyclone (Ami, January 2003) on drinking-water quality on the island of Vanua Levu, Fiji was investigated. Following the cyclone nearly three-quarters of the samples analysed did not conform to World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline values for safe drinking-water in terms of chlorine residual, total and faecal coliforms, and turbidity. Turbidity and total coliform levels significantly increased (up 56 and 62 per cent, respectively) from pre-cyclone levels, which was likely due to the large amounts of silt and debris entering water-supply sources during the cyclone. The utility found it difficult to maintain a reliable supply of treated water in the aftermath of the disaster. Communities were unaware they were drinking water that had not been adequately treated. Circumstances permitted this cyclone to be used as a case study to assess whether a simple paper-strip water-quality test (the hydrogen sulphide, H(2)S) kit could be distributed and used for community-based monitoring following such a disaster event to better protect public health. The H(2)S test results correlated well with faecal and total coliform results as found in previous studies. A small percentage of samples (about 10 per cent) tested positive for faecal and total coliforms but did not test positive in the H(2)S test. It was concluded that the H(2)S test would be well suited to wider use, especially in the absence of water-quality monitoring capabilities for outer island groups as it is inexpensive and easy to use, thus enabling communities and community health workers with minimal training to test their own water supplies without outside assistance. The importance of public education before and after natural disasters is also discussed.     

Stewardship of Natural Resources: Definition, Ethical and Practical Aspects

Stewardship is potentially a usefulconcept in modernizing management philosophies. Use ofthe term has increased markedly in recent years, yetthe term is used loosely and rarely defined in landmanagement literature. The connections between thispractical usage and the ethical basis of stewardshipare currently poorly developed. The followingdefinition is proposed: ``Stewardship is theresponsible use (including conservation) of naturalresources in a way that takes full and balancedaccount of the interests of society, futuregenerations, and other species, as well as of privateneeds, and accepts significant answerability tosociety.' A religious interpretation would require thephrase ``and ultimately to God' to be added.Stewardship has both secular and religiousinterpretations and it will be desirable to developboth of these aspects in parallel. A task forphilosophers is to establish whether the ethical basisof stewardship is sufficient to address environmentalconcerns or whether it is necessary to embrace widerethical approaches. Stewardship occupies similarground to several other concepts of use and managementof resources, particularly sustainability. It canbuild on sustainability by encouraging a broader viewof who and what should benefit from managementactivity. In particular, it focuses attention on therole of managers in providing public benefit and onenvisaging other species as a form of ``stakeholder' inmanagement decisions. Stewardship is applicable acrossthe widest range of fields of resource use and alsohas relevance to aspects of land tenure and propertyrights. Application of stewardship will require someadjustments in the roles of private managers/ownersvis-à-vis government. It might providemanagers with an expanded role and, importantly, amore positive image, both of themselves and in theeyes of the public. Stewardship could alsobe developed in a way that has relevance to citizensin general (as opposed to managers and owners ofresources), through their interactions with naturalresources as consumers.     

Risk of Public Disclosure in Environmental Farm Plan Programs: Characteristics and Mitigating Legal and Policy Strategies

Although various studies have shown thatfarmers believe there is the need for a producer-ledinitiative to address the environmental problems fromagriculture, farmers in several Canadian provinceshave been reluctant to widely participate inEnvironmental Farm Plan (EFP) programs. Few studieshave examined the key issues associated with adoptingEFP programs based on farmers', as opposed to policymakers', perspectives on why producers are reluctantto participate in the program. A study adapting VanRaaij's (1981) conceptual model of the decision-makingenvironment of the firm, and prospect theory on valuefunctions associated with the gains and losses fromrisky choices can be used to characterize how farmersperceive potential risks in environmental farmplanning. This framework can be used to assert thatfarmers are concerned about risks of public disclosureof potentially incriminating environmental informationfrom farms because the EFP program requirements foridentification and extensive documentation of farminformation is perceived by farmers as facilitatingthe accessibility of environmental information to thepublic, and public investigative efforts. Although theEFP program does not explicitly generate informationabout the environmental conditions of a farm nor thedisclosure of such information to the public, itcreates the possibility of generating and divulgingpotentially incriminating information that the farmermay want to treat as confidential. Yet, alone, theserisks of public disclosure concerns should not preventfarmers from participating in the EFP. Awareness ofand participation in environmental farm planning canbe increased if farmers and policy makers understandwhat the risks are, and how they arise. Aspects of theEFP process that have the potential to generate riskof public disclosure concerns relate to farm reviews,documentation and record keeping, and correctiveaction plans. There are legal and policy instrumentsthat can offer various forms of protection and helpminimize such risks, and these need to be assessed.     

污染控制信息手段──镇江市工业企业环境行为信息公开化

信息手段的引入改变了传统的环境管理模式目前不少发展中国家采用了企业环境行为信息公开化这一有效的措施．该措施通过对企业的环境行为进行分析、评价、分级和公众曝光的方式,促进企业改善其环境行为本文介绍了什么是企业环境行为信息公开化,其理论依据、设计原则和实施步骤并以镇江市企业环境行为信息公开化为例,具体说明如何设计和实施这一措施,包括如何设计企业环境行为分类标准、体系来评价、分级,表征企业环境行为.