On vegetarianism,morality, and science: A counter reply

I recently took issue with Kathryn George's contention that vegetarianism cannot be a moral obligation for most human beings, even assuming that Tom Regan's stringent thesis about the equal inherent value of humans and many sentient nonhumans is correct. I argued that both Regan and George are incorrect in claiming that his view would permit moral agents to kill and eat innocent, non-threatening rights holders. An unequal rights view, by contrast, would permit such actions if a moral agent's health or life is at stake. I then argued that current nutritional research does not support Professor George's claim that some wealthy adult males (and many fewer wealthy women) are the only persons whose health does not require the consumption of nonhuman animals and their products. In her 1992 response to my critique, George did not address my moral argumentation. She concentrated her entire paper on a wholesale rejection of my discussion of nutrition. Although she now takes a somewhat more moderate position on who can safely contemplate strict vegetarianism, she still believes that most people are not in a position to follow such a diet. In my counter-reply, I argue that her rejection is based upon numerous distortions, omissions, and false charges of fallacy. She even devotes a substantial section of her paper to criticizing me for saying the opposite of what I actually wrote. As I did in my earlier paper, I cite current research, including George's own preferred source on the topic of vegetarianism, to support my view. I conclude that Professor George has still not shown that for most human beings it is dangerous to follow a diet that omits nonhuman animals and their products. Moral agents who take the rights of humansand nonhumans seriously will find vegetarianism well worth considering.     

盐城沿海珍稀动物保护与经济发展的关系

江苏盐城沿海有我国至今仍保存较为完好的滩涂原生生态系统，栖息着３３０余种鸟兽资源，其中被列为我国重点保护的种类达５７种之多；然而，如何保护、发展和合理利用野生动物资源，力争做到既能维持生态平衡，又能促进经济发展，是我们今天所面临的新课题。本文对盐城沿海珍稀动物保护与经济发展的关系进行了探讨。     

曲阜地区资源土壤动物调查初报

本文报导了曲阜地区资源土壤动物现状，根据其经济用途，将它们分为食用土壤动物、药用土壤动物、天敌土壤动物和环境指示土壤动物的四大类，并论述了资源土壤动物的开发利用与保护。     

MEASURING THE CONTRIBUTION OF LAND AND WATER TO AGRICULTURE1

ABSTRACT Irrigated land outproduces dryland agriculture, especially in the western United States. Many valuable crops could not be grown without irrigation. A paucity of yield data does not allow direct measurement of the contribution from irrigated crop agriculture, nor does it allow evaluation of the contributions from livestock which are dependent upon irrigated feed. Regression results indicate that 80 percent of Idaho farm income is associated with irrigation, and that 75 percent of the farm income in the 17 western states is associated with irrigation. For the United States as a whole, results indicate that 13.7 percent of the total cropland (irrigated land) produced 41.3 percent of all cash receipts from farming in 1978. If 14 percent of the land can produce 40 percent of the value of production, can 35 percent of our land produce all our food and fiber needs? Such an allegation has several implications in terms of the adequacy of our land and water resources. It also emphasizes the role of technology in future resource use and production.     

Ethics and farm animal welfare

In this paper the authors argue that ethical considerations are relevant for evaluating animal production systems and that in consequence agrologists should seriously consider the arguments of animal welfare supporters. Furthermore, the authors point out the ethical basis for some (though not all) of the conclusions proposed by supporters of animal welfare. In consequence it is necessary to determine the nature of animal welfare and methods of evaluating the welfare of animals and to recognize when production systems fail to satisfy the needs of animals.     

中国北方农牧交错带农村土地利用变化因子分析--以内蒙古尧勒甸子村为例

以北方农牧交错带典型生态示范村尧勒甸子村为例,应用参与式农村评估法(PRA)并结合GPS与野外测量,恢复了该村1949年后50 a来的土地利用历史过程与格局,利用GIS分析其1950-1999年的土地利用变化特点.运用因子分析和逐步回归分析方法揭示了人类活动因素对土地利用变化的作用.结果发现1985年以前耕地面积扩大,草地面积减小,沙地面积迅猛持续增加;1985年以后土地利用变化向相反的方向发展,土地利用结构趋向合理.     

反刍动物甲烷排放研究进展

反刍动物甲烷排放是大气中甲烷的主要排放源之一,本文简述了国内外反刍动物甲烷排放总量研究概况,及甲烷排放研究尚存在的问题和初步结论。     

九龙江流域规模化养殖环境风险评价

在G IS支持下采用养分收支平衡法对九龙江流域规模化生猪养殖的环境风险进行评价。规模化养殖污染负荷在不同类型养殖场的分配、空间分布规律以及规模化养殖的环境风险评价结果表明:规模化养猪业年产粪尿量达107万t,以小型规模化养殖场产生的污染负荷最高;整体来看,规模化生猪养殖的环境风险不大,但由于养殖场的地理分布集中,造成近郊区域规模化养殖的环境风险极高;由于过多施用化肥,中远郊规模化养殖粪尿未得到合理利用而流失。位于水系附近的养殖场对水体影响较大,根据“福建省畜禽养殖污染防治管理办法”,为减少规模化生猪养殖对九龙江水质的直接威胁,需搬迁主要支流沿岸1 km范围内的规模化养猪场250个。     

猪场废弃物强制通风静态仓堆肥系统的试验研究

通过组织5个猪场废弃物堆肥试验，度量温度、表观性状、体积、重量损失、全氮、全磷、大肠杆菌值、蛔虫卵杀灭率和发芽指数等指标，检验了开发的强制通风静态仓堆肥系统的性能。结果表明，除起始含水率为80％试验堆体因起始含水率过高导致发生厌氧反应外，其余4个堆体均实现堆肥无害化、减量化、稳定化和资源化的处理目标；堆肥温度维持50℃以上5—7d，或55℃以上3d是大肠杆菌值达到国家粪便无害化卫生标准的必要条件；堆肥过程能有效脱除堆料的生物毒性，后腐熟阶段是必需阶段；氮、磷、钾等主要营养元素在堆肥前后呈现“浓缩效应”。因此，堆肥化能提高猪场废弃物肥效和利用价值。     

我国集约化畜禽养殖场污染治理障碍分析及对策

随着我国集约化畜禽养殖场的快速发展，行业污染危害日益严重，对自然环境和居民健康威胁很大。由于技术经济原因，只有综合利用、农牧一体的方法才能根本解决养殖场污染问题，但这种方式在我国存在着诸多推广障碍：环境标准和监管体系有缺陷、资金和技术门槛较高、副产品没有获得应有的市场回报等。建议采取以下措施促进综合利用：提高养殖场的排污标准和排污费征收标准，按照工业污染治理的办法进行养殖场环境监管，对这类污染在重点地区开展专项整治，从税收、土地价格、贷款等方面扶持综合利用。