Sustainability: a Dissent

Abstract:  Broadly conceived and considered in its many usages, sustainability has grave defects as a planning goal, particularly when used by conservationists: it confuses means and ends; it is vague about what is being sustained and who or what is doing the sustaining; it is uninspiring; it is little more than Pinchot-era conservation (and thus ignores the many lessons learned since then); it need not be linked to land, to the land's functioning, or to any ecological science; it need not include a moral component; it is consistent with the view of humans as all-powerful manipulators of the planet; and, in general, it is such a malleable term that its popularity provides only a facade of consensus. When sustainability is defined broadly to include the full range of economic and social aspirations, it poses the particular risk that ecological and biodiversity concerns will be cast aside in favor of more pressing human wants. Given these many defects, the conservation movement should discard the term in favor of a more alluring goal, attentive to nature and its ecological functioning. A sound goal would incorporate and distill the considerable ecological and moral wisdom accumulated since Pinchot's day while giving conservationists the rhetorical tools needed to defend the land against competing pressures. In our view, conservation would be well served by an updated variant of "land health," Aldo Leopold's ecologically grounded goal from the 1940s. Land health as an independent understanding should set the essential terms of how we live and enjoy the earth, providing the framework within which we pursue our many social and economic aims.     

Soil properties and crop productivity as influenced by flyash incorporation in soil

Field experiments were carried out during 1996–97at Gulawathi, Muthiani and Salarpur Villages, IARI Farm, NewDelhi and NCPP Campus, Dadri to evaluate changes in soilcharacteristics and growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.),mustard (Brassica juncea L.), lentil (Lence esculentaMoench.), rice (Oryza sativa L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) byvarying amounts of flyash addition (up to 50t ha^-1) in soils atsowing/transplanting time of crops. Flyash addition in areasadjoining NCPP Thermal Power Plant, Dadri, Ghaziabad, U.P.ranged from 5–12 t ha^-1 yr^-1 in 1995–96. Shoot and root growthand yield of test crops at different locations after flyashincorporation resulted in beneficial effects of flyashaddition in most cases. The silt dominant texture of flyashimproved loamy sand to sandy loam textures of the surfacesoils at the farmers' fields. The increased growth in yield ofcrops with flyash incorporation was possibly due tomodifications in soil moisture retention and transmissioncharacteristics, bulk density, physico-chemical characterssuch as pH and EC and organic carbon content. The response offlyash addition in the soil on soil health and cropproductivity needs to be evaluated on long-term sustainableaspects.     

Determination of arsenic in grain and soil by hydride nondispersive atomic fluorescence method

Quantity of trace arsenic in grain and soil was determined by hydride nondispersive atomic fluorescence method.Optimum conditions of measurement were selected in the experiment including the pH of the medium, reductive agent, the concentration and flowing velocity of KBH4, rate of carrier gas and atomized temperature. The reference sample of rice C was determined and the linear relationship of the calibration curve was plotted, indicating that the method was highly precise. In the experiment of recovery rate, the method was quite satisfactory.Based on the determination of hundreds of samples, it is proved that atomic fluorescence method is rapid, sensitive and low in interference. It is very efficient on determination of trace arsenic in soils and grains, especially in grains.     

Cobalt in alluvial Egyptian soils as affected by industrial activities

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西北地区高速公路建设中的水土保持

就西北地区高速公路建设的水土流失特点进行了分析，并提出了工程防范措施。     

Relation between some variations of soil and surface vegetatio and desertization in agriculture-pasture interlacing zone an example from Kangbao County,North Hebei,China

The studied agriculture-pasture interlacing zone has its specific natural conditions,at which the natural systems are unstable ,their self-regulation capability is low and the equilibrium is easily broken, and hence the habitat is fairly vulnerable.During last 20 years the increasing population and livestock ,over-reclamation,over-pasturing,over-deforesting, and other intensified negative human activities in the zone resulted in coarsening of surface soil,decrease of organic mater content in soil, reduction of vegetation coverage ,variation and degradation of flora structure, and hence in desertization of the land, although average of gales and sandstorms some decreased and the climate tended to be better in the region.However, the frequent sandstorms occurring in the springs of last and present years has attracted much attention.Investigations confirmed that the main cause for the phenomena is the unreasonable human activites rater than the natural factors.     

云南土壤钴元素背景值及其特征研究

对云南省土壤钴元素背景值进行了采样分析,结果显示:云南土壤钴元素含量呈对数正态分布,中位值16.0mg/kg,几何均值14.88mg/kg,95%置信区间0.92~41.17mg/kg,背景值高于全国,接近南方部分地区。并对其特征进行了研究。     

CrⅥ adsorption on four typical soil colloids: equilibrium and kinetics

It is observed that the adsorption of chromium are greater on kaolinite minerals, red soil (R) and laterite (L) colloids than that on montmorillonite, indicotic black (IB) and yellow brown (YB) soil colloids. The adsorption process of CrⅥ on these media can be further described by Langmuir or Freundlich equation quite well. The adsorption reaction of CrⅥ is fast, and the adsorption equilibrium can be reached within the first two hours in moderate temperature. The adsorption quantity of CrⅥ to kaolinite mineral increased with the increasing pH in the range of 2.0 to 7.0, then decreased at higher pH. But it showed some consistence among the four soil colloids. The lower the pH, the stronger the adsorption. The possible mechanisms are further discussed here. Meanwhile the influence of temperature on CrⅥ adsorption on different soil colloid and clay minerals are also investigated.     

滕南煤田煤矸石对土壤的影响分析

通过对山东滕南煤田地区的土壤、煤矸石及部分农作物的灰份进行化学分析，从理论上探讨了其促进植物增产的机理；并认为该煤田3煤层的矸石含有与该地区土壤类似的化学组成，但其所含植物生长需要的主要元素普遍高于土壤中的含量，即煤矸石中含有较丰富的植物生长所需的矿物肥料。     

复杂粘性土层深基坑挡土桩受力分析

针对目前桩锚式支护计算方法的局限性，对复杂土层中下端固定的锚定式挡土桩作了受力分析，并编写了计算机程序，适用于处理深基坑支护中的分层土(砂土、粘性土)、有超载、存在地下水等各种复杂土层。