Environmental Crises at the End of Safavid History: The Collapse of Iran's Early Modern Imperial Ecology, 1666–1722

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
James Gustafson ◽  
James Speer
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
World History ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Climate Scientist ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Small Band

Abstract The 17th century was a period of transition in world history. It was marked globally by social movements emerging in response to widespread drought, famine, disease, warfare, and dislocation linked to climate change. Historians have yet to situate Safavid Iran (1501–1722) within the “General Crisis.” This article, coauthored by an environmental historian and a climate scientist, revisits primary sources and incorporates tree-ring evidence to argue that an ecological crisis beginning in the late 17th century contributed to the collapse of the imperial ecology of the Safavid Empire. A declining resource base and demographic decline conditioned the unraveling of imperial networks and the empire's eventual fall to a small band of Afghan raiders in 1722. Ultimately, this article makes a case for the connectedness of Iran to broader global environmental trends in this period, with local circumstances and human agency shaping a period of acute environmental crisis in Iran.

scholarly journals Ecophilosophy and African traditional ecological knowledge

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 228-240
Author(s):  
Mark Omorovie Ikeke ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Critical Study ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Silent Spring ◽  
The Commons ◽  
The 1960S

Ecophilosophy is concerned with the critical study of ecological issues. It critiques the human- earth relationship advocating for friendly treatment of the environment. Philosophy’s interests in the environmental crisis dates back to the late 1960s. Among those who were at the forefront are Holmes Rolston III, Thomas Berry, and Richard Routley. The philosophical movement towards the environment was also inspired by Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, Garrett Hardin’s The Tragedy of the Commons, Lynn White’s 1967 article, The Historical Roots of the Ecological Crisis, Paul Ehrlich’s Population Bomb, and so forth. It is not that before the 1960s philosophers have not spoken about the environment. The unfortunate thing was that most of the philosophers that had spoken about the environment merely saw the environment or nature from a utilitarian perspective and nature was perceived as an object to be studied, evaluated and conquered without concern for environmental wellbeing. Yet, when the philosophic turn towards the environment began even till today, most of the voices are those of western and Euro-centric philosophers. Indigenous voices and wisdoms from non-western cultures are often ignored. The purpose of this paper is to argue for the place of African traditional ecological knowledge in ecophilosophy and environmental ethics. Through the method of critical analysis, what constitutes African traditional ecological knowledge and its place in global environmental ethics is examined. The paper finds and concludes that global environmental ethics will be incomplete and weakened without the inclusion of African traditional ecological knowledge.

scholarly journals KONSEP PENDIDIKAN LINGKUNGAN HIDUP DALAM PANDANGAN ISLAM

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agus Sulistyo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Crisis Phenomenon

The environmental crisis, known as the ecological crisis, is becoming more widespread. It demands our care as human beings who assume the role of khalifah on earth to actively participate in preventing more massive environmental damage. Man can’t live alone without the support of various resources that exist in his environment. However, the awareness of the importance of preserving and protecting the natural is still lacking. Environmental education is expected to be a vehicle to educate the general public and learners, in particular, to better understand the global environmental crisis phenomenon and foster an attitude to be more concerned with the environment, by internalizing religious values. Building an ecologically-based religious spirit should be conducted simultaneously and sustainably at all levels and compositions of the community especially Muslims, given that the ecological crisis has a universal impact. Recognizing the role of human as a caliph who is in charge of safeguarding and managing nature and the consequences of damaging the environment in terms of Islamic perspective is expected to arouse public awareness to participate actively in maintaining, managing wisely and preserving the surrounding environment. Keywords: environmental ethics; environmental education; conservation; Islam.

scholarly journals Environmental alarmism: the Club of Rome and its critics

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 129-145
Author(s):  
Nikolai Mihailov ◽  
Lidia Sakelarieva
Keyword(s):  
Modern Science ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Moral Principle ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Value Of Nature ◽  
Club Of Rome ◽  
Mutual Tolerance ◽  
Main Ideas

The article is devoted to the ideas of the Club of Rome and their modern reading. The Club of Rome, founded in 1968, is an international society of politicians, business leaders, and scientists, who appeal for mutual tolerance, understanding, and solidarity in relation to the real problems of the world, and the environmental problems in the first place. The members of the Club prescribe the setting of limits to human expansion over nature, which is explained with superfluous “anthropocentric confidence”, after the words of the foundation member Aurelio Peccei. Recently, these ideas of the Club of Rome have been criticized by economists, philosophers, and politicians, being described as “environmental alarmism”, i.e. as groundless alarm relevant to incorrect notions about the inevitability of ecological crisis and its devastating consequences for humanity. However the global environmental crisis is already an undeniable fact and requires a thorough study of the ethical standards of the human behaviour, which are often rooted in moral phenomena such as consumerism, irresponsibility, insensitivity or even selfishness. Nature cannot be only considered as a source of natural resources or benefits to people. The moral motive of nature conservation, despite the power of modern science, is one of the main ideas of the founders and followers of the case of the Club of Rome. It concerns the future where the respect for the value of nature is a new moral principle.

scholarly journals ECOLOGICAL COMPONENT OFSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: FROM THEORYES TO IMPLEMENTATION

2017 ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Oleksandr DLUHOPOLSKYI
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
International Climate ◽  
National Economies ◽  
Industrial Groups ◽  
Significant Factors

Introduction. The article deals with the problem of ecologization of economic progress in a context of sustainable development. Different approaches of Kuznetz ecological curve focused on political, income and inequality factors are discussed. The key concepts of climate changings and impact of welfare indicators are analyzed. The key international initiatives of ecologization are discussed (Kyoto protocol, Copenhagen and Paris agreements). Purpose. The purpose of the paper is generalization of key approaches of economic development ecologization and identification the conducive trends of international climate initiatives. Results. The appearance of the welfare paradox in the process of economic development and ecologization interaction is substantiated. Main features of ecological racism as inequality in external environmental conditions which leads to deterioration of the health of people belonging to different races are considered. The results of the survey in several communities of Ternopil, Kyiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Poltava regions showed that 88% of Ukrainians believe that there is a threat of a global environmental crisis. Ukrainians consider that the most significant factors of the ecological crisis are transport (41% of respondents), industry (32%), financial and industrial groups (14%), increase in population (5%), increase of natural anomalies (5%), thermal stations (3%). 47% of respondents are ready to invest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Conclusions. The formation of new model of national economies ecologization in the context of welfare provision is actual today because there are lack of effective operational concepts and there are new challenges: climate change, population aging, environmental and public finance crises, new requirements for the quality and quantity of public goods, etc.

Dialectics, Rhetoric, and Functional Issues in Early Modern Hungarian Religious Disputes. Polemics Research in a Long Reformation Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-244
Author(s):  
Csilla Gabor
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Typical Form ◽  
The Right

The study deals with 16th and 17th century Hungarian printed polemical works considering religious disputes a typical form of communication in the age of Reformation and Catholic renewal. Its conceptual framework is the paradigm or research method of the long Reformation as an efficient assistance to the discovery and appreciation of early modern theological-religious diversity. The analysis examines several kinds of communication which occurs in the (religious) dispute, and explores the rules and conventions along which the (verbal) fighting takes place. Research shows that the opponents repeatedly refer to the rules of dialectics refuting each other’s standpoints accusing them of faulty argumentation, i.e., the wrong use of syllogisms. Dialectics is, namely, in this context not the ars with the help of which truth is found but with which evident truth is checked and justified in a way that the opponents can also be educated to follow the right direction.

A Scientific World-View of Nature and Environmental Problem with a Special Concentration on Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s Understanding of Environmental Sustainability (Perspektif Sains terhadap Krisis Alam dan Persekitaran: Pemikiran Seyyed Hossein Nasr tentan)

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-328
Author(s):  
Md. Abu Sayem
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
World View ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
World Views ◽  
Renaissance Humanism ◽  
Spiritual World ◽  
Scientific World ◽  
European Renaissance

The present paper attempts to expose how the scientific world-view of nature contributes to the present environmental crisis. Alongside this, it relates European Renaissance, humanism, secularism, the scientific and industrial revolutions, modern philosophy, scientism, technology-based modern life, consumerism-based modern society, etc. with current environmental problems. By focusing on Nasr’s traditional understanding of nature, the paper explores how materialistic and mechanistic world-views are deeply connected with the present ecological crisis. It also offers a critical analysis of Nasr’s spiritual and religious world-view of nature and examines its relevance. In doing so, it aims to highlight some demerits of the present world-view, and to call to reform current perceptions of nature by revitalizing traditional wisdom in order to protect the environment from further degradation. Thus, the paper is scholarly addition to the ongoing discourse on the issue of religions and the environment. Keywords: Eco-theology, Environmental Degradation, Materialistic and Mechanistic Views of Nature, Scientism, Spiritual Crisis of Modern humans, Religious and Spiritual World-Views.   Abstrak Kertas kajian ini menerangkan bagaimana pandangan saintifik telah menyumbang kepada krisis alam sekitar semasa. Disamping itu, kertas ini akan menhubungkaitkan Gerakan Revolusi Humanisma di Eropah, sekularisme, revolusi  sains dan perindustrian, falsafah moden, saintisme, kehidupan moden yang berasaskan teknologi, masyarakat moden yang berasaskan consumerisme, etc. dengan krisis alam sekitar yang berlaku dewasa ini.  Dengan memahami pandangan Nasr terhadap alam sekitar, kertas ini akan merungkai bagaimana pandangan materialistik (kebendaan) dan mekanistik mempengaruhi krisis ekologi masa kini. Ia juga akan menganalisa pandangan spiritual dan agama Nasr terhadap alam sekitar secara kritikal dan akan menilai sejauh mana kesesuaiannya. Dengan sedemikian dapat menyedarkan manusia tentang kecacatan pandangan semasa, yang kemudiannya akan membawa kepada pembaharuan persepsi mereka terhadap alam sekitar dengan cara menghidupkan semula nilai-nilai tradisional demi mengelakkan kemerosotan alam sekitar. Kertas ini akan memuatkan idea-idea para cendiakawan dalam membincangkan isu  berkaitan agama dan alam sekitar. Kata Kunci: Eko-Teologi, Kemerosotan Alam Sekitar, Pandangan Materialistik dan Makanistik terhadap Alam, Saintisme, Krisis Spiritual Manusia Moden, Perspektif Spiritual dan Agama.

scholarly journals Labour Conflicts and Working-Class Culture in Early Modern Holland

1990 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudolf Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Class Culture ◽  
Informal Workers ◽  
Ancien Régime ◽  
Modern Era

SUMMARYFrom the 15th to the 18th century Holland, the most urbanized part of the northern Netherlands, had a tradition of labour action. In this article the informal workers' organizations which existed especially within the textile industry are described. In the 17th century the action forms adjusted themselves to the better coordinated activities of the authorities and employers. After about 1750 this protest tradition disappeared, along with the economic recession which especially struck the traditional industries. Because of this the continuity of the transition from the ancien régime to the modern era which may be discerned in the labour movements of countries like France and England, cannot be found in Holland.

scholarly journals Coastal wetlands can be saved from sea level rise by recreating past tidal regimes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmood Sadat-Noori ◽  
Caleb Rankin ◽  
Duncan Rayner ◽  
Valentin Heimhuber ◽  
Troy Gaston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Coastal Wetlands ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Tidal Regime ◽  
Vegetation Sampling ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Intertidal Ecosystems

AbstractClimate change driven Sea Level Rise (SLR) is creating a major global environmental crisis in coastal ecosystems, however, limited practical solutions are provided to prevent or mitigate the impacts. Here, we propose a novel eco-engineering solution to protect highly valued vegetated intertidal ecosystems. The new ‘Tidal Replicate Method’ involves the creation of a synthetic tidal regime that mimics the desired hydroperiod for intertidal wetlands. This synthetic tidal regime can then be applied via automated tidal control systems, “SmartGates”, at suitable locations. As a proof of concept study, this method was applied at an intertidal wetland with the aim of restabilising saltmarsh vegetation at a location representative of SLR. Results from aerial drone surveys and on-ground vegetation sampling indicated that the Tidal Replicate Method effectively established saltmarsh onsite over a 3-year period of post-restoration, showing the method is able to protect endangered intertidal ecosystems from submersion. If applied globally, this method can protect high value coastal wetlands with similar environmental settings, including over 1,184,000 ha of Ramsar coastal wetlands. This equates to a saving of US$230 billion in ecosystem services per year. This solution can play an important role in the global effort to conserve coastal wetlands under accelerating SLR.

Disenchantment and the Environmental Crisis: Lynn White Jr., Max Weber, and Muhammad Iqbal

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Afzaal
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Islamic Theology ◽  
Rational Thought ◽  
Muslim Scholars

“The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis” by Lynn White Jr. poses specific challenges to Islamic metaphysics and theology that have yet to be adequately addressed by Muslim scholars. I argue that the transition from a panentheistic view of God to an increasingly supernaturalist one is indicative of a larger shift in worldview that White had failed to emphasize. Reading White’s essay in light of Weber and Iqbal, I argue that a worldview dominated by rational thought is consistent with supernatural theism. The challenges posed by White’s essay can be met through Iqbal’s postmodern reconstruction of Islamic theology in panentheistic terms.

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