What is an Ecodisaster?

1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Cloudsley-Thompson

The term ‘ecodisaster’ may be defined as ‘a global catastrophe of the human species’. Any ecodisasters occurring in the near future will, almost certainly, be caused, directly or indirectly, by the present overpopulation of the world, accompanied by unwise and irresponsible disregard of environmental deterioration.The suggestion is made here that Man's first and, it is to be hoped, last, ecodisaster may already have begun. Although not dramatic, it is taking the form of a steady decline in the standard of living nearly everywhere, coupled with massive pollution, and widespread malnutrition in the under-developed countries of the world. It will persist until world population eventually becomes adjusted to environmental resources.It is ironical that control of the pests and diseases which have inflicted so much misery on mankind in the past, should have helped to engender the present population explosion with all the hunger and privation that accompany it in the under-developed regions of the world.

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Pilar Fernández Ibáñez

Una de las características que mejor define la sociedad actual es la producción de residuos, siendo esta superior en los denominados países "desarrollados". Prácticamente no hay actividad humana alguna que no genere residuos existiendo además una relación directa entre el nivel de vida de una sociedad o país y la cantidad de residuos generados. Aproximadamente, el 23 % de la población mundial vive en países desarrollados, consume el 78 % de los recursos y produce el 82 % de los residuos [Blanco y Malato, 1996]. Además, el volumen de residuos crece de forma exponencial con el nivel de industrialización de un país. Existen actualmente registradas unos cinco millones de sustancias conocidas de las que aproximadamente 70.000 son ampliamente usadas en todo el mundo, estimándose en unas 1.000 las nuevas sustancias químicas que cada año son incorporadas a la lista. Palabras clave.-Fotocatálisis, Descontaminación de aguas. ABSTRACTOne characteristic that best defines today's society is the production of waste, this being higher in so-called "developed" countries. Virtually no human activity that does not generate any waste also exist a direct relationship between the standard of living of a society or country and the amount of waste generated. Approximately 23% of the world population lives in developed countries consume 78% of resources and produces 82% of the waste [Black and Malate, 1996]. Furthermore, the volume of waste grows exponentially with the level of industrialization of a country. There are currently about five million registered substances known of which approximately 70,000 are widely used throughout the world, estimated at about 1,000 new chemicals each year are added to the list. Keywords.- Photocatalysis, Water decontamination.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
JAVED ALAM SHEIKH

Almost 50 per cent of the world population is constituted by the women and they have been making substantial contribution to socio-economic development. But, unfortunately their tremendous contribution remains unrecognized and unnoticed in most of the developing and least developed countries causing the problem of poverty among them. Empowering women has become the key element in the development of an economy. With women moving forward, the family moves, the village moves and the nation moves. Hence, improving the status of women by way of their economic empowerment is highly called for. Entrepreneurship is a key tool for the economic empowerment of women around the world for alleviating poverty. Entrepreneurship is now widely recognized as a tool of economic development in India also. In this paper I have tried to discuss the reasons and role of Women Entrepreneurship with the help of Push and Pull factors. In the last I have also discussed the problems and the road map of Women Entrepreneurs development in India.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naeem Abas ◽  
Esmat Kalair ◽  
Saad Dilshad ◽  
Nasrullah Khan

PurposeThe authors present the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on community lifelines. The state machinery has several departments to secure essential lifelines during disasters and epidemics. Many countries have formed national disaster management authorities to deal with manmade and natural disasters. Typical lifelines include food, water, safety and security, continuity of services, medicines and healthcare equipment, gas, oil and electricity supplies, telecommunication services, transportation means and education system. Supply chain systems are often affected by disasters, which should have alternative sources and routes. Doctors, nurses and medics are front-line soldiers against diseases during pandemics.Design/methodology/approachThe COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how much we all are connected yet unprepared for natural disasters. Political leaders prioritize infrastructures, education but overlook the health sector. During the recent pandemic, developed countries faced more mortalities, fatalities and casualties than developing countries. This work surveys the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health, energy, environment, industry, education and food supply lines.FindingsThe COVID-19 pandemic caused 7% reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during global lockdowns. In addition, COVID-19 has affected social fabric, behaviors, cultures and official routines. Around 2.84 bn doses have been administrated, with approximately 806 m people (10.3% of the world population) are fully vaccinated around the world to date. Most developed vaccines are being evaluated for new variants like alpha, beta, gamma, epsilons and delta first detected in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, USA and India. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors in society, yet this paper critically reviews the impact of COVID-19 on health and energy lifelines.Practical implicationsThis paper critically reviews the health and energy lifelines during pandemic COVID-19 and explains how these essential services were interrupted.Originality/valueThis paper critically reviews the health and energy lifelines during pandemic COVID-19 and explains how these essential services were interrupted.


Author(s):  
Jingli Chen ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Yifan Jia ◽  
Zhongyuan Xia ◽  
Jishi Ye

In the past 16 years, research on mitophagy has increasingly expanded to a wider range of subjects. Therefore, comprehensively analyzing the relevant progress and development trends on mitophagy research requires specific methods. To assess the hotspots, directions, and quality of results in this field worldwide, we used multiple tools to examine research progress and growing trends in research on the matter during the last 16 years (from 2005 to 2020). We also compared the quantity and quality of the literature records on mitophagy published by research institutions in China and other developed countries, reviewed China’s contribution, and examined the gap between China and these developed countries. According to the results of our bibliometric analysis, the United States and its research institutes published the most papers. We identified cell biology as the most commonly researched subject on mitophagy and AUTOPHAGY as the most popular journal for research on mitophagy. We also listed the most cited documents from around the world and China. With gradually increased funding, China is progressively becoming prominent in the field of mitophagy; nevertheless, the gap between her and major countries in the world must be closed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
A.A. Garba

The paper reviewed the impacts of population growth and the ways it affects aquaculture and fisheries prices. As the world population  continues to grow arithmetically, great pressure is placed on arable lands, water, energy, and biological resources to provide an adequate supply of food while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. In 2010, FAO projected the world population to double from 6.2 billion in October, 1999 to 12.5 billion in the year 2050. This had created serious negative impacts on the aquaculture and fisheries prices. At present fertile crop lands had been lost at an alarming rates while some abandoned during the past 50 years because erosions made it unproductive. Other vices such as food crisis, political unrest and war (Mexico, Uzbekistan, Turkistan, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco and Sudan), civil strife and multiple years of draught (Niger, Mauritania and Senegal), impacts of HIV/AIDS Ebola, Lassa fever and Coronavirus the world over, clashes between cattle rearers and farmers and boko haram issues (Nigeria) as well as kidnapping and  corruptions have severely affected aquaculture and fisheries production and accompanied prices. Thus, this review was conducted to raise a cry for farmers and citizens to engage and participate in intensive culture and fisheries practices in order to fill the demand - supply gap so as to make fish food products available for the teeming masses.


2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 11-25
Author(s):  
Jean Claude Chesnais ◽  

History shows that migration usually moves from areas where population is growing fast to regions where this increase is slower. At present, immigration from poor regions to richer coun tries outstrips emigration from developed countries. A century ago in Europe and now in the poorest countries, migration has relieved tensions bred by declining mortality and accelerating popula tion growth. The map of international migration changes from decade to decade as each country’s demographic transition matures. Although historical migration fl ows still continue, this will not lead to a demographic explosion as fertility rates have declined signifi cantly and aging population increases all over the world. World population is estimated to remain stagnant at around 8 thousand million before it decreases slowly through this century. Thus, migration raises the challenge of a global multiethnic society.


2021 ◽  
pp. 17-42
Author(s):  
Paolo Boffetta ◽  
Zuo-Feng Zhang ◽  
Carlo La Vecchia

Neoplasms continue to dominate globally as one of the major sources of human disease and death. There are multiple modifiable causes of cancer and understanding their attributable risk factors for each cancer is of importance. This chapter covers the role of cellular and molecular mechanisms as well as the experimental and epidemiological approaches as determinants of the main cancers. Even if major discoveries in the clinical management of cancer patients will be accomplished in the near future, the changes will mainly affect the affluent part of the world population. Promising approaches focused on prevention of the known causes, reducing its consequences, notably in resource-constrained settings are highlighted.


2021 ◽  
pp. 83-99
Author(s):  
Vikash Kumar ◽  
Anjali Chauhan ◽  
Avinash Kumar Shinde ◽  
Ramesh L. Kunkerkar ◽  
Deepak Sharma ◽  
...  

Abstract With the inevitable risk posed by global climate change affecting crop yield and the ever-increasing demands of agricultural produce, crop improvement techniques need to be more precise in developing smart crop varieties. The rice crop, a staple food for the majority of the world population, has a significant role to play in alleviating the global hunger problem. With the world population burgeoning at an unprecedented rate, limited fertile land resources, climate change, emerging new races of pests and diseases and consumer preferences for quality attributes, it is imperative to increase crop diversity, and this requires better selection efficiency addressing the challenges of future rice production. Mutation breeding is a fundamental and very successful tool helping to increase crop diversity and allowing plant breeders to exercise their skill in developing desirable crop varieties. The induction of mutations has been used to enhance yield, improve nutritional quality and widen the adaptability of the world's most important crops such as wheat, rice, pulses, millets and oilseeds. India is considered to be one of the primary centres of origin of crop species with the concomitant very high genetic diversity in traditional landraces for different agronomic traits of economic importance. Plant architecture, such as plant height, branching habit (tiller number), leaf shape and patterns, floral and grain traits and quality traits such as aroma, amylose content and cooking quality are of tremendous importance for rice improvement programmes. Traditional landraces of rice have premium grain quality, fetching a premium price, but their cultivation is being marginalized due to their tall stature, proneness to lodging, late maturity and poor yield. Mutation breeding technology has been successfully implemented in rice improvement programmes, which have resulted in the improvement of aromatic rice varieties, such as 'Pusa Basmati 1', 'Dubraj and Jawaphool'. Two high-yielding mutant rice varieties, TCDM-1 ('Trombay Chhattisgarh Dubraj Mutant-1') and TKR Kolam ('Trombay Karjat Rice Kolam'), have been released for cultivation in Chhattisgarh and the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Both these varieties possess dwarf plant stature (110 cm), medium maturity (130 days), premium grain quality and resistance to major pests and diseases. Improvement of other traditional rice varieties is underway which will bring these varieties back into cultivation and help in improving the tribal and marginal farmers' economy.


Author(s):  
K B L Wadhwa

This paper traces the steps taken by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Indian Railways in the past to improve the metre gauge bogie design, which resulted in crossing the age-old speed barrier of 75 km/h, initially in 1977, when the Pink City Express was introduced at a maximum permissible speed of 100 km/h. The ‘Sperling ride index’ achieved at that time at the 110 km/h test speed was nearing 3.2 in the lateral mode and 3.33 in the vertical mode. Major design modifications are described that were carried out in the conventional metre gauge bogie/body, using indigenous technology, while designing high-tech metre gauge (MG) coaches. These are suitable for running on Indian Railways' track at a maximum permissible speed of 120 km/h and at the same time provide superior riding characteristics (with sperling ride index restricted to 2.75) comparable to those available on the main line coaches of 1000 mm gauge in the developed countries of the world.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 106-110
Author(s):  
Umer Tahir ◽  
Qurat Ul Ain ◽  
Rai Waqas ◽  
Irfan Bashir

Viral hepatitis is one of the common transmissible causes of chronic liver responsible for increased risk of mortality and morbidity. Hepatitis C disease has worldwide high prevalence which is more fatal because of lack of vaccination availability. Present study was conducted with the aim of to address the comparative prevalence and risk factor of hepatitis C. Secondary objective was to evaluate the prevalence of this disease in Pakistan as compared to other countries. Most of the countries in the world do not have significant studies of population infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). During 1990-2016, 232 studies were included; containing 117 countries representing that 90% of the world population have 2.3% prevalence. According to studies, developed countries have low HCV prevalence while developing countries have high prevalence. Pakistan being a developing country has second highest HCV prevalence ranging from 4.5 to 8%. The reason of this high prevalence is unawareness about Hepatitis C in community and lack of successful therapies for patients with HCV. In past, developed countries had high prevalence but now they have low incidence because of proper system and awareness. Pakistan needs such kind of public awareness programs and better treatment facilities at affordable price to community.Tahir et al., International Current Pharmaceutical Journal, November 2016, 5(12): 106-110http://www.icpjonline.com/documents/Vol5Issue12/02.pdf


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