scholarly journals The Right and the Good: Communicating Environmental Issues

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Goldwin Edison McEwen

What we see is partially dependent on what we are shown. As communicators, we have a duty to inform and educate and lead. As environmental communicators we have the privilege of explaining how the various parts of our natural world work, individually, in unison, and in relationship to people. By examining two specific areas of growing global concerns, this paper provides an analytic tool and starts a discussion as to what should be guiding decisions concerning major environmental questions. The first growing global concern discussed is tailings ponds in Northern Alberta’s oil sands. The second is the large bodies of air pollution in Asia. In both cases, (Good) short term decisions that benefit a few have led to large environmental concerns. Should humanity be worried about our future? Could (Right) long-term, sustainable, and inclusive decisions lead to more manageable environmental challenges? To be a communicator in the real world it is important to know and differentiate between the Good and the Right. Good and Right communications in environmental issues support daily or frequent acts concerning any or all of three critical areas: sustainability, conservation, and climate change. Questions are addressed. Where are people now with respect to environment, how did we get here, and what are the pros and cons of changing from Good to Right solutions? By looking at one individual’s choice, readers see that Good and Right decisions do not have to be mutually exclusive. 

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 2322-2337
Author(s):  
Maria Carolina Chaves de Sousa ◽  
Peter Mann de Toledo ◽  
Filipe Gomes Dias

At the beginning of the 20th century, urbanization and occupation of privileged spaces at the expense of “lowland” spaces and close to a floodplain. The “lowlands” were occupied by a population, mostly with socioeconomic needs, forming housing groups susceptible to flooding and flooding. To bring the recognition of rights to these occupants, a land regularization work was carried out by the Federal University of Pará - UFPA, together with public entities from the State and the Union. The article aims to present and compare the degree of socio-environmental vulnerability in the area of land C of UFPA in the municipality of Belém, object of land regularization activity, applying indicators and indices related to social, economic, legal and environmental issues. The results show that the degree of vulnerability is high in the years surveyed, concluding that the legal regularization work carried out in the area was only patrimonial, in order to transfer responsibilities for land use to the beneficiary residents and the recognition of the right of that title by law. . Effective land regularization work should involve a set of bodies responsible for the social, environmental, urban and land areas so that, in a concatenated and long-term manner, the work carried out is carried out so that the results are captured by the indicators and that the data decrease the degree of socio-environmental vulnerability in the studied area.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 830
Author(s):  
Heidi L. Cossey ◽  
Anya E. Batycky ◽  
Heather Kaminsky ◽  
Ania C. Ulrich

Oil sands surface mining in Alberta has generated over a billion cubic metres of waste, known as tailings, consisting of sands, silts, clays, and process-affected water that contains toxic organic compounds and chemical constituents. All of these tailings will eventually be reclaimed and integrated into one of two types of mine closure landforms: end pit lakes (EPLs) or terrestrial landforms with a wetland feature. In EPLs, tailings deposits are capped with several metres of water while in terrestrial landforms, tailings are capped with solid materials, such as sand or overburden. Because tailings landforms are relatively new, past research has heavily focused on the geotechnical and biogeochemical characteristics of tailings in temporary storage ponds, referred to as tailings ponds. As such, the geochemical stability of tailings landforms remains largely unknown. This review discusses five mechanisms of geochemical change expected in tailings landforms: consolidation, chemical mass loading via pore water fluxes, biogeochemical cycling, polymer degradation, and surface water and groundwater interactions. Key considerations and knowledge gaps with regard to the long-term geochemical stability of tailings landforms are identified, including salt fluxes and subsequent water quality, bioremediation and biogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and the biogeochemical implications of various tailings treatment methods meant to improve geotechnical properties of tailings, such as flocculant (polyacrylamide) and coagulant (gypsum) addition.


Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Thuc An ◽  
Dau Kieu Ngoc Anh

The 2018 Nobel Economics Prize was awarded to two American economists - William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer - who designed methods for better assessing environmental issues and technological advances on growth. This year’s Laureates, Nordhaus was the first person to create an intergrated model to assess interactions between society and nature and Romer laid the foundation for what is now called endogenous growth theory. According to the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, these two macroeconomists’ research have helped “significantly broaden the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge” which integrates climate change measures into long-term sustainable economic growth. Keywords Nobel in economics, William D. Nordhaus, Paul M. Romer, climate change, endogenous growth theory, economic growth References [1] Y Vân (2018), “Lý lịch 'khủng' của hai nhà khoa học vừa giành giải Nobel Kinh tế 2018”, Vietnambiz, đăng tải ngày 08/10/2018, https://vietnambiz.vn/ly-lich-khung-cua-hai-nha-khoa-hoc-vua-gianh-giai-nobel-kinh-te-2018-95776.html[2] Jonas O. Bergman, Rich Miller (2018), “Nordhaus, Romer Win Nobel for Thinking on Climate, Innovation”, đăng tải ngày 8/10/2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-08/nordhaus-romer-win-2018-nobel-prize-in-economic-sciences [3] Antonin Pottier (2018), “Giải Nobel” William Nordhaus có thật sự nghiêm túc?”, Nguyễn Đôn Phước dịch, đăng tải ngày 11/10/2018, http://www.phantichkinhte123.com/2018/10/giai-nobel-william-nordhaus-co-that-su.html[4] Thăng Điệp (2018), “Giải Nobel kinh tế 2018 về tay hai người Mỹ”, đăng tải ngày 8/10/2018, http://vneconomy.vn/giai-nobel-kinh-te-2018-ve-tay-hai-nguoi-my-20181008185809239.htm[5] Lars P. Syll (2018), “Cuối cùng - Paul Romer cũng có được giải thưởng Nobel”, Huỳnh Thiện Quốc Việt dịch, đăng tải ngày 14/10/2018, http://www.phantichkinhte123.com/2018/10/cuoi-cung-paul-romer-cung-co-uoc-giai.html[6] Phương Võ (2018), “Nobel Kinh tế 2018: Chạm tới bài toán khó của thời đại”, đăng tải ngày 9/10/2018, https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/nobel-kinh-te-2018-cham-toi-bai-toan-kho-cua-thoi-dai-20181008221734228.htm[7] Đông Phong (2018), “Nobel Kinh tế cho giải pháp phát triển bền vững và phúc lợi người dân”, đăng tải ngày 8/10/2018, https://news.zing.vn/nobel-kinh-te-cho-giai-phap-phat-trien-ben-vung-va-phuc-loi-nguoi-dan-post882860.html[8] Thanh Trúc (2018), “Giải Nobel kinh tế 2018: Thay đổi tư duy về biến đổi khí hậu”, https://tusach.thuvienkhoahoc.com/wiki/Gi%E1%BA%A3i_Nobel_kinh_t%E1%BA%BF_2018:_Thay_%C4%91%E1%BB%95i_t%C6%B0_duy_v%E1%BB%81_bi%E1%BA%BFn_%C4%91%E1%BB%95i_kh%C3%AD_h%E1%BA%ADu[9] Cẩm Anh (2018), “Nobel kinh tế 2018: Lời giải cho tăng trưởng kinh tế bền vững”, đăng tải ngày 11/10/2018, http://enternews.vn/nobel-kinh-te-2018-loi-giai-cho-tang-truong-kinh-te-ben-vung-137600.html.


Author(s):  
E. Elena Songster

After China ceased its practice of giving panda pairs as state gifts, it began a short-term loan program. This evolved into long-term scientific loans. The whole time the concept of panda diplomacy persisted even as it shifted and transformed. Concerns about the giant panda as a species and the environment more generally were undercurrents to all discussions and exchanges. The environment remained present when China made a dramatic and controversial giant panda gift offer to the island of Taiwan. This chapter examines the various ways that panda diplomacy evolved and the increasing integration of environmental issues with panda politics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7909
Author(s):  
Robert V. Parsons

Controversy is common on environmental issues, with carbon taxation in Canada a current example. This paper uses Canada as a case study for analysis based around balanced presentation, a technique developed some time ago, yet largely forgotten. Using the method, analysis is shifted away from the point of controversy to a broader quantitative question, with comparative data employed from official government sources. Simple quantitative analysis is applied to evaluate emission trends of individual Canadian provinces, with quantitative metrics to identify and confirm the application of relevant emission reduction policies by individual jurisdictions. From 2005 through 2019, three provinces show consistent downward emission trends, two show consistent upward trends, and the remaining five have no trends, showing relatively “flat” profiles. The results clarify, in terms of diverse emission reduction policies, where successes have occurred, and where deficiencies or ambiguities have existed. Neither carbon taxation nor related cap-and-trade show any association with long-term reductions in overall emissions. One policy does stand out as being associated with long-term reductions, namely grid decarbonization. The results suggest a possible need within Canada to rethink emission reduction policies. The method may be relevant as a model for other countries to consider as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
pp. e11-e16
Author(s):  
Risa Wakisaka ◽  
Takumi Kumai ◽  
Kan Kishibe ◽  
Miki Takahara ◽  
Akihiro Katada ◽  
...  

AbstractWe conducted a retrospective analysis of the data of 107 cases of peritonsillar abscess treated at our hospital between January 2014 and December 2018. Data on age, sex, affected site, duration of hospitalization, method of drainage, presence/absence of laryngeal edema, antibacterial drugs used, and isolated bacteria were analyzed. Of the 107 patients, 71 were males and 36 were females; the median age was 44 years (range: 18–88 years).The left side was affected in 55 patients, the right side in 50 patients, and both sides in two patients. The abscess was localized in the superior pole in 71 patients, and in the inferior pole in 36 patients. Thirty-five patients had laryngeal edema, of which three underwent tracheotomy. Recurrence of the abscess was observed in 15 cases, with the recurrence developing within 3 months in 7 cases, and over a period of 3 years in 4 cases. As for the sensitivity of the causative bacteria to antibacterial drugs, 17% of the causative bacteria showed resistance to clindamycin, while none showed resistance to ampicillin/sulbactam (ABPC/SBT). We concluded that ABPC/SBT might be suitable for the initial treatment of peritonsillar abscess, and that we need to bear in mind the possibility of long-term recurrence.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
CAN ZHOU ◽  
NIGEL BROTHERS

Summary The incidental mortality of seabirds in fisheries remains a serious global concern. Obtaining unbiased and accurate estimates of bycatch rates is a priority for seabird bycatch mitigation and demographic research. For measuring the capture risk of seabird interactions in fisheries, the rate of carcass retrieval from hauled gear is commonly used. However, reliability can be limited by a lack of direct capture observations and the substantial pre-haul bycatch losses known to occur, meaning incidence of seabird bycatch is underestimated. To solve this problem, a new measure (bycatch vulnerability) that links an observed interaction directly to the underlying capture event is proposed to represent the capture risk of fishery interactions by seabirds. The new measure is not affected by subsequent bycatch loss. To illustrate how to estimate and analyse bycatch vulnerability, a case study based on a long-term dataset of seabird interactions and capture confirmation is provided. Bayesian modelling and hypothesis testing were conducted to identify important bycatch risk factors. Competition was found to play a central role in determining seabird bycatch vulnerability. More competitive environments were riskier for seabirds, and larger and thus more competitive species were more at risk than smaller sized and less competitive species. Species foraging behaviour also played a role. On the other hand, no additional effect of physical oceanic condition and spatio-temporal factors on bycatch vulnerability was detected. Bycatch vulnerability is recommended as a replacement for the commonly used bycatch rate or carcass retrieval rate to measure the capture risk of an interaction. Combined with a normalized contact rate, bycatch vulnerability offers an unbiased estimate of seabird bycatch rate in pelagic longline fisheries.


Author(s):  
Jun Zou ◽  
Yifan Tang ◽  
Ping Qing ◽  
Han Li ◽  
Amar Razzaq

Environmental issues are still challenging and of global concern. To improve the environmental consumption behavior of consumers, this study investigates whether the match between the promotion mode and product type can improve the conceptual fluency of consumers, so as to increase their purchase intention for green products. The results of three experiments reveal that the interaction between promotion mode and product type has a certain impact on the conceptual fluency of consumers, which can, in turn, promote their purchase intention. This research theoretically contributes to the research on green consumption by introducing promotion mode and revealing the mediation effect of conceptual fluency, it also provides some practical implications for alleviating environmental problems.


2021 ◽  
pp. 263246362097804
Author(s):  
Vanita Arora ◽  
Pawan Suri

Anatomy and physiology are the basis of human body functioning and as we have progressed in management of various diseases, we have understood that physiological intervention is always better than an anatomical one. For more than 50 years, a standard approach to permanent cardiac pacing has been an anatomical placement of transvenous pacing lead at the right ventricular apex with a proven benefit of restoring the rhythm. However, the resultant ventricular dyssynchrony on the long-term follow-up in patients requiring more than 40% ventricular pacing led to untoward side effects in the form of heart failure and arrhythmias. To counter such adverse side effects, a need for physiological cardiac pacing wherein the electrical impulse be transmitted directly through the normal conduction system was sought. His bundle pacing (HBP) with an intriguing alternative of left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) is aimed at restoring such physiological activation of ventricles. HBP is safe, efficacious, and feasible; however, localization and placement of a pacing lead at the His bundle is challenging with existing transvenous systems due to its small anatomic size, surrounding fibrous tissue, long-learning curve, and the concern remains about lead dislodgement and progressive electrical block distal to the HBP lead. In this article, we aim to take the reader through the challenging journey of HBP with focus upon the hardware and technique, selective versus nonselective HBP, indications and potential disadvantages, and finally the future prospects.


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