Rethinking Ecological Catastrophe

2021 ◽  
pp. 30-33
Author(s):  
Samuel Cohn

This chapter assesses ecological catastrophes. It is very easy to link ecological problems such as global warming and population growth to the downfall of societies. There is a substantial historical and archaeological record of civilizations that have collapsed because of ecological problems. However, ecological writers note that not all environmental threats are lethal. They represent a challenge to a society. If the government, the technological system, or the economy of a society remains functional, even dire environmental threats can be addressed. In the environmental literature, the jargonistic term for such adaptation is “ecological modernization.” Ultimately, where the ecological threats are truly dangerous, it is because they undercut the capacity of a society to cooperate and work together.

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustinus Denny Unggul Raharjo

<p class="BodyA">South Manokwari Regency is a new autonomous region in West Papua Province with abundant natural resources. As a new autonomous region South Manokwari Regency will be experiencing significant population growth. Population growth along with development and modernization will give burden to electricity demand. Alternatively, electricity can be provided with geothermal resources in Momiwaren District. Based on survey conducted by the government through the Geology Resources Centre in 2009, the reservoir temperature of the geothermal sources is 84<sup>o</sup>C with non volcanic geothermal system. Thus, the geothermal resources in South Manokwari Regency could be developed into binary cycle electric generator.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-139
Author(s):  
Naresh Bhakta Adhikari

The paper mainly analyses the environmental threats focusing on climate change to human security in Nepal. Major aspects of human security are interlinked and interconnected in our context. Among them, human security offers much to the vibrant field of environmental security in Nepal. Environmental threats are linked to the overall impact on human survival, well-being, and productivity. A great deal of human security is tied to peoples’ access to natural resources and vulnerabilities to environmental change. The major environmental threats in our context is the climate change which have widespread implications for Nepal, causing impacts to water availability, agricultural production, forestry, among many other detrimental effects. The critical threat of environmental security needs to be taken into serious consideration to save our succeeding generation. This article primarily interpreted the government action towards emerging environmental threat based on realist approach. For the study of theme of this article, descriptive and analytical research has been used to draw present major environmental threats in Nepal. With consideration to factors, this article attempted to identify the major environmentally vulnerable areas that are likely to hamper the overall status of human security in Nepal. This paper also tried to suggest the measures to enhance the environmental security considering prospects and policy focusing on Nepalese diverse aspects.


2009 ◽  
Vol 160 (7) ◽  
pp. 195-200
Author(s):  
Reto Hefti

In the mountainous canton Grisons, much visited by tourists, the forest has always had an important role to play. New challenges are now presenting themselves. The article goes more closely into two themes on the Grisons forestry agenda dominating in the next few years: the increased use of timber and climate change. With the increased demand for logs and the new sawmill in Domat/Ems new opportunities are offered to the canton for more intensive use of the raw material, wood. This depends on a reduction in production costs and a positive attitude of the population towards the greater use of wood. A series of measures from the Grisons Forestry Department should be of help here. The risk of damage to infrastructure is particularly high in a mountainous canton. The cantonal government of the Grisons has commissioned the Forestry Department to define the situation concerning the possible consequences of global warming on natural hazards and to propose measures which may be taken. The setting up of extensive measurement and information systems, the elaboration of intervention maps, the estimation of the danger potential in exposed areas outside the building zone and the maintenance of existing protective constructions through the creation of a protective constructions register, all form part of the government programme for 2009 to 2012. In the Grisons, forest owners and visitors will have to become accustomed to the fact that their forests must again produce more wood and that, on account of global warming, protective forests will become even more important than they already are today.


J ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-130
Author(s):  
Daria Smolova ◽  
Avi Friedman

Current social and environmental challenges have led to the rethinking of residential designs. Global warming, food insecurity, and, as a result, costly fresh produce are some of the causes of the reconsideration. Moreover, with obligatory isolation following the global COVID-19 pandemic, some are realizing the importance of nature and air quality in homes. This paper explores the potential integration of indoor living walls (ILWs) in Canadian homes for agricultural and air purification purposes. By reviewing a number of case studies, this paper investigates how the development of such walls can alter the traditional food production chain, while reducing environmental threats. The findings show that current indoor living wall practices can be transformed into a useful source of fresh food, and, to some degree, alter traditional food supply. They can also help in creating inexpensive methods of air purification.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kofi Agyekum ◽  
Emmanuel Adinyira ◽  
James Anthony Oppon

PurposeThe increased awareness of global environmental threats like climate change has created an upsurge of interest in low embodied carbon building materials for green building delivery. Though the literature advocates for the use of hemp-based building materials, there is no evidence of studies to explore its potential use in Ghana. Therefore, this study explores the potential factors that limit the adoption of hemp as an alternative sustainable material for green building delivery in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was used to solicit the views of built environment professionals operating in construction, consulting and developer firms. The questions were developed through a comparative review of the related literature and complemented with a pilot review. Data were analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsOn the average, the majority of the respondents showed a moderate level of awareness of hemp and its related uses in the construction industry. Also, certain key factors like the perceived association of hemp with marijuana, lack of expertise in the production of hemp-related building materials, farmers not getting the needed clearance for the cultivation of hemp, lack of legislation by the government in the legalisation of hemp and the inadequate knowledge of consumers on the benefits of hemp-based building materials were identified as potential limitations to the adoption of hemp as an alternative sustainable material for green building delivery.Originality/valueThe findings from this study provide insights into a less investigated area in sub-Saharan Africa and further provide new and additional information to the current state-of-the-art on the potential for the use of hemp in the building construction sector.


JURTEKSI ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-94
Author(s):  
Muhammad Jufri

Abstract: The population growth in Indonesia is increasing rapidly every year, so to help the government control the population growth through family planning programs, especially in the city of Batam. This study explains and describes one of the Artificial Terms Network methods, namely Backpropagation, where this method can predict what will happen in the future using data and information in the past. This study aims to predict the birth rate in the city of Batam to help the government with the family planning program. The data used is the annual data on the number of births in the city of Batam in 2016-2020 at The Civil Registry Office. To facilitate the analysis of research data, the data were tested using Matlab R2015b. In this study, the training process was carried out using 3 network architectures, namely 4-10-1, 5-18-1, and 4-43-1. Of these 3 architectures, the best is the 4-43-1 architecture with an accuracy rate of 91% and an MSE value of 0.0012205. The Backpropagation method can predict the amount of population growth in the city of Batam based on existing data in the past.           Keywords: artificial neural network; backpropagation; prediction   Abstrak: Pertumbuhan jumlah penduduk diindonesia yang setiap tahun meningkat dengan pesat, maka untuk membantu pemerintah mengendalikan jumlah pertumbuhan penduduk melalui program keluarga berencana khususnya dikota Batam. Penelitian ini  menjelaskan dan memaparkan tentang salah satu metode Jaringan Syarat Tiruan yaitu Backpropagation, dimana metode ini dapat memprediksi apa yang akan terjadi masa yang akan datang dengan menggunakan data dan informasi dimasa lalu. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memprediksi tingkat kelahiran di kota Batam sehingga membatu pemerintah untuk perencanaan keluarga berencana. Data yang digunakan yaitu data tahunan jumlah kelahiran di kota Batam pada tahun 2016-2020 pada Dinas Kependudukan dan Catatan Sipil. Untuk mempermudah analisis data penelitian maka, data diuji menggunakan Matlab R2015b. Pada penelitian ini dilakukan proses pelatihan menggunakan  3 arsitektur jaringan yaitu 4-10-1, 5-18-1, dan 4-43-1. Dari ke-3 arsitektur ini yang terbaik adalah arsitektur 4-43-1 dengan tingkat akurasi sebesar 91% dan nilai MSE 0,0012205. Metode backpropagation mampu memprediksi jumlah pertumbuhan penduduk di kota Batam berdasarkan data yang ada dimasa lalu. Kata kunci: backpropagation; jaringan syaraf tiruan; prediksi 


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-84
Author(s):  
Sumaira Nawaz ◽  
Dr. Shah Moeen ud Din Hashmi

Article endeavors to analyze the prophetic guiding principles regarding human behaviors related to plants and trees being an important component of our environment. The discussion mainly deals with the key environmental issues emphasizing plantation and its significance for balancing the equilibrium of the environment. Additionally, it thrashes out that humans are urged to seedling the plantation even the world is to be ended in Islam. The present study is delimited to the present ecological crises faced by society and a great challenge to the globe. The current ecological problems i.e global warming and climate change are interpreted just to analyze the environmental behaviors in Hadith literature. However, a profundity descriptive study has been conducted in the most influential way to examine the prophetic rules for human behaviors related to trees and plants being environment friendly. Furthermore, the existing practices of humans related to such an environmental sphere also been aptly figure out to highlight all possible ways in the light of prophetic guidance to deal with prevailing environmental issues. Inconsistency between religious teachings and human behaviors need the keen interest of religious scholars and social scientists to carefully harmonize both for maintaining the ecological balance in nature.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-90
Author(s):  
Musa Abdullahi Sakanko ◽  
Joseph David

Rising population is an asset, provided, the skills of the workforce are used to the maximum extent. If not appropriately channelized, it can be a liability for a nation. A skilled and hardworking population can emerge as a foundation for a country’s development. This study examines the validity of Malthusian Theory in Nigeria using time series data from 1960 to 2016, employs the ARDL bound test techniques. The result shows that in the long-run, population growth and food production move proportionately, while population growth poses a depleting effect on food production in the short-run, thus validating the incidence of Malthusian impact in Nigerian economy in the short-run. The researcher recommended the government should strategize plans, which will further intensify family planning and birth control measure, compulsory western education and revitalization of the agricultural sector.DOI: 10.150408/sjie.v7i1.6461


Author(s):  
Sudha Bhuvaneswari Kannan

The chapter of Go Green Global Gear Up(G4) Initiatives is an attempt towards bringing an awareness on the current environment crisis of global warming and how to overcome the effects of the various factors that induces this global warming and the initiatives that different industries or sectors have adopted to fight against global warming and make the world a greener place to dwell. The chapter also highlights on the technological development initiatives that gears up the go green buzz word and what are the different supports provided by the Government and other NGO's towards this initiative.


Author(s):  
Cheryl Colopy

From a remote outpost of global warming, a summons crackles over a two-way radio several times a week: . . . Kathmandu, Tsho Rolpa! Babar Mahal, Tsho Rolpa! Kathmandu, Tsho Rolpa! Babar Mahal, Tsho Rolpa! . . . In a little brick building on the lip of a frigid gray lake fifteen thousand feet above sea level, Ram Bahadur Khadka tries to rouse someone at Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in the Babar Mahal district of Kathmandu far below. When he finally succeeds and a voice crackles back to him, he reads off a series of measurements: lake levels, amounts of precipitation. A father and a farmer, Ram Bahadur is up here at this frigid outpost because the world is getting warmer. He and two colleagues rotate duty; usually two of them live here at any given time, in unkempt bachelor quarters near the roof of the world. Mount Everest is three valleys to the east, only about twenty miles as the crow flies. The Tibetan plateau is just over the mountains to the north. The men stay for four months at a stretch before walking down several days to reach a road and board a bus to go home and visit their families. For the past six years each has received five thousand rupees per month from the government—about $70—for his labors. The cold, murky lake some fifty yards away from the post used to be solid ice. Called Tsho Rolpa, it’s at the bottom of the Trakarding Glacier on the border between Tibet and Nepal. The Trakarding has been receding since at least 1960, leaving the lake at its foot. It’s retreating about 200 feet each year. Tsho Rolpa was once just a pond atop the glacier. Now it’s half a kilometer wide and three and a half kilometers long; upward of a hundred million cubic meters of icy water are trapped behind a heap of rock the glacier deposited as it flowed down and then retreated. The Netherlands helped Nepal carve out a trench through that heap of rock to allow some of the lake’s water to drain into the Rolwaling River.


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