Dr. Melinda S. Merric, Dr. Emily A. Pric

פורסם: 21.02.12, 11:49 am

Field of reference: Sociology, Ecology

Description: Research on human perceptions of connectedness to nature

>"Considerable attention has been paid to the idea that people in western industrialized countries increasingly see themselves as separate from nature.  As is specified in the U.S. Wilderness Act (1964), nature is set aside as something pristine and free of the modern human touch.  Although many have addressed the issue of the human place in nature, to our knowledge, no one has investigated the role of connectedness to nature on whether residents of developed countries perceive themselves to be part of or separate from nature.  To address this question, in the study presented here we asked respondents from three separate surveys in the United States if they considered themselves part of or separate from nature. We also asked them to provide lists of words associated with the natural and the unnatural.>"

style="text-decoration: underline">>Link to academic paper

שייך לקטגוריות 3. איזון עם הטבע | להשאיר תגובה | |

Field of reference: Ecology

Description: How human activity affects nature

>"Human activities can expose populations to dramatic environmental perturbations, which may then precipitate adaptive phenotypic change... humans are an important agent driving phenotypic change in contemporary populations. Although these changes sometimes have a genetic basis, our analyses suggest a particularly important contribution from phenotypic plasticity.>"

style="text-decoration: underline">>Link to academic paper

שייך לקטגוריות 3. איזון עם הטבע | להשאיר תגובה | |

Field of reference: Ecology, Health

Description: Ecological crisis - climate change affects health

>"There is near unanimous scientific consensus that greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity will change Earth's climate. The recent (globally averaged) warming by 0·5°C is partly attributable to such anthropogenic emissions. Climate change will affect human health in many ways—mostly adversely. Here, we summarise the epidemiological evidence of how climate variations and trends affect various health outcomes. We assess the little evidence there is that recent global warming has already affected some health outcomes. We review the published estimates of future health effects of climate change over coming decades. Research so far has mostly focused on thermal stress, extreme weather events, and infectious diseases, with some attention to estimates of future regional food yields and hunger prevalence. An emerging broader approach addresses a wider spectrum of health risks due to the social, demographic, and economic disruptions of climate change. Evidence and anticipation of adverse health effects will strengthen the case for pre-emptive policies, and will also guide priorities for planned adaptive strategies.>"

style="text-decoration: underline">>Link to academic paper

שייך לקטגוריות 3. איזון עם הטבע | להשאיר תגובה | |

Dr. Tim Flannery

פורסם: 21.02.12, 11:24 am

Field of reference: Ecology

Description: The weather makers: how man is changing the climate and what it means for life on Earth

>"it is an issue that we must address today if we are going to avert cataclysmic changes that will affect us in 2050.>"

style="text-decoration: underline">>Link to book

שייך לקטגוריות 3. איזון עם הטבע | להשאיר תגובה | |

פורסם: 21.02.12, 10:05 am

Field of reference: Ecology

Description: Nature always seeking balance

>"The balance of nature has been a background assumption in natural history since antiquity, but even to the present it has seldom been closely studied. The idea of a balance of nature emerged, but only implicity, in antiquity. During the 17th century, with an increased knowledge of natural history, the idea became a functional assumption, but within a theological rather than ecological context. In the 18th century Linnaeus defined the concept and attempted to make it the foundation of an ecological science. However, it remained tied to theology and was elaborated without critical examination>"

style="text-decoration: underline">>Link to the academic paper

שייך לקטגוריות 3. איזון עם הטבע | להשאיר תגובה | |