The personal,social and environmental sustainability of Jainism in light of Maharishi Vedic Science

The Jain tradition of ecological awareness and sustainability has been well documented over the last 25 years, although its roots lie deep in Indian history, specifically in texts such as the Tattvārtha Sūtra and ācārā?ga Sūtra. This traditional body of knowledge includes a long-standing theory and practice of personal, social and environmental sustainability, addressing such views as the interconnectedness of humans and the laws of nature, the interdependence of everything in the universe, the responsibility of humans to conserve and preserve natural resources, the avoidance of wanton and unnecessary waste generation, and a general aversion to mistreating or abusing the environment. These views encapsulate the lifestyles of some ten million people, including both mendicants and laity. Similarly, Maharishi Vedic Science, the systematic exploration and practical application of the Veda and Vedic Literature as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, makes a compelling case for establishing the unity of human life with nature and for promoting actions which guarantee both the protection of nature and protection by it. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the principles of sustainability in Jainism and the corresponding viewpoint of Maharishi Vedic Science, including supporting scientific evidence of its application, and to posit their contribution to a sustainable world future.     

Can health feasibly be considered as part of the planning process in Scotland?

The planning system is significant because of its capacity to determine the quality of the built environment as well as the health, well-being and quality of life of the individuals and communities therein. Development planning is especially important because of the long-term impact of the decisions. This paper was developed in response to increasing recognition amongst HIA practitioners in Scotland of the importance of planning for health. It focuses on the relationship between the planning system in Scotland, specifically the Development Planning element of it, and population health and considers how the health impact assessment (HIA) approach can facilitate and support joint working with planners. In particular, consideration is given to the potential impact of the introduction of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on the linkages between health, HIA and planning.     

Macroinvertebrate Regionalisation for use in the Management of Aquatic Ecosystems in Victoria, Australia

The development of a broader, more holistic approach to aquaticecosystem management has been called for in recent years. Physical and chemical objectives alone are no longer consideredsufficient for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and shouldbe supplemented with biological objectives. The ubiquitousand sedentary nature of macroinvertebrates, combined with theirmeasurable response to environmental conditions, favour their use as important indicators in environmental policies. To establish biological objectives, there is a need for a regionalframework to limit the variability between ecosystems. Past studies have demonstrated that an a posteriori regionalisationapproach may be more useful than an a priori approach in explaining single component (e.g. macroinvertebrates) patternsacross ecosystems. This is particularly important as aquaticresource management agencies often focus on one or twocomponents of the ecosystem to assess environmental health. This study uses an a posteriori method to delineate and describebiological regions based on edge and riffle macroinvertebrate data. The regionalisation will provide a framework for settingbiological objectives, based on the range of reference conditionsmeasured within each separate region. The objectives will includeregional checklists for taxa and biotic indices. Predictive modelling in the style of RIVPACS or AUSRIVAS will also be usedwithin each region to develop objectives, incorporating local, regional and systematic features as predictor variables.     

An Evaluation of Selenium Concentrations in Water, Sediment, Invertebrates, and Fish from the Republican River Basin: 1997–1999

The Republican River Basin of Colorado,Nebraska, and Kansas lies in a valley which contains PierreShale as part of its geological substrata. Selenium is anindigenous constituent in the shale and is readily leached intosurrounding groundwater. The Basin is heavily irrigated throughthe pumping of groundwater, some of which is selenium-contaminated, onto fields in agricultural production. Water,sediment, benthic invertebrates, and/or fish were collected from46 sites in the Basin and were analyzed for selenium to determinethe potential for food-chain bioaccumulation, dietary toxicity,and reproductive effects of selenium in biota. Resultingselenium concentrations were compared to published guidelines orbiological effects thresholds. Water from 38% of the sites (n = 18) contained selenium concentrations exceeding 5 g L^-1, which is reported to be a high hazard for selenium accumulation into the planktonic food chain. An additional 12 sites (26% of the sites) contained selenium in water between 3–5 g L^-1, constituting a moderate hazard. Selenium concentrations in sedimentindicated little to no hazard for selenium accumulation fromsediments into the benthic food chain. Ninety-five percent ofbenthic invertebrates collected exhibited selenium concentrationsexceeding 3 g g^-1, a level reported as potentially lethal to fish and birds that consume them. Seventy-five percent of fish collected in 1997, 90% in 1998, and 64% in 1999 exceeded 4 g g^-1selenium, indicating a high potential for toxicity andreproductive effects. However, examination of weight profilesof various species of collected individual fish suggestedsuccessful recruitment in spite of selenium concentrations thatexceeded published biological effects thresholds for health andreproductive success. This finding suggested that universalapplication of published guidelines for selenium may beinappropriate or at least may need refinement for systems similarto the Republican River Basin. Additional research is needed todetermine the true impact of selenium on fish and wildliferesources in the Basin.     

Chlorobiphenyl contaminants at Pladda and Garroch Head in the Firth of Clyde in relation to sewage sludge input

Sewage sludge dumped at Garroch Head in the Firth of Clyde contains significant quantities of chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (CBs). These compounds are lipophilic and resistant to degradation. They accumulate in the biota either from the water column or through the food chain, particularly in tissue with a high lipid content. Bottom dwelling fish, such as plaice, in the vicinity of the dump site will accumulate CBs from their environment. Eighteen of the 209 CBs were measured in plaice livers from the Garroch Head dump site and from Pladda, a site reasonably remote from the dump site but also in the Clyde, over a 7 year period prior to the cessation of dumping in December 1998. Concentrations of the congeners in the liver of fish caught at the dump site were, in general, higher than those in the liver of fish caught at Pladda. Concentrations in the plaice livers for the sum of 18 CBs ranged from 1611 to 8471 micrograms kg-1 lipid for Garroch Head samples and from 336.9 to 2635 micrograms kg-1 lipid for samples from Pladda. The data were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). Pattern analysis was undertaken by normalising to the recalcitrant CB 153. Livers from the dump site were found to have a higher proportion of the lower chlorinated CBs. CB patterns were similar at the Garroch Head dump site from year to year, but multivariate techniques showed that there were differences in pattern when normalised to CB 153.     

The application of HPLC-F and GC-MS to the analysis of selected hydroxy polycyclic hydrocarbons in two certified fish bile reference materials

Four selected hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs), 2-hydroxy-naphthalene (2-OH-NPH), 1-hydroxy-phenanthrene (1-OH-PHE), 1-hydroxy-pyrene (1-OH-PYR) and 3-hydroxy-benzo[a]pyrene (3-OH-BaP) have been analysed in two certified fish bile reference materials (CRMs) for exposure monitoring of PAHs in the aquatic environment. The two materials, BCR 720 and BCR 721, consist of bile from fish exposed to contaminated sediment and dispersed crude oil, respectively. Both bile samples have been analysed by two different analytical techniques, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-F), and the separation performance, detection limits, recoveries and reproducibility for the four target compounds were evaluated. HPLC-F requires a simple sample preparation and the separation capacity is adequate for quantification of 1-OH-PYR and 3-OH-BaP. Detection limits are excellent for 1-OH-PYR (6 pg injected) and 3-OH-BaP (3 pg injected) and generally improved with increasing molecular size. Recoveries ranged from 48 to 99% for the four selected compounds, depending on compound and concentration. Sample preparation prior to GC-MS analysis was more demanding, as reflected by the obtained recoveries for 2-OH-NPH, 1-OH-PHE and 1-OH-PYR (35 to 61%). The sensitivity improved with decreasing molecular size, 2-OH-NPH (1.2 pg injected), 1-OH-PHE (2.4 pg injected) and 1-OH-PYR (6 pg injected). Because of the superior separation power of GC and the extra selectivity of MS detection, GC-MS was the method of choice for the determination of 2-OH-NPH and 1-OH-PHE in both CRMs. In fish bile samples these two compounds are more likely to suffer from chromatographic overlap, and HPLC-F was not sufficiently selective. Determination of 1-OH-PYR was performed with success by both methods, but HPLC-F would be preferred because of the simpler and less time-consuming sample preparation. Detectable concentrations of 3-OH-BaP were present in BCR 720 and could only be determined by HPLC-F. The present work aims to present HPLC-F and GC-MS as complementary methods for the quantitative analysis of OH-PAHs in fish bile.     

Determination of in situ metal partitioning between particulate matter and ground water

This research was supported by a grant from the National Council for Research and Development, Israel, and the KFK, Karlsruhe, Germany.     

The rise of glyphosate and new opportunities for biosentinel early‐warning studies

Glyphosate has become the most commonly used herbicide worldwide and is reputedly environmentally benign, nontoxic, and safe for use near wildlife and humans. However, studies indicate its toxicity is underestimated and its persistence in the environment is greater than once thought. Its actions as a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor indicate its potential to act in similar ways to persistent organic pollutants such as the organochlorines dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dioxin. Exposure to glyphosate and glyphosate‐based herbicides for both wildlife and people is likely to be chronic and at sublethal levels, with multiple and ongoing exposure events occurring in urban and agricultural landscapes. Despite this, there has been little research on the impact of glyphosate on wildlife populations, and existing studies appear in the agricultural, toxicology, and water‐chemistry literature that may have limited visibility among wildlife biologists. These studies clearly demonstrate a link between chronic exposure and neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, cell damage, and immune suppression. There is a strong case for the recognition of glyphosate as an emerging organic contaminant and substantial potential exists for collaborative research among ecologists, toxicologists, and chemists to quantify the impact of glyphosate on wildlife and to evaluate the role of biosentinel species in a preemptive move to mitigate downstream impacts on people. There is scope to develop a decision framework to aid the choice of species to biomonitor and analysis methods based on the target contaminant, spatial and temporal extent of contamination, and perceived risk. Birds in particular offer considerable potential in this role because they span agricultural and urban environments, coastal, inland, and wetland ecosystems where glyphosate residues are known to be present.     

Analysis of uncertainty consideration in environmental assessment: an empirical study of Canadian EA practice

Identifying and communicating uncertainty is core to effective environmental assessment (EA). This study evaluates the extent to which uncertainties are considered and addressed in Canadian EA practice. We reviewed the environmental protection plans, follow-up programs, and panel reports (where applicable) of 12 EAs between 1995 and 2012. The types of uncertainties and levels of disclosure varied greatly. When uncertainties were acknowledged, practitioners adopted five different approaches to address them. However, uncertainties were never discussed or addressed in depth. We found a lack of suitable terminology and consistency in how uncertainties are disclosed, reflecting the need for explicit guidance, and we present recommendations for improvement. Canadian Environmental Impact Statements are not as transparent with respect to uncertainties as they should be, and uncertainties in EA need to be better considered and communicated.     

Hannah Arendt’s turn to the self and environmental responses to climate change paralysis

Environmentalists have struggled with how to mobilize people to act in the face of widespread and now inevitable consequences of climate change. Significant responses to this challenge, such as incentivizing individual Green choices in the market and avoiding the rhetoric of catastrophe, continue the philosophical and political trends, identified by Hannah Arendt, that contribute to world alienation and the decline of politics. Environmental thinkers are invited to use Arendt’s theories of the turn to the self and political action to think critically about contemporary strategies to address climate change.