Sustainability: a Dissent

Abstract:  Broadly conceived and considered in its many usages, sustainability has grave defects as a planning goal, particularly when used by conservationists: it confuses means and ends; it is vague about what is being sustained and who or what is doing the sustaining; it is uninspiring; it is little more than Pinchot-era conservation (and thus ignores the many lessons learned since then); it need not be linked to land, to the land's functioning, or to any ecological science; it need not include a moral component; it is consistent with the view of humans as all-powerful manipulators of the planet; and, in general, it is such a malleable term that its popularity provides only a facade of consensus. When sustainability is defined broadly to include the full range of economic and social aspirations, it poses the particular risk that ecological and biodiversity concerns will be cast aside in favor of more pressing human wants. Given these many defects, the conservation movement should discard the term in favor of a more alluring goal, attentive to nature and its ecological functioning. A sound goal would incorporate and distill the considerable ecological and moral wisdom accumulated since Pinchot's day while giving conservationists the rhetorical tools needed to defend the land against competing pressures. In our view, conservation would be well served by an updated variant of "land health," Aldo Leopold's ecologically grounded goal from the 1940s. Land health as an independent understanding should set the essential terms of how we live and enjoy the earth, providing the framework within which we pursue our many social and economic aims.     

小城镇的生态环境保护

在城镇化不断发展的进程中，小城镇的生态环境日益恶化。分析了小城镇生态环境存在的问题，提出了应采取的生态环境保护规划与对策。     

Concurrency: a system design approach to environmental management and sustainability

The lessons of history indicate that mismanagement of natural resources and the environment often leads to potentially adverse consequences.The increasing interest in economic development,particularly in the developing countries of the world coupled with increasing population pressures and the globalization of economic activity is placing noticeable stresses on the ultimate sustainability of both human and environmental systems.Sustainable development is not a new concept.It has been an area of concern for different elements of society for some time.Yet efforts to understand the implications of sustainable development have not,until recently,been formalized.We have focused singularly on economic development and environmental quality as if they were mutually exclusive.This paper focuses on the concept of concurrency as both a conceptual framework and practicable method of understanding and implementing the ecology and economy of sustainability.     

高锰酸盐指数测定中校正系数K值的变化验证

运用数理统计方法,验证了高锰酸盐指数测定的校正系数K值在4～5h内不会随时间和水样的变化而变化,K值不必每个样品都测定。     

不锈钢薄板拉伸、冲压成形性能的试验研究

采用德国产SCHENCKTREBELRM2 5 0电子万能试验机对SUS3 0 4不锈钢 0 .5mm薄板进行了拉伸试验 ,研究了SUS3 0 4不锈钢薄板的硬化指数 (n值 )、屈服强度 (σs)、极限强度 (σb)、均匀延伸率(δ)等机械性能 ,并分析了SUS3 0 4薄板的冲压成形性能     

论国家生态安全

国家生态安全是一种全新的现代国家安全观，要重视和维护国家生态安全。     

生态经济论

本文按生态发展历史进程，论述了，论述了生态经济发展的必然性。     

气象卫星遥感在干旱监测中的应用

本文根据ＮＯＡＡ极轨气象卫星ＡＶＨＲＲ资料计算生成植被指数相对距平图用于旱情监测，并在江苏省１９９４年特大干旱中进行了应用服务     

模糊集值统计法在煤矿安全评价指标权值中的应用

应用模糊集值统计的理论 ,对煤矿安全评价中具有随机性和模糊性的指标进行数学分析 ,进一步改进了其权值的确定方法 ,使其更加符合实际情况 ,并对由此得出的权值进行了可靠性分析。通过实例表明 ,该方法克服了经典统计法的不足 ,提高了煤矿安全评价的实用性和科学性     

Change in vegetation cover in East Timor, 1989–1999

Forest resources play a key role and provide many basic needs to communities in developing economies. To assess the patterns of vegetation cover change, as a corollary of resource utilization, satellite imagery, ground truth data, and image processing techniques can be useful. This article is concerned with identifying change in major vegetation types in East Timor between 1989 and 1999, using Landsat Thematic Mapper data. The results highlight a significant level of deforestation and decline in foliage cover. All major vegetation cover types declined from 1989 to 1999, and there was a sizeable increase in degraded woodlands. This decline has had considerable impact on the livelihoods of rural and urban communities. Causes for these changes include: economic exploitation of abundant resources; and implications of transmigration policies implemented during Indonesian rule, resulting in increased competition for land and woodland resources. As the new nation of Timor‐Leste establishes itself, it must consider its current stock and distribution of natural capital to ensure that development efforts are geared towards sustainable outcomes. Without the knowledge of historical patterns of resource consumption, development efforts may, unwittingly, lead to continuing decline in forest resources.