ecolog Articles
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The ontologies of industrial ecology?
Industrial ecology is one of a number of new fields of study, such as 'green chemistry' or 'ecological economics', that have deliberately reached across different disciplines in both name and substance. This raises a number of issues for the practitioner, including difficult questions of boundary and field content (when is something 'industrial ecology' and when is it a part of another ...
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Capital accumulation, technological progress and environment
The paper deals with the problem of the relation between capital accumulation and the carrying capacity of the ecosphere for humankind. The approach is that of ecological economics, which utilises laws and models of ecological sciences to model some aspects of economic systems and their interaction with 'other' ecological systems. Being the analysis of this relation a very hard task, the article ...
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Reconciling the policy goals of full employment and ecological sustainability
Ecological economists believe that the growth in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is ecologically unsustainable. They have subsequently called for a transitional shift to a steady-state economy. The dilemma that ecological economists face in trying to promote ecological sustainability is its potential employment implications. This paper outlines some policy initiatives to reconcile the conflict ...
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Incorporating ecological adaptation in a multi-objective optimization for the Three Gorges Reservoir
Evidence from ecological studies has suggested that alteration of river flows downstream of reservoirs can threaten native aquatic ecosystems. The Three Gorges Reservoir has been controversial since its design and construction stage, and the ecological damage downstream is an important concern. However, protecting long-term health of the river ecosystem has a low priority in reservoir ...
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May spirituality lead to reduced ecological footprint? Conceptual framework and empirical analysis
Living a happy and satisfied life while staying within ecological limits of Earth is a challenge humanity must face during this century. As spirituality impacts our lives in both material and non-material ways, we may reasonably suppose that spiritual beliefs also have an impact on how one thinks about environmental degradation, how likely individuals will behave in a pro-environmental way and ...
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Building a framework for strategic architecture to foster the development of industrial ecology
Industrial ecology offers many opportunities to convert so-called waste into useful by-products and energy to save the use of virgin materials and nonrenewable resources. Most applications of industrial ecology are found on eco-industrial estates, but the concept has wide application at network and single or multiple building complex levels. Industrial ecology also has the potential to realise ...
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An econometric analysis of ecological footprint determinants: implications for sustainability
Most research on the impact of income and other socioeconomic variables on the environment focuses on specific local environmental effects and not on the broader sustainability picture. We seek to fill the apparent gap in the literature, exploring whether and the extent to which income, economic openness, income inequality and the distribution of power influence sustainability. We employ ...
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Ecological modernisation, environmental policy and innovation: priorities for the Asia-Pacific region
This paper explores various dimensions of ecological modernisation in the context of developments in environmental policy and technological innovation in the Asia-Pacific region. It argues that models of ecological modernisation emerging in the region will differ from those developed elsewhere, particularly in Europe. Nonetheless, ecological modernisation theory can help to inform decisions ...
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Requirements for Standard Ecological Survey Procedures in the MENA Region
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region house a variety of ecosystems from the dense pine woodland of the Algerian coast to the extremely sparsely vegetated desert of Oman. Although cataloguing of flora and fauna in certain areas has been meticulously detailed, standard techniques for rapid assessment across the variety of habitats has not yet been established. Such techniques are ...
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Mine pollution and salt marsh vegetation communities
Estuaries within Cornwall have been accepting metal-rich tailings and water from mining since the Bronze Age. Previous work at Camborne School of Mines has indicated that the floristic composition within contaminated salt marshes differs from characteristic British assemblages as defined by the National Vegetation Classification (NVC). Two communities not listed in the NVC system were discovered ...
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The Sustainable Management of Metal-Rich Ecosystems: Lessons from an Historic Mining Area
In the absence of human intervention the ecosystem that develops on an historic mining site adapts to tolerate the particular set of environmental conditions that the mining activity has created. Often this naturally developed ecosystem is of high biodiversity value because only a particular assemblage of organisms can survive on such a stressed site. Stresses may be due not just to high ...
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Emergy perspectives on the Argentine economy during the 20th century: a tale of natural resources, exports and external debt
Numerous approaches seek to incorporate the environmental dimension to macroeconomic indicators. In this study Emergy Accounting (EA), a methodology grounded in systems ecology and ecological economics, was used to assess changes in the ecological sustainability of the Argentine economy during the 20th century. Throughout the century, the proportion of Argentina's economy supported by renewable ...
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Participatory development, a path to ecological preservation: an approach with case studies and modelling
Population is growing and the natural environment is being degraded. These are world-wide phenomena. Both processes need to be slowed down or even reversed, in order to maintain a supply of natural resources for future generations. Initiatives to reverse the process of ecological degradation can be found in rural India. People are first persuaded to pool private property resources, which are ...
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Editorial: Towards progress in industrial ecology
This contribution introduces the vision, aims and scope of our new journal, Progress in Industrial Ecology: An International Journal. We introduce the seventeen papers of this "massive" triple issue – the first issue of the new journal – as well as discussing their connections and shared messages in making progress in the transition towards a more sustainable global society. Our vision for this ...
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Assessing ecological risks at US Department of Energy facilities using methods borrowed from landscape ecology and habitat suitability analysis. Part I. Analysis of historical aerial photography and maps
Ecological risks are inherently spatial, and the consideration of scale is critical to all aspects of the ecological risk assessment process. Analysis of alterations in land use and habitat quality and quantity in relation to historical, continuing, and future US Department of Energy (USDOE) operations may be as important as assessing impacts resulting from the release of chemical contaminants ...
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The Impact of Metalliferous Mining on Salt Marsh Flora
Estuaries within Cornwall, UK have been accepting metal-rich tailings and water from mining for hundreds of years. Over time, saltmarsh ecosystems have developed on metal-rich sediments. Previous work at CSM has indicated that the floristic composition of these saltmarshes varies from characteristic British assemblages. Our hypothesis is metal-sensitive species are unable to colonise, leading ...
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Options for Reclamation of Mine Tailings in West Africa
Revegetation of tailings in West Africa presents two major problems when using established methodologies, in that soils have the potential to be highly alkaline, rather than acidic, plus the majority of recommended plant species are non-native to the area. Alteration of cap engineering however can modify hydrology, pH and morphology, allowing for a variety of habitats. Cover crops are often ...
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Identifying the key water levels in reservoir operation on ecological objectives
This paper investigates the influences of reservoir water level variations of the operation rule curves on different objectives, especially on ecological objectives. Five representative ecological objectives are selected besides industrial and domestic (I&D) and agricultural water supply objectives. They can reflect the impacts of reservoir operation on different attributes of ecological ...
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Ecological modernisation and local economic development: the growth of eco-industrial development initiatives
An increasingly influential approach for policy makers is that of ecological modernisation. This approach advocates substantial changes in patterns of production and consumption, but envisages this taking place within the existing social and economic system. This paper investigates one particular form of ecological modernisation policy response at the local level that is growing in importance – ...
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Beyond limits and efficiency, what? Assessing developments in EU water policy
This paper documents a transformation of EU water policy from a standard-based approach towards a more diverse policy combining ecological, economic and social elements with an emphasis on institutional and participatory aspects. This is marked in a new Water Framework Directive. Analysis is supported by a theoretical discussion of different approaches to sustainability and recognition of the ...
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