Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 172-178). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The contemporary animal rights movement, in extending moral consideration to nonhuman animals, has in diverse ways already contributed to an expansion of the boundaries of the ethical community and what that may constitute. However, many environmentalists argue there is a failure within animal ethics to adequately address wider animal advocacy concerns, and that consideration of broader ecosystemic challenges elicit at best moot response from mainstream animal rights advocates. In taking an individualistically based biocentric approach, the essential aims of animal ethics can, I argue, be readily embraced into a theory of value that can address this wider remit. In aligning the applicability of a developed form of biocentric individualism with the ethical underpinning of notions of the 'illegitimacy of animal use' extrapolated from normative animal advocacy perspectives, my proposition is that these shortcomings can be ameliorated and that such an alignment forms a complimentary and useful fusion. Biocentrism as a value theory asks for moral considerability to be centred upon a respect for individual nonhuman (and human) life and the possession/continuation of a flourishing individual life - neither of which, I contend, is at odds with the essential spirit of animal ethics. In this sense, I submit that a developed biocentric individualism 'bridges the gap' between animal ethics and environmental ethics.

Climate change is a pressing problem and substantial reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions that cause it are necessary to avert the worst impacts predicted. The UK has targeted an 80% reduction from 1990 emissions levels by 2050. This thesis investigates how to promote behavioural changes that will reduce emissions associated with individuals’ lifestyles, which comprise a significant proportion of the UK total. The thesis begins by appraising whether and how climate change communications, specifically films, can succeed in changing attitudes and behaviour. The impacts on viewers of the film The Age of Stupid were assessed using a fourstage panel survey. Increased concern, motivation to act, and sense of agency felt immediately after seeing the film did not persist, but respondents reported some behavioural changes. The longer-term follow-up suggests that behavioural intentions do not necessarily translate into action, but also revealed issues concerning the reliability of participants’ causal attributions of their behaviour. These and other challenges of conducting longitudinal studies of behavioural change related to climate change communications are discussed. The thesis then uses a model of behavioural change transposed from health psychology to analyse the processes of change employed or depicted by four climate change films, in order to identify more generally the strengths and limitations of films as means to promote mitigation action, and to demonstrate the potential utility of the model in the field of proenvironmental behaviour change. The issue is then considered from the opposite angle, with an examination of what has motivated individuals who have already adopted lower-carbon lifestyles. Qualitative research reveals that protecting ‘the environment’ per se is not the primary value stimulating most interviewees’ action; typically they were more concerned about the impacts of climate change on people in developing countries. Although analysis of a survey instrument showed that biospheric values are important to the participants, they tended to score altruistic values significantly higher. Thus it may not be necessary to promote biospheric values to encourage lower-carbon lifestyles. The final element of the work involved researching the opinions of members of Carbon Rationing Action Groups, seeking to understand what can be learned from their experiences of living with a carbon allowance, and the implications that the findings may have for potential government policies, especially personal carbon trading. The thesis concludes that, given the scale of action required, the difficulties individuals face when considering whether and how to adopt lower-carbon behaviours, and the limited impact of initiatives such as Carbon Rationing Action Groups and The Age of Stupid beyond a relatively small circle of people who tend to exhibit particular traits (such as a preference for frugality), significant UK emissions reductions will necessitate far-reaching legislation that will impact on everyday practices and behaviour.

Diante de um cenário de degradação ambiental global, escassez de matéria prima, água, energia, aumento da poluição, crise social e econômica, é feita a proposição de uma Arquitetura de Baixo Impacto Humano e Ambiental - ABIHA.Todas estas variáveis trazem novos elementos à Arquitetura aumentando a sua complexidade e fazendo com que haja necessidade de adaptação.Apesar de todas as incertezas e contradições envolvendo as questões de sustentabilidade, seus conceitos e sua aplicação na Arquitetura são abordados neste contexto.Além das questões conceituais, são apresentadas aplicações práticas da ABIHA, no Jardim Sustentável, na Reciclagem do Galpão da POLI e no MINI labiratório de Conforto e Eficiência Energética.Estas aplicações seriram de base para a proposta de Sistematização que é apresentada no final deste trabalho como parte das conclusões finais. Esta proposta é apenas início de muitas pesquisas que ainda devem ser feiras rumo a uma Arquitetura mais Sustentável. / The actual global environmental context is one of fierce degradation : reflecting in the exhaustion of natural sources, increase of air, soil and water pollution, and social and economic crises.Facing such a scenario, it is proposed in this work, principles of architecture of low human environmental impact (arquitetura de baixo impacto humano e ambiental) - ABIHA.All these variables bring new parameters to the design of building, including their entire life cycles.Under these new ciecunstances it is observed an increae of the complexity in this design process, making necessary discussions for change.Despite all the uncertainties and contradictions about issues of sustainability, their concepts, as well as their applications are approached in the context of this work.Besides the conceptual matters, practions applications of ABIHA are carried out, in the example of the sustainable garden, warehouse recycling and the movable environmental laboratory (sensors and data lggers).Such experiences of practical application were fundamental to create the basis for the methodological assessment proposed as part of the final conclusions of this research.However, this procedure of evaluation is understood merely as the beginning of a big range of other researchs, which shlould be developed towards a more sustainable architecture.

Diante de um cenário de degradação ambiental global, escassez de matéria prima, água, energia, aumento da poluição, crise social e econômica, é feita a proposição de uma Arquitetura de Baixo Impacto Humano e Ambiental - ABIHA.Todas estas variáveis trazem novos elementos à Arquitetura aumentando a sua complexidade e fazendo com que haja necessidade de adaptação.Apesar de todas as incertezas e contradições envolvendo as questões de sustentabilidade, seus conceitos e sua aplicação na Arquitetura são abordados neste contexto.Além das questões conceituais, são apresentadas aplicações práticas da ABIHA, no Jardim Sustentável, na Reciclagem do Galpão da POLI e no MINI labiratório de Conforto e Eficiência Energética.Estas aplicações seriram de base para a proposta de Sistematização que é apresentada no final deste trabalho como parte das conclusões finais. Esta proposta é apenas início de muitas pesquisas que ainda devem ser feiras rumo a uma Arquitetura mais Sustentável. / The actual global environmental context is one of fierce degradation : reflecting in the exhaustion of natural sources, increase of air, soil and water pollution, and social and economic crises.Facing such a scenario, it is proposed in this work, principles of architecture of low human environmental impact (arquitetura de baixo impacto humano e ambiental) - ABIHA.All these variables bring new parameters to the design of building, including their entire life cycles.Under these new ciecunstances it is observed an increae of the complexity in this design process, making necessary discussions for change.Despite all the uncertainties and contradictions about issues of sustainability, their concepts, as well as their applications are approached in the context of this work.Besides the conceptual matters, practions applications of ABIHA are carried out, in the example of the sustainable garden, warehouse recycling and the movable environmental laboratory (sensors and data lggers).Such experiences of practical application were fundamental to create the basis for the methodological assessment proposed as part of the final conclusions of this research.However, this procedure of evaluation is understood merely as the beginning of a big range of other researchs, which shlould be developed towards a more sustainable architecture.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Exxaro Namakwa Sands heavy mineral sands mine at Brand-se-Baai, on the west coast of South Africa, is an important source of income, development and job-creation in the region. However, this comes at a great environmental cost, as strip mining causes large scale destruction of ecosystems through the complete removal of vegetation and topsoil. This is particularly problematic in an environment, such as Namaqualand, where the arid and windy climate, as well as saline and nutrient-poor soils, hamper rehabilitation. These environmental constraints create the need to develop a site-specific rehabilitation program. At Namakwa Sands the objective of rehabilitation is to “rehabilitate and re-vegetate disturbed areas and establish a self-sustaining Strandveld vegetation cover in order to control dust generation, control wind and water erosion, as well as restore land capability. In general, vegetation will be rehabilitated to a minimum grazing standard capable of supporting small stock (sheep) grazing.” In order to achieve this Namakwa Sands conducted rehabilitation experiments with topsoil replacement, seeding of indigenous species and translocation of mature plants. Monitoring is an important part of the rehabilitation process as it allows rehabilitation practitioners to evaluate success and to adapt their management strategies and rehabilitation methods, as well as to evaluate and, if necessary, change their rehabilitation objectives. This study forms part of the monitoring process at Namakwa Sands. It assesses the success of sites that were experimentally rehabilitated in 2001 and a site that was rehabilitated in 2008, using current practice, in order to identify possible management requirements on rehabilitated sites as well as improvements on rehabilitation objectives, methods and monitoring. This study also tests the Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) as rehabilitation monitoring tool by correlating LFA indices with traditional measurements of biophysical variables or their surrogates. Results showed that experimental sites were not successful in returning vegetation cover and plant species richness to the required levels, but did achieve the grazing capacity objective. These sites will need adaptive management to achieve the vegetation cover and plant species richness objectives. The recently rehabilitated site achieved the three-year vegetation cover and plant species richness objectives, as well as the grazing capacity objective, within two years after rehabilitation. Namakwa Sands should therefore continue using the current rehabilitation method. However, rehabilitation should be done in multiple stages in future to decrease the mortality of nursery cuttings and to facilitate the return of late successional species to rehabilitated sites. The sustainability of small stock farming on rangeland with the grazing capacity that is identified as the minimum objective is questionable and this merits further investigation. LFA can be a useful tool to monitor nutrient cycling and soil stability at Namakwa Sands, provided that enough replicates are used. However, LFA cannot be used as is to assess water infiltration at Namakwa Sands, due to assumptions in the calculation of this index that do not hold for the Namaqualand environment. Landscape functioning should be monitored annually to complement vegetation surveys. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Exxaro Namakwa Sands swaarminerale-sandmyn by Brand-se-Baai, aan die weskus van Suid-Afrika, is ‘n belangrike bron van inkomste, ontwikkeling en werkskepping in die streek. Daar is egter negatiewe omgewingsimpakte aan verbonde, aangesien die strookmyntegniek grootskaalse vernietiging van ekosisteme veroorsaak deur die algehele verwydering van die plantegroei en bogrond. Dit is veral problematies in ‘n omgewing, soos Namakwaland, waar die droë en winderige klimaat, asook die souterige en voedingstof-arme grond, rehabilitasie belemmer. Hierdie beperkings wat deur die omgewing veroorsaak word skep die behoefte om ‘n rehabilitasieprogram te ontwikkel wat spesifiek is tot die terrein. Die doel van rehabilitasie by Namakwa Sands is om te rehabiliteer en herplant op versteurde gebiede en om selfonderhoudende Strandveld plantbedekking te vestig om sodoende stofgenerering te beheer, om wind- en watererosie te beheer, en om grondgebruik-vermoë te herstel. In die algemeen sal plantbedekking gerehabiliteer word tot ‘n minimum weidingskapasiteit wat kleinveeweiding (skaapweiding) kan onderhou. Om dit te bereik het Namakwa Sands rehabilitasie-eksperimente uitgevoer met terugplasing van bogrond, saai van inheemse spesies en oorplanting van volwasse inheemse plante. Monitering is ‘n belangrike deel van die rehabilitasieproses, aangesien dit rehabilitasie-praktisyns in staat stel om sukses te evalueer en om bestuurstrategieë en rehabilitasiemetodes aan te pas, sowel as om rehabilitasiedoelwitte te evalueer en, indien nodig, aan te pas. Hierdie studie vorm deel van die moniteringsproses by Namakwa Sands. Dit assesseer die sukses op persele wat eksperimenteel gerehabiliteer is in 2001 en ‘n perseel wat in 2008 gerehabiliteer is, volgens die huidige praktyk, om moontlike bestuursbehoeftes op gerehabiliteerde persele en verbeteringe aan rehabilitasiedoelwitte, -metodes en –monitering te identifiseer. Hierdie studie toets ook die geskiktheid van die Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) as ‘n rehabilitasie-moniteringsinstrument deur LFA-indekse met tradisionele metings van biofisiese veranderlikes of hul surrogate te korreleer. Resultate dui daarop dat eksperimentele persele nie suksesvol was om plantbedekking en plantspesies-rykdom tot die vereiste vlakke te herstel nie, maar wel die weidingskapasiteit-doelwit bereik het. Hierdie persele benodig aanpassingsbestuur om plantbedekking- en plantspesiesrykdom-doelwitte te bereik. Die perseel wat onlangs gerehabiliteer is, het binne twee jaar na rehabilitasie die drie-jaar plantbedekking- en plantspesiesrykdom-doelwitte, sowel as die weidingskapasiteitdoelwit bereik. Daarom moet Namakwa Sands voortgaan om die huidige rehabilitasiemetode te gebruik. Rehabilitasie moet egter in die toekoms in veelvoudige stadiums gedoen word om die mortaliteit van kwekery-steggies te verminder en om die terugkeer van laatsuksessionele spesies na gerehabiliteerde persele te fasiliteer. Die volhoubaarheid van kleinveeboerdery op weiveld met die minimum vereiste weidingskapasiteit word betwyfel en vereis verdere ondersoek. LFA kan ‘n bruikbare instrument wees om siklering van voedingstowwe en grondstabiliteit te monitor by Namakwa Sands indien genoeg repliserings gebruik word. LFA kan egter nie in die huidige vorm gebruik word om waterinfiltrasie by Namakwa Sands te assesseer nie, aangesien daar aannames in die berekening van die indeks is wat nie juis is in die Namakwaland omgewing nie. Landskapfunksionering behoort jaarliks gemoniteer te word om plantopnames aan te vul.

Disertační práce Právnická fakulta, Univerzita Karlova v Praze 1 SUMMARY The purpose of my dissertation Delictual Liability of Legal Persons within Environmental Protection is to obtain a correct idea of how the legislation on the corresponding materia de lege ferenda should be examined. This requires to summarize, analyse and evaluate national regulations in force of delictual liability of legal persons within environmental protection as well as to compare some aspects of national regulations in force of delictual liability of legal persons with corresponding foreign regulation. A significant part of threats and damage to the environment comes from the activities of legal persons. A percentage of legal persons responsible for unlawful impairment and endangering of the environment increases significantly. Establishing legal persons is often associated with the effort of individuals to avoid liability for criminal activity by committing illegal activities through a legal person. Crime in the area of environmental protection is often perpetrated by criminal organizations with a strong financial background. For these organizations particularly the illegal trade in waste is very attractive because it is less risky than, for example drug or arms trafficking. Activities that prevent environmental pollution or...