Environmental Issue in the Caucasus Mountains: Prospects for Solving the Issue

The G-20 was created to deal with the global financial and economic crisis of 2008. G-20 leaders were successful – the crisis was contained. Should the G-20 leaders move on to deal with the most difficult and hitherto intractable global environmental policy issues? The United Nations has not been up to the task; can the G-20 fill the vacuum? This paper reviews the criteria for issues to be included on the G-20 leaders’ agenda and provides a tour d’horizon appraising the state of the global environment. It also includes some “Global Footprint” statistics demonstrating the current global unsustainable rates of consumption. Based on the G-20 agenda criteria, of ten global environmental issues, only climate change qualifies for consideration. Annex I canvasses the status of nine other specific dimensions of the global environment – Water, Forests, Biodiversity and Land Use Management, Air Pollution, Waste Management, Ozone Layer Depletion, Oceans, Fisheries and Population. The paper describes the inadequacy and fragmentation of present institutional arrangements. The concluding section provides conjectures and recommendations on a pragmatic approach for G-20 engagement with climate change and outlines a package of initiatives, with each element arguably being in every G-20 country’s national interest. Elements of the package include “no regrets” actions, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, standards, R&D collaboration and security of supply arrangements. The G-20 could also help rationalize the jumbled melange of international environmental organizations and catalyze the creation of effective governance institutions and mechanisms.

As the world grows less biologically diverse, it is becoming less linguistically and culturally diverse as well. Biologists estimate annual loss of species at 1,000 times or more greater than historic rates, and linguists predict that 50-90% of the world's languages will disappear by the end of this century. Prior studies indicate similarities in the geographic arrangement of biological and linguistic diversity, although conclusions have often been constrained by use of data with limited spatial precision. Here we use greatly improved datasets to explore the co-occurrence of linguistic and biological diversity in regions containing many of the Earth's remaining species: biodiversity hotspots and high biodiversity wilderness areas. Results indicate that these regions often contain considerable linguistic diversity, accounting for 70% of all languages on Earth. Moreover, the languages involved are frequently unique (endemic) to particular regions, with many facing extinction. Likely reasons for co-occurrence of linguistic and biological diversity are complex and appear to vary among localities, although strong geographic concordance between biological and linguistic diversity in many areas argues for some form of functional connection. Languages in high biodiversity regions also often co-occur with one or more specific conservation priorities, here defined as endangered species and protected areas, marking particular localities important for maintaining both forms of diversity. The results reported in this article provide a starting point for focused research exploring the relationship between biological and linguistic-cultural diversity, and for developing integrated strategies designed to conserve species and languages in regions rich in both.

Drinking water pollution, climate change, soil pollution, resource depletion and other environmental issues are serious concerns worldwide. Many countries implement policies and educational programs to enhance environmental awareness in society aiming to achieve environmental sustainability. Developing countries, including Yemen, face significant challenges in raising environmental awareness, and ongoing wars contributed to political instability, economic hardships, weak enforcement of environmental regulations, and limited educational programs causing environmental concerns to be frequently overlooked. The environmental effects of the ongoing war in Yemen are a major concern. Assessing individual’s knowledge of environmental issues possess regarding the environment is essential for establishing the sustainability of a community. This will foster a robust national environmental movement aimed at conserving the environment through the resolution of environmental issues. The present study intends to assess the students’ awareness level toward national environmental issues including “environmental impacts of wars in Yemen” and global environmental issues. The study was conducted among undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University of Science and Technology (USTY), Sana’a, Yemen. The survey covered 407 students from 7 faculties having 30 undergraduate programs and 10 postgraduate programs. The questionnaire consisting of 25 questions to measure the students’ knowledge and awareness level of national and global environmental issues. The study reveals that, around 42.71% of students being aware about national environmental issues while only 29.70% for global environmental issues. The study findings expose that the students' mean awareness level regarding national and global environmental issues falls within level 3, classified as, ‘limited awareness’ indicating that students may be aware of the problem but not aware of its causes and effects. The students’ average awareness level toward national environmental issues are higher than that in global environmental issues. The students’ awareness level for most of the national environmental issue including ‘environmental effects of war’ falls within level 4, classified as ‘moderated awareness’ indicating that students may be aware of the problem and its causes but not aware of its effects while, awareness of global environmental issue varies, with an average fall within level 3, classified as, ‘limited awareness’. On the other hand, female shows higher awareness than male and the students from the Faculty of Medicine shows highest awareness, followed by those from Engineering. As for the academic level, third year students exhibit the highest awareness, followed by second year student. In terms of degree level, postgraduate students show highest awareness than undergraduate students. The results of the study are consistent with related studies pertaining to environmental awareness in Yemen and other developing countries. These findings highlight the necessity of improving environmental education and awareness programs at universities, where environmental understanding empowers students to respond to global environmental challenges and participate in sustainable efforts.

All environmental problems in one way or another are involved in the question of justice. The concept of “environmental justice” has been in circulation for some time underlining the justice dimension of environmental issues. Given the globalization of environmental problems since 1970s, the environmental justice discourse has been increasingly used to frame various international or global environmental issues like toxic waste trade, ozone depletion, biodiversity protection, and global warming.1 There is now quite a number of phrases that can help us to think environmental justice outside state borders: “global environmental justice,” “transnational environmental justice,” “international environmental justice,” and “international environmental equity.”2 Environmental scholars using these terms often fail to draw meaningful distinctions among them. I argue that this multiplicity of phrases signifies more than an inadvertent inflation of terminology. The terminological diversity we encounter in IR literature actually corresponds to different modes of environmental justice in world politics.

Distribution of biological organisms and human’s utilization is significantly related and its interaction between nature and human creates culture. However, ecosystems and habitats will disappear by reckless development and climate change. Unique biological creatures that had been contributed to maintain the traditional ecological culture are drastically disappearing. Although interesting in biodiversity is focused on species, habitat and ecosystem levels, human scale should be considered to understand recent global change and environmental issues on biodiversity loss. Therefore, it is necessary to strength and expands new paradigm on biocultural diversity beyond biological concept on biodiversity. Diversity of landscape (land or island) that had created biological and cultural diversity, however, is influencing both human tradition and life. Through the landscape, biological diversity can be structured, developed and changed.

Advanced sensing technology in environmental field

India’s population of 1.21 billion (in 2011) makes it the second most populous country in the world. About 31% of India’s population lives in urban areas and the urban population has exhibited a higher decadal growth rate (31.8%) than its rural counterpart (12.2%), indicating that the country is urbanizing at a rapid pace. With an increasing number of people living in urban areas, the GHG emissions and environmental problems have also increased, owing to lacunae in urban planning and management. These GHG emissions ultimately contribute to climate change at both local and global levels. Therefore, measures to deal with climate change need to focus on both mitigation and adaptation. This study examines the status of a climate co-benefits approach in Indian cities, illustrated through various sectoral case studies. The study also attempts to examine how environmental issues in Indian cities align with local development issues. It discusses the context of climate and environmental co-benefits in urban India and relates it to urban policies. Implementation of the ACCCRN programme in three cities—Indore, Surat and Gorakhpur—is discussed to highlight climate change resilience issues at the local level and their environmental and social benefits. The final section deals with the future perspectives of integrating a climate co-benefits approach in urban development especially in light of the ‘100 Smart City Mission’ of India.

The current level of development of Caucasian studies is the result of the work of professional scientists (archaeologists, anthropologists, ethnographers, historians, philologists) and Amateur historians who studied the North Caucasus, identified, accumulated and analyzed the source base of research, formed historical knowledge about the region. The emergence of various trends in Caucasian studies. Active scientific societies and institutions of Moscow and the North Caucasus, individuals, lovers of antiquity and antiquity for the identification, collection, study and introduction into scientific circulation of sources in the pre-October period was a certain step in the organic incorporation of the North Caucasus into a single socio-cultural space of the country, facilitated inter-ethnic dialogue and understanding between the peoples of the Caucasus and Russia.
 In the present authors of this article, the period (early XX century) there were various groups of sources from which the reading public could learn interesting information about the traditional culture of the peoples of Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea: bibliography (I. I. Dmitrienko, V. N. Haruzina, E. I. Yakushkin, D. K. Zelenin, D. D. Pagirev, E. D. Felitsyn, V. D. Shamrai, I. M. Pulner, etc.), continuing publications ("Caucasian calendar", "the Collection of materials for description of districts and tribes of Caucasus", "the Collection of information about the Caucasian mountaineers", etc.) materials periodicals ("Terek statements" (Vladikavkaz. 1895-1906), "Terek" (Vladikavkaz, 1906-1917), "Caucasus" (Tbilisi, 1846-1917), "Kazbek" (Vladikavkaz, 1895-1906), "the New review" (Tiflis, 1884-1906), North Caucasus (Stavropol, 1884-1906), "the Kuban regional Vedomosti" (Ekaterinodar, 1871-1917), materials published local intellectual communities, which had a regional focus, articles and essays of scholars on the Caucasus, representatives of the Russian intelligentsia, reference books and guides, etc.

Cultivating a Constituency for Conservation

A milestone on plant protection in Indonesia was marked by establishment of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) since 1986 through Presidential decree Inpres no. 3 th. 1986. Moreover, IPM was implemented and has made a fundamental change in plant protection institution, farmer’s capacity and agricultural practices, and consequently rice pest’s problems. Furthermore, IPM was also implemented in horticulture and estate crops. During 33 years-historical journey of IPM, socio-political situation, global environmental problems and issues, science and technology has dynamically changed which affect IPM implementation. The paper categorized IPM development in Indonesia into three phases; emergence-growth, stationary and survival, and new phase of IPM. Every period has specific characteristics on: pest problems, science and technology, national and global environmental issues, human resources, role of plant protection institutions and mode of dissemination. A new phase of IPM is needed to make a strong and resilience plant protection system, therefore able to face and manage more complex problems plant pests, diseases under change of climate in the coming years, to secure food and agricultural productivity and sustainability. New phase of IPM absolutely need farmers field school, and enrichment of technology and approach including agro-ecology and landscape approach, biotechnology, information technology (IT), remote sensing and biosensor technology.

National Economy and Development growth have left no choice but to seriously think of measures to contain Global Warming and other Green Environmental related issues. Global environmental issues have gained greater attention and the pressure is being placed on all industries, including financial services, to implement “green” initiatives. Green banking products and services are not yet the key reasons for most customers to select one financial institution over another. However, customer demands and environmental awareness are driving a number of financial institutions to go green. Over the past few years technology based platforms have successfully removed a great deal of paper from the cash management process. Opportunities continue to exist for the cash management industry to operate more efficiently and with fewer paper exchanges. Green IT banking is a win-win situation for all participants. Chanel Common Gateway using ISO [International Standard Organisations] standard model showing how banking services can be changed into greener banking. Integrating all alternative channels into single common standard platform in ISO standard message format will give greater convenience to customers. In this paper, we present our Common Gateway model in banking services to link customers, suppliers, manufacturers, organizations, Card Merchants and Government Services with Bank, while helping the environment and implementing a green IT solution.

The greatest threat to the future world environment is that of the uncontrolled population increase and the resulting severe land and air degradation. Global population in 1990 was estimated at 5.3 billion, and is expected to double to 10 billion early in the next century. The UN Population Fund Report of 1990 stated "we cannot solve the environmental crisis without solving the population crisis". An equal danger to a stable and acceptable global environment are the excessive demands and wasteful use of resources by the Western world's society. Twenty-five percent of the population uses 80% of the worlds resources. Some authorities state that "the impact of each Canadian on the environment is the equivalent of that of 40 to 50 third world residents." Canada will be increasingly impacted by these global environmental issues whether we like it or not. The greatest threat will be that we do not recognize this fact and that we do not prepare ourselves for sustained resource use. However, there are great opportunities for Canadian resource planners and users to play a leading role in adopting a sustained, long term forestry vocation in respect of the use of all its resources; and demonstrate to the global community how essential this is for a stable economy, a moderate lifestyle, and a protected environment. We have the technological capability and the proven expertise to achieve this, if we care to use it appropriately. The major task is "selling" this integrated sustained use or sharing concept to Canadian society because of the required sacrifices in lifestyles, economic costs, and certain environmental degradation. In the short term, progress can be made with public input to commissions, hearings and the like; but in the long term, a rational understanding of sustained forest use and conservation can only be achieved through education in all forms at all ages. An appreciation of global forest and related environmental issues, and their impacts on Canada, can facilitate positive Canadian action to practical sustained use of all forest and natural resources, in both a national and global context.

Neanderthals were widespread during the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) across Europe and Asia, including the Caucasus Mountains. Occupying the border between eastern Europe and West Asia, the Caucasus is important region regarding the Neanderthal occupation of Eurasia. On current radiometric estimates, the MP is represented in the Caucasus between about 260-210 ka and about 40 ka. Archaeological record indicates that several culture diverse MP hominin populations inhabited the Caucasus, but the region complex population history during this period remains poorly understood. In this paper, we identify for the first time the archaeological evidence indicating contacts between two culture diverse MP Neanderthal populations in the North Caucasus and discuss the nature of these contacts. Basing on the lithic assemblages that we excavated at Mezmaiskaya cave in the north-western Caucasus (Kuban River basin) and Saradj-Chuko grotto in the north-central Caucasus (Terek River basin), dating from MIS 5 to MIS 3, and comparative data from other MP sites in the Caucasus, we identify two large cultural regions that existed during the late MP in the North Caucasus. The distinctive toolkits and stone knapping technologies indicate that the MP assemblages from Mezmaiskaya cave and other sites in the west of North Caucasus represent a Caucasian variant of the Eastern Micoquian industry that was wide spread in central and eastern Europe, while the assemblages from Saradj-Chuko Grotto and other sites in the east of North Caucasus closely resemble the Zagros Mousterian industry that was wide spread in the Armenian Highlands, Lesser Caucasus and Zagros Mountains. The archaeological evidence implies that two culture diverse populations of Neanderthals settled the North Caucasus during the Late Pleistocene from two various source regions: from the Armenian Highlands and Lesser Caucasus along the Caspian Sea coast, and from Russian plain along the Sea of Azov coast.

Low level of knowledge and awareness of the conservation efforts and activities of Nigeria National Parks in wider Nigerian public have been observed and prompted this study. Five print media (newspapers) and four electronic media (television and radio) were sampled. The print media were The Punch, Nigerian Tribune, The Nation, The Vanguard and The Guardian newspapers while the electronic media were Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS-Television), Taraba Television Corporation (TTV), Edo Radio and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and Ibadan National Station. The electronic media were selected based on the States where National Parks are located. Articles in the selected print media and programmes on the sampled electronic media which cover nature conservation and protection and other environmental issues were analyzed. The result indicates that 316 articles were published on environmental issues by the print media. The Guardian newspaper has the highest number of articles with 257 articles. Articles on nature conservation and protection had the least number of articles published. Broadcast media had no specific programmes on nature conservation.Synergy between Nigeria National Parks Service and major media establishments is required. With this, there will be an increase in public awareness, knowledge, appreciation of parks’ resources, and policy support for biodiversity conservation efforts. These have the tendency to catalyze actions at local and decision-making levels that could halt the degradation of Nigeria’s biodiversity. Keywords: Media, coverage, protected areas, Nigeria National Parks, biodiversity, conservation.

The article presents the study results of the interrelation of diversity of habitat types (locations types) and indicators of biological diversity at the local spatial level (operational-territorial units are specially protected natural reservations). The work is based on data on 58 specially protected natural reservations for which there is information on biological diversity. On the basis of remote sensing data, those are published and archive materials for each specially protected natural reservations, cartographic models of habitat types and a geoinformation database on their biological diversity are obtained. The analysis of their spatial differentiation is carried out. Derived indicators of habitat diversity and species richness (Margalef’s and Menhinik’s species richness indexes) are calculated on the basis of the obtained layers and database. The map models of variety of base locations, indexes of the diversity of locations within protected areas, basic indicators of biodiversity, variety of rare and endemic species, biodiversity indexes within protected areas network elements are obtained. On the basis of the obtained spatial database, correlations between the habitats diversity and the value of biodiversity at the local level are determined. The calculated spatial interrelation coefficients of location diversity and biological diversity show a sufficiently high level of interrelation: from 0.48 to 0.83. The correlation values (both linear and rank) are quite high, which confirms the hypothesis that there is a close interrelation between the biological diversity of the Crimean Peninsula territory and the habitats diversity from which it consists.