ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CURRENT EVENTS

environmental science

ecology: the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences (including physics, chemistry, biology, soil science, geology, and geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.
The systematic, scientific study of our environment as well as our role in it.

current events

News is the communication of information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.
current affairs; those events and issues of interest currently found in the news
A teacher who instructs students regarding news concerning people, places, and events.

environmental science current events – The Republican

The Republican War on Science

Science has never been more crucial to deciding the political issues facing the country. Yet science and scientists have less influence with the federal government than at any time since Richard Nixon fired his science advisors. In the White House and Congress today, findings are reported in a politicized manner; spun or distorted to fit the speaker’s agenda; or, when they’re too inconvenient, ignored entirely. On a broad array of issues-stem cell research, climate change, evolution, sex education, product safety, environmental regulation, and many others-the Bush administration’s positions fly in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus. Federal science agencies-once fiercely independent under both Republican and Democratic presidents-are increasingly staffed by political appointees who know industry lobbyists and evangelical activists far better than they know the science. This is not unique to the Bush administration, but it is largely a Republican phenomenon, born of a conservative dislike of environmental, health, and safety regulation, and at the extremes, of evolution and legalized abortion. In The Republican War on Science, Chris Mooney ties together the disparate strands of the attack on science into a compelling and frightening account of our government’s increasing unwillingness to distinguish between legitimate research and ideologically driven pseudoscience.

India and Sri Lanka "We have to think beyond political boundaries" Interview with Professor Sudharshan Seneviratne. (Front Line -2005)

Professor Sudharshan Seneviratne, Senior Adviser (Culture) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka, was Head of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Peradeniya and holds the only Chair in Archaeology within the university system of that country. He is also Co-director, Citadel Archaeology Project, Anuradhapura.

After completing his education at Ananda College, Colombo, Seneviratne went on to do his masters and Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His doctoral thesis entitled "The Social Base of Early Buddhism in South-east India (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) and Sri Lanka, 3rd century B.C. to 3rd century A.C." was researched under Prof. Romila Thapar.

Seneviratne’s current research includes topics such as environmental sustainability and archaeology, heritage management and tourism in South Asia, nationalism-multiculturalism and archaeology and a book commissioned by the India-Sri Lanka Foundation titled The Maurya Empire in South India. He was twice Fulbright Professor. The Government of India awarded him the status of Distinguished Visitor to India in 2003-2004.

Seneviratne was in Chennai to attend the "Indo-Sri Lankan Seminar on Social Sciences and Humanities: Sharing and Learning for a Better Future" on March 20 and 21 organised by the Department of Anthropology, University of Madras, and the Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata.

According to Dr. V. Sudarsen, Professor and Head, Department of Anthropology, Madras University, although southern India and Sri Lanka constituted a common geographical and agro-climactical zone, formal interaction of academics and intellectuals from the two countries was marginal. The Department of Anthropology, therefore, "decided to explore the areas of common interest, areas of convergence and areas of contradiction in which the academics and intellectuals from both the countries could work together," Sudarsen said. The seminar tried to consolidate the work that had already been done and drew up plans for future collaboration.

Excerpts from an interview Seneviratne gave T.S. Subramanian on the sidelines of the seminar:

Can you explain the significance of the "Indo-Sri Lankan Seminar on Social Sciences and Humanities?"

Years of planning, vision and writing efforts of several individuals have gone into it – individuals who wanted to see this as a concerted action for greater understanding and celebrating Asia’s culture. This is not a new concept. This one specifically came about because several factors came together.

The first thing is that the time now is right. In the 1980s, I along with some historians and archaeologists from south India spoke about forming a consortium of academic activities in specialised areas. But we were caught up with the problems in southern Sri Lanka, various inhibitions on both the sides of the Palk Strait, and so on.

We have now come a full circle. Both the governments are keen about interactive processes. More and more joint ventures are taking place in various fields. Also, there is a sensitivity on both sides to reach out in order to understand each other. This is because everyone is tired (of the war) and we share the grief of war. We are looking at ways and means to establish greater understanding and how we relate to another country and culture. The catalyst, of course, has been some discussions and the critical role played by Sumith Nakandala, Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai. Nakandala and I have been working together in a progressive way for the past few years to realise this dream. He has done yeoman service in getting Sri Lankan academics and cultural activists here. I gave the first Buddha Purnima commemoration lecture here two years ago. Last year, my colleague, Dr. S. U. Deraniyagala delivered it. Nakandala has established a solid basis for networking in this part of the world.

A four-member team came from Sri Lanka to attend this programme: Prof. Kalinga Tudor Silva, Prof. Vijitha Nanayakkara, Sarath Surasena and myself. It was graced by Thomas Abraham, former High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, and Prof. R. Champakalakshmi. We were pleased to have one of our former Ministers and present Member of Parliament Rauf Hakeem at the meeting. A Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation was invited. We had a galaxy of people from India. Prof. B.C. Upreti, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, and other Indian colleagues spoke on a variety of subjects.

Everybody was positive about this event. It is not going to be ad hoc. We are trying to look at it as a self-sustaining process, which will go beyond the narrow realm of compartmentalised academic exercise. We are looking at the final stakeholders. We have professionals and students to develop short-, medium- and long-term processes of interaction for sharing information, resources, knowledge and resource-persons for the development of intellect and human understanding.

For too long

Hofstra Journalism Students Take a Hike to Learn about Science Reporting

Eight Hofstra University journalism students from Prof. Scott Brinton’s Current Issues in Science Reporting class recently participated in and are reporting on an Envirothon that took place in the woodlands around the Meadowbrook Parkway in North Merrick and Freeport on April 30, 2011.

The Nassau County Unprotected Woodlands Taskforce, headed by county Legislator David Denenberg and Norma Gonsalves, sponsored the event. Intended to raise awareness about environmental damage in the forests along the parkway, the Envirothon included a 45-minute lecture and two-hour hike. The students had an opportunity to meet with and interview a Hofstra University biology professor, a Nassau County hydrogeologist and a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation aquatic biologist, as well as elected officials. The students are now working on multimedia presentations about the event that will include text, audio, photos and videos.

environmental science current events

Demonstrating the contribution of economics to environmental policy, Mark Sagoff argues that economics is helpful in designing institutions and processes through which people can settle environmental disputes. However, Sagoff also reveals that economic analysis fails completely when it attempts to attach value to environmental goods. He concludes that environmental policy responds to principles best identified and applied through political processes in this work geared to environmentalists as well as philosophers.