Mitloehner, Frank (author / University of California-Davis)
Format:
Commentary
Publication Date:
2016-04
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 114 Document Number: D11025
Notes:
Via online., "A white paper, defining the role animal agriculture and other sectors of societ play in their respective contribution of greenhouse gasses, as the societal concerns grow to seek a sustainable global future." ... "Now is the time to end the rhetoric and separate facts from fiction around the numerous sectors that contribute emissions and to identify solutions for the global food supply that allow us to reduce our impact on the planet and its resources."
pgs. 559–574, Via online journal, The aim of this paper is to assess the eco-efficiency of dairy farms in Spain. To do so, we use data from a survey carried out in 2010 for the specific purpose of analysing the environmental performance of 50 dairy farms in the Spanish region of Asturias. The survey contains information on nutrients balances and greenhouse gas emissions which is used to calculate environmental pressure indicators. Eco-efficiency is measured using data envelopment analysis. We analyse the influence of farmers’ socio-economic characteristics and attitudes in explaining these eco-efficiency scores using truncated regression and bootstrapping procedures. On average, the dairy farms are found to be highly eco-inefficient. Among our results, farmers that are younger, that plan to continue in operation in the foreseeable future and that participate more in training schemes are found to be more eco-efficient. Self-reported positive environmental habits are also reflected in actual eco-efficient performance. We quantify these potential gains in eco-efficiency through a simulation analysis based on the estimated model’s coefficients.
18 pages., Via online journal., This research reports on rural people’s beliefs and understandings of climate change in the Saurastra/
Kutch region of Western India. Results suggest that although most rural respondents have not heard about
the scientific concept of climate change, they have detected changes in the climate. They appear to hold
divergent understandings about climate change and have different priorities for causes and solutions. Many
respondents appear to base their understandings of climate change upon a mix of ideas drawn from various
sources and rely on different kinds of reasoning in relation to both causes of and solutions to climate change
to those used by scientists. Environmental conditions were found to influence individuals’ understanding
of climate change, while demographic factors were not. The results suggest a need to learn more about
people’s conceptual models and understandings of climate change and a need to include local climate
research in communication efforts.
22 pages., Via online journal, Private consumption is increasingly being blamed for resource depletion and environmental degradation, and the discourse of ascribing environmental responsibility to the individual consumer has become a part of mainstream policy-making. Measures aimed at promoting consumers' voluntary engagement through sustainable consumption now constitute an important part of public sustainability strategies. Nevertheless, the actual progress made in changing people's consumption patterns in a more sustainable direction has been modest. Based on a quantitative and a qualitative content analysis of articles on environmentally sustainable consumption of meat published in five national and regional newspapers in Norway between 2000 and 2010, it is argued in this article that an important reason for the lack of both political and consumer engagement in the issue can be attributed to a discursive confusion that arises from a simultaneous existence of mainly two clashing discourses on what is actually environmentally sustainable consumption of meat. One that is focusing on the environmentally malign aspects of consumption and production of (especially) red meat, and another that is focusing on the environmentally benign aspects of production and consumption of red meat. The findings imply that the lack of consensus on the character of the problem constitutes a major barrier for the opportunity to change people's consumption patterns in a more environmentally sustainable direction through the use of voluntary measures.
16 pages., Via online journal., This study explores potential factors that lead to environmental opinion leadership behaviors such as informing the public about environmental issues and encouraging preventative behaviors among various social groups. Building on the theoretical framework of the diffusion of innovations model, these analyses explore the effects that mass media may have on perceptions of self-efficacy among opinion leaders and how self-efficacy may, in turn, encourage leaders to communicate about aquatic invasive species (AIS) to others in their social networks. Results indicate that mass media and governmental media can have both a positive and negative influence on levels of self-efficacy, and that opinion leaders with higher levels of self-efficacy are more likely to participate in behaviors that could potentially influence their social network(s). These findings not only highlight factors that influence opinion leadership regarding advocacy of environmental behaviors, but also offer insights as to how future campaigns can work with these groups to promote prevention strategies.
Reichel, Christian (author), Martens, Sofia Elena (author), and Harms, Arne (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
2012
Published:
Indonesia: Transcript, Bielefeld, Germany.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D07332
Notes:
Pages 93-118 in Anna-Katharina Hornidge and Christoph Antweiler (eds.), Environmental uncertainty and local knowledge: Southeast Asia as a laboratory of global ecological change. Transcript, Bielefeld, Germany. 284 pages.
1 page., Research among those who ski reveals the dilemma they face in desiring to preserve the environment while using energy-intensive means of travel to and from skiing sites.
Article examines relations between journalists and environmental nongovernmental organization. As well, it identifies barriers to in-depth, balance, and accurate news coverage of environmental issues and events in these former Soviet republics.
Online via keyword search of UI ECatalog., Historical analysis of environmental journalism in Brazil, centered on the pioneering efforts of Euclydes da Cunha in his "masterful Os Sertoes published in 1897." Warnings of "the ecological devastation of the Brazilian backlands" continue to echo in public dialogue.
Online via UI Library electronic subscription, Authors analyzed why some social movement organizations were more successful than others in gaining media attention. They drew upon organizational survey data from a representative sample of 187 local environmental organizations in North Carolina with complete news coverage of those organizations in 11 major daily newspapers in the state during the two years following the survey.
16 pages., Online via UI e-subscription, Using fieldwork and in-depth-interviews with key informants, researchers examined how two groups (landowner group and citizen group) framed their arguments involving proposed sale of water from this aquifer. The citizen group was found more articulate in opposing the sale of water to the broader public. Findings also suggested that the framing strategies used by both groups served to escalate community dissension and therefore limit opportunities for resolution.
10 pages., Online via journal by open access., Authors examined the gap between environmental values and environmentally-supportive behaviour through a nationwide survey. Most (72%) of respondents reported a gap between their intentions and their actions. Analysis identified three categories of explanatory variables to account for the gap: individual, household, and societal.
11 pages., Online via journal by open access., Outlined a transdisciplinary research approach to issues of justice and equity in a real-life social conflict concerning the allocation of water for irrigation farming.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 146 Document Number: D11566
Journal Title Details:
15(1) : 71-81
Notes:
11 pages., Online from journal., This autoethnographic analysis highlighted a number of obstacles and opportunities for engaging with environmental matters in church-based contexts.
11 pages., Online via publisher., Examined people's perceptions of their connection to nature as well as their ideas about what constitutes natural and unnatural environments. Results showed that even though the majority of the participants considered themselves part of nature (76.9%), natural environments were largely described as places absent from any human interference.
Online via UI Library electronic subscription, To close the gap between ecologists and policy makers, the author proposed a program of embedding ecologists into the political syst4em in much the same way the U.S. military embeds journalists into combat units. Emphasized the importance of developing personal relationships.
13 pages., Online from publisher., Using a review of literature, authors identified most important factors hindering the rise of public concern about the environment. Categories they identified included obtainment of information on environmental problems and appraisal processes related to environmental problems.
Online via keyword search of UI Library eCatalog., Report of Symposium III, an eight-nation, sea-borne (Danube River) conference hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It encouraged an increased level of responsibility and social conscience in parishes of the Black Sea region regarding ecological challenges. The symposium developed a 10-point action plan for the future, separate from the activities of the religious communities and based on conclusions of working groups.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 207 Document Number: D12977
Notes:
194 pages., The concept of sustainable development is a source of inspiration for many, who see it as a call to cooperative action. In practice, however, policies intended to further this goal often generate conflicts of interest. The ensuing disputes occur among governmental organizations, but disputes also arise between public authorities, private interest groups, and the environmental movement. In the opinion of the authors, the fact that environmental policy can provoke such conflict may be attributed largely to decision making procedures in our society. Accordingly, the authors are convinced that a new approach to managing environmental disputes is needed in order to deal effectively with environmental problems. Indeed, this book presents a viable alternative, which is called network management.
Online via keyword search of UI Library eCatalog., Overview of mass media strengths and weaknesses, in terms of how educators might help improve the natural symbiosis between science and journalism, with focus on reproduction and child development-hormone-mimicking pollutants such as pesticides in agriculture.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 199 Document Number: D09935
Notes:
NCR-90 Collection, From Document D09933, "Department of agricultural journalism University of Wisconsin-Madison: Faculty and graduate student research, 1993". Pages 4-5.
