This paper aims to rethink the concept of the 'circular economy' through the prism of its relevance to its many stakeholders, ranging from public and private actors and mature and emerging industries to cities and regions, SMEs and multi‐sectoral corporations. The paper presents a schematic framework, which breaks down the circular economy into eight fundamental building blocks and shows how they are interconnected in relation to the multiplicity of involved actors. The framework is used to develop recommendations addressed to European policy‐makers on how best to support the transition towards a circular economy in the EU.
In the EU, resource efficiency has been high on the political agenda since 2011, when the European Commission first included it as one of the seven flagship initiatives in its Europe 2020 Strategy for "smart, sustainable and inclusive growth". Resource efficiency is not only considered an environmental necessity, but also a political, economic and security opportunity. This paper first stresses the benefits and opportunities for the EU of improving its resource efficiency. It then explains the added value of the www.measuring-progress.eu web tool, which aims to improve the way policy-makers and others involved in the policy process can access, understand and use indicators for resource efficiency. It provides practical examples of relevant indicators in the form of the EU Resource Efficiency Scoreboard and a case study showing how the web tool established by NETGREEN can be used in practice. The paper concludes with a number of policy messages.
Eco-innovation has been identified as one of the key drivers of change that need to be harnessed for a sustainable future. Given the complexity of eco-innovation as a concept, there are various challenges to measuring its progress. This paper briefly explores the evolution of the concept of eco-innovation and emphasises its role in the EU 2020 strategy. It then provides an overview of the different measurement approaches and challenges associated with identifying and using indicators for measuring progress in eco-innovation. Within this context, the paper describes the added value and key features of the www.measuring-progress.eu web tool, which aims to improve the way in which policy-makers and others involved in the policy process can access, understand and use indicators for green economy and eco-innovation. The web tool was developed on the basis of a systematic overview by the NETGREEN research team of the large and fragmented body of work in the field of green economy indicators. The paper concludes with a number of messages for policy-makers in the field of the green economy. Main policy messages: Results obtained from using composite indicators to gauge eco-innovation performance should be interpreted with caution and treated as indicative of overall eco-innovation performance. While efforts to improve data quality and to create more comprehensive eco-innovation indicators should continue, existing databases in the field should to be used more extensively. The alignment of eco-innovation indicators with other green economy indicators can provide a more holistic perspective on the sustainability performance of the EU and contribute to a more substantive discussion about the direction of eco-innovation and other sustainability measures.
The book discusses various aspects of the technical support of underwater archaeological research in marine and freshwater areas. This book considers the relevance, specificity, and artifacts of underwater archaeological research, stating the factors of flooding of archaeological artifacts. The authors describe the basic equipment for underwater work, as well as the equipment for remote study of the bottom and underwater archaeological research. This book presents the usage of instrumentation in underwater archaeology. Case studies included in this book correspond to the flooded ancient Greek cities of Fanagoria and Patraeus in the Taman Bay of the Black Sea, flooded Neolithic settlements on Lake Sennitsa in the Pskov region of Russia, sunken ships in the north of the Black Sea and sunken liner “Titanic” in the Atlantic Ocean. The book is intended for students, graduate students and archaeologists who are interested in the specifics of underwater archaeological research and are planning to conduct it.
This monograph explores the dire ecological, social, and economic situations facing mankind through comprehensive analyses of global ecological issues, poverty, environmental stability and regulation, and sustainable development. Drs. Victor Danilov-Danil’yan and Igor Reyf discuss the development of ecology as a science, the increasing concern among scientists and public servants for the unsustainability of current economic and demographic trends, and the dire consequences our planet and civilization are already suffering as a result of the ongoing environmental and social crisis. They also address the philosophical implications of the crisis, and suggest possible solutions. The book conveys complex objects of study, namely the biosphere and the harmful anthropogenic processes it has been experiencing for decades, so that the work is accessible without omitting key components of the subject matter. Readers will learn about the social and economic contributors to a threatened biosphere, the mechanisms that maintain the stability of the global environment, and the scales at which sustainable development and preservation can be applied to initiate environmental regulation. Though intended to appeal to the general public and non-specialists, environmental researchers, organizations involved in sustainable development and conservation, and students engaged in ecology, environment, and sustainability studies will also find this book of interest.
In 1986, the Cold War was winding down, yet under the seas the game of cat and mouse between Soviet and American submarines continued unabated. Off the coast of North Carolina, an aging Soviet ballistic missile submarine suffered a catastrophe accident and came within moments of melting down. Had it exploded, the entire East Coast of the U.S. would have been blanketed in radioactive fallout. The death toll would have made Chernobyl seem like a traffic accident. This is the gripping, true story of 60 young Soviet men who fought--and died--to save our lives. Photo insert. Foreward by Tom Clancy. Martin's Press.
This publication is devoted to the natural feature – the Black Sea and its littoral states. At the same time the Azov Sea is also considered here. This region is the focus of many geopolitical, economic, social and environmental issues that involve not only the countries coming out to the Black and Azov Seas, but other world countries, too. This publication contains over 1500 articles and terms providing descriptions of geographical and oceanographic features, cities, ports, transport routes, marine biological resources, international treaties, national and international programs, research institutions, historical and archaeological monuments, activities of prominent scientists, researchers, travelers, military commanders, etc. who had relation to the Black Sea. It includes a multi-century chronology of the events that became the outstanding milestones in the history of development of the Black Sea – Azov Sea region.
Time travel to years 2035, 2041 and 6938. See the future world though the eyes of heroes and villains. However, don't consider this book to be a pure science fiction and entertainment. This book is built on Illuminati Secret Knowledge and secret CIA reports of world events of 2035 and 2041 that no one except two Presidents and a few generals ever saw. Also the book is based on the serious scientific theories such as retro-causality when future is affecting the past as well as the accounts of people who claim that they saw the future: from Nostradamus and Baba Vanga to the accounts of so called modern time travelers. We researched dozens of them and found a couple of them to be credible because they are keep repeating the same things: some from the distant past while others are from the far future, so don't be surprised if you live though World War Three, the Great American Earthquake and Earth's orbit change till 2041 to see how accurately this book predicted other future events that seems insane today.
This eyewitness account was compiled for one man's eyes only: those of Josef Stalin. One of the first biographies of Adolf Hitler, it derives from the testimony of his two closest assistants, interrogated at the Soviet leader's command, in order to understand the psychology of his greatest enemy - and to be certain that he was dead."--BOOK JACKET.
This is the first comprehensive study of the core philosophical questions posed by terrorism such as: How should we define it? Is it morally distinctive? Can it be morally justified? Igor Primoratz seeks to overcome relativism and double standards that often plague debates about terrorism. He investigates the main ethical approaches to terrorism: in terms of its consequences, rights and justice, “supreme emergency,” and the collective responsibility of citizens. The book provides a rigorous, yet accessible analysis of a range of moral positions, from the acceptance of terrorism when its consequences are good on balance to its absolute rejection. Primoratz argues that terrorism is almost absolutely wrong. It may be morally justified only when an entire people is facing a true moral disaster, and this should be understood in a highly restrictive way. Conceptual analysis and normative arguments about the practice of terrorism are complemented with case studies of terror-bombing of German cities in World War II and the role of terrorism in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Terrorism: A Philosophical Investigation will be essential reading for researchers and students of philosophy and politics, and the general reader seeking to understand and evaluate acts and campaigns of terrorism.
Our Hypothesis on the Biosphere as a Single Organism is the only plausible and non-contradictive explanation of all aspects of the living world. It is the KEY to Life. It is based on the available facts and does not deny any of the scientific findings. It explains every aspect, from life emergence to the future of our Biosphere. The Hypothesis is materialistic by nature. The Biosphere has natural origins and later acquired intelligence and creativity. Biological evolution is directed by the Biosphere. All new creatures, from complex molecules and cells to the most advanced thinking animals, are designed and made by Its mind. Evolution is a logical extension of the Biosphere’s need to keep Its living "household" under control and in balance. All living creatures, from viruses to multicellular organisms, are creations and creators of the Biosphere and all Its organisms. These living formations are embraced by the global information network and exchange information on this all-encompassing level. The physical shells of individual information blobs (our bodies) expire, but the information itself remains at the Biosphere’s disposal forever. It will be used by future generations. After 3.5 billion years of constant development, the Biosphere has reached a fork in the road. Humanity could be replaced by more advanced species or could take control into its own hands. Our main concept should give a boost to the study of life. Darwinism and Creationism of all kinds should give a way to a new look at our living world.
Asymptotic methods belong to the, perhaps, most romantic area of modern mathematics. They are widely known and have been used in me chanics, physics and other exact sciences for many, many decades. But more than this, asymptotic ideas are found in all branches of human knowledge, indeed in all areas of life. In this broader context they have not and perhaps cannot be fully formalized. However, they are mar velous, they leave room for fantasy, guesses and intuition; they bring us very near to the border of the realm of art. Many books have been written and published about asymptotic meth ods. Most of them presume a mathematically sophisticated reader. The authors here attempt to describe asymptotic methods on a more accessi ble level, hoping to address a wider range of readers. They have avoided the extreme of banishing formulae entirely, as done in some popular science books that attempt to describe mathematical methods with no mathematics. This is impossible (and not wise). Rather, the authors have tried to keep the mathematics at a moderate level. At the same time, using simple examples, they think they have been able to illustrate all the key ideas of asymptotic methods and approaches, to depict in de tail the results of their application to various branches of knowledg- from astronomy, mechanics, and physics to biology, psychology and art. The book is supplemented by several appendices, one of which con tains the profound ideas of R. G.
2007 marked the 20th anniversary of the G.H.Brundtland Commission report that broke new ground by addressing the issue of sustainable development as a means of avoiding an ecological catastrophe. This led to a multitude of political declarations, documents and scientific articles while Agenda 21 – adopted in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro – has been accepted by the governments of more than 100 countries. Sadly, however, this has not prevented certain recent dangerous trends, nor have the wider public, journalists, business circles or politicians grasped the urgency of the problem. It is therefore important to make humanity understand its real place in the natural environment and the gravity of the ecological threat before us. The exclusive role of natural ecosystems is a key factor in the maintenance of the biospheric equilibrium. The current global crisis is largely caused by their dramatic decline by 43% in the past hundred years. Ignoring the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere could lead humanity to an ecological catastrophe. This book presents the ecological, demographic, economic and socio-psychological manifestations of the global crisis and outlines the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere.
In 1939, a ten-year-old Igor Golomstock accompanied his mother, a medical doctor, to the vast network of labour camps in the Russian Far East. While she tended patients, he was minded by assorted 'trusty' prisoners – hardened criminals – and returned to Moscow an almost feral adolescent, fluent in obscene prison jargon but intellectually ignorant. Despite this dubious start he became a leading art historian and co-author (with his close friend Andrey Sinyavsky) of the first, deeply controversial, monograph on Picasso published in the Soviet Union. His writings on his 43 years in the Soviet Union offer a rare insight into life as a quietly subversive art historian and the post-Stalin dissident community. In vivid prose Golomstock shows the difficulties of publishing, curating and talking about Western art in Soviet Russia and, with self-deprecating humour, the absurd tragicomedy of life for the Moscow intelligentsia during Khruschev's thaw and Brezhnev's stagnation. He also offers a unique personal perspective on the 1966 trial of Sinyavsky and Yuri Daniel, widely considered the end of Khruschev's liberalism and the spark that ignited the Soviet dissident movement. In 1972 he was given 'permission' to leave the Soviet Union, but only after paying a 'ransom' of more than 25 years' salary, nominally intended to reimburse the state for his education. A remarkable collection of artists, scholars and intellectuals in Russia and the West, including Roland Penrose, came together to help him pay this astronomical sum. His memoirs of life once in the UK offer an insider's view of the BBC Russian Service and a penetrating analysis of the notorious feud between Sinyavsky and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Nominated for the Russian Booker Prize on its publication in Russian in 2014, The Ransomed Dissident opens a window onto the life of a remarkable man: a dissident of uncompromising moral integrity and with an outstanding gift for friendship.
Closing the gap between the contemporary Russian novel and the masterpieces of the early Soviet avant-garde, this masterful mixture of prose and poetry, excerpts from private letters and diaries, and quotes from newspapers and NKVD documents, is a unique amalgam of documentary, philosophical novel, and black humor. Revolving around three central characters—a composer; his lover, Vera; and Vera's husband, a naval officer intercepting enemy communications—we are made witness to the inhuman conditions prevailing during the Siege of Leningrad, against a background of starvation and continuous bombing. In their wild attempts to survive, the protagonists hold on to their art, ideals, and sentiments—hoping that these might somehow remain uncorrupted despite the Bolsheviks, Nazis, and even death itself.
You can live in paradise on Earth. How can this be even remotely possible? Isn't it what every normal human being hopes for? We all have strong internal and sub-consciousness desire to stay healthy, to be forever young and live in peaceful paradise like conditions. We really do not look forward to the conditions of aging, suffering, and death. Does it make any sense at all, that we work so hard all of our life - wanting to acquire the best education, trying to earn a fortune, attempting to build a happy family life - only to eventually lose it all because of aging, sickness and death? That doesn't seem reasonable, does it? Is there a real purpose to life that makes more sense? Is it universal fate of everything to be born and die? If so there must be a real purpose of achievements we trying to accomplish and a real purpose of the future. What our Earth will look like in 10, 50, 100 or 1,000 years from now? Unfortunately, renowned philosophers, politicians, futurologists and theologians have failed to provide satisfying answers and real solutions to all of the problems that are facing mankind today and will face tomorrow. Unit now. Read this controversial book to understand the true meaning of the future and the life itself.
The common view of indigenous Arctic cultures, even among scholarly observers, has long been one of communities continually in ecological harmony with their natural environment. In Arctic Adaptations, Igor Krupnik dismisses the textbook notion of traditional societies as static. Using information from years of field research, interviews with native Siberians, and archaeological site visits, Krupnik demonstrates that these societies are characterized not by stability but by dynamism and significant evolutionary breaks. Their apparent state of ecological harmony is, in fact, a conscious survival strategy resulting from "a prolonged and therefore successful process of human adaptation in one of the most extreme inhabited environments in the world." As their physical and cultural environment has changed--fluctuating reindeer and caribou herds, unpredictable weather patterns, introduction of firearms and better seacraft--Arctic communities have adapted by developing distinctive subsistence practices, social structures, and ethics regarding utilization of natural resources. Krupnik's pioneering work represents a dynamic marriage of ethnography and ecology, and makes accessible to Western scholars crucial findings and archival data previously unavailable because of political and language barriers.
The book is dedicated to the Ionian Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean. The encyclopedia contains about 600 articles on the hydrographic and geographic objects, hydrological features of the sea, biological resources, as well as administrative-territorial units of the Ionian countries. The most significant natural objects like islands, peninsulas, bays, rivers, mountains, their geographical peculiarities are briefly described as well as economy, culture and history, cities, ports, international agreements, research institutions, activities of outstanding scientists, researchers, travelers are presented in the publication. The chronology of the main historical events that have become significant landmarks in the history of discovery and exploration of the Ionian Sea from the 31 B.C. to the present day is given.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1962.
iPhone Game Blueprints is a practical, hands-on guide with step-by-step instructions leading you through a number of different projects, providing you with the essentials for creating your own iPhone games.This book is for graphic designers, developers, illustrators, and simple enthusiasts, who dream about the creation of mobile games or who have already worked in that domain, but need some additional inspiration and knowledge. This book can be considered as an illustrated handbook, worth having in your game development studio. It can work as a “paper art-director” for your project.
Ultima Online was, and still is, one of the most elaborate and beloved game universes online. The adventures described in this book happened to the author 22 years ago. An account of them was published in the Russian magazine Game World Navigator in 2000 – 12 articles in 12 consecutive issues. Many players later confessed to the author that it was after this series of stories that they started playing online. This book is not a guide to leveling up or tactics, it describes the adventures experienced by the author in a beautiful and marvelously detailed game world. Many features of the game have become obsolete or changed over the course of more than 20 years. But unchanged is the battle between good and evil. Albeit even in a virtual world.
This practical book is part of the new Artech House Methods in Bioengineering series - volumes designed to offer detailed guidance on authoritative methods for addressing specific bioengineering challenges. This volume is focused on the materials involved with nanoscale bioengineering. Nanomaterials are quickly moving into the mainstream as a critical component of biological research. Filling a critical gap in the current literature, this new resource presents practical, step-by-step methods to help professionals synthesize, characterize, functionalize and apply the nanomaterial that is most suitable for handling a given nanoscale bioengineering problem. Written and presented by the best scientists and engineers in their respective fields, the authors offer a clear and detailed understanding of how to carry out a wide range of important methods in this area.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.