Let us embrace the privilege and responsibility of keeping intact one of the last vast wild place... more Let us embrace the privilege and responsibility of keeping intact one of the last vast wild places left on earth, say John Woinarski and Carol Booth.
Wildlife rehabilitation in Australia is progressing in slithers, leaps and bounds, report Carol B... more Wildlife rehabilitation in Australia is progressing in slithers, leaps and bounds, report Carol Booth and Lee K Curtis.
In these dark and stormy times for conservation Carol Booth and Cristina Romero find rays of suns... more In these dark and stormy times for conservation Carol Booth and Cristina Romero find rays of sunshine in the growth of conservation covenanting.
Ours is a very social land. Carol Booth explores some of the varieties of sociality in Australian... more Ours is a very social land. Carol Booth explores some of the varieties of sociality in Australian wildlife.
With so much of our wildlife finding homes and food among gum trees - and their relatives - the a... more With so much of our wildlife finding homes and food among gum trees - and their relatives - the arrival of eucalyptus rust in Australia poses a huge threat.
What happens when a plant pathogen invades a new continent brimming with potential victims? Austr... more What happens when a plant pathogen invades a new continent brimming with potential victims? Australia is set to find out, as myrtle rust spreads within the country's dominant plant family-the Myrtaceae.
According to the Game Council NSW (2008, 2009a), recreational hunters can feel very proud of thei... more According to the Game Council NSW (2008, 2009a), recreational hunters can feel very proud of their contribution to conservation: every time hunters kill a fox they allegedly conserve 26 native birds a year, and killing one rabbit rids the environment of dozens of future rabbits.
The concept of 'conservation hunting' of wildlife in Australia is discussed, with specifi... more The concept of 'conservation hunting' of wildlife in Australia is discussed, with specific reference to deer. Although it is allowed by the government supposedly in order to maintain biodiversity and ecological balance, critics argue that conservation hunting serves no effective purpose, and is merely another name for licensed recreational hunting.
Will increased carbon dioxide emissions usher in a new era of more abundant vegetation, enhancing... more Will increased carbon dioxide emissions usher in a new era of more abundant vegetation, enhancing plant production as well as food and shelter for wildlife? While it's true that CO 2 pumped into an artificial greenhouse is a potent fertiliser, planet Earth's biosphere is not so simple. Carol Booth and Tim Low look at some scientific evidence that highlights the issue's complexity. Credit: istockphoto The prospect of increased atmospheric CO 2 has long interested biologists, not only because of the potential impacts on plants due to CO 2-driven climate change, but because CO 2 also stimulates plant growth. CO 2 is a vital ingredient of photosynthesis-the biochemical reaction through which most plants metabolise CO 2 and water into plant sugarsand higher CO 2 levels increase the rate of photosynthesis. However, Australia's water scarcity and nitrogen-poor soils mean that increased atmospheric CO 2 is likely to have limited plant growth benefits. It could also reduce our plant and animal biodiversity. This is not just because increased atmospheric CO 2 will increase temperatures and reduce rainfall in some areas, but because plants that benefit from higher CO 2 may have adverse impacts on native animals and other plants. Atmospheric CO 2 is expected to double from pre-industrial levels by about 2050. Because current CO 2 levels limit the rate of photosynthesis, plants should-in theory-grow faster as temperatures rise and use water and nitrogen more efficiently. When plants open the stomata (pores) in their leaves to take up CO 2 , they lose water from their leaves. Under higher CO 2 levels, stomata can be fewer and open less, thereby conserving water. Some scientists predict that in the absence of other influences, vegetation will become more water-efficient and store more carbon under higher CO 2 levels. However, this picture may be too optimistic when climate change, Australia's infertile soils and irregular rainfall are taken into account.
To contribute more effectively to conservation reform, environmental ethics needs a motivational ... more To contribute more effectively to conservation reform, environmental ethics needs a motivational turn, referenced to the best scientific information about motivation. I address the pivotal questions What actually motivates people to conserve nature? and What ought to motivate people to conserve nature? by proposing a framework for understanding motivations and developing motivationally relevant criteria for environmental ethics. The need for an adequate philosophy of psychology for moral philosophy, identified by Elizabeth Anscombe 50 years ago, remains. Only from a psychologically informed motivational framework for morality can ethicists understand and address the widespread rhetoric behaviors gap plaguing conservation.
Most normative advice to individuals about what they should do to help prevent climate change foc... more Most normative advice to individuals about what they should do to help prevent climate change focuses on reductions in personal emissions. This is consistent with an accountancy model of morality, with perpetrators held responsible for the harms they individually cause. An alternative focus receiving less popular and philosophical attention, but with greater potential to achieve substantial mitigation outcomes, is citizen activism for systemic reforms. Rather than perpetration (consisting of negligible contributions to climate change) priority moral concern can be directed to bystanding (as political passivity facilitating preventable and potentially catastrophic harms). To more effectively guide action, reformist ethics need to be informed by psychosociological research on motivation and societal transformation.
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2011
Biofuels are likely to cause significant weed problems because the attributes of an ideal biofuel... more Biofuels are likely to cause significant weed problems because the attributes of an ideal biofuel species including rapid growth with minimal fertiliser and water needs match those of typical weeds, and because cultivation will be on a vast scale. The valued biofuel giant reed is ...
Let us embrace the privilege and responsibility of keeping intact one of the last vast wild place... more Let us embrace the privilege and responsibility of keeping intact one of the last vast wild places left on earth, say John Woinarski and Carol Booth.
Wildlife rehabilitation in Australia is progressing in slithers, leaps and bounds, report Carol B... more Wildlife rehabilitation in Australia is progressing in slithers, leaps and bounds, report Carol Booth and Lee K Curtis.
In these dark and stormy times for conservation Carol Booth and Cristina Romero find rays of suns... more In these dark and stormy times for conservation Carol Booth and Cristina Romero find rays of sunshine in the growth of conservation covenanting.
Ours is a very social land. Carol Booth explores some of the varieties of sociality in Australian... more Ours is a very social land. Carol Booth explores some of the varieties of sociality in Australian wildlife.
With so much of our wildlife finding homes and food among gum trees - and their relatives - the a... more With so much of our wildlife finding homes and food among gum trees - and their relatives - the arrival of eucalyptus rust in Australia poses a huge threat.
What happens when a plant pathogen invades a new continent brimming with potential victims? Austr... more What happens when a plant pathogen invades a new continent brimming with potential victims? Australia is set to find out, as myrtle rust spreads within the country's dominant plant family-the Myrtaceae.
According to the Game Council NSW (2008, 2009a), recreational hunters can feel very proud of thei... more According to the Game Council NSW (2008, 2009a), recreational hunters can feel very proud of their contribution to conservation: every time hunters kill a fox they allegedly conserve 26 native birds a year, and killing one rabbit rids the environment of dozens of future rabbits.
The concept of 'conservation hunting' of wildlife in Australia is discussed, with specifi... more The concept of 'conservation hunting' of wildlife in Australia is discussed, with specific reference to deer. Although it is allowed by the government supposedly in order to maintain biodiversity and ecological balance, critics argue that conservation hunting serves no effective purpose, and is merely another name for licensed recreational hunting.
Will increased carbon dioxide emissions usher in a new era of more abundant vegetation, enhancing... more Will increased carbon dioxide emissions usher in a new era of more abundant vegetation, enhancing plant production as well as food and shelter for wildlife? While it's true that CO 2 pumped into an artificial greenhouse is a potent fertiliser, planet Earth's biosphere is not so simple. Carol Booth and Tim Low look at some scientific evidence that highlights the issue's complexity. Credit: istockphoto The prospect of increased atmospheric CO 2 has long interested biologists, not only because of the potential impacts on plants due to CO 2-driven climate change, but because CO 2 also stimulates plant growth. CO 2 is a vital ingredient of photosynthesis-the biochemical reaction through which most plants metabolise CO 2 and water into plant sugarsand higher CO 2 levels increase the rate of photosynthesis. However, Australia's water scarcity and nitrogen-poor soils mean that increased atmospheric CO 2 is likely to have limited plant growth benefits. It could also reduce our plant and animal biodiversity. This is not just because increased atmospheric CO 2 will increase temperatures and reduce rainfall in some areas, but because plants that benefit from higher CO 2 may have adverse impacts on native animals and other plants. Atmospheric CO 2 is expected to double from pre-industrial levels by about 2050. Because current CO 2 levels limit the rate of photosynthesis, plants should-in theory-grow faster as temperatures rise and use water and nitrogen more efficiently. When plants open the stomata (pores) in their leaves to take up CO 2 , they lose water from their leaves. Under higher CO 2 levels, stomata can be fewer and open less, thereby conserving water. Some scientists predict that in the absence of other influences, vegetation will become more water-efficient and store more carbon under higher CO 2 levels. However, this picture may be too optimistic when climate change, Australia's infertile soils and irregular rainfall are taken into account.
To contribute more effectively to conservation reform, environmental ethics needs a motivational ... more To contribute more effectively to conservation reform, environmental ethics needs a motivational turn, referenced to the best scientific information about motivation. I address the pivotal questions What actually motivates people to conserve nature? and What ought to motivate people to conserve nature? by proposing a framework for understanding motivations and developing motivationally relevant criteria for environmental ethics. The need for an adequate philosophy of psychology for moral philosophy, identified by Elizabeth Anscombe 50 years ago, remains. Only from a psychologically informed motivational framework for morality can ethicists understand and address the widespread rhetoric behaviors gap plaguing conservation.
Most normative advice to individuals about what they should do to help prevent climate change foc... more Most normative advice to individuals about what they should do to help prevent climate change focuses on reductions in personal emissions. This is consistent with an accountancy model of morality, with perpetrators held responsible for the harms they individually cause. An alternative focus receiving less popular and philosophical attention, but with greater potential to achieve substantial mitigation outcomes, is citizen activism for systemic reforms. Rather than perpetration (consisting of negligible contributions to climate change) priority moral concern can be directed to bystanding (as political passivity facilitating preventable and potentially catastrophic harms). To more effectively guide action, reformist ethics need to be informed by psychosociological research on motivation and societal transformation.
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2011
Biofuels are likely to cause significant weed problems because the attributes of an ideal biofuel... more Biofuels are likely to cause significant weed problems because the attributes of an ideal biofuel species including rapid growth with minimal fertiliser and water needs match those of typical weeds, and because cultivation will be on a vast scale. The valued biofuel giant reed is ...
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