- Editorial Board of “Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae”:
Wóycickiego 1/3, building 23, room 308
01-938 Warsaw, Poland
- Environmental Philosophy, Bioethics, Environmental Ethics, Ecology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sustainable Development, and 13 moreEnvironmental Economics, Ecotourism, Sustainable Tourism, Biodiversity, Ecophilosophy, Ecotheology (Environment), Religion and Ecology, Environmental Management, Environmental Education, Ecological Economics, Green Economics, Circular Economy, and Environmental Lawedit
- Since 2003, the journal “Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae” has documented the specific character, scope, and developmen... moreSince 2003, the journal “Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae” has documented the specific character, scope, and development trends of the research conducted at the Institute of Ecology and Bioethics at the Faculty of Christian Philosophy at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw (UKSW), transformed in 2020 into the Centre for Ecology and Ecophilosophy. The goal of the journal is to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, postulates and experiences related to various manifestations of environmental crises. The journal draws on the main methodological assumption of the research conducted at the Centre for Ecology and Ecophilosophy, highlighting the need for parallel, and even complementary methodology, i.e. for adopting an empirical and humanistic approach to contemporary ecological issues.
SEeB website: https://czasopisma.uksw.edu.pl/index.php/seb/user/setLocale/en_USedit
The SEeB Editorial Team does not provide abstracts for book reviews.
Research Interests:
This is a brief but focused literature review of articles centered around pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) using various feedstocks, including residues from industries, agriculture, and landfill waste. The deployment of... more
This is a brief but focused literature review of articles centered around pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) using various feedstocks, including residues from industries, agriculture, and landfill waste. The deployment of bio-wastes will be the cornerstone of circular bio-economies in the future. The main emphasis is on gleaning how these two technologies can contribute to a sustainable circular (bio) economy, by understanding the process parameters influencing the quality, type and quantity of the final output. HTC and pyrolysis, it may be undeniably stated, can support the progress towards a clutch of sustainable development goals (SDGs), as they operate right at the confluence of solid waste management and renewable energy production. As mentioned in many of the articles reviewed in this paper, a high process temperature usually results in higher yields of bio-oil and biogas/pyrogas (and thereby less biochar), implying a higher energy recovery. HTC trumps pyrolysis on many counts-economy, energy-efficiency and product (hydrochar) quality. However, pyrolysis is a simpler method to regulate, and pyrochar, has a higher market value vis-à-vis hydrochar. While both these technologies generate valuable end-products regardless of the type of feedstock used; the articles reviewed clearly show that the feedstock does influence the quality of the output and thereby the application to which it can be directed. The review leads to recommendations for future research in collecting data and creating a model to investigate various process parameters. Some of these recommendations are detailed comparative life cycle assessments (LCAs) to study the environmental impacts of technology-choices, , research into tailoring the optimal method and temperature to the feedstock deployed, and comprehensive forecast-based economic analysis of commercial-scale pyrolysis and HTC projects, are called for. As stated at the beginning, this is a brief review, which can also be expanded to take more published articles into its fold.
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The article compares different versions of individual-based models of single population dynamics with overlapping generations with results of the model of population with non-overlapping generations. In all models, various versions of... more
The article compares different versions of individual-based models of single population dynamics with overlapping generations with results of the model of population with non-overlapping generations. In all models, various versions of global competition for common resources and their unequal partitioning between competing individuals are analysed, i.e., when juveniles and adult individuals compete for the same resources, when juveniles and adult individuals use different resources, and a case called mother’s care. The article analyses the relationship between individual variability and population persistence measured by the time of population extinction. Persistence of a population is increased by all forms of competition between individuals not weakened by any environmental factors (e.g. diversification of resources of competing individuals) or factors arising from evolutionary history of the species (e.g. mother’s care) and related in an appropriate way to the mechanism shaping individual variability in the population. Any form of weakening competition leading to decreasing individual variability will adversely affect the persistence of the population. However, differences between versions of the model are not very big.
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In this essay, we contend that the relationship between human society and physical environment is not gender neutral, as men and women are treated inequitably. There exists an inequitable binary structure between the two polar values, as... more
In this essay, we contend that the relationship between human society and physical environment is not gender neutral, as men and women are treated inequitably. There exists an inequitable binary structure between the two polar values, as human society often exploits and degrades the environment, and women are undermined in various occasions. The role of women is undermined in environmental management and monitoring. Our strategy in dealing with this issue of negligence would be to expose the misconception that women have little or nothing to contribute in environmental management beside biological reproductive roles, and activities such as cooking, washing, fetching firewood and nursing of children. We will also show the negative impacts of these forcefully assigned female duties on the climate, and how this leads to pollution, which in turn, obstructs the biospheres (plant and animal species). Using the principle of complementarity, the paper insists on the need to eradicate all socio-culturally perceived superlative attributes of distinction between human society and environment or masculinity and femininity. The paper calls for mainstreaming of gender perspective, expansion of women's opportunities and participation in environmental management, at all levels, for environmental sustainability.
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The exploration of hunting tourism reveals its multifaceted benefits, encompassing nature preservation and tourism expansion. This study delves into the dynamics and prospective trends within hunting tourism, specifically in Prlekija's... more
The exploration of hunting tourism reveals its multifaceted benefits, encompassing nature preservation and tourism expansion. This study delves into the dynamics and prospective trends within hunting tourism, specifically in Prlekija's administrative unit of Gornja Radgona, Slovenia. It commences with a comprehensive international comparative analysis, followed by insightful semi-structured interviews involving key stakeholders within the destination. Hunting tourism emerges as a pivotal facet of tourism within this locale, exhibiting substantial potential for further growth, particularly in terms of diversification, regional integration, and synergy with other tourism offerings. However, it's imperative to address the adverse impacts of hunting tourism on biodiversity. As a counterbalance, the study underscores the increasing global emphasis on sustainable variants of hunting tourism, such as wildlife photography, fostering a more conscientious approach to animal tourism practices.
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The topic of this paper are sustainable habits and attitudes of the religious population in Croatia regarding the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. Empirical work is based on CRO Laudato Si' project using survey method on a non-probabilistic... more
The topic of this paper are sustainable habits and attitudes of the religious population in Croatia regarding the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. Empirical work is based on CRO Laudato Si' project using survey method on a non-probabilistic sample of the religious population in Croatia, which in this paper are operationalized as active and occasional believers according to their regularity of attending religious ceremonies (N=1305). The analysis showed that active believers have a more pronounced sustainable profile (as they throw away less food, separate waste more, show greater readiness for saving water, electrical energy and have a more pronounced critical attitude about the need for greater application of the Laudato Si' within the Church and society) than the occasional believers. Given the nonrepresentative sample, the presented data cannot be generalized to the religious population in Croatia, shaping its fundamental contribution in stimulating future scientific analyses and reflections on the Church's relationship with religious practices, and emphasizing active believers as potential social leaders of sustainable lifestyles. Therefore, the sustainable habits of the surveyed believers represent a relational good and serve as the basis for building a culture of moderation that respects key principles of Catholic Social Teaching. In that perspective, we conclude that it is important for the Church to speak more often about the socio-environmental crisis and encourage strong responses to the crisis at all social levels, from households and families to the macro level.
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In the light of the biblical message, food is God's gift to all people. Church's documents emphasize that food is a natural human need, and every human has a natural right to food. This, however, presents new challenges to humanity today,... more
In the light of the biblical message, food is God's gift to all people. Church's documents emphasize that food is a natural human need, and every human has a natural right to food. This, however, presents new challenges to humanity today, because market-oriented agriculture often prevails, which does not focus so much on the quality and availability of food for all people, especially the poor, but puts profit at the center. The first part of paper attempts to concisely present the attitude of the Holy Scriptures towards food, which contribute to today's reflection on solving the problem of production and availability of healthy food. The second part presents church's guidelines, aimed to overcome today's injustices in the world and provide everyone with access to food, and highlights the importance of producing healthy food for the protection of health. The third part of the paper deals with certain decrees on food production and control and the promotion of ecological production in the Republic of Croatia. Nevertheless, adopting the legislation of the European Union and accepting its guidelines on the development of agriculture has brought a certain shift in recent years. This legislative framework will contribute to the strengthening of the Croatian rural community, the encouragement of small family farms, and the increase of food production, especially healthy, ecologically grown food.
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The state of the environment is getting worse, despite the efforts of international community and individual states aimed at its improvement and achieving environmental sustainability. Moreover, the current crises-the COVID-19 pandemic... more
The state of the environment is getting worse, despite the efforts of international community and individual states aimed at its improvement and achieving environmental sustainability. Moreover, the current crises-the COVID-19 pandemic and the armed conflict in Ukraine-have many negative effects on these efforts. The main aim of this paper is to analyse the most significant impacts of these crises on achieving environmental sustainability. We assume that they have strongly negatively affected the progress towards this goal, which we see as very dangerous given the urgency of the environmental crisis and the severity of its consequences. The paper is divided into three main parts. In the first part, we outline the importance of environmental sustainability, focusing on the profiling of environmental pillar of sustainable development. The second part focuses on the analysis and mapping of the most significant environmental impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and the armed conflict in Ukraine on the very achievement of environmental sustainability. In this part, we demonstrate that both crises have negatively influenced it and have set the global community back in these efforts. In the third part, the findings as well as several possible future strategies are discussed.
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This text will deal with the issue of the benefit of biodiversity in the polemic context of the works of Czech and Central European philosophers and environmentalists with the essential ideas of selected world thinkers and with... more
This text will deal with the issue of the benefit of biodiversity in the polemic context of the works of Czech and Central European philosophers and environmentalists with the essential ideas of selected world thinkers and with environmental practice in Central Europe. To validate this thesis, the authors of this work chose an essay dealing with professional monographs and professional articles on this topic, focusing on the continuity of ideas of the authors of the Central European region. For the comparison, forestry was used as an exemplary major field. Based on the article, the premise can be accepted that the benefit of biodiversity appears as a basic assumption, thesis, or paradigm. We need a new definition of life that is not limited to carbon-based organisms. Humankind does not live in harmony with nature but uses its culture to deplete natural resources in the false belief that man is no longer a part of nature. Environmentalists and philosophers agree on the need for a turnaround to save the environment, maintaining, biodiversity, and life on Earth. But the predatory paradigm of culture may appear to be a temporary condition and perhaps even necessary to cope with that turn. The effort to preserve biodiversity is related to the effort to preserve the life of the human species. Popularization, or environmental education, leading to biodiversity preservation and development and sustainability of life on Earth should coincide from above and below. Therefore, it could be stated that biodiversity (not only the macroscopic one) is beneficial to sustain life as we know it now.
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“Agroecology and Organic Farming as Levers of a New Culture of Cooperation and Peace” Dear Colleagues, In an effort to contrast the current mounting wave of emergent wars with their devastating effects, both material and spiritual,... more
“Agroecology and Organic Farming
as Levers of a New Culture of Cooperation and Peace”
Dear Colleagues,
In an effort to contrast the current mounting wave of emergent wars with their devastating effects, both material and spiritual, cultural institutions are urgently called for setting up a cultural peace-building barrier based on an ecological conscience. We are convinced that scholars of Agroecology and Organic Agriculture already have the mind-set for framing how to educate for making peace with nature and between human beings through a wisdom-inspired agriculture. To face this challenge, we invite you to submit articles for a Thematic issue of SEeB entitled “Agroecology and Organic Agriculture as Levers of a New Culture of Cooperation and Peace.” Relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available below.
Your collaboration and competence for providing meaningful contributions are welcome!
Guest Editors:
Fabio Caporali caporali@unitus.it
Paolo Bàrberi paolo.barberi@santannapisa.it
Józef Tyburski jozef.tyburski@uwm.edu.pl
as Levers of a New Culture of Cooperation and Peace”
Dear Colleagues,
In an effort to contrast the current mounting wave of emergent wars with their devastating effects, both material and spiritual, cultural institutions are urgently called for setting up a cultural peace-building barrier based on an ecological conscience. We are convinced that scholars of Agroecology and Organic Agriculture already have the mind-set for framing how to educate for making peace with nature and between human beings through a wisdom-inspired agriculture. To face this challenge, we invite you to submit articles for a Thematic issue of SEeB entitled “Agroecology and Organic Agriculture as Levers of a New Culture of Cooperation and Peace.” Relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available below.
Your collaboration and competence for providing meaningful contributions are welcome!
Guest Editors:
Fabio Caporali caporali@unitus.it
Paolo Bàrberi paolo.barberi@santannapisa.it
Józef Tyburski jozef.tyburski@uwm.edu.pl
Research Interests:
Greenwashing is the practice of making false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product or service. The purpose of this study is to examine consumers’ perceptions and experiences in relation to the greenwashing... more
Greenwashing is the practice of making false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product or service. The purpose of this study is to examine consumers’ perceptions and experiences in relation to the greenwashing tactics used by Slovak businesses within the framework of environmental health policy. In the present study, we used data obtained through an inductive qualitative research design according to consolidated criteria. From 14 participants aged 20-45, using reflexive thematic analysis, we analysed three semi-structured focus group interviews. Four descriptive themes were created: (1) Individual and interpersonal determinants of consumers; (2) Marketing and organisational determinants of brands; (3) Public policy of the environment and health of the Slovak Republic; and (4) Environmental sustainability and ecological protection. The findings of our study confirmed that greenwashing often relies on buzzwords to reel in consumers, making them believe that the products they purchase are biodegradable or ethically sourced. The observed deterioration of consumer trust in product brands as a reaction to greenwashing threatens the potential of green marketing and contributes to damaging the reputation of the producers. One solution could be disseminating information on how customers can verify the authenticity of organic products through public and social media.
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Until recently, in the social teaching of the Church, the principle of social justice has been primarily related to poverty, social inequalities, wealth distribution, and goods. Pope Francis extends this understanding to environmental... more
Until recently, in the social teaching of the Church, the principle of social justice has been primarily related to poverty, social inequalities, wealth distribution, and goods. Pope Francis extends this understanding to environmental issues. While diagnosing and describing the contemporary ecological crisis (our inability to resolve it in particular), he identifies the same mindset and mechanisms underlying both the social and ecological crises. Therefore, Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato si' is a revolutionary text based on integral ecology that reintroduces justice (similarly to Rerum Novarum over 130 years ago) as the key to addressing a new social issue-the contemporary ecological crisis. The comprehensive perspective on the contemporary global crisis as a socio-ecological crisis, in Laudato si', finds its reference in the developed concept of Environmental Justice as a new type of social justice. The viewpoint of a moral theologian allows us to perceive the duties associated with it not only as a legal obligation (debitum iuridicum) but also more deeply as a moral obligation (debitum morale).
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In a time when wars emerge again with their devastating effects, both material and spiritual, there is an indispensable need to build a peace-making culture based on ecological conscience. After highlightening the transdisciplinary... more
In a time when wars emerge again with their devastating effects, both material and spiritual, there is an indispensable need to build a peace-making culture based on ecological conscience. After highlightening the transdisciplinary process of emergence and development of an ecological conscience through the prophetic insights of scientists, philosophers and theologians, the recent contributions of the Social Doctrine of the Church are summarized with their content of innovation and faith in both a peaceful human society and a sustainable planetary community. Suggestions for ecolinguistic developments and improvements in favor of ecological conscience and peace-bulding attitudes are both recognised and advanced as meaningful tools for positive "framing" in a communication society. Innovative conceptual terms, like natural capital, biosphere, noosphere, anthropocene, ecosystem services, sustainability, integral ecology, ecological spirituality and ecological conversion are recognised as typical eco-linguistic emergences arisen within a context of holistic framing of reality. They constitute the eco-linguistic cascade that has innovated the recent development of the social doctrine of the Church such as that expressed in the Encyclical Letters and in The World Days of Peace Messages for building a culture of peace based on ecological conscience. The Church's contribution to the advancement of ecological conscience has been exemplary for providing human beings with the necessary spiritual energy to become "peace operators."
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Three different aspects are presented that can motivate people to work for the preservation of creation. All three motivations are closely linked to Christianity, so that Christianity could become the key to solve the global problems. The... more
Three different aspects are presented that can motivate people to work for the preservation of creation. All three motivations are closely linked to Christianity, so that Christianity could become the key to solve the global problems. The three motivations are 1. the admiration and the praise of creation, 2. the personal relationship with the God of Christianity and 3. the planet Earth is precious because of Jesus Christ. The third motivation results from the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every suffering and death of every human being and every other living being gets its meaning, value and redemption through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is explained using the keywords enabling, participation, solidarity and resurrection. This salvation event took place on this planet and the Creator of the universe became a human being, a creature of this planet. Through this, all human beings, but also all the other living beings on Earth and even the entire planet Earth are sanctified in an extraordinary way. In this way, all living beings on Earth and the entire planet have an inalienable dignity and a supreme value that is established, defended and restored by the Creator of the universe.
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A new field of biomedical ethics is opening up, concerning what should be done to reduce the direct and indirect impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on human health. Some of these impacts could be described as 'direct' , in the form of... more
A new field of biomedical ethics is opening up, concerning what should be done to reduce the direct and indirect impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on human health. Some of these impacts could be described as 'direct' , in the form of fatalities and illnesses due to the increasingly frequent heatwaves in many countries of recent years, ascribable to anthropogenic climate change. Other impacts are mediated through the air pollution that results from emissions from vehicles in the form of a cocktail of carbon oxides including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulates. Most of the world's cities have streets with unsafe pollution levels, and one child's death in Britain has been officially ascribed to air pollution (BBC 2020). This presentation aims to validate the above claims about the impacts of emissions on health, and to suggest remedies. The early phasing out of vehicles powered by internal combustion engines is the ultimate remedy for the latter set of impacts, while the urgent replacement of energy generated from fossil-fuel sources with renewable energy is the best way to remediate the former set. More immediate remedies for air pollution include restricting the use of roads and streets in urbanised areas by vehicles to bicycles and light vehicles with small engines. Medical and nursing education should include the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary conditions resulting from increased levels of carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulates. Medical and nursing practice should focus on the early identification of vulnerable adults and children at risk from air pollution, and warnings against walking, running or cycling along the most polluted thoroughfares.
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The elementary “map of the near future” could consist of three basic scenarios: sustainable development; sustainable retreat; or collapse and regeneration. Sustainable development remains the most serious attempt at finding an answer to... more
The elementary “map of the near future” could consist of three basic scenarios: sustainable development; sustainable retreat; or collapse and regeneration. Sustainable development remains the most serious attempt at finding an answer to the question of how to allow all people and nations to develop and improve their quality of life, while preserving functional ecosystems and a healthy environment for humankind. James Lovelock was the first to articulate the idea that it is too late for sustainable development and that we should strive for sustainable retreat. For Lovelock, the deadliest issue is the ongoing climate change, as it is irreversible and only can be mitigated. Sustainable retreat is hard to enforce politically and difficult to absorb mentally. Collapse of a civilization is a decrease in population size or political, economic, and social complexity over a large area for a long time. The collapse of a society does not usually come in the form of a sudden and apocalyptic downfall. Whether a society collapses or not depends on the society´s response to its problems and its capacity to solve them. A collapse is usually followed by rebirth and regeneration. This is a pattern in nature. Human society has followed a similar trend. Regardless how big a crisis is, it always presents an opportunity for catharsis and hope for a new beginning. However, there is no guarantee of the results.
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The main purpose of inquiries undertaken in this study is to present a synthesis of the views of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin and the Italian thinker Emanuele Severino on nature and technology, and to analyze the contemporary... more
The main purpose of inquiries undertaken in this study is to present a synthesis of the views of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin and the Italian thinker Emanuele Severino on nature and technology, and to analyze the contemporary manifestations of the re-sacralization of nature in many ecological currents, as discussed in her studies by the French philosopher Chantal Delsol. For Hölderlin, nature is never limited to being an empirical object of scientific investigation. It is a divine reality that does not undergo change. It is a space inhabited by the sacred. Nature constitutes the sacred All, beyond which nothing else exists. Severino, in turn, analyzes the impact of modern technology on nature, man and the entire existing world. He believes science and modern technology have become an extremely effective tool of man's dominion over the natural world. The Italian philosopher says that today the human will to power applied to nature leads to its objectification and desacralization. Delsol, on the other hand, points out that throughout Western culture we are now witnessing the birth of a new religion of nature, which is a modern form of ancient paganism. The analyses performed demonstrate that, on the one hand, nature is currently being subjected to profound changes due to science and technology, while on the other-its former sacral character is being restored, forming the foundation of a new form of religiosity.
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Ecological and environmental crises are related to the development of an anthropocentric human culture. They threaten the values on which human life and development on Earth depend, and therefore the need for a new ethic arises. The aim... more
Ecological and environmental crises are related to the development of an anthropocentric human culture. They threaten the values on which human life and development on Earth depend, and therefore the need for a new ethic arises. The aim of this paper, which is based on a qualitative analysis of theoretical sources, is to highlight the gravity of these crises and to present a 'new ethics', which is referred to as the ethics of the future, the ethics of responsibility for the future or the ethics of sustainability. We draw on the work of H. Jonas and other thinkers who point out that the traditional ethics, which is also referred to as anthropocentric, is no longer sufficient in today's world. It cannot contribute to solving these crises. We argue in favour of a 'new ethics' that takes into account the distant future and relies on a new dimension of responsibility, but also of justice. It urges people to be able to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions and not to endanger the survival of humanity on the planet and also of all life. With this in mind, it should also play a part in shaping their moral character.
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This article deals with the influence of military logistics on the environment in the districts of the Czech Republic. There were ten military districts on the territory of the Czech Republic, i.e., areas that served exclusively the needs... more
This article deals with the influence of military logistics on the environment in the districts of the Czech Republic. There were ten military districts on the territory of the Czech Republic, i.e., areas that served exclusively the needs of the defenseof the state. Currently, six of them areabolished. Other military districts, on the other hand, are still activethese are the areas of Boletice, Březina, HradištěandLibavá. Using the example of Boletice, this article shows the positive and negative effects on the environment and also considers some social and ethical questions from the perspective of the social aspect of ethics, in relation to social needs and environmentalism. In its discussion, this thesis also reflects on the need for social dialogue and environmental education of the population. Similar conditions as in Boletice, with preserved biodiversity and environment, also have other active districts. As a result, a number of protected areas and localities could be created within them. This work shows that, as a result of the past steps of the Czech policy, the districts are islands of biodiversity, and the negative effects of the training activities did not affect them to a greater extent, and that the civil workers of the districts and the residents who are adjacent to them, thanks to environmental education, have voluntarily adopted an ethical and social consensus and accepted some of the limitations that life in this place brings.
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Fossil-plastics or paper? Or for that matter, bio-plastics and paper? This is a well-entrenched question in academic research, industrial, social and policy-making circles. As environmental life-cycle analyses (or more appropriately,... more
Fossil-plastics or paper? Or for that matter, bio-plastics and paper? This is a well-entrenched question in academic research, industrial, social and policy-making circles. As environmental life-cycle analyses (or more appropriately, sustainability analyses) show time and again, no single product or process or mode of operation is a 'total villain'. There are goods and bads, and at times, more of the one than the other. This paper, which is based on a course-report written by the first author at Karlstad University (Sweden), restricts itself to a review of publications which have opted to compare paper bags with low density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags, on the basis of their environmental impacts. Environmental impact categories include the global warming potential, energy demand, fossil fuel depletion, water usage, acidification, eutrophication, and a range of toxicities-human, terrestrial, freshwater-aquatic and marine-aquatic. The articles were obtained through Google Scholar, read and reviewed to glean the results presented therein. The 'What' , 'How' and 'Where' , so to say were studied carefully to understand the reasons behind any differences or similarities detected. On the basis of this focused review, even though no new knowledge is being added, the common belief that the paper bag is environmentally superior to the LDPE alternative is further consolidated. However, if one focuses on water usage and would assign a high weightage to that environmental impact, LDPE perhaps may score a few 'brownie points' over paper. One must also not forget that plastics (LDPE in this instance) can be recycled without significant deterioration in its functional properties. In a circular economy (the bioeconomy part of which gradually will expand over time), while introducing more and more bio-based products into the technosphere by way of trans-materialization is recommended, plastics will still continue to exist-albeit in much smaller amounts-and it would be perfectly fine if the degree of recycling is augmented significantly. Speaking of a holistic sustainability analysis, the socioeconomic aspects of a choice between LDPE and paper bags must also be factored in, and studied. Much-desired change happens when the top-down meets the bottom-up somewhere midway.
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Using local wild plant resources to create green roofs in urban areas is a sustainable solution that supports cities' adaptation strategies to climate change. Creating extensive green roofs, in accordance with the Nature-Based Solutions... more
Using local wild plant resources to create green roofs in urban areas is a sustainable solution that supports cities' adaptation strategies to climate change. Creating extensive green roofs, in accordance with the Nature-Based Solutions concept, supports minimizing the effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity and human health. The aim of this paper is to identify, based on an analysis of published research results, the main criteria for selecting vegetation introduced to green roofs and the role of green roofs in minimizing the effects of climate change in the context of NBS. The data were collected by analyzing the results of studies published in the last 10 years, focusing on plant selection. It was found that species selection often fails to consider plant functional traits. The potential of wild plants in urban-industrial areas for creating green infrastructure and optimizing ecosystem services remains largely unrecognized. However, certain plants with desirable functional traits, originating e.g. from habitats such as post-industrial coal mining waste heaps, show promise in providing functional support to urban ecosystems in minimizing the effects of climate change.
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Soil fauna, including terrestrial isopods, millipedes and earthworms, play an important role in the decomposition of litter through the process of shredding it during consumption. In the present study, the food preferences in two... more
Soil fauna, including terrestrial isopods, millipedes and earthworms, play an important role in the decomposition of litter through the process of shredding it during consumption. In the present study, the food preferences in two detritivores, the common woodlouse (Oniscus asellus) and the earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) over the leaf litter of four common tree species: common black alder (Alnus glutinosa), silver birch (Betula pendula), small-leaved linden (Tilia cordata) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) were quantified in the laboratory. For each animal species, two sets of feeding mesocosms were prepared: one set with single litter species and another with mixed litter material (cafeteria-type test), where the animals were allowed to choose among the four litter species at once. The food preferences of the studied animals were determined on the basis of the consumption (mass loss) of litter for each litter species at the end of two-weeks lasting experiments. The results showed that the litter mass losses in both detritivores were significantly influenced by the tree species. The litter mass losses can be ranked in descending order as follows: alder, birch, linden, oak. In the case of O. asellus, litter mixing had no effect on litter mass loss when compared to single alder and birch litter, however mixing clearly accelerated litter mass loss compared to single lime or oak litter. For L. rubellus, litter mixing was found to slow litter mass loss compared to each single alder, birch and lime litter, while accelerating litter mass loss compared to single oak litter. For the interpretation of the results, the literature data on carbon to nitrogen ratio, as well as the proportion of difficult-to-degrade polyphenols and lignins in leaves of the studied tree species were used.
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The issue of compatibility of sustainable development policies, institutional quality, and economic growth gains on importance as the world races towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This paper aims to examine... more
The issue of compatibility of sustainable development policies, institutional quality, and economic growth gains on importance as the world races towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This paper aims to examine the relationship between sustainable development, institutional quality, and economic growth between the years 2012 and 2021 in 116 countries. The quantile regression method has been employed in this study to capture various relationship nexuses in different quantiles of growth. The common 15 th , 25 th , 50 th , 75 th and 95 th quantiles have been selected. The official Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index is applied to proxy the holistic conceptualization and policy achievement of the United Nation's SDGs. The findings show a negative relationship between sustainable development and economic growth, indicating that achieving sustainable development goals will harm the economic growth. Increasing negative coefficient values from lower to higher quantiles imply increasing opportunity cost of degrowth towards increasing sustainable development. Besides, institutional quality did not affect economic growth, either directly or indirectly. The study suggests the necessity to review the existing policies, institutional structures, and strategies to foster compatibility between sustainable development, institutional quality, and growth.
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Since the 1967, after Lynn White Jr.´s seminal article in science, entitled "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis," Christianity has received academic and popular criticism, for having, supposedly, served as a major driver for... more
Since the 1967, after Lynn White Jr.´s seminal article in science, entitled "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis," Christianity has received academic and popular criticism, for having, supposedly, served as a major driver for our current ecological crisis. Contrary to White´s negative historical account of the role of Christianity in environmental affairs, in this article, I offer a rebuttal by stressing that, actually, Christianity is a major source of wisdom towards building a more sustainable Earth stewardship. White´s biggest mistake was not telling apart what Christianity teaches from what self-ascribed Christians think and do about the environment. Christianity itself explains this paradox: People's right and wrong doings are solely the result of their own choices and flaws due to sin, and not because Judeo-Christian traditions or the Bible lack values and principles that are benevolent to the environment. In conclusion, White´s views on the interplay between Christianity and Ecology are fundamentally mistaken, mainly for his lack (or dismissal) of a deeper knowledge of biblical principles for environmental stewardship.
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The action of God is always the action of the Trinity. Therefore, proper interpretation of theological issues requires taking this truth into account as it must be presumed to have a specific influence on the shape of the relationship... more
The action of God is always the action of the Trinity. Therefore, proper interpretation of theological issues requires taking this truth into account as it must be presumed to have a specific influence on the shape of the relationship between man and the world. Since God has revealed Himself as a Trinity of Persons, this must inspire man's view of the world from the perspective of faith. This is the reason for attempting to interpret the ecological theology of creation from a Trinitarian aspect. The analysis of biblical and theological sources provides the basis for this. The analyses carried out reconstruct the traditional issue model of the theology of creation. They develop an understanding of the relationship between God and creation. For the triune God is the model and deepest source of relationality. The essential love between the persons of the Trinity and the profound relationship of love between the Triune God and creation carries an inspiring message for the development of man's relationship to the world according to God's design. This should constitute the essential foundation of an ecotheological praxeology.
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During COVID 19 pandemic-related restrictions it was observed that people were more willing to spend time in nature and the thus number of forest visitors doubled. It has been proven that communing with nature reduces symptoms of anxiety,... more
During COVID 19 pandemic-related restrictions it was observed that people were more willing to spend time in nature and the thus number of forest visitors doubled. It has been proven that communing with nature reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression, alleviates stress, improves concentration and vitality. It also strengthens the immunological response of the body and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Being in nature encourages people to show prosocial behaviour, strengthens social bonds, and even reduces the level of violence. There is a connection between lowering blood serum levels of cortisol, dopamine and norepinephrine and spending a significant amount of time in nature. Walking in the forest can be effective in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to summarize the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, while indicating the therapeutic properties of the forest that can prevent or mitigate the effects of the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In addition, it was indicated what are the possibilities and tasks of forest pedagogy in encouraging people to take advantage of the benefits of forest recreation.
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The aim of the article is to present the heritage of Polish culture on the example of the co-creators of the idea of nature protection, the "spiritual fathers" of ecological education in the Second Polish Republic (1918-1939) who... more
The aim of the article is to present the heritage of Polish culture on the example of the co-creators of the idea of nature protection, the "spiritual fathers" of ecological education in the Second Polish Republic (1918-1939) who developed normative acts of nature protection, such as the Act of 10 March 1934 on nature protection. They contributed to the establishment of the Temporary Commission for Nature Conservation (1919) / State Council for Nature Conservation (1925), the League for Nature Conservation (1928). They were advocates of nature reserves, national parks, as well as broadly understood education of Polish society aimed at raising ecological awareness (environmental education). The research problem is set in the interpretative paradigm of humanistic, social sciences. Consequently, a qualitative method of research was applied (qualitative text analysis /qualitative analysis of documents), in which hermeneutic understanding and text interpretation is relevant. The source basis includes printed texts and scientific research directly and indirectly connected with the subject issue. Shaping environmental awareness in the process of environmental education in the Second Polish Republic has a timeless value. It is a valuable heritage of national culture and an antecedent of ecological education implemented in the general tendency of postmodern culture, which evokes the ideals of the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
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This article was inspired by the cooperation between two university teams implementing a Polish-Norwegian project Green Schoolbag for the Earth Climate. The project was aimed at preparing early school pedagogy teachers and students for... more
This article was inspired by the cooperation between two university teams implementing a Polish-Norwegian project Green Schoolbag for the Earth Climate. The project was aimed at preparing early school pedagogy teachers and students for the implementation of education for sustainable development (SD). A study trip to Norway and sharing experience gave rise to studying Norwegian curricula and educational literature. The study findings revealed that local educational philosophies and SD in the four Scandinavian countries differ in social, cultural and educational terms. The article presents the historical background to introducing SD into social and cultural habits in each of the countries and, consequently, lifestyles typical of the inhabitants of these countries. Four types of lifestyles are compared: Finish sisu, Norwegian friluftsliv, Danish hygge and Swedish lagom. The analysis proved that Scandinavian countries have similar climate and values as regards their attitudes to nature. However, differences in local philosophies are visible and their inhabitants present specific lifestyles, different behaviours and social and cultural principles behind their attitudes to the SD concept. The conclusion of the article puts an open question about Polish people's local philosophy, lifestyle and SD education.
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The purpose of the study was to check pedagogy students' opinions on using anthropomorphizing nature for the development of pro-environmental knowledge and behaviour in the context of their own environmental ethics orientations. An online... more
The purpose of the study was to check pedagogy students' opinions on using anthropomorphizing nature for the development of pro-environmental knowledge and behaviour in the context of their own environmental ethics orientations. An online survey for university pedagogy students from Poznan, Poland, was conducted. N=221 respondents, of whom 97% were women, filled out the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used for closed questions on students' opinions about using anthropomorphizing nature for environmental education. To find out the respondents' environmental ethics orientations, content analysis of answers to open questions was used, applying theory-based categories of environmental orientations derived from environmental ethics (anthropocentrism, biocentrism). The findings revealed that the majority of students believe that anthropomorphism of nature helps in the development of pro-environmental behaviour (62.4%) and knowledge (55.8%). In justification, most (63.8%) presented anthropocentric attitudes; 27.5% of answers were biocentric, and 8.8%-mixed eclectic. According to the other questions the respondents supported biocentric environmental norms. Their justifications, however, again revealed mostly anthropocentric motivations 63.2%. Conclusion: Pedagogy students, although they support biocentric norms, believe that anthropomorphism of nature will be the right tool for environmental education, and use anthropocentric arguments in their justifications. In their future pedagogical practice, they will rather develop anthropocentric orientations in children, building positive attitudes towards nature on (false) belief in similarities of human and non-human living organisms, instead of recognition of their "otherness" and intrinsic value.
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As human beings, we are moving dramatically away from nature, which results in negative consequences for both mental and physical health. Highly developed countries see a special need to restore contact with nature as early as possible... more
As human beings, we are moving dramatically away from nature, which results in negative consequences for both mental and physical health. Highly developed countries see a special need to restore contact with nature as early as possible (Simonienko 2021, 74). Are Polish kindergartens also ready to provide children with education in nature? This article aims to describe the regulations of the educational law related to outdoor education in Polish kindergartens and to present the offer of educating teachers of early childhood education in the field of outdoor education at universities in Poland. Outdoor education is a term that does not have a clear equivalent in Polish. Depending on the translation and understanding, we can attribute different origins and meanings to it. The article presents terminological inaccuracies regarding outdoor education in Poland. The functioning of the education system is based on the activities performed by teachers, working both with the students and (indirectly) with parents. The last part of the text presents a description of selected attitudes of parents and children attending a forest kindergarten towards outdoor education.
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The development of topics related to the idea of sustainable development, ecology and the climate crisis is increasingly supported by Polish educators, psychologists and therapists. At the same time, forest kindergartens as well as... more
The development of topics related to the idea of sustainable development, ecology and the climate crisis is increasingly supported by Polish educators, psychologists and therapists. At the same time, forest kindergartens as well as various grassroots initiatives based on the methodology of outdoor education are developing in Poland. The long-term achievements of practitioners-most often employees of the State Forests-for whom the forest education of the society has been one of the priorities since the early 1990s, deserves special appreciation (Wierzbicka and Czołnik 2022). In 2021, Forest Pedagogy was initiated in Poland as an interdisciplinary problem area, aspiring to a scientific sub-discipline (Paluch and Klimski 2022). The first contacts between foresters and educators gave rise to the question: Can the forest become a real "pedagogical medium" (Rykowski 2022), understood as an educational environment? What became clear was the problem of the similarity of the forest monoculture (management forests dominating in Poland) to the educational monoculture of the school and academic classroom system. Each monoculture is created with the view of matching the production demand for relatively identical objects-on the one hand, these can be trees "for boards", but on the other hand, young people subjected to a systemic process of "labour force allocation" (Parsons 1969), serving the development of consumer attitudes. In both cases, the goal is to accelerate production, artificially stimulated competition, preventing the attainment of full maturity, or replicating an unambiguous and one-dimensional picture of the world. A symbolic illustration of the last phenomenon are the findings of a qualitative pilot study in which two groups of students completing a Forest Pedagogy course were asked to design a forest kindergarten. As it turned out, the respondents most often drew ordered elements of the urban playground infrastructure: swings, slides and sandboxes, in the vicinity of the building of the local kindergarten, which dominated the drawing. What is particularly poignant, in the analysed drawings the forest was only a symbolic background.
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School gardens have been present in the educational space of the Polish school for many years. In recent decades, however, they have ceased to be appreciated. Efforts have been made to modernize laboratories, they have been equipped with... more
School gardens have been present in the educational space of the Polish school for many years. In recent decades, however, they have ceased to be appreciated. Efforts have been made to modernize laboratories, they have been equipped with measuring instruments, digital devices and multimedia equipment. A natural laboratory, which a garden in fact is, has become a symbol of the past. It remained only in few schools, performing rather an aesthetic function, less often didactic or educational one. The present article depicts a historical outline, shows earlier and currently noticed possibilities of using school gardens in Poland. An analysis of previous studies on gardens is presented as well. A contemporary design of a school garden was proposed to prepare students of pedagogical faculties for activities in the garden with children. School gardens may contribute to the prevention of "nature deficit" (Louv 2014, 54), they may give a sense of closeness to nature also in urban realities 1. M. Vogt-Kostecka notes that the fear of dirt, wind and ticks limits children's free play in a meadow and in a forest. Limited access to nature is particularly visible among urban children (Vogt-Kostecka 2017, 11). Gradually, the view of school gardens has been changing and their therapeutic potential (hortitherapy) is noticed.
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The intensively developing horticultural therapy proves the healing power of human contact with nature. This article analyses the process of self-therapy taking place in contact between a person and a garden both as its guest (passive... more
The intensively developing horticultural therapy proves the healing power of human contact with nature. This article analyses the process of self-therapy taking place in contact between a person and a garden both as its guest (passive horticultural therapy mode) and as its host (active horticultural therapy mode). It has been established that passive and active horticultural therapy includes activities involving the physical (sensations), mental (cognition), emotional (affections) and spiritual (reflections) spheres, which have been distinguished as internal human activities, while active garden therapy additionally involves the functional sphere as its external activity. Exposure to sensory stimuli initiates changes in a person's cognitive, emotional and spiritual sensitivity, leading to self-cognition. At this stage, it is possible to switch from the identity of the visitor in the garden (performer of the action) to the identity of its host (perpetrator of the act). At this level, when creating a garden, a person experiences the values of freedom, goodness and beauty, which leads to self-transformation through self-experience. Changes taking place in a person may, in turn, translate into his horticultural activity. The ontological and axiological description proposed in the article aims to include the way of thinking derived from the Polish philosophical tradition into the international eco-pedagogical discourse.
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A modification to the classic Sverdrup Critical Depth Model relating phytoplankton light-limited net growth in a mixed water column to its depth is presented by introducing optical depth in place of the physical depth of the column, as... more
A modification to the classic Sverdrup Critical Depth Model relating phytoplankton light-limited net growth in a mixed water column to its depth is presented by introducing optical depth in place of the physical depth of the column, as well as by the inclusion of self-shading and competition among phytoplankton species for light. The concept of critical optical depth of a well-mixed column is used to establish criteria for phytoplankton growth and competitive exclusion. This model shows not only the direction of the growth for a given column, such as the classic Sverdrup model, but also the magnitude of that growth. The model relies on plots of the average specific (per unit biomass) rate of this growth in the column against the optical depth of that column. These graphs are invariant under changes of light absorbers in the column as well as the depth of the column. In particular, these graphs do not change in the presence of competing species or with changes in column biomass, thus facilitating the analysis of these processes. Also, for this purpose, the concept of opacity load is introduced to name the optical depth. Such an extended Sverdrup model provides a simple visual, qualitative way of obtaining results consistent with Huisman and Weissing's (1994) critical light theory. It is convenient for considering more complex phytoplankton growth scenarios.
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Ragpickers have long led a marginalised, subliminal and deprived existence, and have silently gone about contributing to 'informal waste recycling' , diverting in many cities and towns, over half of the recyclable wastes from dumpsites to... more
Ragpickers have long led a marginalised, subliminal and deprived existence, and have silently gone about contributing to 'informal waste recycling' , diverting in many cities and towns, over half of the recyclable wastes from dumpsites to the technosphere. The reviewer has based this paper on 60 peer-reviewed publications spanning a time period of 28 years-from 1995-2022, originating from over a dozen different countries, and encompassing the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The discussion has been structured around the six question words-Where/Wherefrom, When, How, What, Why and Who/Whom. While there is no claim of any addition per se being made to the extant body of knowledge, the reviewer would like to describe this as an attempt to simply collate existing knowledge to serve the practical purpose of highlighting the plight of our impoverished, malnourished, oppressed brethren, to elicit appreciation, understanding and support for them, from policymakers in government, CSR personnel from the corporate world, journalists in the media, and most importantly, from the common urban denizens. All these entities can work shoulder to shoulder with the NGOs who have been relentlessly striving to help the rag-pickers to 'stay afloat'. The reviewer fondly hopes that this will motivate more concerted transdisciplinary applied research, predicated on the Sustainable Development Goals-a collaboration among the disciplines of healthcare, sociology, psychology, urban planning, sustainable development, environmental engineering, and even art and poetry.
Research Interests: Sustainable Development, Waste Management, Environmental Sustainability, Solid Waste Management, Rag Pickers Health Problems, and 11 moreWomen Rag Pickers, Urban Metabolism, Urban Ecology - Urban Metabolism / Resilience, Textiles Waste, Rag Pickers, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Textile Waste Management, Informal Waste Recycling, Rag Picking Women, Rag-picker, and Rag-picking
Urban policy is driven by current trends and ideas. In the 20th century, it was mainly based on modernist views and the most important element of the transport planning policy at that time was the use of the private motor vehicle (car).... more
Urban policy is driven by current trends and ideas. In the 20th century, it was mainly based on modernist views and the most important element of the transport planning policy at that time was the use of the private motor vehicle (car). As a result, transport policies in the 20th century were focused on large-scale road projects, while public transport was marginalized. However, this approach changed drastically at the turn of the 20 th and the 21 st centuries. Nowadays, the main emphasis is put on environmentally and user-friendly public transport. However, public urban transport often fails to meet the needs of the society. What are the reasons why urban public transport is still not as effective as it should be? The author of this article points in this respect to the poor policy of public bodies responsible for the provision of transport services for the society rather than to the poor quality of the transport law. There are two main areas for improvement-public service planning (defining the service) and cost-effectiveness of providing transport services. The author of the article proposes specific solutions in this regard.
Research Interests: Transportation Studies, Urban Transportation, Public transportation, Urban Transport, Sustainable Public Transportation, and 7 morePublic Transport, Policy, Eureopean Union , EU regulations, Regulation 1370/2007, collective public transport, European Public Transport Policy, and Public transportation in Poland
In the life sciences, the use of mathematical modelling and computer simulation methods has brought many benefits. This is the case, for example, in physics. Biology makes very little use of these methods. One of the reasons for this may... more
In the life sciences, the use of mathematical modelling and computer simulation methods has brought many benefits. This is the case, for example, in physics. Biology makes very little use of these methods. One of the reasons for this may be that the biology teaching process is conducted in such a way that it discourages young people with an interest in mathematics and computer science. We propose to support the process of teaching biology by introducing simple elements of mathematical modelling of ecological processes. In this work, we showed what benefits would be the application of the NetLogo program in teaching biology in secondary schools. NetLogo is a multi-agent programming language designed to simulate complex phenomena. It is intended for both research and education and is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. We used the NetLogo program to create a model of searching for food by ants. We have shown that teaching biology by building a computer model forces a deeper understanding of the problem we are working on and uses and develops the creative abilities of young people.
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The paper presents the results of a research conducted among Catholic believers in Croatia during 2020 and 2021. The research was carried out as part of the CRO Laudato Si' project (N=1324). In the second phase, four focus groups were... more
The paper presents the results of a research conducted among Catholic believers in Croatia during 2020 and 2021. The research was carried out as part of the CRO Laudato Si' project (N=1324). In the second phase, four focus groups were conducted with 20 participants. The overall objective of the research is to determine whether families communicate about environmental problems and to describe the experience of communication and sustainable habits in the family. The results show that communication on environmental problems in the family is democratic and open. The vast majority of respondents (97%) mostly or completely agreed with the statement: "It is necessary to point out the importance of environmental problems in one's own family and society". The results of the focus group provide a deeper insight into family relations and reveal the family as a social relationship within which environmental problems are not discussed regularly, but some habits are cultivated spontaneously. These are daily sustainable habits such as waste separation, water and energy saving, etc. However, the results show that younger family members pass on information on this topic to the elderly and therefore their role on micro-level is significant. That role is related to meso level, and to educational institutions in the phase of secondary socialization. We conclude that families from our sample have a non-economic exchange of information on environmental problems. Communication (non-verbal especially) about environmental problems in the family is important for both children and parents and can empower the willingness to change unsustainable family habits.
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The ongoing discussion on various forums regarding human responsibility for the ecological state of the surrounding world, should include the voice of the word spoken in the Bible by God, the Creator of heaven and earth. For believers,... more
The ongoing discussion on various forums regarding human responsibility for the ecological state of the surrounding world, should include the voice of the word spoken in the Bible by God, the Creator of heaven and earth. For believers, this very voice has a decisive power, however, it has been neglected for so long and the effects that can be seen with the naked eye. The binding power of this word can become an important argument in that discussion and catalyst for actions in the area of environmental protection, to which Pope Francis draws so much attention. This paper joins the unanimous choir of nature defenders, and it aims at drawing the reader's attention to selected aspects of human relationship with the world, presented in the opening verses of Psalm 24. The passages provide a clear testimony to the biblical authors' awareness of both the dependence of the world-including man-on its Creator, and the essential moral implications of that fact. It may help us realize our responsibility for the world around us as well as the necessity to react whenever the positive interaction between man and the environment is at risk. That is how, the beauty and richness of creation can become a path to God, its Creator.
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The "ecological model" of John B. Cobb, Jr. seems a timely and needed approach to address our present ecological crisis. Keeping Cobb's "ecological model" of life and development in hand, the present paper attempts to examine why this... more
The "ecological model" of John B. Cobb, Jr. seems a timely and needed approach to address our present ecological crisis. Keeping Cobb's "ecological model" of life and development in hand, the present paper attempts to examine why this model seems significant especially for Bangladeshi people and how it can be applied in Bangladesh to reduce the environmental issues. In terms of methodology, it follows the methods of literature review and interpretive analysis. The required data is collected by primarily reviewing Cobb's eco-theological works and then is used in the paper after analysis. Similarly, it investigates the applicability of his proposed ecological model in the context of Bangladesh and critically analyses the model by comparing socio-religious, political, and economic perspectives of Bangladesh. The study evaluates to what extent Cobb's suggestion may be implemented and to what degree it should be modified, proved to be inconsistent or rejected. As the project connects Cobb's eco-theological understanding with the present environmental problems of Bangladesh, its prime result will be motivating Bangladeshi people from grassroots levels to maintain ecological equilibrium by diverting their attention from the mechanistical and materialistic view to an organic view of the environment. Alongside these, the study will enrich the current discussions on the role of religions in environmental sustainability from a Bangladeshi perspective.
Research Interests: Religion and Ecology, Environmental Ethics, Ecological Theology, Ecotheology (Environment), Bioregionalism, and 10 moreIslam and Ecology, Ecotheology, Eco-Theology, John B. Cobb, Jr., Environmental Crisis, Global ecological crisis, Ecology and Religion, John Cobb Jr, Christianity and Ecology, and Environment and Ecology in Islam
In recent years, we have seen a resurgence of the topic of shame in philosophy and moral philosophy. The paper analyses the concept of shame as a moral emotion in contemporary moral-philosophical and environmental discourse. Questions are... more
In recent years, we have seen a resurgence of the topic of shame in philosophy and moral philosophy. The paper analyses the concept of shame as a moral emotion in contemporary moral-philosophical and environmental discourse. Questions are articulated, in which different contexts shame has already been studied, and which of them appear to be crucial for ethics and applied ethics? In the article, the author addresses the concept of environmental shame by Sarah E. Fredericks (2021) and considers the questions: is/can shame be ethically relevant for the cultivation of our attitudes in relation to the environment? Is Shame morally relevant to Ecological Ethics? Can the experience of shame affect our moral judgment, decision-making, and action regarding the man-nature relationship? Despite the differences in the understanding of shame as a self-conscious emotion or as a social emotion, in the paper, the author argues that environmental shame can have an important preventive function as well as a transformative power for the cultivation of our moral beliefs and attitudes.
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The group "Ważki (Odonata) w Polsce" is an excellent example of citizen science, understood as a cooperation between society and professionals in scientific activity. The goal of the present paper is to show the data concerning the very... more
The group "Ważki (Odonata) w Polsce" is an excellent example of citizen science, understood as a cooperation between society and professionals in scientific activity. The goal of the present paper is to show the data concerning the very late appearances of dragonflies and damselflies in the years 2013-2020, to enrich the knowledge about the phenology of various species in comparison to published data, which is no longer valid, taking into consideration the climatic changes over the last decades. It would not have been possible to gather such a great amount of information, if not for the amateurs engaged into a project like that (ca. 100 people). The data was catalogued according to date, place, and species. The main methods used were: the visual observation and taking photos of adult dragonflies. After thoroughly studying the data collected in early, middle, and late autumn (October, November, December), and analysing it carefully, the records were divided into three groups. The information gathered, enables us to show the differences in phenology of some of the species. The project organised as a citizen science action, contributed to the increase of the knowledge concerning the late aspect of Polish odonatofauna.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, urban green spaces were considered less prone to contagion, and thus people adopted them as alternative sites for improving mental health. The One Health concept advocated by health organizations worldwide... more
During the COVID-19 pandemic, urban green spaces were considered less prone to contagion, and thus people adopted them as alternative sites for improving mental health. The One Health concept advocated by health organizations worldwide supports the idea that the well-being of urban residents is strongly linked with physical activity in green areas. As the world grapples with the physical and mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes clearer that access to urban green spaces is a human rights issue. This study compared previously-mapped urban green spaces in five metropolitan regions in Brazil with the results of an extensive survey of municipal managers concerning possible increase in demand of population for green spaces. Urban green spaces of over 625 m 2 were mapped in 117 municipalities, the total area of 4170 km 2 representing 37.4% of the urban spaces analyzed in the five metropolitan regions. Out of these 117 municipalities, 49 had data available concerning demands of green spaces in the pandemic context. Overall, 20 municipalities (representing all five metropolitan regions) stated that there was an increase in visitation in urban green spaces, and 13 more indirectly suggested possible demands. When sustainability transitions are understood as geographical processes that happen in concrete places, urban green spaces then represent real locations where sustainable transitions can begin. The unequal distribution of these spaces also brings into consideration a social justice perspective, as well as aspects of public health that involve climate change resilience and epidemiological risk (SDG 11).
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It needs to be clarified in the literature as to how humanism could embrace environmental ecosystems in cities and society. Some scholars argue that Stakeholder Theory could help bridge the environmental ecosystems under a humanist... more
It needs to be clarified in the literature as to how humanism could embrace environmental ecosystems in cities and society. Some scholars argue that Stakeholder Theory could help bridge the environmental ecosystems under a humanist approach. For this reason, this study aims to fill this gap by exploring how Stakeholder Theory and Humanism can be connected to the fostering of sustainable development in cities and society. The main findings highlighted in the urban and societal contexts the role of stakeholder and humanist responsibility, the role of stakeholder consensus about humanist themes and environmental issues, and last but not least important, the need to consider the environment as a non-human stakeholder in social and urban governance. These directions should also be further detailed and explored in the multi/interdisciplinary fields of Sociology, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Humanities, Political Science, and Urban Studies. Therefore, this study provided a conceptual framework of three propositions which revealed that a stakeholder-oriented and humanism-oriented governance can embrace environmental concerns in cities and societies. In this way, consensus, responsibility, and considering the environment as a non-human stakeholder are critical elements in urban and social governance.
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The subject of interest is the constant deepening of the old conflict between culture and nature, and thus also the conflict with nature and the economy, which J. Šmajs considers to be a subsystem of culture. The conflict between nature... more
The subject of interest is the constant deepening of the old conflict between culture and nature, and thus also the conflict with nature and the economy, which J. Šmajs considers to be a subsystem of culture. The conflict between nature and culture is considered to be the main cause of the global ecological crisis, which is a crisis of coexistence between humans and nature. Attention is drawn to the predatory economy, which Šmajs considers to be one of the causes of this conflict and which greatly influences the shape of contemporary culture. The main aim of the paper is to find ways in which this conflict, which has acquired a global dimension, can be mitigated and to advocate for the synergy or compatibility of the economy as well as the whole culture with nature. The solution is to move away from anthropocentrism, to reorient values in society based on a proper understanding of the phenomena of nature, culture and economy. Along with this, it is important to raise environmental awareness among economic actors, but practically among all people. We consider that to be an important step towards mitigating the above-mentioned conflict and towards the development of a sustainable economy and society.
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Zimbabwe has diligently started pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations in 2015. While making progress and being aware of it, will be a shot in the arm, with success breeding more success, the... more
Zimbabwe has diligently started pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations in 2015. While making progress and being aware of it, will be a shot in the arm, with success breeding more success, the journey may seem daunting at times. However, the journey-sustainable development towards the targets set-is what matters more than the final destination, as philosophers and savants often remind us. This article, while dwelling on sustainable development in this southern-African landlocked country in general, presents a beautiful example of a collaborative venture, undertaken by dedicated and determined international partners, and predicated on SDG#4 (Quality Education) and SDG#5 (Gender Equality), and harnessing the complementarities and synergies with the other SDGs, which set root during the COVID-pandemic, in Mwenezi in southern Zimbabwe. The pandemic while being a scourge, tended to have some silver linings to it, as it gave birth to many collaborations and made human beings realise that one's own happiness is dependent to a very great extent on that of others. This venture emphasizes girls' education and skills-development, which open the doors, synergistically, to sustained growth, development and progress. Education, indisputably, is a key component of the freedom necessary to live a life of value. To quote Nelson Mandela, "It is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
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The main purpose of the study undertaken in this paper is a synthetic presentation of the major stages of the dispute over the legalization of assisted suicide in Italy as well as an analysis of selected ethical and legal aspects related... more
The main purpose of the study undertaken in this paper is a synthetic presentation of the major stages of the dispute over the legalization of assisted suicide in Italy as well as an analysis of selected ethical and legal aspects related to this issue. Assisted suicide is medical and administrative aid provided to a person who has decided to take their own life. It differs from direct euthanasia in the fact that the final act of taking one's own life, involving deliberate administration of the necessary substances, is performed entirely by the patient themself without interference of any third parties. In 2017, the institution of the living will was introduced in Italy, which allows to make a declaration of intent for potential future loss of consciousness and ability to make decisions regarding one's treatment and saving one's life. In 2019, the Constitutional Court obliged the parliament to draft a law regulating the termination of life on request. In March 2022, the relevant provisions were voted in the Chamber of Deputies. They were then forwarded to the Senate. Ultimately, this bill was not passed, due to the collapse of the government in July 2022 and the dissolution of the parliament. The conducted analyses showed that the Italian ethical and legal dispute regarding the legalization of assisted suicide is an important element of the contemporary global debate, concerning, among others, medical ethics, value and quality of human life, conscience clause, ethical aspects of suffering and death.
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This article aims at presenting Meister Eckhart's category of interior poverty as a contemporary proposal for the issue of sustainable consumption. Attempts to appropriate the discourse almost exclusively by means of economic optics seem... more
This article aims at presenting Meister Eckhart's category of interior poverty as a contemporary proposal for the issue of sustainable consumption. Attempts to appropriate the discourse almost exclusively by means of economic optics seem unfounded in this context. Indeed, the issue of sustainable consumption is multifaceted, hence the idea to look at it from the perspective of the original thought of Meister Eckhart, who remains remarkably contemporary in his views on interior poverty. Renunciation in the form of depriving man of desires above all and not of things themselves remains a challenge to the intemperance and excesses of our everyday choices; moreover, the positioning of duty in being rather than action, in other words, by Meister Eckhart, is closer to our times than we used to think and remains an inspiring factor for contemporary searches for the core of personal interior preparation within a context of intemperate consumption.