THE GREEN PLANET BLOG - Our World and Environment...

All about conservation, ecology, the environment, climate change, global warming, earth- watch, and new technologies etc.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The case for Dolphins as nonhuman persons...

Two Pacific White-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynch...
Image via Wikipedia

Wiki Image
Loyola Marymount University


Are dolphins nonhuman persons? Loyola Marymount University professor Thomas White insists they are, and presented his research this week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Diego.

White, the author of “In Defense of Dolphins: The New Frontier,” spoke on a panel on the “Ethical Implications of Dolphin Intelligence: Dolphins as Nonhuman Persons.”
He and other experts discussed scientific research showing dolphins are highly intelligent, and, like humans, appear to be self-conscious, unique individuals with personalities, memories and a sense of self. They are vulnerable to pain and suffering and experience fear, dread and grief, the research suggests.

“Dolphins should be considered nonhuman persons,” says White, “because they have the kind of consciousness that, in the past, we thought was unique to our species. They’re not just aware of the world around them but they have the ability to look inside and say ‘I.’ They have a sense of choice and will.’”

Because of these attributes, White believes, dolphins should be given “moral standing” as individuals. Humans have always believed that moral standing as an individual entitles them to special treatment. White says dolphins need to be treated in a similar way.

If that happens, certain human fishing practices would need to change, as would policies regarding the hundreds of captive dolphins used in entertainment facilities.

“Every year an estimated 300,000 dolphins die around the world, caught by commercial fishermen searching for tuna. Thousands more die in the annual Japanese drive hunts,” says White.


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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Trans-frontier poaching decimating elephant herds in Camaroon...

Elephants around an acacia (?) tree in Waza Pa...
Image via Wikipedia


Kiwipete

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Building with bamboo - the Green School in Bali...

Bali : Sanur Beach Painter :
Bali : Sanur Beach Painter : (Photo credit: zoompict)
GREEN SCHOOL BUILDS SUSTAINABLE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY...

BALI, Indonesia :  Set within a river valley landscape along Bali’s sacred Ayung River, a master-planned community located within walking distance to the Green Schoohttp://greenvillagebali.com/l is being designed and constructed based on the architectural concepts of sustainable principles and artisan craftsmanship that helped create the world famous campus.
According to Elora Hardy, CEO and lead designer for the Bali-based bamboo design and construction company honored as a finalist of the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, “Even sustainable timber can’t begin to compare with bamboo as a conscientious building material. With very few resources or attention a bamboo shoot can become a structural column within three years, and that house could stand strong for a lifetime.”
Born in Bali and educated in the U.S., Hardy honed her design skills as sole print designer for fashion icon, Donna Karan, in New York City before moving back home in 2010.
“We are committed to changing people’s perspective on the infinite potential of bamboo,” she says. “Creating spaces where people can feel connected to nature without disrupting it is a thrilling design challenge for me.”
Located twenty-five minutes to Bali’s cultural center of Ubud, 35 minutes to Bali’s surfing beaches and within walking distance to the Green School campus, currently home to 280 day and boarding students, the Green Village community has attracted homeowners from all over the world including South America, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia as well as prominent visitors including entrepreneur, Richard Branson, and former Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair’s family.
Claire Burgess, a New Zealand native who is based in Vietnam as Regional Director of a Swiss-based corporation, says she found Green Village while in the market for a property in Ubud. “I fell in love with Green School and the concept of living in a home totally made out of bamboo.”
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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Giants of NZ forest predict future weather extremes...

Scientists using the rings on kauri trees to look at climate patterns are tipping global warming to bring more big weather extremes in the coming years.

The Auckland University study, published in the monthly journal Nature Climate Change, identifies that growth rings from the trees in Northland provide an insight into climate variations over centuries.
The El Nino weather pattern, which brings cool southwesterly winds and droughts is linked to wide tree rings as the trees grow rapidly, while La Nina, which brings wetter, warmer conditions is shown in narrow, slower-growing, rings.

http://news.msn.co.nz/nationalnews/8414489/giants-of-the-forest-give-climate-clues

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-plants/kauri/
















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