Society & Environment

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At the present time many issues that are of interest to the general public have an environmental dimension. This ranges from natural and human-caused disasters to concerns about climate change and energy needs. The discussion of environmental topics was probably not very prominent in the formal education of most citizens so other modes of communication and participation have developed over recent years. This includes the work of various advocacy groups as well as museums, zoos and other informal education venues. The EoE aims to provide accurate environmental information to assist readers at all levels in making personal choices that relate to our world.

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Cats, Toxoplasma, and Schizophrenia In humans, acute infection withToxoplasmosis can produce psychotic symptoms similar to those displayed by persons with schizophrenia. This article written by E. Fuller Torrey... More »


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California (Society & Environment) California, situated on the Pacific coast of the USA, is the third largest state of the United States in land area and most populous state. The 2009 population... More »


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Economy of Ancient Greece The economy of ancient Greece is somewhat of an enigma. Given the remoteness of ancient Greek civilization, the evidence is minimal and difficulties of interpretation abound.... More »


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Rooftop runoff contamination Lead author of this article is Dennis Lye Rooftop runoff contamination is receiving increasing attention as environmental and health issues, particularly as human... More »


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Light pollution (Society & Environment) Light pollution is the intrusion of unwanted or unneeded artificial light into a man-made or natural environment. A variety of somewhat separate phenomena comprise the... More »


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Egypt (Society & Environment) Egypt is a nation of eighty-four million people in north-Africa, it also controls the Sinai Peninsula, part of the Middle East and western-Asia. Thus, Egypt controls the only... More »


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Guatemala (Society & Environment) Guatemala is a Central American nation of fourteen million people located between Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize. Its western coast fronts to Pacific Ocean and... More »


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Japan (Society & Environment) Japan is a nation on 127 million people in Eastern Asia; an island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. Japan is... More »


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Libya (Society & Environment) Libya is a nation of six-and-three-quarters million people in North Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt to the east and Tunisia and Algeria to the... More »


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India (Society & Environment) India is one of the major nations of the world. With 1,205 million people, it has the second largest population (after China). It is bordered by the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean in the south, east and west. To the North, it borders Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), China, Nepal, and Pakistan. India has a long and complex history reflected in its intricate mixture of ethnic groups, languages and cultures. While, density populated, India is home to a wide range of varied ecoregions with important biodiversity. Its major environmental issues include: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides and herbicides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; and, its huge and growing... More »


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World Environment Day: 5 June 2012 World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event thatis aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. World Environment Day activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere. The theme of WED 2012 is "Green Economy: Does it include you?" World Environment Day celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action. Through World Environment Day, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development. World Environment Day is also a day for people... More »


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The Role of Botanic Gardens in Conservation of Medicinal Plant Species: A Case Study of Entebbe Bontanic Gardens A botanic garden is an institution holding documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education. A botanic garden has been defined as a garden containing scientifically ordered and maintained collections of plants, usually documented and labeled, and open to the public for the purposes of recreation, education and research. Medicinal plant species are those that provide people with medicines to prevent diseases, maintain health or cure ailment. Therefore medicinal plants are important in the well being of people yet most people are not aware about these species or their medicinal value. Examples of these plants include Aloe vera, Hydnocarpus kurzii, Azadirachta indica and many others. Medicinal plant species are of great value to mankind and other animals but not much emphasis is laid on their conservation especially... More »


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Lubbock Lake Landmark The Lubbock Lake National Historic and State Archeological Park, known locally as the Lubbock Lake Landmark, is an archeological and natural history preserve located in Lubbock, Texas, USA. The 300 acre preserve is located in Yellowhouse Draw, an intermittent tributary of the Brazos River. This reserve, which is managed by the Museum of Texas Tech University, is important because it contains evidence of nearly 12,000 years of use by humans as well as records of now extinct species that formerly lived in this area. It is one of the few places in North America known to have a complete record of human existence from the Paleo-Indian culture all the way through the Archaic, ceramic, and Prehistoric cultures. Lubbock Lake Landmark received its name from a reservoir that was created in the 1930s. This area housed a natural spring fed lake until the spring began to... More »


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Sustainable Society Index When we were looking for a suitable yardstick to measure the level of sustainability of a country a suitable instrument could not be found. Although the main existing indexes were examined we had to conclude that none of them seem to fit our needs completely. The main shortcomings are a limited definition of sustainability, a lack of transparency or high complexity and an absence of regular updates. For this reason, a new index – the Sustainable Society Index (SSI) – has been developed. The SSI integrates the most important aspects of sustainability and quality of life of a national society in a simple and transparent way. Consisting of only 22 indicators, grouped into 5 categories, it is based upon the definition of the Brundtland Commission, extended to the Brundtland+ definition by explicitly including the social aspects of human life. Using data from public sources,... More »