The Battles over Sustainability and Climate Change

The political battles between anti-regulatory and libertarian conservatives and environmentalists have focused on two major and interrelated issues: sustainability and climate change. The opening of this chapter sets the stage by looking at the “Great Pacific vortex,” a vast whirlpool of plastic garbage the size of Texas, as a symptom of environmental distress. The battle over unrestrained growth took the form of “the Bet,” a wager between the Malthusian population doomsayer Paul Ehrlich and the libertarian economist Julian Simon. Whereas Ehrlich said growing world populations threatened life on earth, Simon argued that population growth was the solution, not the problem. Scarcity triggers a substitution effect (kerosene for whale oil) and as population increases so does human ingenuity. In the 1990s, the battle over climate change upstaged the argument over population. Enter Al Gore. As scientists battled to build a climate model that predicted the impact of greenhouse gases on temperatures, Gore heard a lecture in which his professor at Harvard, Roger Revelle, showed the class a graph of the “Keeling Curve” that demonstrated an unmistakable pattern of rising temperatures. It transformed the path of Gore’s life and the debate over climate change. The formation of the IPCC, along with the climate conferences at Rio in 1992 and Kyoto in 1997, provided an international platform on which scientists and government officials debated the nature of climate change and the need for governments to act. The Bush administration not only rejected Kyoto but also encouraged increased purchases of gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks.

Epidemiology and clinical features of congenital malformations of uri-nary system organs in conditions of environmental distress

Objective. To establish the features of epidemiology and clinical manifestations of congenital malformations of the urinary system in the zone of environmental distress. Material and methods. We analyzed the overall prevalence of nephropathies and the proportion of congenital malformations of the urinary system in the dynamics from 2001 to 2019; 697 patients aged 118 years were examined with assessment of clinical and anamnestic, laboratory, instrumental and radiological data in accordance with diagnostic standards and protocols. We studied the features of epidemiology and clinical manifestations of congenital kidney and urinary tract diseases in an area with an unfavorable environmental situation. Results. Over the past 2 decades, the general prevalence of nephropathies in the children's population has increased with an elevation in the proportion of congenital malformations of the urinary system. These indicators are significantly higher in an area with a high level of anthropogenic environmental pollution than in an area with a relatively favorable environmental situation. Features of congenital pathology of the kidneys and urinary tract in patients living in an environmentally unfavorable zone were revealed: the presence of mass deficiency, reduced resistance, combination with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia syndrome, more frequent attachment of microbial-inflammatory process, decreased concentration and evacuation function of the kidneys. Conclusions. These features of epidemiology and clinical manifestations of congenital malformations of the urinary system in patients living in a region with a high level of environmental pollution should be taken into account when carrying out their medical support.

Adaptación y validación factorial de dos escalas de solastalgia en español en contextos con embalses

Objetivo Reportar los resultados del proceso de adaptación y evaluación psicométrica de dos escalas para medir la solastalgia en contextos relacionados con la construcción de embalses.Métodos Primero se adaptó al español la escala Environmental Distress Scale de Higginbotham et ál., que fue probada con una población ribereña del río San Jorge (Córdoba, Colombia). Luego se hicieron grupos focales y entrevistas con habitantes cercanos a Hidrosogamoso para comprender el concepto de solastalgia, asociado a la construcción de embalses. Finalmente se construyeron dos escalas, de 8 y 13 ítems, que fueron usadas con residentes cercanos a las centrales hidroeléctricas de Sogamoso (Santander) y El Quimbo (Huila), respectivamente. La validación incluyó la evaluación de unidimensionalidad con componentes principales y la evaluación de confiabilidad con alfa de Cronbach.Resultados Participaron 103 individuos de los alrededores del embalse de Hidrosogamoso y 277 individuos del embalse de El Quimbo. En ambas escalas se identificó un factor con eigenvalue de 3,95 y 8,12 en Hidrosogamoso y El Quimbo, respectivamente. Los coeficientes de Cronbach fueron de 0,8515 y 0,9441 para los grupos Hidrosogamoso y El Quimbo, respectivamente.Conclusiones Los resultados permitieron tener dos escalas en español de 8 y 13 ítems, siendo esta última la de mejor desempeño psicométrico. Así, no es posible tener solo una escala de solastalgia, debido a que debe ser adaptada al ambiente deteriorado o contaminado relacionado con la solastalgia.

Spiritual renewal and the healing of creation

This article is a biblical exploration of the interplay between spiritual renewal of the people of God and the spirit’s work of renewing and healing creation. On the flip side, it highlights the biblical theme of environmental distress as a consequence of human disobedience. Beginning with God’s social covenant with Israel, the article moves to a primary focus on ecological texts in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah’s vision encompasses climactic catastrophes, the plight of animal species, the integrity and pollution of the soil, deforestation, and the languishing and flourishing of the entire created order. Isaiah’s pneumatology uniquely portrays the work of the Creator Spirit as one of renewing and breathing new life into a suffering world. This article offers a fresh exegesis of the ecological texts of Isaiah and considers a number of practical implications for mission in light of the environmental challenges particularly unique to Canada’s province of Alberta. It concludes by charting some of the ways people who exhibit the fruit of the spirit might alter their lifestyles and contribute to the spirit’s work of healing creation.