Sustainability and Sahelian soils: evidence from Niger

It is difficult to produce systems for judging sustainability, despite general enthusiasm for the concept. Here we evaluate the 'capitals' formulation for sustainability, which attempts to bring together the social and the environmental dimensions of the issue, and which has gained wide currency. We concentrate our attention on the 'natural capital' element in this framework, which has apparently been seen as its least problematical component. We use data on soil erosion from a Sahelian agricultural community in Niger. Despite apparently high rates of erosion, we find it difficult to decide whether the system is sustainable (using the capitals or any other framework). It is even dubious whether sustainability is an urgent concern. We caution against imposing yet another poorly formulated set of concepts on this and similar systems.     

The orbiting stellar ultraviolet spectrophotometer S59 in ESRO's TD-1A satellite

The ultraviolet stellar spectrophotometer S59 of the Utrecht Astronomical Institute uses the stabilization properties of the ESRO TD-1A satellite. This spacecraft scans the sky along eliptic meridians with an orbital precession of one degree per day, thus covering the whole celestial sphere in half a year. This property is combined with a tracking system which points the spectrophotometer during four minutes at stars of sufficient brightness. During this time interval the ultraviolet stellar spectrum is scanned with a resolution of 1.7 Å in three bands of about 100 Å, around 2110, 2545 and 2825 Å. The optical, mechanical and electronic properties of the instrument and its tracking system are described in some detail, as well as the optical and technical performance in laboratory tests and in orbit. Some results obtained during the first half year of operation are briefly described.     

Oil Extraction and Benefit Sharing in an Illiberal Context: The Nenets and Komi-Izhemtsi Indigenous Peoples in the Russian Arctic

ABSTRACT

How can indigenous communities in illiberal regimes benefit from oil production? This paper compares the experience of two indigenous peoples in the Russian Arctic, the Nenets and the Komi-Izhemtsi, in their quest for environmental protection and the development of benefit-sharing arrangements with Lukoil, a Russian oil company. The Nenets people, recognized by the Russian state as indigenous, are marginalized political actors who identified a route to receiving compensation for loss of land and damage to the environment as well as economic benefits under the auspices of Russian law and Lukoil’s corporate policies. In contrast, the Komi-Izhemtsi, despite indigenous status in global institutions including the United Nations and the Arctic Council, are unrecognized as indigenous domestically and initially received no compensation. Their path to benefit sharing was more challenging as they partnered with local nongovernmental organizations and global environmentalists to pressure Lukoil to sign a benefit-sharing agreement. Ultimately, the comparison illustrates how transnational partnerships can empower indigenous people to gain benefits from natural resource exploitation even in illiberal political systems.