Racism and Intolerance in Eastern Australia: a geographic perspective

Racism has become a fact of life in Australia over the past decade or so, yet there are relatively few studies of its nature or extent, and still fewer on its geography. Using a social constructivist approach, this study draws on a survey of 5056 respondents to investigate attitudes to racism and cultural diversity in New South Wales and Queensland, and of perceptions of out-groups as instances of ‘strangers in our midst’. On racism, results show the presence of a continuum of attitudes ranging from generally tolerant to generally intolerant, a presence which cuts across compositional (social or aspatial) characteristics to emphasise the existence of a distinctive geography, an everywhere different nature to racist and non-racist attitudes which transcends urban–rural and traditional social layers. On the other hand, perceptions of out-groups are not uniformly correlated with presence or absence of cultural diversity. In many cases, the ability to make judgements about significant ‘others’ or out-groups has been shown to relate more to abstract notions of self and national identity, reproduced in public by mainstream news media and political leaders. In particular, it may reflect an Anglo (or Anglo-Celtic) view on nationalism, which is a hallmark of the ‘new racism’: an assimilationist or ethnocultural view of Australian society which is different from the ‘civic nation’ ideal envisaged by multiculturalism. That the geography of attitudes and perceptions people have towards and about different cultural groups is so ‘everywhere different’ has important implications for attempts to address and redress issues of intolerance in Australia.     

Rights or Containment? The politics of Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria

Aboriginal cultural heritage protection, and the legislative regimes that underpin it, constitute important mechanisms for Aboriginal people to assert their rights and responsibilities. This is especially so in Victoria, where legislation vests wide-ranging powers and control of cultural heritage with Aboriginal communities. However, the politics of cultural heritage, including its institutionalisation as a scientific body of knowledge within the state, can also result in a powerful limiting of Aboriginal rights and responsibilities. This paper examines the politics of cultural heritage through a case study of a small forest in north-west Victoria. Here, a dispute about logging has pivoted around differing conceptualisations of Aboriginal cultural heritage values and their management. Cultural heritage, in this case, is both a powerful tool for the assertion of Aboriginal rights and interests, but simultaneously a set of boundaries within which the state operates to limit and manage the challenge those assertions pose. The paper will argue that Aboriginal cultural heritage is a politically contested and shifting domain structured around Aboriginal law and politics, Australian statute and the legacy of colonial history.     

Asking the right questions: environmental conflict in the case of Azerbaijan

This paper contributes an empirical test of key themes of the literature on natural resource conflict. Survey and interview data from an ongoing project in Azerbaijan provide insights into an unexpected lack of conflict in Azerbaijan related to the environment, resources and energy despite the predictions of resource conflict literature. We contend that questions about public perceptions about the environment and other daily concerns are critical if we are to understand who is likely (or unlikely) to be involved in conflict and why. The data presented in this paper demonstrate that Azerbaijani citizens rank environmental and resource issues among their immediate concerns and their top concerns for the country. However, compared to other day-to-day concerns such as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and economic concerns, environment-related concerns do not appear to be sufficient to motivate widespread violent conflict or citizen dissent related to environmental or natural resource conditions.     

'Toheroa Wars': Cultural politics and everyday resistance on a northern New Zealand beach

Abstract:  This paper examines how the cultural politics of resource management were played out on the North Kaipara beach between about 1900 and 1971 between Māori and the representative of the Crown, the Marine Department. Particular attention is devoted to how, after regulations were introduced to protect toheroa, the giant surf clam, Māori struggled to assert their rights through a range of transgressions. The paper argues that this illustrates how cultural politics works both from the top down (the Marine Department's implementation of policy) and the bottom up (Māori resistance). It concludes that through an examination of this particular 'culture war', the foreshore emerges as a contested domain where politics, culture and epistemology are inseparable.     

河北省邯邢东部平原区（冀南凹陷）地热资源的利用与开发

邯邢东部平原区温增温率3℃／100m，被任为是不宜开采利用的“非地热异常区”。但近几年来在该区已成功施工了井深1500～1800m的探采结合地热井拾余口，井口出水温度达50℃以上，证实了邯邢东部平原区地热开发利用前景广阔。根据该区域地热条件背景及地热资源赋存特点，结合该区近几年地热探采施工体会，对地热井成井工艺和合理开发利用地热资源的提出了有益见解，对类似平原区地热资源的开发利用具有一定的启发和借鉴意义。     

推进煤矸石资源化利用的对策建议

煤矸石是我国排放量和堆存量最大的工业固体废弃物之一，但又是可以利用的资源，只要加以资源化利用，就能会变废为宝。在研究我国煤矸石综合利用现状的基础上，指出了煤矸石综合利用中存在的主要问题，从制定规划、完善经济政策、加强法制建设等方面提出了加快推进煤矸石资源化利用的建议。     

张家口地下热水资源成因探讨

张家口地热资源丰富，通过对区内地热成矿机制，成矿规律的分析认为，以祁吕系为主的多构造体系复合部位控制了本区地下热水的形成与分布，本区地下热水是大气降水经深循环而成，经计算深循环的深度达为2600m，张家口南部地区有很多个热水异常点，是具有远景意义的地热区。     

新密煤田地热资源成因探讨

通过对新密煤田地质条件、构造条件、煤系岩石的放射性特征、下热水的水文地球化学、气体成分等特征的研究,认为形成新密煤田地热资源的热源是来自硫化矿物生热、岩浆余热以及煤系地层岩石放射性物质产热的学说证据不足;而新密煤田的水文地质条件,地质构造条件为该区地下水的深循环提供了条件,故而在该区形成了水热型的中低温地热资源.     

四川扎如沟旅游资源开发初探

扎如沟是九寨沟的一条支流，位于九寨沟东北角偏北方向，它以其丰富的自然和人文资源，良好的区位优势，成为九寨沟下一步最具有开发价值的区域。详细阐述了扎如沟现有的资源优势，提出了统一规划，分步实施，突出特色，突出主题，实施品牌战略，开发与保护并重的资源开发总体思路，并给出了一系列切实可行的旅游产品设计方案。     

地下水资源管理预警系统的建立及应用研究——以长春城区为例

由于长春城区地下水的超采产生了环境恶化,结合地下水预测模型和地质及水文地质条件,以长春城区为例建立了地下水资源管理预警模型。根据长春城区的地质及水文地质条件提出水位水质预警标准,并根据模型编制了地下水资源管理预警系统。利用所建立的预警系统,对现状和未来开采条件下水位水质进行预警,从而为水资源的科学管理和持续利用提供可靠依据和保障。