Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural food production to supply Indian diets: Implications for climate change mitigation

Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. The growing global population is putting pressure on agricultural production systems that aim to secure food production while minimising GHG emissions. In this study, the GHG emissions associated with the production of major food commodities in India are calculated using the Cool Farm Tool. GHG emissions, based on farm management for major crops (including cereals like wheat and rice, pulses, potatoes, fruits and vegetables) and livestock-based products (milk, eggs, chicken and mutton meat), are quantified and compared. Livestock and rice production were found to be the main sources of GHG emissions in Indian agriculture with a country average of 5.65 kg CO2eq kg-1 rice, 45.54 kg CO2eq kg-1 mutton meat and 2.4 kg CO2eq kg-1 milk. Production of cereals (except rice), fruits and vegetables in India emits comparatively less GHGs with <1 kg CO2eq kg-1 product. These findings suggest that a shift towards dietary patterns with greater consumption of animal source foods could greatly increase GHG emissions from Indian agriculture. A range of mitigation options are available that could reduce emissions from current levels and may be compatible with increased future food production and consumption demands in India

Widespread Climate Change in the Himalayas and Associated Changes in Local Ecosystems

Background: Climate change in the Himalayas, a biodiversity hotspot, home of many sacred landscapes, and the source of eight largest rivers of Asia, is likely to impact the well-being of $\sim$20% of humanity. However, despite the extraordinary environmental, cultural, and socio-economic importance of the Himalayas, and despite their rapidly increasing ecological degradation, not much is known about actual changes in the two most critical climatic variables: temperature and rainfall. Nor do we know how changes in these parameters might impact the ecosystems including vegetation phenology. Methodology/Principal Findings: By analyzing temperature and rainfall data, and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) values from remotely sensed imagery, we report significant changes in temperature, rainfall, and vegetation phenology across the Himalayas between 1982 and 2006. The average annual mean temperature during the 25 year period has increased by 1.5$^\circ$C with an average increase of 0.06$^\circ$C yr$^{−1}$. The average annual precipitation has increased by 163 mm or 6.52 mmyr$^{−1}$. Since changes in temperature and precipitation are immediately manifested as changes in phenology of local ecosystems, we examined phenological changes in all major ecoregions. The average start of the growing season (SOS) seems to have advanced by 4.7 days or 0.19 days yr$^{−1}$ and the length of growing season (LOS) appears to have advanced by 4.7 days or 0.19 days yr$^{−1}$, but there has been no change in the end of the growing season (EOS). There is considerable spatial and seasonal variation in changes in climate and phenological parameters. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first time that large scale climatic and phenological changes at the landscape level have been documented for the Himalayas. The rate of warming in the Himalayas is greater than the global average, confirming that the Himalayas are among the regions most vulnerable to climate change

Rytmikens och solfègens ursprung : Emile Jaques-Dalcroze och hans samtid

Den schweiziske musikern och pedagogen Emile Jaques-Dalcroze utvecklade under sin livstid den rörelsebaserade musikpedagogiska metod som i dag går under namnet rytmik. Syftet med denna magisteruppsats är att undersöka uppkomsten och den tidiga utvecklingen av Jaques-Dalcrozes ursprungliga rytmik och framför allt solfège – rörelsebaserad gehörsträning – som är ett av dess huvudmoment. För att finna svar på frågan om hur Jaques-Dalcrozes egen historia påverkade hans val av pedagogisk inriktning för hans gehörsundervisning och på frågan om på vilket sätt samtiden påverkade framväxten och mottagandet av solfègen, undersöks Jaques-Dalcrozes liv fram till 1906 samt kulturella, pedagogiska och andra samhälleliga strömningar under 1800-talet. Utgångspunkten är i historisk metod och med ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv och resultatet presenteras i en delvis biografisk form. Undersökningen visar att Jaques-Dalcroze tveklöst influerades av samtiden och påverkades av människor som kom i hans närhet, framför allt hans pianolärare de Senger, Prosnitz och Lussy, violinisten Ysaÿe, psykologen Claparède och Jaques-Dalcrozes kollegor Gorter, Boepple och Chassevant. Pestalozzi, Nägeli och Fröbel var pedagoger vars idéer återspeglas i Jaques-Dalcrozes metod. De olika influenserna i synergi med hans egen personliga historia och förutsättningar var det som ledde fram till utvecklingen av rytmiken.During his lifetime the Swiss musician and pedagogue Emile Jaques-Dalcroze developed Dalcroze-Eurhythmics, a movement-based methodology in music education. The purpose of the present study is to explore the early development of Jaques-Dalcroze’s original Eurhythmics and especially solfège – movement based aural training – which is one of its main fields. This study aims to fathom Jaques-Dalcrozes life up to the year 1906, as well as the cultural, pedagogical and other societal tendencies during the 19th century to investigate how Jaques-Dalcroze’s personal history influenced his choice of pedagogical emphasis for his aural training, and how contemporary society in his time influenced the development and reception of Eurhythmics and solfège. The methodological basis of the study is historical with a hermeneutic perspective. The result is partly presented in a biographical form. The study shows that Jaques-Dalcroze was without doubt influenced by the world of his time, and was affected by people in his milieu, particularly his piano teachers de Senger, Prosnitz and Lussy, the virtuoso violinist Ysaÿe, the psychologist Claparède and the colleges of Jaques-Dalcroze Gorter, Boepple and Chassevant. Pestalozzi, Nägeli and Fröbel were pedagogues whose ideas were mirrored in the method of Jaques-Dalcroze. These different influences, in synergy with his own personal history and preconditions, led to the development of Dalcroze-Eurhythmics

Anfibios

Convenio 1283 de 2015, Fundación Zoológico Santacruz - Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca CAR. Para mayor información, consultar: www.zoosantacruz.org y www.car.gov.c