Speciesistic Veganism: An Anthropocentric Argument

The paper proposes an anthropocentric argument for veganism based on a speciesistic premise that most carnists likely affirm: human flourishing should be promoted. I highlight four areas of human suffering promoted by a carnistic diet: (1) health dangers to workers (both physical and psychological), (2) economic dangers to workers, (3) physical dangers to communities around slaughterhouses, and (4) environmental dangers to communities-at-large. Consequently, one could ignore the well-being of non-human animals and nevertheless recognize significant moral failings in the current standard system of meat production

Residuos en el mar Balear

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British industrial relations pluralism in the era of neoliberalism

This article provides a broad overview of the pluralist tradition in UK industrial relations scholarship, identifying its defining characteristics and mapping its evolution in recent decades. It deals in turn with the following: the appreciation of the relative interests of workers and employers that lies at the heart of the pluralist frame of reference, the research agenda that flows from this understanding, pluralist conceptions of context and agency within industrial relations, the standards that pluralists habitually use when assessing the employment relationship, the targets and modes of critique that pluralists direct against intellectual opponents, and the prescriptions that pluralists offer for industrial relations reform. Throughout the article there is a focus on change within the pluralist tradition and the manner in which it has adapted to the hegemony of neoliberalism in the realms of both ideas and policy

Microplastic ingestion in commercial fish species Boops boops, sardine Pilchardus and Engraulis encrasicolus in the western Mediterranean sea: MEDIAS SURVEY

Microplastic ingestion was assessed for three commercial fish species in the western Mediterranean Sea: Boops boops, Sardina pilchardus and Engraulis encrasicolus during the 2015 Spanish MEDIAS survey. Gastrointestinal tracts of 183 fish from 16 sites were examined. A total of 42 microplastics were found in the stomach contents of 31 individuals from all three species. B. boops was found to have ingested the most items (27%). No significant differences between abundance of ingested microplastics and spatial distribution of the sites were found, although it does appears microplastics are common in the food web of each species along the eastern coast of Spain

Spatial distribution of macro- and micro-litter items along rocky and sandy beaches of a Marine Protected Area in the western Mediterranean Sea

In this study, the spatial distribution and physical characteristics of beach macro- and micro-litter within the Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park (Cabrera MPA), in the Balearic Islands have been analysed. For macro-litter items, a mean concentration of 1.9 ± 2.4 items/m2 weighing a total of 13 kg was quantified. In terms of beach composition, cobble beaches with deposited seagrass had almost twice as much marine litter as other beaches. For beach micro-litter items, white and transparent microplastics within the size class of 1–2 mm were the most abundant on all the beaches, and the most common polymer types were polyethylene (64%) and polypropylene (17.2%). Overall, for both macro- and micro-litter items, plastic was the most dominant material (90%) identified on all beaches surveyed within Cabrera MPA, indicating areas of low anthropogenic pressures are increasingly becoming sinks for marine litter.En prens

Assessing spatial and temporal distributions of marine litter: 11-year dataset of coastal floating marine debris in the Balearic Islands

The present work constitutes a preliminary assessment of the spatial and temporal distribution of floating marine debris along the Balearic Islands’ coastline during the months of May - October from 2005 to 2015. This long-term dataset indicates marine debris was found in 42.46% of all monitoring surveys, with plastic marine debris being found in 93.41% of the marine debris surveyed. Elevated accumulation zones were present in the southern regions and plastic was consistently the most abundant for both nearshore and offshore coastal areas. This study provides insight into the magnitude of marine debris surrounding the Balearic Islands highlighting the need for action and awareness to address its increasing pressures on marine and coastal ecosystems

Are the seafloors of marine protected areas sinks for marine litter? Composition and spatial distribution in Cabrera National Park

The seafloors of oceans and seas are becoming major sinks for marine litter (ML) at a global scale and especially within the Mediterranean Sea. Within global oceans and seas, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established to protect and conserve marine habitats and increase marine biodiversity. In this study, extensive coastal shallow scuba diving surveys were conducted in 2019 and 2020 to identify the distribution of ML in the MPA of Cabrera Marine-Terrestrial National Park (Cabrera MPA) in the Balearic Islands. Approximately 900 items weighing 70.1 kg were collected throughout the MPA during the underwater surveys. Glass bottles, including pieces (25–30%) and glass or ceramic fragments >2.5 cm (8–19%) were the most common identified items followed by plastic food containers and plastic bags (~8%). Overall, 75% of the abundance of collected ML was observed during the first year. In terms of the protection status of the different locations, similar abundances of ML were found in public access areas and no-take areas. Additionally, no significant differences were identified according to location indicating that ML on the seafloor was homogeneous within the studied shallow coastal areas. Overall, the results indicate that Cabrera MPA is a hotspot for ML and mitigation actions and measures, such as annual cleaning efforts, can help to prevent and minimize ML accumulation on the seafloor.En prens

When workplace unionism in global value chains does not function well : exploring the impediments

Improving working conditions at the bottom of global value chains has become a central issue in our global economy. In this battle, trade unionism has been presented as a way for workers to make their voices heard. Therefore, it is strongly promoted by most social standards. However, establishing a well-functioning trade union is not as obvious as it may seem. Using a comparative case study approach, we examine impediments to farm-level unionism in the cut flower industry in Ethiopia. For this purpose, we propose an integrated framework combining two lenses, namely a vertical one (governance and structure of global value chains) and a horizontal one (socio-economic context). We identify 10 impediments that point to three major dimensions contributing to unionisation. These three dimensions include awareness of and interest from workers, legitimacy of trade unions, and capacity of trade unions to act. Furthermore, our results suggest that private social standards may, in certain cases, be counterproductive for the efficient functioning of trade unions. Although we argue that there is no ‘quick fix’ solution to weak workplace unionism at the bottom of global value chains, we stress the importance of considering the dynamics of, and interactions between, the impediments when designing potential support measures that mitigate negative impacts

Anthropogenic particles in the zooplankton aggregation layer and ingestion in fish species along the Catalan continental shelf

In this study, we examine anthropogenic particles (APs) in the zooplankton aggregation layer and in fish species along the continental Catalan shelf. APs in the zooplankton aggregation layer were found in 100% of the net tows. Fibres of textile origin dominated the types of AP found in the zooplankton aggregation layer (96%). APs were found ingested in all species of fish at each sampling site, with an overall ingestion occurrence of 21%, with the most abundant fragments (62%). Significant differences in ingestion occurrence were found between species and hierarchal cluster analysis identified two feeding groups, S. pilchardus, T. trachurus and P. erythrinus almost exclusively ingested fibres while T. mediterraneus, S. colias and S. cantharus almost exclusively ingested fragments. The results indicate that the ingestion of APs in the first group of species occurs through indirect ingestion, whereas, in contrast, the second group is composed of more predatory and selective feeders, possibly through accidental predation. In general, our findings indicate that the fate of APs in fish on the Catalan continental shelf depends on the combination of feeding ecology and the availability of APs in the water column.En prens