Putting sustainability into sustainable human development

Abating the threat climate change poses to the lives of future people clearly challenges our development models. The 2011 Human Devel- opment Report rightly focuses on the integral links between sustainability and equity. However, the human development and capabilities approach emphasizes the expansion of people’s capabilities simpliciter, which is ques- tionable in view of environmental sustainability. We argue that capabilities should be defined as triadic relations between an agent, constraints and poss- ible functionings. This triadic syntax particularly applies to climate change: since people’s lives and capabilities are dependent on the environment, sus- tainable human development should also include constraining human activi- ties in order to prevent losses in future people’s well-being due to the adverse effects of exacerbated climate change. On this basis, we will advocate that the goals of sustainable human development should be informed by a fra- mework that consists of enhancing capabilities up to a threshold level, as well as constraining the functionings beyond this threshold in terms of their green- house gas emissions

Moral disengagement and the motivational gap in climate change

Although climate change jeopardizes the fundamental human rights of current as well as future people, current actions and ambitions to tackle it are inadequate. There are two prominent explanations for this motivational gap in the climate ethics literature. The first maintains that our conventional moral judgement system is not well equipped to identify a complex problem such as climate change as an important moral problem. The second explanation refers to people’s reluctance to change their behaviour and the temptation to shirk responsibility. We argue that both factors are at play in the motivational gap and that they are complemented by crucial moral psychological insights regarding moral disengagement, which enables emitters to dissociate self-condemnation from harmful conduct. In this way, emitters are able to maintain their profligate, consumptive lifestyle, even though this conflicts with their moral standards with respect to climate change. We provide some illustrations of how strategies of moral disengagement are deployed in climate change and discuss the relationship between the explanations for the motivational gap and moral disengagement. On the basis of this explanatory framework, we submit that there are three pathways to tackle the motivational gap and moral disengagement in climate change: making climate change more salient to emitters and affirming their self-efficacy; reconsidering the self-interested motives that necessitate moral disengagement; and tackling moral disengagement directly

Focussing on people who experience poverty and on poor-led social movements::the methodology of moral philosophy, collective capabilities, and solidarity

In this commentary, I discuss three aspects of Monique Deveaux’saccount. First, the method ofGrounded Normative Theorizingsheadopts to engage directly with the contexts and views of thoseexperiencing povertyfits within a range of proposals to enhancethe methodology of moral and political philosophy, and I wouldcall on all philosophers working in this space to further developthese innovative methodologies. Second, Deveaux extends thecapabilities approach by focusing on the group-based characterof poverty and making the case for building the collectivecapabilities of poor-led social movements. While I do notsubstantially disagree with this argument (in practice), I arguethat we should be careful to avoid normative collectivism (as atheoretical assumption). Finally, Deveaux discusses politicalsolidarity with people experiencing poverty. I argue that thisshould be based on esteeming each other’s various contributionsin more diverse ways than only in narrow economic terms.Treating people in poverty and poor-led social movements asagents of justice, as Deveaux advocates, is a significant step in this endeavour

Insulin resistence in adult type-2 diabetic skeletal muscle : the effects of exercise and dietary-protein induced skeletal mucscle plasticity controlling microvascular blood flow and glucose transport : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Sport and Exercise Science), Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Introduction: Insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake is impaired in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Insulin resistance leads to reduced skeletal muscle microvascular function and insulin signalling. The purpose of the thesis was to evaluate and compare the effect of chronic intake of a novel keratin-derived protein (WDP) and whey protein, in conjunction with exercise training, on glucose homeostasis and skeletal muscle glucose uptake in T2DM. Methods: In a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial, thirty-five men and women with T2DM completed a 14-week exercise intervention but were randomly assigned to ingest either post-exercise and evening supplements of 20 g WDP-whey protein blend (WDP, n = 11), whey protein (WHEY, n = 12) or isocaloric maltodextrin (CON, n = 12). Before and after the intervention, fasting HbA1c and glucose clearance rate (GCR) during a hyperinsulinaemic isoglycaemic clamp were measured. Insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle blood flow and volume were measured during the clamps via near -infrared spectroscopy. Muscle from the m. vastus lateralis was harvested prior to and at 1-h into the clamps to determine skeletal muscle insulin signalling proteins. Results: Substantially bigger improvements in WDP compared to WHEY or CON were found for GCR, insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation and insulin-stimulated blood flow. Fasting eNOSser1177/eNOS possibly increased in WDP and WHEY compared to CON. Capillarization improved in all groups with unclear differences between groups. Conclusion: WDP-whey blend ingestion during 14 weeks of exercise training improved skeletal muscle plasticity and some processes involved in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake to a greater magnitude compared to whey protein or an exercise-only group in T2DM. WDP protein holds the potential to be an additional therapy to exercise as a treatment in T2DM

Is the clean development mechanism delivering benefits to the poorest communities in the developing world? : a critical evaluation and proposals for reform

This paper explores whether the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a flexibility mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, has contributed to poverty alleviation in countries that host CDM projects. We argue that the CDM should deliver pro-poor benefits to the communities in which projects are established, since poverty alleviation is integral to sustainable development, which is one of the main purposes of the CDM. After briefly discussing the background of the CDM, we discuss assessment difficulties to which research is prone when evaluating CDM projects for alleged sustainable development contributions. Section 4 brings together and analyses available empirical research on the pro-poor benefits the CDM purportedly delivers to host country communities, concluding that the CDM has failed to deliver poverty alleviation. Therefore, without attempting to be exhaustive, we suggest policy reforms that aim to redirect the CDM to those most in need of assistance

Phase I, randomized, observer-blind, placebo-controlled studies to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of an investigational non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) protein vaccine in adults

Background: Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major cause of various respiratory diseases. The development of an effective vaccine against NTHi mandates new approaches beyond conjugated vaccines as this opportunistic bacterium is non-encapsulated. Here we report on the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a multi-component investigational vaccine based on three conserved surface proteins from NTHi (proteins D [PD],E [PE] and Pilin A [PilA]) in two observer-blind phase I studies. Methods: In the first study (NCT01657526), 48 healthy 18-40 year-olds received two vaccine formulations (10 or 30 mu g of each antigen [PD and a fusion protein PE-PilA]) or saline placebo at months 0 and 2. In the second study (NCT01678677), 270 50-70 year-olds, current or former smokers, received eight vaccine formulations (10 or 30 mu g antigen/dose non-adjuvanted or adjuvanted with alum, AS01(E) or ASO4(c)) or saline placebo at months 0,2 and 6 (plain and alum-adjuvanted groups) and at months 0 and 2 (AS-adjuvanted groups). Solicited and unsolicited adverse events (AEs) were recorded for 7 and 30 days post-vaccination, respectively; potential immune-mediated diseases (pIMDs) and serious AEs (SAEs) throughout the studies. Humoral and antigen-specific T-cell immunity (in study 2 only) responses were assessed up to 12 months post-vaccination. Results: Observed reactogenicity was highest in the AS-adjuvanted groups but no safety concerns were identified with any of the NTHi vaccine formulations. One fatal SAE (cardiac arrest) not considered related to vaccination, and one pIMD (non-serious psoriasis) in the Placebo group, were reported post-dose 3 in Study 2. All formulations generated a robust antibody response while the AS01-adjuvanted formulations produced the highest humoral and cellular immune responses. Conclusion: This study confirms that the NTHi vaccine formulations had an acceptable reactogenicity and safety profile and were immunogenic in adults. These results justify further clinical development of this NTHi vaccine candidate