Nothing Lasts Forever: Environmental Discourses on the Collapse of Past Societies

The study of the collapse of past societies raises many questions for the theory and practice of archaeology. Interest in collapse extends as well into the natural sciences and environmental and sustainability policy. Despite a range of approaches to collapse, the predominant paradigm is environmental collapse, which I argue obscures recognition of the dynamic role of social processes that lie at the heart of human communities. These environmental discourses, together with confusion over terminology and the concepts of collapse, have created widespread aporia about collapse and resulted in the creation of mixed messages about complex historical and social processes

An Approach To The Effects Of Greek Regional Universities On The Development Of The Country Regions

Although the start of the debate on the contribution of universities to local and regional development dates back several decades, it is only in the past 25 years that it has been intensified and seen from a new perspective in terms of of investigation and consideration. It is therefore imperative that the 'higher education - development' relationship be reviewed and placed on a different basis. The causes for this are the major change in the content of 'development' and the concept of 'university' (mainly in terms of its role in society and the economy), new policies and socio-economic conditions globally, the contemporary weight attributed to new technologies and knowledge dissemination as a 'development factor', as well as the large number of unsuccessful attempts to use the universities as a 'means' for development. In the context of this general consideration at global level, this chapter seeks to investigate whether the Greek regional universities - as they have been established, allocated, organised and operated - have played, and may play, some part in the development of the broader areas (region, town). In other words, this chapter attempts to investigate whether the expansion of higher education institutions throughout Greece has contributed to the improvement in the quality standard of education and a resolution of the country's 'regional problem'. The implementation of the study was based on the investigation of the relevant international and Greek bibliography, and on a series of surveys focusing on: a) the Greek planning system for 'development', 'spatial', 'regional policies' and their association with 'higher education', and b) the entirety of regional universities and cities - prefecture capitals of Greece, placing special emphasis on the seventeen university cities

Integrating ecosystem services and climate change responses in coastal wetlands development plans for Bangladesh

This study explores the integration of ecosystem services and climate change adaptation in development plans for coastal wetlands in Bangladesh. A new response framework for adaptation is proposed, based on an empirical analysis and consultations with stakeholders, using a modified version of the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) framework. The framework is tested in the Narail district of Bangladesh, where temperature has increased by about 1 0C in the summer in combination with an increase in rainfall of 0.70 mm day-1 yr-1 in the last decade. Calibrated model (MAGICC/SENGEN) projections forecast, on average, a temperature increase of up to 5 0C and an increase in rainfall of 25% by the end of this century. Water diversion in the upstream regions of the Ganges delta contributes to increase water scarcity in the dry season. Enhanced rainfall and the immense pressure of water discharges from upstream water sources are increasing the risk of floods and river erosion in the dry season. An increase in the water holding capacity of rivers, wetlands and canals by dredging is urgently required. The empirical model of this study is intended to support adaptation planning in Bangladesh and can be used in other data-poor areas which will suffer from climate change

An intermedia understanding of the networked Twitter ecology. The 2012 Local Elections in Belgium

The chapter will focus on the use of Twitter during the 2012 local elections in Belgium. Via a multi-method approach we aim to understand how the Twitter debate links up to mainstream media outlets and how political actors, media actors and citizens interact in this decentralized and interactive Twitter sphere. In doing so, we elaborate on the role of Twitter (as one of the most popular social media platforms) in the agenda setting and building processes between politicians, media and public opinion. Further, we discuss the role of social media, and Twitter in particular, in the rejuvenation of democrac