AUTHOR'S BIO
Arne Jernelov
Arne Jernelov is Professor of Environmental Biochemistry, an honorary scholar and former director of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Vienna, and a UN expert on environmental catastrophes.
| RECENT COMMENTARIES | FEATURED COMMENTARIES | MOST READ COMMENTARIES |
-
The Environmental Fallout of the War in Lebanon
Arne Jernelov Series: Science and Society 2006-08-15In any war, the primary focus is on dead, wounded and displaced people. The number of people killed as a result of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon at the time of this writing is reported to be roughly 800 Lebanese and 120 Israelis – not an atypical ratio for Arab-Israeli conflicts. The UN estimates the number of displaced persons to be more than a million, about 800,000 of them Lebanese.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 15496
-
Sexy Culture
Arne Jernelov Series: Science and Society 2006-05-22Why is there culture? What motivates people to write poems, paint, or sing? Most people engaged in these activities would respond with answers like, “because I like to” or, “because it fulfills me,” if not, “I feel obliged not to waste my talent.” They tend to believe that culture reflects the existence of a soul type, or that it's an expression of humans’ intelligence and creativity.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 15481
-
The Ozone Mafia
Arne Jernelov Series: Science and Society 2005-05-05Now that the Kyoto Protocol has been ratified, with even Russia belatedly signing on, a threat is emerging against an earlier landmark in international environmental protection – the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol for defending the stratospheric ozone layer. The threat comes from an unlikely source: organized crime.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 15143
-
The Environmental Effect of Tsunamis
Arne Jernelov Series: Science and Society 2005-01-24Reports about the tsunamis that devastated Southeast Asia barely a month ago have understandably been dominated by tales of death, suffering, and the physical destruction of infrastructure. But man was not alone in feeling the impact. Ecosystems and other species were also hit.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 19465
-
Science and the Meaning of Life
Arne Jernelov Series: Science and Society 2004-09-17Most religions embrace and promote certain notions about the meaning of life, offering the faithful reasons why we and all other organisms exist. Indeed, perhaps the fundamental definition of religious faith is the believe that life serves a (divine) purpose. Science, however, has always given a resounding "no" to the question "Does life have a higher meaning?"... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 17155
-
Iraq's Secret Environmental Disasters
Arne Jernelov Series: Science and Society 2003-09-09Horror stories of all types have emerged in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. But not only people were horrifically abused. Iraq's environment was tormented as well. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 10829
-
War and the Environment
Arne Jernelov Series: Science and Society 2003-06-06Concern about the environmental consequences of war probably started after the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at World War Two's end, when no one knew how long lasting the radioactive contamination would be or what clean-up measures could be taken. During the Cold War, the environmental effects of an all-out nuclear confrontation became a matter of forecast and speculation, illustrated by the concept ``nuclear winter.'' ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 15352
-
The Environmental Effects of the Iraq War
Arne Jernelov Series: The World in Words 2003-04-16Aside from the infrastructure damage and civilian suffering and death implied by the cynical term "collateral damage," all wars have environmental effects. The extent of environmental damage depends on a war's duration, the weapons used, and the type of terrain and ecosystems in which it takes place. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 10330
| MOST READ | MOST RECOMMENDED | MOST COMMENTED |
