PubMed · 9419936
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C Stillman-Lowe. 1997-11-22. Between two paradigms.. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4809505
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Attempting to manage the environment as a whole, even from just a scientific standpoint, is not easy. The sheer size and scale can be daunting. It is difficult even to encompass the many facets involved. This short paper therefore attempts to tackle the problem by describing a framework approach which encompasses how one might assess the actual state of the environment at any one time; characterise the ever-changing pressures placed upon it; the manner by which the resultant problems need to be addressed; and thus what sort of responses are required. No system or framework is ever likely to be fully adequate, but some form of framework is essential in order to deliver a more sustainable approach to environmental management than has so far been achieved.
Environmental risk assessment has matured into a powerful analytical tool, which is finding ever-wider applications in the arena of policy making and regulation. However, the principal focus of its development to date has been on the technical challenges of characterising and modelling the environmental behaviour and biological action of chemicals, whereas issues concerning its broader socio-political context have been generally neglected. Problem definition, risk analysis and decision making have, therefore, tended to be dominated by experts and by expert opinion. Fresh insights from the social sciences advocate a pluralistic, inclusive approach, with experts participating alongside other stakeholders in a consensual decision making process. Adoption of this paradigm has far reaching consequences for the form and conduct of risk assessment and risk management.
Obesity has increased at an alarming rate in recent years and is now a worldwide public health problem. In addition to suffering poor health and an increased risk of illnesses such as hypertension and heart disease, obese people are often stigmatized socially. But major advances have now been made in identifying the components of the homeostatic system that regulates body weight, including several of the genes responsible for animal and human obesity. A key element of the physiological system is the hormone leptin, which acts on nerve cells in the brain (and elsewhere) to regulate food intake and body weight. The identification of additional molecules that comprise this homeostatic system will provide further insights into the molecular basis of obesity, and possibilities for new treatments.