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"SOCIAL RISK ASSESSMENT"
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Linking science and technology to society's environmental goals
Where should the United States focus its long-term efforts to improve the nation's environment? What are the nation's most important environmental issues? What role should science and technology play in addressing these issues? Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals provides the current thinking and answers to these questions.
Based on input from a range of experts and interested individuals, including representatives of industry, government, academia, environmental organizations, and Native American communities, this book urges policymakers to:
Use social science and risk assessment to guide decision-making.
Monitor environmental changes in a more thorough, consistent, and coordinated manner.
Reduce the adverse impact of chemicals on the environment.
Move away from the use of fossil fuels.
Adopt an environmental approach to engineering that reduces the use of natural resources.
Substantially increase our understanding of the relationship between population and consumption.
This book will be of special interest to policymakers in government and industry; environmental scientists, engineers, and advocates; and faculty, students, and researchers.
eBook
Validation of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire Version III and Establishment of Benchmarks for Psychosocial Risk Management in Sweden
This study presents the Swedish standard version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, COPSOQ III, and investigates its reliability and validity at individual and workplace levels with the aim of establishing benchmarks for the psychosocial work environment. Cross-sectional data from (1) a random sample of employees in Sweden aged 25–65 years (N = 2847) and (2) a convenience sample of non-managerial employees at 51 workplaces (N = 1818) were analysed. Internal consistency reliability was evaluated as well as the effects of sex, work sector and blue/white-collar work. Population benchmarks and mean scores for major occupational groups were computed based on weighted data. ICC(1) and ICC(2) estimates were computed to evaluate aggregation to the workplace level and Pearson inter-correlations to evaluate construct validity at individual and aggregated levels. The reliability and scale characteristics were satisfactory, with few exceptions, at both individual and workplace levels. The strength and direction of correlations supported the construct validity of the dimensions and the amount of variance explained by workplace justified aggregation to the workplace level. The present study thus supports the use of COPSOQ III for measurement at the workplace level and presents benchmarks for risk management as well as for research purposes.
Journal Article
Human compatible : artificial intelligence and the problem of control
\"In the popular imagination, superhuman artificial intelligence is an approaching tidal wave that threatens not just jobs and human relationships, but civilization itself. Conflict between humans and machines is seen as inevitable and its outcome all too predictable. In this groundbreaking book, distinguished AI researcher Stuart Russell argues that this scenario can be avoided, but only if we rethink AI from the ground up. Russell begins by exploring the idea of intelligence in humans and in machines. He describes the near-term benefits we can expect, from intelligent personal assistants to vastly accelerated scientific research, and outlines the AI breakthroughs that still have to happen before we reach superhuman AI. He also spells out the ways humans are already finding to misuse AI, from lethal autonomous weapons to viral sabotage. If the predicted breakthroughs occur and superhuman AI emerges, we will have created entities far more powerful than ourselves. How can we ensure they never, ever, have power over us? Russell suggests that we can rebuild AI on a new foundation, according to which machines are designed to be inherently uncertain about the human preferences they are required to satisfy. Such machines would be humble, altruistic, and committed to pursue our objectives, not theirs. This new foundation would allow us to create machines that are provably deferential and provably beneficial. In a 2014 editorial co-authored with Stephen Hawking, Russell wrote, \"Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last.\" Solving the problem of control over AI is not just possible; it is the key that unlocks a future of unlimited promise\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Stimulus for Human and Societal Dynamics in the Prevention of Catastrophes
Disasters, both natural and man-made, not only present a major threat to national security, they can also significantly impede the stable development of national economies. Dealing with them safely and efficiently is dependent on a well structured policy in emergency preparedness, something which can also go some way towards mitigating the inevitable burden they represent in financial terms. In the Caucasian region alone, natural and man-made disasters are estimated to have cost hundreds of millions of US dollars in the period 2003 to 2010. This book presents 34 papers, arising from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) held in Yerevan, Armenia, in October 2010. The aim of this ARW was to further supplement the common efforts of scientists from NATO and partner countries to transfer technology and knowledge with the objective of decreasing the vulnerability of the population from both natural and man-made disasters. The ARW's aim was achieved, not least, by evaluating accumulated European theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the relevant fields so that recommendations could be developed for the prevention and mitigation of disasters. The book is divided into four main sections covering the themes of: public risk perception and communication, seismic risk assessment and consequent reduction, hazard monitoring and management, and assessment and management of industrial risks, and will be of interest to all those involved in the prevention and management of disasters, both natural and man-made.
eBook
Risk and uncertainty in a post-truth society
\"This edited volume looks at whether it is possible to be more transparent about uncertainty in scientific evidence without undermining public understanding and trust. With contributions from leading experts in the field, this book explores the communication of risk and decision-making in an increasingly post-truth world. Drawing on case studies from climate change to genetic testing, the authors argue for better quality evidence synthesis to cut through the noise and highlight the need for more structured public dialogue. For uncertainty in scientific evidence to be communicated effectively, they conclude that trustworthiness is vital: the data and methods underlying statistics must be transparent, valid, and sound, and the numbers need to demonstrate practical utility and add social value to people's lives. Presenting a conceptual framework to help navigate the reader through the key social and scientific challenges of a post-truth era, this book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and policy makers with an interest in risk analysis and communication\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Sustainability assessment of activated carbon from residual biomass used for micropollutant removal at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant
Activated carbon (AC), used for removal of organic micropollutants in European wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), is usually produced from non-renewable resources that need to be transported over long distances. Utilising local residual biomass as a raw material may be advantageous in terms of sustainability. This study investigated the environmental and energy balances of using biowaste and biomass from landscape management for micropollutant removal at a commercial scale WWTP. Both residual biomasses were processed using the integrated generation of solid fuel and biogas from biomass (IFBB) technique to obtain a press cake that was used as feedstock for AC production. The results showed a lower global warming potential (GWP) and cumulative energy demand in comparison to a fossil-based conventional AC Differences in GWP between residual and fossil ACs were enhanced when the end-of-life incineration step was considered, and residual AC had a lower social risk associated with its production. Energy efficiency of AC production was substantially increased by utilising waste heat generated in the pyrolysis process of biochar production and by using electricity generated in a combined heat and power plant using biogas from the methanation of IFBB press fluids. Converting residual biomass into activated carbon using IFBB and a state-of-the-art pyrolysis and activation unit along with energy recovery would improve WWTP sustainability and self-sufficiency in terms of the raw materials required.
Journal Article