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Auflistung nach Autor:in "Armbruster, Walter J"

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  • Konferenzbeitrag
    Climate Change, Food Security and Informatics
    (Proceedings of the 27th Conference on Environmental Informatics - Informatics for Environmental Protection, Sustainable Development and Risk Management, 2013) Armbruster, Walter J; MacDonell, Margaret M
    Increasing scientific evidence emphasizes the importance of addressing climate changes worldwide. While the relative roles of human versus natural causes continue to be disputed, evolving evidence supports the hypothesis that human activities have significantly contributed to substantial changes in climatic events, and these impacts are expected to continue (and increase) if activity patterns remain unchanged. The extent to which human activities must be adjusted to slow and reverse this trend remains under debate, but it is widely agreed that actions now will mitigate climate change impacts both in the near term and into the more distant future. This point is at the core of arguments for timely mitigation through various means to reduce the projected longer-term effects of climate change, including impacts on food security for the burgeoning human population. Efforts to adapt to climate change are under way, and further concerted planning and implementation strategies are needed. This paper explores implications of climate change for global food security due to increased variability in production year-to-year from droughts, extreme rain events and other weather-related phenomena. It addresses the shifts in climatic zones already being experienced and related impacts on the spread of plant and animal diseases; the potential impact of weather events on invasive pathogens and other species that threaten food production; and considerations for food safety as a primary element of food security in both developed and developing countries. The role of informatics in addressing private sector and public policy decision-making challenges to food security from the impacts of climate change is discussed. The emphasis is on how informatics can be used to better manage agricultural and natural resources for sustainable food production and to assure food security for the future.
  • Konferenzbeitrag
    Human and Animal Health Interactions: Computer Supported Communications Mitigate Pandemic Risks of Avian Influenza
    (Innovations in Sharing Environmental Observations and Information, 2011) Armbruster, Walter J
    Food safety is an assumed and necessary element of food production and marketing in developed countries, and increasingly in developing countries which are turning increased attention to providing safe food to their citizens. It is a critical element of the global food system wherein foods are sourced from many countries around the world. Despite strong food safety systems in place in such countries as the United States and Germany, occasionally food-borne illness outbreaks occur. Firms invest financial and human resources to prevent microbial pathogens, carcinogenic chemicals, and other harmful substances from entering their food products, and governments monitor compliance with established food safety regulations. Many firms invest in food safety measures that well exceed minimum requirements in order to differentiate their products in the market. Another aspect of food production and marketing which may have serious repercussions for consumers is animal diseases which can impact food supplies, international trade and human health worldwide. Particularly concerning is the potential for zoonotic diseases to be transmitted from food animals to humans, and even to create readily transmissible forms of human influenza viruses from mutations of animal and human forms of the disease to create pandemic conditions. The occurrence of emerging zoonotic diseases created under natural conditions has increased in recent years and is especially threatening to human health. Globalization of the food supply system and increased international travel make transmission much more rapid, perhaps even exceeding the ability to identify initial disease outbreaks and take action to isolate them. Examples include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), avian influenza, Escherichia coli O157-H7—an especially virulent e-coli strain occurring in livestock that has been at the center of some major food safety incidents in the United States and other countries in recent years, and swine flu.