Journal of Environmental Sciences Juniper Publishers

  Abstract Nowadays, it has been reliably established that the Early Paleolithic people producing both Oldowan and Early Acheulian industries initially occupied the volcanic upland of the South Caucasus not later than 1.9.1.85Myr (Olduvai subchron). This period was characterized by a much lower relief than at present and subtropic climate that favored a dispersal of the early humans. The volcanic activity created there fertile paleosols with grass covers feeding hunted herbivores as well as rocks suitable for manufacturing lithic artifacts. In the subsequent periods of the Early and the Middle Pleistocene the upland underwent uplifting that led to a gradual deterioration of climate and appearance of glacial-interglacial rhythms with an increasingly pronounced difference between warm and cold periods. However, the chronological ranges of the studied Acheulian sites suggest that the humans continued to occupy the region under both more and less favorable conditions. T...

  Opinion For centuries, the control and delivery of water without the appropriate institutional framework has changed states and economies in many parts of the world. In the 20th century, infrastructure development tamed key river systems and led to huge expansion in irrigation, while population nearly quadrupled. Despite important advances in water management, MENA region is thus becoming a hotspot of challenges posed by goals of sustainable water use. In some countries, withdrawals per capita per annum are already twice the available resources such as Egypt and Jordan. Egypt is an example with decreasing water availability per capita from the present 650m3/year to about 350m3/year in 2037 by expected population growth only. Additional water resources are challenging by natural and/or economic factors forcing water managers and politicians to advocate increasing the overall water efficiency in a sustainable manner.   Read More about this Article: https://juni...