wise use of mires and peatlands - Peatland Ecology Research Group

170 GLOSSARY OF CONCEPTS AND TERMSMethaneMicroclimateMilled peatMimetical desireMinerotrophicMireModifiersMonetarisationMoral perspectiveMoral pluralismMoral standingMorphologyMultiplier effectMyopic behaviourNaturalisticapproachNaturalnessNature mysticismNeedsNeotenyNet present valueNihilismNitrous oxideA greenhouse gas consisting of one molecule of carbon and fourmolecules of hydrogen. Methane is produced naturally fromrotting organic matter. Human sources of methane includeagricultural activities such as growing rice and raising livestock,land-fills, coal mines, and natural gas systems. Abbreviated as CH 4.The specific climate of a small area.Peat milled on the surface of a peatland to form crumb.The instinct of human beings to imitate what those around themdo: social behaviour which mimics that of others.Also supplied with nutrients by the geosphere.A peatland where peat is currently being formed and accumulating.Factors which modify principles.The attribution of monetary value to entities or services which arenot normally seen to have a financial or commercial value.Way of looking at life, an approach which aims to answer thequestion of right or wrong.An approach that acknowledges that various moral perspectivesare equally justifiable.The right to be morally considered.The study of the form, structure and origin of organisms or ofthe Earth’s physical features.The relationship between direct and direct/indirect employment.The factor by which one multiplies direct employment tocalculate total employment.Attaching less value to future than to present events and thingssolely because they lie in the future.Approach that regards values as objective properties of anentity, independent of the person making the valuation.The quality of not having been deliberately influenced byhuman beings.The intuitive feeling of humanity’s unity with all nature.Things or qualities which are necessary for survival.The phenomenon that infantile characteristics are prolongedinto maturity.A method of expressing future amounts in current terms.A doctrine holding that all values are baseless and that nothingcan be known.A greenhouse gas consisting of two molecules of nitrogen andone molecule of oxygen. Nitrous oxide is created when fuels areburned and may also be released during denitrification.Abbreviated as N 2O.Non-anthropocentric Moral positions that do not consider human beings as being theapproaches only entities that possess intrinsic moral value.