Daniel Sperling

A central goal of transportation is the delivery of safe and efficient services with minimal environmental impact. In practice, though, human mobility has flourished while nature has suffered. Awarness of the environmental impacts of roads is increasing, yet information remains scarce for those interested in studying, understanding, or minimizing the ecological effects of roads and vehicles. Road Ecology addresses that shortcoming by elevating previously localized and fragmented knowledge into a broad and inclusive framework for understanding and developing solutions. The book brings together fourteen leading ecologists and transportation experts to articulate state-of-the-science road ecology principles and presents specific examples that demonstrate the application of those principles.

Recent advances in medical technology have provided healthcare staff with the possibility of maintaining the life of a brain-dead pregnant woman on life-support in order to achieve successful delivery of the foetus. Management of Post-Mortem Pregnancy examines the legal and ethical difficulties surrounding such post-mortem management. Offering practical guidance based on a combined analysis of similar situations that affect pregnant women's lifestyle and physical condition and of the legal framework of pregnancy clauses in advance directive legislation, the volume considers pregnant women's obligations towards their foetuses. It discusses the main moral, legal, psychological, religious, spiritual and physical aspects of the question on the interests of dead people, as well as the jurisprudential question of the foetus' interests. The book will be a valuable guide for all those involved with the decision-making process of such tragic cases. It will also be of wider use to anyone with an interest in legal, ethical and bio-medical issues.

This book explores the phenomenon of suicide tourism. As more countries legally permit assisted suicide and do not necessarily bar the participation of non-residents, suicide tourism is becoming a larger and more complex global issue. The book sets out the parameters for future debate by first contextualizing the practice and identifying its treatment under international and domestic law. It then analyses the ethical ramifications, weighing up where the state's responsibilities lie, and addressing the controversial roles of accompanying persons. The book goes on to offer a sociological and cultural analysis of suicide tourism, including interviews with the various stakeholders: policy makers, assisted suicide associations, and medical and patients' organizations, in Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, and the UK. The book concludes with a summary of the legal, ethical, political, and sociological dimensions of suicide tourism.

Policy recommendations from transportation experts for the coming electric, shared, and autonomous vehicle revolutionIn Three Revolutions, transportation expert Dan Sperling and his collaborators share research-based insights on potential public benefits and impacts of the three transportation revolutions of vehicle automation, shared mobility, and vehicle electrification. They describe innovative ideas and partnerships, and explore the role government policy can play in steering the new transportation paradigm toward the public interest—toward our dream scenario of social equity, environmental sustainability, and urban livability. Three Revolutions offers policy recommendations and provides insight and knowledge that could lead to wiser choices by all. With this book, Sperling and his collaborators hope to steer these revolutions toward the public interest and a better quality of life for everyone.

Recent advances in medical technology have provided healthcare staff with the possibility of maintaining the life of a brain-dead pregnant woman on life-support in order to achieve successful delivery of the foetus. Management of Post-Mortem Pregnancy examines the legal and ethical difficulties surrounding such post-mortem management. Offering practical guidance based on a combined analysis of similar situations that affect pregnant women's lifestyle and physical condition and of the legal framework of pregnancy clauses in advance directive legislation, the volume considers pregnant women's obligations towards their foetuses. It discusses the main moral, legal, psychological, religious, spiritual and physical aspects of the question on the interests of dead people, as well as the jurisprudential question of the foetus' interests. The book will be a valuable guide for all those involved with the decision-making process of such tragic cases. It will also be of wider use to anyone with an interest in legal, ethical and bio-medical issues.

Daniel Sperling discusses the legal status of posthumous interests and their possible defeat by actions performed following the death of a person. The author first explores the following questions: Do the dead have interests and/or rights, the defeat of which may constitute harm? What does posthumous harm consist of and when does it occur, if at all? This is followed by a more detailed analysis of three categories of posthumous interests arising in the medico-legal context: the proprietary interest in the body of the deceased, the testamentary interest in determining the disposal of one's body after death and the interest in post-mortem medical confidentiality. Sperling concludes that if we acknowledge the interest in one's symbolic existence and legally protect it, not only do some interests survive a person's death but we should also enjoy a peremptory legal power to shape in advance our symbolic existence after death.

Daniel Sperling discusses the legal status of posthumous interests and their possible defeat by actions performed following the death of a person. The author first explores the following questions: Do the dead have interests and/or rights, the defeat of which may constitute harm? What does posthumous harm consist of and when does it occur, if at all? This is followed by a more detailed analysis of three categories of posthumous interests arising in the medico-legal context: the proprietary interest in the body of the deceased, the testamentary interest in determining the disposal of one's body after death and the interest in post-mortem medical confidentiality. Sperling concludes that if we acknowledge the interest in one's symbolic existence and legally protect it, not only do some interests survive a person's death but we should also enjoy a peremptory legal power to shape in advance our symbolic existence after death.

Throughout the 1970s and the 1980s, energy policy has been a hotly debated topic. Governments around the world have struggled to respond to a changing energy market. Yet the policy-making process is all too often distorted by self-interest groups who are informed by narrow, technical research. The question addressed by this volume is one of the most timely and critical of the energy-related questions: How much longer can we rely on petroleum as a transportation fuel? This book, which includes a subset of papers commissioned for an unusual symposium (Alternative Transportation Fuels of the 1990s and Beyond, July 17-19, 1988), addresses the broader issues of transportation-fuel policy in regard to energy security, economic growth, and environmental quality. While many conferences have addressed the subject of alternative fuels, their scope has been intensive and narrow, focusing on a few specific areas in the spectrum of possibilities. This conference was the first in many years to offer such a broad exploration of alternative fuels. Presenters included influential executives and administrators from the Department of Energy, and the motor vehicle and energy industries; federal, state, and local governments; environmental groups as well as leading researchers in the fields of air quality analysis, motor vehicle technology, and energy policy.In addition to an introduction and conclusion by Daniel Sperling, a total of 17 papers are presented in this volume. What is most exceptional and exciting about this collection is the presentation of contrasting views and the sharing of this wealth of information with a broader audience. Examined here are global fuel strategy, ethanol fuels in Brazil, alternative fuels as a solution to the air quality problem, Chevron's view of the future of oil, and the role of government in promoting alternative transportation fuels. Methanol, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen-powered and electric vehicles are also discussed. In addition to the analytical papers, the volume also includes a short article representing the viewpoint of an environmentally minded citizen. This book should appeal to any individual involved or interested in this important area. Researchers will appreciate the opportunity to consider so many well-researched but varying perspectives. It will be essential--and perhaps should be required reading--for policy makers, providing them with an overview of the issues and helping them make more intelligent, effective, and strategic choices. For the general public--those who are affected by energy and transportation policies--it is a unique opportunity to gain a broad understanding of our transportation fuel options and their environmental and economic consequences.

Soon after starting work on the development of a methodology for national trans­ portation planning in Venezuela, we realized the importance of an integrated management process for such an effort. We also realized the absence in the literature of specific guidelines on how to manage and conduct a transportation planning effort. The literature on the subject of national transportation planning is predominantly theoretical and technical in nature. To a large extent, the absence of literature on management and broad-based methodological approaches reflects the limited and ad hoc nature of the experience in national transportation planning. This book is an attempt to fill that gap. The main objective of the book is to show one way by which a methodology for national transportation planning can be integrated into a process management framework. It reports on the experience that the authors had in the Venezuelan case, as well as in earlier national planning efforts. The book is not intended as a theoretical discussion of planning. Instead, it adopts a particular theoretical stand and proceeds on that basis to develop a program for applying a specific methodology. The intention is to leave as much of the details and elaborations of that methodology to the user. This is motivated by two considerations. The first is a pragmatic attempt to limit the scope of the book.