Carbon footprint is widely accepted as an indicator of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Modeling carbon footprints based on life cycle assessment is applied as a way to evaluate the net contribution of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere from orchard production systems over one growing year. This net balance approach considers the sources and sinks of carbon and therefore provides a better reflection of an orchard system's net contribution to climate change. Carbon footprinting of organic kiwifruit and apple production systems in New Zealand indicated that the studied systems had a net sequestration from 2.4 to 5 t of CO2e/ha/year and therefore can be potentially considered as carbon sinks under the Kyoto Protocol. This finding implies that the organic kiwifruit and apple orchardist can gain a monetary benefit by earning carbon credits. However, further research to improve and validate this approach is essential before it can be practically used for decision-making at the orchard level and for policymaking at the national level.

Charles Fraser Mackintosh was closely associated with the city and county of Inverness, particularly as a Member of Parliament. He advocated education in the Gaelic language and was involved in the Highland land question on the side of the crofters’ movement. He published a number of works on the history of the Highlands, but, of perhaps more lasting interest, he collected a library of considerable Highland interest which still exists in the public library of Inverness.

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This essay examines the effect of the 1918 Representation of the People Act on Scottish politics. It notes the extensive addition to the electorate with the enfranchisement of adult males and most women over the age of 30 years. The main focus of the essay is on the effect of the provisions of the act in terms of the redistribution of seats in Scotland. Although the overall level of Scottish representation increased from 70 to 71 seats, there was a profound shift from the rural areas of the north and south to the industrial areas of west central Scotland and the city of Glasgow, which was awarded a further eight seats. In addition, the majority of the ‘Districts of Burghs’, a legacy of the Union of 1707, were abolished. It is argued that these changes created new political conditions in Scotland which favoured the Labour Party in the interwar period, and especially in the 1920s. The arguments – economic, historical, and political – deployed in defence of seats scheduled for abolition by the Boundary Commission are analysed.

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