In force since 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is still the most comprehensive agreement ever developed, conforming to the world’s largest trade market. However, the ...environmental impacts cannot be neglected, particularly greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis is revisited, studying Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.A. in relation to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, gross domestic product (GDP), energy, and exergy consumption. Ordinary least squares, vector autoregression, and Granger causality tests are conducted. Additionally, exergy indicators and the human development index (HDI) are proposed. Results for Mexico and the U.S.A. describe similar and interesting outcomes. In the search of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), the EKC hypothesis is confirmed for Mexico and the U.S.A. However, for Canada, the EKC hypothesis does not stand. The Granger causality test displays the existence of a uni-directional causality running from CO2 emissions to economic growth; a similar behavior was observed while testing the for the exergetic control variables. The most intriguing Granger causal results are those from the U.S.A. A bidirectional relation was observed between exergy intensity and CO2 emissions. Moreover, the EKC curve was plotted by both variables. Furthermore, Mexico’s outcomes reveal that increasing renewable exergy share will decrease CO2 emissions. On the contrary, increasing HDI will grow CO2 emissions. Policy implications arise for NAFTA countries to minimize CO2 emissions by means of the growing renewable energy share. Exergy tools offer an appealing insight into energetic and environmental strategies.
Diverse factors may have an impact in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions; thus, three main contributors, energy consumption, gross domestic product (GDP) and an exergy indicator are examined in this ...work. This study explores the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption by means of the hypothesis postulated for the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Panel data for ten countries, from 1971 to 2014 have been studied. Despite a wide gamma of research on the EKC, the role of an exergy variable has not been tested to find the EKC; for this reason, exergy analysis is proposed. Exergy analyses were performed to propose an exergetic indicator as a control variable and a comparative empirical study is developed to study a multivariable framework with the aim to detect correlations between them. High correlation between CO2, GDP, energy consumption, energy intensity and trade openness are observed, on the other hand not statistically significant values for trade openness and energy intensity. The results do not support the EKC hypothesis, however exergy intensity opens the door for future research once it proves to be a useful control variable. Exergy provides opportunities to analyze and implement energy and environmental policies in these countries, with the possibility to link exergy efficiencies and the use of renewables.
Globally, industry remains one of the main consumers of fossil fuels; hence, it is one of the prime sources of greenhouse gases (GHG). Exergy analysis methods can be applied to detect the processes ...inefficiencies. To enhance the interconnection of the exergy and the environment theories, renewable share and exergy efficiency are suggested, in a contribution to sustainability. Exergy analysis is proposed and lifted to study the industrial sector. Even though exergy analysis has been applied to study societies, few studies have been conducted to study emerging-market economies. In 2015, Mexico’s crude oil production was the 12th biggest worldwide, therefore fossil fuels are still the main source to produce energy for the domestic and productive sectors of the Mexican society. Consequently, a prospective study case in Mexico is suggested. The industrial sectorial exergy consumption amounts 1350 PJ in 2000, increasing to 1591 PJ in 2015. Both energy and exergy efficiencies show similar results along the 16 years, with average energy and exergy efficiencies of 78% and 23%, respectively. In comparison with results of similar studies, Mexican exergy efficiency falls within the ranges, yet below the average of 48%. Thus, poor efficiency is still occurring in the sector. Our proposal could provide significant opportunities to become a more sustainable sector, based on the exergetic renewable share and the exergy efficiency.
The progressive change in climatic conditions worldwide has increased frequency and severity of extreme hydrometeorological events (EHEs). México is an example that has been affected by the ...occurrence of EHE leading to economic, social, and environmental losses. The objective of this research was to apply a Canadian distributed hydrological model (DHM) to tropical conditions and to evaluate its capacity to simulate flows in a basin in the central Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the DHM (once calibrated and validated) was used to calculate the theoretical hydraulic power (THP) and the performance to predict streamflow before the presence of an EHE. The results of the DHM show that the goodness of fit indicators between the observed and simulated flows in the calibration process Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) = 0.83, ratio of the root mean square error to the standard deviation of measured data (RSR) = 0.41, and percent bias (PBIAS) = −4.3) and validation (NSE = 0.775, RSR = 0.4735, and PBIAS = 2.45) are satisfactory. The DHM showed its applicability: determination of THP showed that the mean flows are in synchrony with the order of the river reaches and streamflow simulation of 13 EHEs (NSE = 0.78 ± 0.13, RSR = 0.46 ± 0.14 and PBIAS = −0.48 ± 7.5) confirmed a reliable efficiency. This work can serve as a tool for identifying vulnerabilities before floods and for the rational and sustainable management of water resources.
Parts obsolescence has an important impact on the product life cycle, the manufacturing system and the environment leading to operational, logistical, reliability and cost implications. While current ...resolution models are cost-oriented, multiple studies have revealed that technological obsolescence is strongly involved in the electronic waste problem. In this study, based on academic literature and expert opinions, a sustainable decision framework for obsolescence resolution strategy (ORS) selection is proposed. It consists of economic, environmental, social and technological dimensions, integrating a total of fifteen criteria. Multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods are suggested to select the most sustainable solution. A case study was performed where the criteria weights and the alternatives performance were judged by five experts from the fields of environment, economy, human resources and obsolescence and operations management. Results from different MCDM methods were compared to the actual decision to evaluate their effectiveness. Using the suggested framework improved the decision process as integrating sustainability had a drastic impact on the selected strategy and consequently on the company’s performance. In addition to its managerial insights, this paper provides a new research perspective to sustainable and robust obsolescence management to effectively handle the increasing number and severity of obsolete components.
Growing population, rapid urbanization and technological advancements have resulted in increasing energy demand. During the last 50 years, societies around the world have been transforming in a ...faster and incessant way. The growth of the population has resulted in the generation of mega-cities; at the same time, the economic growth of these areas entails consumption of goods. It is challenging the availability of natural resources; as a result, the relationship of the industrial unit with its urban environment has been changing in the pursuit to create the minimum possible impacts to the landscape.This constant increase in population, gross domestic product and exports in the last decades has resulted in the growth of the manufacturing industry and the transportation of goods. Globally, the industrial sector remains as one of the three main consumers of fossil fuels; hence, it is one of the prime sources of greenhouse gases (GHG), resulting on environmental and health problems. Particularly in the North American region, the industrial sector embodies about 50% of the total energy consumption and more than 30% of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.A simple definition of exergy affirms that exergy is the energy that is available to be used. Some applications of exergy include resource accounting, energy conservations, complex systems analysis and efficiency improvements. The general objective of this research was to validate the suitability of exergy analysis, as a tool to assist decision makers in the design for future energy and environmental policy, both in public and private institutions as an approach to enhance sustainable strategies. To explore the appropriateness of this indicator, a geographical approach was applied to analyze three different geographic levels (global, regional and local). Additionally, analyze the main drivers of CO2 emissions, within the framework of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypotheses, including exergy indicators.In order to explore the appropriateness of exergy analysis, new indicators of CO2 emissions (energy-exergy consumption and energy-exergy efficiencies) were introduced, with the goal to be compared to traditional indicators of CO2 emissions (gross domestic product, energy intensity, carbon intensity, trade openness and human development index) to study their suitability as indicators.Results of these thesis gives recommendations on how to apply exergy analysis on a large scale level (societal sectors) and to provide the tools necessary for exergy analysis, using this data, so as to better be applicable to this particular industrial sector. At global level, the results shows high correlation between CO2, GDP, energy consumption, energy intensity and trade openness; but not statistically significant values for trade openness and energy intensity. At regional level, granger Causality was found from proposed exergy variables in the USA and Mexico to CO2 emissions; also causality was detected in Canada and the US from trade openness to CO2 emissions. Finally, at the local level (study case), poor exergy efficiency is still occurring in the Mexican industrial sector, compared with developed countries.The outcomes of the applied methodological approach conducted for the three geographical levels proposed in the thesis, confirms the suitability of exergy methods as a tool to assist the design of energy and environmental policy, both in public institutions or private corporations as an approach to enhance sustainable strategies. Particularly, for policymakers of the three NAFTA countries, exergy proves value due the current impasse of negotiations, not only for tackling CO2 emissions, but also for promoting growth in the renewable energy share. The addition of the exergetic indicator provides an interesting insight on energetic and environmental strategies. This thesis showed the need to speed de-carbonization processes; it was demonstrated that the exergy analysis method provides a non-traditional approach in the right to reduce GHGs and contribute to sustainable development.
Introduction
Despite the propagation of virtual mental health services for vulnerable groups during COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation and evaluation of remote evidence-based practices (EBP) to ...manage them in low- and middle-income countries remains scarce. In the current study, we describe and evaluate the implementation process and clinical impact of brief, remote, manualized EBP for crisis intervention and suicide risk management among healthcare workers attending patients with COVID-19 (COVID-19-HCWs) in Mexico.
Methods
The implementation process comprised community engagement of volunteer mental health specialists, creation of new clinical teams with different disciplines and skills, intervention systematization through manuals and education through 4-h remote training as main strategies. Mexican COVID-19-HCWs who had used a free 24-h helpline rated their pre- and post-intervention emotional distress. Therapists recorded patients’ pre-intervention diagnosis, severity, and suicide risk, the techniques used in each case, and their post-treatment perception of COVID-19-HCWs’ improvement at the end of the intervention.
Results
All techniques included in the intervention manual were employed at least in one case (
n
= 51). At the beginning of the intervention, 65.9% of the COVID-19-HCWs were considered moderately ill or worse according to Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scores, whereas at the end, 79.4% of them were perceived as much or very much improved according to CGI-Improvement scores (CGI-I), and their emotional distress had been significantly reduced (
p
< 0.001).
Discussion
This prospective study provides evidence that implementation of remote EBP is feasible and useful to reduce emotional distress and suicide risk among COVID-19-HCWs from a middle-income country. However, this study was limited by lack of a control group, improvement ratings provided by therapists and non-anonymous satisfaction ratings.
Este libro recoge lo más sobresaliente del Seminario Internacional Las izquierdas latinoamericanas: sus trayectorias nacionales y relaciones internacionales durante el siglo XX, actividad convocada ...por la Cátedra Antonio Gramsci del Instituto Cubano de Investigación Cultural Juan Marinello (La Habana, 14 al 16 de noviembre de 2016), concurriendo a la cita participantes del Instituto de Historia de Cuba, la Universidad de Santiago de Chile, la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, del Instituto de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad Federal de Uberlandia (Brasil), y de la Red Iberoamericana de Historiadores del siglo XX. En las cuatro partes de esta entrega, se pasa revista a los elementos principales de la exposición y los debates acaecidos, reflejándose en todo momento la necesidad de replanteamientos y de nuevos desarrollos que, a la luz de su pasado reciente, desafían hoy a nuestras Izquierdas en toda la región
Las Izquierdas Latinoamericanas Arango, Carlos Mario Manrique; Arriba, Rafael Acosta de; Bórquez, Elvira Concheiro ...
2017
Book
Odprti dostop
A mi compañero Elías, Vencido por la muerte, en los mismos momentos en que mis colegas debatían sobre las izquierdas Por su ayuda y apoyo de siempre a todos mis proyectos Por su recuerdo en mi ...corazón y en el de nuestros hijose
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