The shift from traditional diets to a diet characterised by higher consumption of sugars, fats, processed foods and animal-source foods is often termed the nutrition transition. Although research has ...focused on the health outcomes of this transition, there is an increasing interest in environmental impacts. Here we investigated the potential changes in impacts driven by the nutrition transition in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey between 2011 and 2030. We combined a multi-regional input–output database (EXIOBASE) with food demand projections (OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2018). In a business-as-usual scenario, we assessed the impacts of the projected dietary changes on climate change, marine and freshwater eutrophication, land stress and water scarcity. Then, we built a second, zero-hunger scenario to investigate the impacts due to the eradication of hunger by 2030, a target of Sustainable Development Goal 2. The results show that total growth in environmental impacts through food consumption is the highest for Indonesia (44–54%), India (35–43%) and Mexico (31–48%). The total impacts stay highest in Brazil (land stress), China (eutrophication) and India (climate change and water scarcity), mainly driven by meat, fish and dairy consumption, respectively. The zero-hunger scenario results in similar health improvements across all countries: 0.08 to 0.12 prevented disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per undernourished person. It would achieve the highest health improvements in India and China with around 375,000 human life equivalents of prevented DALYs combined. There are only slight trade-offs between hunger eradication and environmental goals.
Construction materials are associated with significant environmental and resource impacts. The circular use of materials already in use as stocks may provide an opportunity to reduce these impacts. ...We provide a dataset describing the potential global urban mine consisting of transportation infrastructure in an open database based on geospatial data from OpenStreetMaps. We reveal the significant opportunities of the embedded materials in this huge stock. With this Total Resources in Physical Infrastructure, or TRIPI, the database we provide easy access to a global dataset covering 175 countries and sub-regions, allowing researchers to select an area of study, and find the location as well as the material composition of the physical infrastructure. Material stocks are reported on a national level and commonly used regional aggregations. Material stocks are reported per kg, kg per capita, and kg per area; and for the physical type of infrastructure that is available in kilometres and area (km2). This dataset can be used in various research applications such as Material Flow Analysis, Material stock inventories, Country-level comparisons of infrastructure density, and others, and inform policy on harnessing the opportunities of the urban mine.
The form and evolution of stakeholder perceptions toward renewable energy (RE) developments continue to be investigated, but there has been little similar research regarding mines. Responses of ...community members and other stakeholders cannot be expected to evolve the same way between different resource and infrastructure projects. We ask what the various expectations of planned mines are among community members, and what factors impact these expectations. We perform a case study of a planned, large-scale, mineral sands mine in rural Victoria, Australia (2013–2015). Using a closed-question questionnaire (n=32) and semi-structured interviews (n=25), individual and community experiences of the planning process were examined. We explore stakeholder perceptions of the mining company and development process to date, as well as future expectations. Despite the recognition of mining as a normalised part of modern Australian economy and culture, the results revealed a community with low-trust in the mining company, and accompanying negative perceptions of their own involvement thus far. These perceptions translated into negative future expectations. Many factors influential in the formation of RE opinions were also significant here, these include: background factors; visual and environmental impacts; and, the actions of the company to date. Other factors are not so prevalent in RE literature and may be specific to mines, these include issues surrounding the rehabilitation of the land and the history of the mining company.
•We explore community and individual expectations of the impacts of a proposed mine.•We examined the similarities/differences as compared to the renewable energy literature.•Key similarities were defence of place, aesthetic impacts, and history of the area.•Key differences were impact on soils, access to amenities, and company history/location.
Evaluation of diplomatic involvement in human rights of citizens of receiving state - rule of noninterference as main prohibition of diplomatic behaviour in human rights - norms supporting position ...of diplomatic agent - methods to resolve meeting of norms - principle of proportionality as a 'mediating method'.
Economic prosperity is vital to human development but relies heavily on material extraction, which causes environmental degradation. To successfully decouple growth from degradation, it is essential ...to identify the primary drivers of countries' material footprints (MFs). However, such understanding remains limited due to the complexities of investment- versus consumption-driven growth. Here, we focus on the MF of China between 2007 and 2012, which was responsible for 24%–30% of global material use. We adopt input-output models that consider trade and classify investment/consumption to estimate, at the province level, the relationship between MFs and the Human Development Index (HDI). Results show that during 2007–2012, China's per capita MF mirrored its HDI and increased by nearly 20%. This is especially prominent in poorer provinces. We further find that it was investments, particularly capital investments associated with construction and manufacturing, that dominated China's MF rather than a consumption-driven demand. Given vast infrastructure gaps in emerging economies and post-pandemic investment plans, these findings emphasize the need for a better understanding of the drivers of growth.
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•China's growing material footprint (MF) shows a different development trajectory•Poorer provinces had larger MF/cap than nations with similar Human Development Index•China's different MF trajectory can be mainly explained by high capital investments•The investment-associated-driven proportion of MFs in China can be as high as 82%
As countries grow more prosperous, quality of life improves. However, development relies on the mining and processing of materials, which have a number of negative impacts on society and the environment, compromising sustainable development goals. Decoupling material use from human development is essential if we are to realize a truly sustainable future, but our understanding of the complex relationships that connect these two issues is poor. Using China as an example, we assessed the flows of biomass, fossil fuels, metals, and non-metal minerals in and beyond China's provinces between 2007 and 2012. We find that development in China, especially in poorer provinces, was intensively associated with material use and generated much larger material footprints than other nations. The majority of these footprints were driven by capital investments in construction and manufacturing. Our findings indicate an urgent need to consider the wider sustainability ramifications of capital investment.
Historically, human development has been deeply rooted in the extraction and processing of resources, with socio-environmental consequences. China's material footprint (MF) has grown rapidly in recent decades, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using global input-output models, we find that investments associated with construction and manufacturing triggered the majority of China's MFs, indicating that capital investment activities enabling growth can lead to more intensive material exploitation. We recommend incorporating broader sustainability into investment plans to facilitate sustainable development pathways.
Energy systems are undergoing a significant shift to renewable energy (RE). To date, the surface area required for RE systems is greater than that for non-RE systems, exacerbating existing ...environmental policy challenges, from increasing land competition, to visual impacts. A suitable metric for comparing the extent of systems is the power density of electricity production, that is, the electrical power produced per horizontal m2 of surface area. This study systematically reviews power densities for 9 energy-types (wind, solar etc.) and multiple sub-types (e.g., for solar power: PV, solar thermal) in the United States. Median, mean, and uncertainty estimates are provided for 177 different densities from the literature. Non-renewable power densities are found to be three orders of magnitude larger than renewable densities. Natural gas and solar energy yield the highest median density per non-RE, and RE system respectively. Solar energy was the only system to experience a significant, positive relationship in power density over time. We apply these density estimates to NREL scenarios of future energy systems for state-specific assessments, and find that the largest growth in land use is in the southern United States.
•Meta-analysis of 177 spatial extent estimates for 9 energy systems and subtypes.•Uncertainties of horizontal power densities given and applied to NREL scenarios.•A large number (62) of biomass system estimates provided from waste to soy oil.•Renewable and non-renewable system densities vary by three orders of magnitude.•Solar PV shows significant, increasing power densities over time of 0.43 We/m2/yr.
A number of important advances have occurred in microalgal biotechnology in recent years that are slowly moving the field into new areas. New products are being developed for use in the mass ...commercial markets as opposed to the “health food” markets. These include algal‐derived long‐chained polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly docosahexaenoic acid, for use as supplements in human nutrition and animals. Large‐scale production of algal fatty acids is possible through the use of heterotrophic algae and the adaptation of classical fermentation systems providing consistent biomass under highly controlled conditions that result in a very high quality product. New products have also been developed for use in the development of pharmaceutical and research products. These include stable‐isotope biochemicals produced by algae in closed‐system photobioreactors and extremely bright fluorescent pigments. Cryopreservation has also had a tremendous impact on the ability of strains to be maintained for long periods of time at low cost and maintenance while preserving genetic stability.
As it is a commentary we do not have a usual abstract Today’s energy systems are critically dependent on water for hydropower and thermoelectric power generation, which relies on a large amount of ...cooling water. However, even with increasing climatic pressures and growing concerns surrounding energy security, the availability of high-quality integrated water data sets remains poor (1, 2). This is surprising considering broad climate impacts on energy systems worldwide. Numerous regions experienced water-related power generation issues throughout the 2010 s, including coal generation during the 2015 Polish drought, repeated curtailment of French nuclear plants, and hydropower curtailment in the US, Romania, China, Ghana, and Brazil, among others (3). The 2022 heat waves saw broad water-energy issues across the EU, with France altering regulatory requirements to keep nuclear plants running (resulting in higher water temperatures) (4) and hydroelectric curtailment across several countries. There is clear evidence of impacts on energy security today (5) and how this issue is poised to become more acute into the 21st century (6, 7).
Here we investigate microplastics contamination on beaches of four islands of the Lesser Antilles (Anguilla, St. Barthélemy, St. Eustatius and St. Martin/Maarten). These islands are close to the ...North Atlantic subtropical gyre, which contains high levels of microplastics. On average 261 ± 6 microplastics/kg of dry sand were found, with a maximum of 620 ± 96 microplastics on Grandes Cayes, Saint Martin. The vast majority of these microplastics (>95%) were fibers. Levels of microplastics differed among islands, with significantly lower levels found in St. Eustatius compared to the other Islands. No difference in microplastic levels was found between windward and leeward beaches. Our research provides a detailed study on microplastics on beaches in the Lesser Antilles. These results are important in developing a deeper understanding of the extent of the microplastic challenge within the Caribbean region, a hotspot of biodiversity.
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•Detailed study to quantify microplastics (MP) on Caribbean beaches•On average 261 MP were detected per kg of sand (dry weight).•A difference was found among islands, with a range of 130 to 239 MP/kg sand.•Over 95% of particles identified were fibers.•No difference was found between lee- and windward side of islands.
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