This work has calculated the organisational environmental and social footprint of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in 2016. First, input and output data flows of the UPV/EHU activity ...were collected. Next, the environmental and social impacts of the academic activity were modelled, using the Ecoinvent 3.3 database with the PSILCA-based Soca v1 module in openLCA software. In order to evaluate the environmental impacts, CML and ReCiPe LCIA methods were used. The Social Impact Weighting Method was adjusted for the assessment of specific social impacts.
The modelling has identified some hotspots in the organisation. The contribution of transport (8,900 km per user, annually) is close to 60% in most of the environmental impacts considered. The life cycle of computers stands out among the impacts derived from the consumption of material products. More than half of environmental impacts are located outside the Basque Country. This work has also made it possible to estimate some of the impacts of the organisational social footprint, such as accidents at work, only some of which occur at the UPV/EHU. Traces of child labour and illiteracy have also been detected in the social footprint that supports the activity of the UPV/EHU. Some of the social and environmental impacts analysed are not directly generated by the UPV/EHU, but they all demand attention and co-responsibility.
Based on the modelling performed, this work explores alternative scenarios and recommends some improvement actions which may reduce (in some cases over 30%) the environmental and social impacts of the UPV/EHU's activity. These scenarios and improvement actions will feed a process with stakeholders in the UPV/EHU based on the Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology.
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•The environmental and social footprint of the UPV/EHU was calculated.•Three campuses, with different transport needs, and around 47,000 users in the year 2016.•Impacts were modelled using Ecoinvent 3.3 and Soca (PSILCA) databases in openLCA software.•More than half of the environmental impacts derive from transport needs.•Most of the environmental impacts are located outside the Basque Country.
Galician rías provide several ecosystem services of great ecological and economic significance in the northwestern Iberian margin, requiring a good environmental quality for sustainable harnessing. ...More paleoenvironmental reconstructions extending to their preindustrial state are needed to predict their evolution under natural and human-induced perturbations, such as ongoing anthropogenic global warming. This study's aim is twofold: first, characterize the current environmental conditions governing the inner Ría of Ferrol (Galicia, NW Spain) and address its recent natural and anthropogenic evolution. Therefore, a multiproxy approach (benthic foraminifera, grain size, pollen content, trace metals, Al, total organic and inorganic carbon contents, total nitrogen content, δ13C, magnetic susceptibility, 210Pb and 137Cs radiotracers, and microplastics) has been applied to intertidal surface and sediment core samples. The benthic foraminiferal results exhibit typical inner ría assemblages, primarily driven by natural ría-estuarine dynamics, with a higher dominance of brackish species (H. germanica, A. morphogroup tepida), fewer living individuals and marine allochthonous taxa toward the continental end-member. The foraminiferal standing crops and surface trace metal concentrations do not reflect strong anthropogenic impacts, although areas with elevated magnetic susceptibility have been detected, probably associated with nearby industrial activities. The recent sedimentary deposits reveal anthropogenic impacts at local and regional scales, with different environmental shifts. Local impacts were triggered by physical interventions in the inner ría, with the construction of the As Pías Bridge in 1968 and the great urban-industrial development of Ferrol city and surrounding localities experienced since the late 19th century. Land-use changes have driven regional scale changes, corresponding to reforestation plans with the introduction of anthropogenic plant species for industrial purposes initiated in the 1940s. The stratigraphic analysis of sediment cores has unveiled high levels of contaminants (Zn and microplastics) in the innermost sector as the primary environmental concerns. In this sediment-infilling and restricted area, potential dredging activities could release them leading to their possible bioavailability. Although past adverse environmental conditions cannot be discarded, sedimentary intervals with negligible presence of microfauna in the innermost area have mostly been attributed to taphonomic processes involving calcareous dissolution and disaggregation of agglutinated tests, likely caused by carbonate-undersaturated conditions and organic matter metabolization by microbial activity respectively.
•Inner ría sediments allow a precise (paleo)environmental reconstruction.•The overall current environmental state of the inner ría is good.•Historical environmental shifts at local and regional scales have been detected.•Zn and microplastics, main contaminants, could be made bioavailable after dredging.•Azoic intervals resulted from taphonomic biases, not only from anthropogenic impacts.
•Depression & anxiety are priority for interventions in small-medium enterprises (SME).•First systematic review in SMEs, which account for large % of the workforce.•Lack of rigorous research on this ...topic & no studies on suicidal ideation/behaviour.•Cognitive behavioural therapy shows potential as an effective intervention.•There may be important differences in how to design programmes for SMEs.
Background: Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental health difficulties in the workplace, costing the global economy $1 trillion each year. Evidence indicates that symptoms may be reduced by interventions in the workplace. This paper is the first to systematically review psychosocial interventions for depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and behaviours in small-to medium-size enterprises (SMEs).
Methods: A systematic search following PRISMA guidelines, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020156275), was conducted for psychosocial interventions targeting depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation/behaviour in SMEs. The PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and two specific occupational health databases were searched, as well as four databases for grey literature, without time limit until 2nd December 2019.
Results: In total, 1283 records were identified, 70 were retained for full-text screening, and seven met the inclusion criteria: three randomised controlled trials (RCTs), three before and after designs and one non-randomised trial, comprising 5111 participants. Study quality was low to moderate according to the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Five studies showed a reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms using techniques based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), two reported no significant change.
Limitations: Low number and high heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes, high attrition and lack of rigorous RCTs.
Conclusions: Preliminary evidence indicates CBT-based interventions can be effective in targeting symptoms of depression and anxiety in SME employees. There may be unique challenges to implementing programmes in SMEs. Further research is needed in this important area.
The former consensus on a link between energy consumption and improved well-being of a country has been scrutinized by scholars for decades and is, succinctly, for the time being a contested thesis. ...Until the 1970s the relation of energy to well-being was defined as linearly proportional, and in a later period still as an increasing logarithmic function. Recent empirical research falsified the assumption of an overt link between well-being and increased energy consumption in countries with high per-capita energy usage.
Going forward, our research shows for the first time a possible proof for a negative correlation between energy consumption and well-being after a Well-being Turning Point (WTP). We used a world data set, not limited to high-income countries but including 176 nations with available data sets. Our findings could support both the logarithmic growth of well-being together with energy, as well as the contradicting saturation theses supporting degrowth, and thus opens the discussion in all directions. In this paper Energy Footprint data within Eora database and Global Multi Regional Input Output methodology have been calculated, which includes also the energy embodied in imported/exported products and services (also known as consumption-based energy accounts). The use of footprint accounts has been demonstrated in our previous research to be necessary when analysing global energy consumption trends; as it records the energy consumption reality better than the usually used Total Primary Energy Supply which is provided by the International Energy Agency. In this paper, we provide in a novel way, some statistical support for an Energy WTP, i.e. a high-energy threshold after which a further consumption increase results in a reduced Human Development Index. We tested our results for possible biases (e.g. excluding outlier countries and including a factor for considering the weight of high population countries) and concluded that a WTP is one possible interpretation of the data. Thus, we would like to open a discussion about how energy consumption could end up having a negative effect on well-being, considering its indirect impacts in citizens of a country.
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•First evidences for a Well-being Turning Point (WTP), supporting a well-being degrowth beyond high-energy footprint threshold.•The WTP is a novel argument to support degrowth from energy perspective.•The WTP can be neither fully proven nor falsified with current data.•The WTP is not visible when the fitting was population-weighted.•The WTP is not visible if oil exporting countries and some small countries are excluded.
Antropozenoa: "Urre koloreko iltze"-aren bila Irabien, María Jesús; Cearreta, Alejandro; García-Artola, Ane ...
EKAIA Euskal Herriko Unibertsitateko Zientzia eta Teknologia Aldizkaria,
01/2022
42
Journal Article
Antropozeno hitzak, gizakia, Holozeno Epokaren aurreko dinamika naturalak aldatzeko gai eta indar geologiko erabakigarri bihurtu den denbora tarte geologikoari egiten dio erreferentzia. 2009az ...geroztik, Antropozenoko lantaldea Antropozenoa ikuspegi geologikotik definitzen zentratu da, Estratigrafiari buruzko Nazioarteko Batzordeak ezarritako arauak jarraituz eta, hortaz, zer unitate kronoestratigrafikoa, beheko mugaren adina eta haren markatzaile estratigrafiko nagusiak adierazten dituzten proposamenak eginez. Erradionuklido artifizialek (137Cs, 241Am, 239Pu, 240Pu) potentzial handia eskaintzen dutela dirudi, ingurunean sinkronikoki agertzen direlako 1950 inguruko “Great Acceleration” prozesuaren ondorioz. Hala eta guztiz ere, oraindik azterketa sakonagoak behar dira denbora geologiko hau formalizatzeko behar diren irizpide estratigrafiko guztiak betetzen dituen GSSP egokia aurkitzeko. Lan honen helburua Antropozenoko lantaldearen jarduera, Antropozeno kontzeptua egituratzen duten eztabaida-elementu nagusiak eta orain arte lortutako ondorio nagusiak laburbiltzea da.
The historical anthropogenic impact on sediments from the Basque Mud Patch (southern Bay of Biscay) is explored using a multidisciplinary approach including the analysis of natural (210Pb) and ...artificial (137Cs, 239/240Pu) radiotracers, major elements (Al, Mn), metals (Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr), Pb isotopic ratios, and foraminiferal and pollen contents. The study of three short cores (19–46 cm), despite being hindered by the effects of biomixing, allow the calculation of a sedimentation rate of 1 ± 0.1 mm yr−1. Distribution with depth of Al-normalised concentrations of metals reflects an increasing trend since 1880 CE, related to the industrialization of the Basque coastal area. According to the Sediment Quality Guidelines applied, contents of Zn and Pb appear as a potential cause of concern, given that they exceed the values from which adverse biological effects can be occasionally expected. However, foraminiferal assemblages do not show recognizable changes along the cores following increasing trace metal concentrations. Finally, pollen results reveal an increasing trend of coniferous taxa and a parallel reduction of authochthonous Deciduous Quercus, probably as a consequence of reforestation works. Data obtained confirm that effects of coastal anthropogenic activities extend to the adjacent shelf, where muddy deposits are likely to act as a trap for contaminants.
Aim
Pinewood decline and scrubland expansion are major features of Late Holocene vegetation history in the Cantabrian Range. However, the drivers of this remarkable vegetation shift remain to be ...investigated. Here, we aim at disentangling the role of past land use and climate in shaping the high‐elevation Cantabrian landscape during the past two millennia.
Location
Cantabrian Range (northern Iberia).
Taxa
Pinus sylvestris, Betula, Ericaceae, Juniperus, Poaceae.
Methods
We conducted high‐resolution multiproxy palaeoecological analyses (pollen, plant macrofossils, microscopic charcoal and dung fungi) on lake sediments from Lago del Ausente to reconstruct vegetation, fire occurrence and grazing through time. The chronology is based on 14C (terrestrial plant macrofossils) and 210Pb dating, and Bayesian age‐depth modelling (‘rbacon’). We carried out cross‐correlation analysis to quantify vegetation responses to fire.
Results
Between 250 and 900 CE, the vegetation above 1700 m a.s.l. consisted of subalpine scrubland and scattered P. sylvestris trees/stands. Pinewoods with Betula were widespread at slightly lower elevation. This vegetation was resilient to moderate fire disturbance associated with limited pastoral activities. In contrast, enhanced fire occurrence alongside heavier pastoralism led to the demise of pinewoods and their replacement with Betula stands, subalpine scrublands, and meadows between 900 and 1100 CE. Later, the subalpine scrubland‐birch tree line did not respond to Little Ice Age cooling. However, further intensification of transhumant herding between 1300 and 1860 CE (‘La Mesta’) triggered birch decline and the establishment of the modern treeless landscape.
Main conclusions
The extant high‐elevation vegetation of the Cantabrian Range is largely the legacy of intensive land use starting more than one millennium ago. Recurrent and severe fires to promote pasturelands led to the regional extirpation of the previously widespread Pinus sylvestris. Future management should aim at preserving the valuable cultural open landscape of mountain scrubland and meadows and also at restoring patches of ancient pine‐birch woodlands.
The multi-proxy study of sediment cores from Lake Isoba (43° 02′ N, 5° 18′ W; 1400 m a.s.l.) allows a detailed assessment of the past hydrological and environmental dynamics in north-western Iberia ...resulting from the interplay between climate variability and anthropogenic impact. The combination of diatom stratigraphy, sedimentology and high-resolution elemental geochemistry along with a robust chronological framework (established by
210
Pb,
137
Cs and
14
C dating) provides a detailed environmental reconstruction for the past ~ 500 years. Abrupt changes in the fossil diatom assemblages indicate a high sensitivity of this small lake to past environmental change and allow identifying four major stages related to the main climate fluctuations of the Little Ice Age (LIA) and recent warming. High lake levels, enhanced runoff and higher productivity characterised the middle phase of the LIA (~ 1550 to 1630 CE), indicating an overall wet climate. Conversely, shallow lake levels, decreased runoff and relatively low productivity prevailed during the last phase of the LIA and the onset of the Industrial Era (~ 1630 to 1925 CE), likely due to colder and drier conditions. High lake levels and higher carbonate input occurred after ~ 1925 CE until the 1980s CE, when our data show an abrupt drop in lake levels probably caused by a regional negative rainfall anomaly related to climate warming during the past decades. Finally, since ~ 1997 CE a remarkable and abrupt increase in the lake nutrient load and turbidity is detected, probably associated with the replacement of transhumant sheep flocks with staying cattle. The main environmental changes reconstructed at Lake Isoba mostly agree with other palaeoclimatic records from northern Spain. However, the hydrological patterns reconstructed are opposed to those observed on the northern slopes of the Cantabrian Mountains. The recent and strong impact of land-use changes on the lake, causing more ecological disruptions than previous climate changes, is noteworthy and demonstrates the high sensitivity of mountain lakes to human activities in a global change context.
The application of life cycle assessment (LCA) through ecodesign strategies enables making informed choices on the sustainability of products and services. Accordingly, in this work we quantify the ...environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of an enzymatic multipurpose cleaner to provide guidance on how producers and consumers can boost the implementation of more sustainable production and consumption patterns. LCA methodology with primary data is applied. To enable future comparison, 1 kg of detergent in its container is used as a functional unit, and cradle-to-grave system boundaries are set according to the reference "detergents and cleaning products" Product Category Rules (PCR). The environmental impacts are grouped into upstream, core and downstream life cycle phases, and seven impact categories are analyzed. Regarding the upstream stage, the degreaser 3-butoxy-2-propanol has the larger environmental load in 4 of 7 categories analyzed. During the core stage, electricity, natural gas and road transport of raw materials are the main contributors, while road transport has the largest share in 6 of the 7 downstream impact categories. Considering a cradle-to-grave boundary, a CO2-eq footprint of 0.76 kg per kg of packaged detergent is obtained, where energy consumption and transportation are the main impact drivers. Five ecodesigned scenarios are proposed to lower the overall environmental footprint of the enzymatic cleaner, including the use of renewable energy, higher volume packaging, the use of recycled packaging, the use of renewable surfactants from vegetal origin instead of petrochemically derived ones and the change from road transport for distribution to railway transport are analyzed. Among the proposed new scenarios aimed lower the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts, enlarging packaging volume results the most effective choice, lowering the impacts by 8–38% (global warming reduction by 25%). On the contrary, the substitution of the petroleum-based surfactant by one based on palm kernel oil increases the impacts by 4–16%. Overall, using larger packaging and the adoption of railway transportation are the most effective measures to reduce the impacts. As the followed PCR does not take into account the impacts generated after the use phase, we encourage its extension to the complete life cycle so toxicity and biodegradability aspects can also be considered. Covering from the extraction of raw materials, to production, transport, use and end-of-life, this work may pave the path toward the adoption of responsible production and consumption patterns in the cleaning sector.
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