1
|
Wang S, Pfister S. Landscape-Scale Biodiversity Impacts Analysis of Côte d'Ivoire's Cocoa Cultivation along Export Supply Chains. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:9601-9611. [PMID: 38761136 PMCID: PMC11155242 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c07795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Agricultural land use for export commodities leads to significant biodiversity impacts. A spatially detailed assessment of these impacts is crucial for implementing effective mitigation policies. Using cocoa cultivation and exports in Côte d'Ivoire as an example, we present a novel framework that combines earth observations, enhanced landscape-scale biodiversity models, and subnational export supply chain data sets to track the tele-connected potential biodiversity impacts of export groups and importing countries. We found that cocoa cultivation accounts for ∼44% of the biodiversity impacts in Côte d'Ivoire's cocoa cultivation areas, with >90% attributable to cocoa exports. The top 10 importing countries account for ∼84% of these impacts. Our method offers improved spatial detail compared to the existing approaches, facilitating the identification of biodiversity impact hotspots. Additionally, the biodiversity impacts of agroforestry cocoa are not always lower compared to full-sun cocoa, especially when agroforestry systems are established in regions of high biodiversity importance. Our transferable framework provides a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity footprint and promotes informed decision-making for sustainable agricultural production, processing, and trade. Our framework's application is currently constrained by the scarcity of detailed supply chain data sets; we underscore the urgent need for improved supply chain transparency to fully unlock the framework's potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuntian Wang
- Department
of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental
Engineering, Ecological Systems Design, Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department
of Humanities, Social, and Political Sciences, Institute of Science,
Technology, and Policy (ISTP), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Pfister
- Department
of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental
Engineering, Ecological Systems Design, Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department
of Humanities, Social, and Political Sciences, Institute of Science,
Technology, and Policy (ISTP), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ran Y, Cederberg C, Jonell M, Bergman K, De Boer IJM, Einarsson R, Karlsson J, Potter HK, Martin M, Metson GS, Nemecek T, Nicholas KA, Strand Å, Tidåker P, Van der Werf H, Vanham D, Van Zanten HHE, Verones F, Röös E. Environmental assessment of diets: overview and guidance on indicator choice. Lancet Planet Health 2024; 8:e172-e187. [PMID: 38453383 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(24)00006-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Comprehensive but interpretable assessment of the environmental performance of diets involves choosing a set of appropriate indicators. Current knowledge and data gaps on the origin of dietary foodstuffs restrict use of indicators relying on site-specific information. This Personal View summarises commonly used indicators for assessing the environmental performance of diets, briefly outlines their benefits and drawbacks, and provides recommendations on indicator choices for actors across multiple fields involved in activities that include the environmental assessment of diets. We then provide recommendations on indicator choices for actors across multiple fields involved in activities that use environmental assessments, such as health and nutrition experts, policy makers, decision makers, and private-sector and public-sector sustainability officers. We recommend that environmental assessment of diets should include indicators for at least the five following areas: climate change, biosphere integrity, blue water consumption, novel entities, and impacts on natural resources (especially wild fish stocks), to capture important environmental trade-offs. If more indicators can be handled in the assessment, indicators to capture impacts related to land use quantity and quality and green water consumption should be used. For ambitious assessments, indicators related to biogeochemical flows, stratospheric ozone depletion, and energy use can be added.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ylva Ran
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Christel Cederberg
- Division of Physical Resource Theory, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Malin Jonell
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristina Bergman
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Imke J M De Boer
- Animal Production Systems Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Rasmus Einarsson
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Karlsson
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hanna Karlsson Potter
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Michael Martin
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Geneviève S Metson
- Department of Geography and Environment, Social Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; Ecological and Environmental Modeling Division, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Thomas Nemecek
- Agroscope, Life Cycle Assessment Research Group, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Åsa Strand
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pernilla Tidåker
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hayo Van der Werf
- French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, l'Institut Agro Rennes-Angers, Rennes, France
| | | | - Hannah H E Van Zanten
- Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen Universityand Research, Wageningen, Netherlands; Department of Global Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Francesca Verones
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Elin Röös
- Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Borgelt J, Dorber M, Géron C, Kuipers KJJ, Huijbregts MAJ, Verones F. What Is the Impact of Accidentally Transporting Terrestrial Alien Species? A New Life Cycle Impact Assessment Model. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38332475 PMCID: PMC10882960 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Alien species form one of the main threats to global biodiversity. Although Life Cycle Assessment attempts to holistically assess environmental impacts of products and services across value chains, ecological impacts of the introduction of alien species are so far not assessed in Life Cycle Impact Assessment. Here, we developed country-to-country-specific characterization factors, expressed as the time-integrated potentially disappeared fraction (PDF; regional and global) of native terrestrial species due to alien species introductions per unit of goods transported [kg] between two countries. The characterization factors were generated by analyzing global data on first records of alien species, native species distributions, and their threat status, as well as bilateral trade partnerships from 1870-2019. The resulting characterization factors vary over several orders of magnitude, indicating that impact greatly varies per transportation route and trading partner. We showcase the applicability and relevance of the characterization factors for transporting 1 metric ton of freight to France from China, South Africa, and Madagascar. The results suggest that the introduction of alien species can be more damaging for terrestrial biodiversity as climate change impacts during the international transport of commodities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Borgelt
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim 7034, Norway
| | - Martin Dorber
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim 7034, Norway
| | - Charly Géron
- Biodiversity and Landscape, TERRA research centre, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux 5030, Belgium
- Plants and Ecosystems, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk 2610, Belgium
- . CNRS, ECOBIO (Écosystèmes, Biodiversité, Évolution), UMR, University of Rennes, Rennes 6553, France
| | - Koen J J Kuipers
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, GL 6500, Netherlands
| | - Mark A J Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, GL 6500, Netherlands
| | - Francesca Verones
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim 7034, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bergman K, Woodhouse A, Langeland M, Vidakovic A, Alriksson B, Hornborg S. Environmental and biodiversity performance of a novel single cell protein for rainbow trout feed. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:168018. [PMID: 37879474 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Seafood has an important role to play to achieve a sustainable food system that provides healthy food to a growing world population. Future seafood production will be increasingly reliant on aquaculture where feed innovation is essential to reduce environmental impacts and minimize feed and food competition. This study aimed to investigate whether a novel single cell protein feed ingredient based on Paecilomyces variotii grown on a side stream from the forest industry could improve environmental sustainability of farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by replacing the soy protein concentrate used today. A Life Cycle Assessment including commonly addressed impacts but also the rarely assessed biodiversity impacts was performed. Furthermore, feeding trials were included for potential effects on fish growth, i.e., an assessment of the environmental impacts for the functional unit 'kg feed required to produce 1 kg live-weight rainbow trout'. Results showed that the best experimental diet containing P. variotii performed 16-73 % better than the control diet containing soy protein concentrate in all impact categories except for energy demand (21 % higher impact). The largest environmental benefits from replacing soy protein with P. variotii in rainbow trout diets was a 73 % reduction of impact on biodiversity and halved greenhouse gas emissions. The findings have high relevance for the aquaculture industry as the production scale and feed composition was comparable to commercial operations and because the effect on fish growth from inclusion of the novel ingredient in a complete diet was evaluated. The results on biodiversity loss from land use change and exploitation through fishing suggest that fishery can dominate impacts and exclusion thereof can greatly underestimate biodiversity impact. Finally, a novel feed ingredient grown on side streams from the forest industry has potential to add to food security through decreasing the dependence on increasingly scarce agricultural land resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Bergman
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, Teknikringen 10B, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden; RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Agriculture and Food, PO Box 5401, 402 29 Göteborg, Sweden.
| | - Anna Woodhouse
- RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Agriculture and Food, PO Box 5401, 402 29 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Markus Langeland
- RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Agriculture and Food, PO Box 5401, 402 29 Göteborg, Sweden; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Box 7024, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Aleksandar Vidakovic
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Box 7024, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Sara Hornborg
- RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Agriculture and Food, PO Box 5401, 402 29 Göteborg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Scherer L, Rosa F, Sun Z, Michelsen O, De Laurentiis V, Marques A, Pfister S, Verones F, Kuipers KJJ. Biodiversity Impact Assessment Considering Land Use Intensities and Fragmentation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:19612-19623. [PMID: 37972360 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Land use is a major threat to terrestrial biodiversity. Life cycle assessment is a tool that can assess such threats and thereby support environmental decision-making. Within the Global Guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment (GLAM) project, the Life Cycle Initiative hosted by UN Environment aims to create a life cycle impact assessment method across multiple impact categories, including land use impacts on ecosystem quality represented by regional and global species richness. A working group of the GLAM project focused on such land use impacts and developed new characterization factors to combine the strengths of two separate recent advancements in the field: the consideration of land use intensities and land fragmentation. The data sets to parametrize the underlying model are also updated from previous models. The new characterization factors cover five species groups (plants, amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles) and five broad land use types (cropland, pasture, plantations, managed forests, and urban land) at three intensity levels (minimal, light, and intense). They are available at the level of terrestrial ecoregions and countries. This paper documents the development of the characterization factors, provides practical guidance for their use, and critically assesses the strengths and remaining shortcomings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Scherer
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Francesca Rosa
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Zhongxiao Sun
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Ottar Michelsen
- Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Alexandra Marques
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 2500 GH The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Stephan Pfister
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francesca Verones
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department for Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Koen J J Kuipers
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES), Radboud University, 6525AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rosa F, Di Fulvio F, Lauri P, Felton A, Forsell N, Pfister S, Hellweg S. Can Forest Management Practices Counteract Species Loss Arising from Increasing European Demand for Forest Biomass under Climate Mitigation Scenarios? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:2149-2161. [PMID: 36706339 PMCID: PMC9910049 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Forests are home to many species and provide biomass for material and energy. Here, we modeled the potential global species extinction risk from future scenarios of climate mitigation and EU28 forest management. We considered the continuation of current practices, the adoption of closer-to-nature management (low-intensity practices), and set-asides (conversion to unharvested forestland) on portions of EU28 forestland under two climate mitigation pathways as well as the consequences for the wood trade. Expanding set-aside to more than 25% of EU28 currently managed forestland by 2100 increased the global extinction risk compared to the continuation of current practices. This outcome stems from a projected increase in EU forest biomass imports, partially from biodiversity-vulnerable regions to compensate for a decrease in domestic harvest. Conversely, closer-to-nature management on up to 37.5% of EU28 forestland lowered extinction risks. Increasing the internal production and partially sourcing imported biomass from low-intensity managed areas lowered the species extinction footprint even further. However, low-intensity practices could not entirely compensate for the increased extinction risk under a high climate mitigation scenario with greater demand for lignocellulosic crops and energywood. When developing climate mitigation strategies, it is crucial to assess forest biomass supply chains for the early detection of extinction risks in non-EU regions and for developing strategies to prevent increase of global impacts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Rosa
- Institute
of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich,
HPZ E33, John-von-Neumann-Weg 9, 8093Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fulvio Di Fulvio
- Ecosystems
Services and Management Program (ESM), International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Pekka Lauri
- Ecosystems
Services and Management Program (ESM), International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Adam Felton
- Southern
Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish
University of Agricultural Sciences SLU, Sundsvägen 3, SE-230 53Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Nicklas Forsell
- Ecosystems
Services and Management Program (ESM), International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Stephan Pfister
- Institute
of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich,
HPZ E33, John-von-Neumann-Weg 9, 8093Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Hellweg
- Institute
of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich,
HPZ E33, John-von-Neumann-Weg 9, 8093Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Scholier T, Lavrinienko A, Brila I, Tukalenko E, Hindström R, Vasylenko A, Cayol C, Ecke F, Singh NJ, Forsman JT, Tolvanen A, Matala J, Huitu O, Kallio ER, Koskela E, Mappes T, Watts PC. Urban forest soils harbour distinct and more diverse communities of bacteria and fungi compared to less disturbed forest soils. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:504-517. [PMID: 36318600 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic changes to land use drive concomitant changes in biodiversity, including that of the soil microbiota. However, it is not clear how increasing intensity of human disturbance is reflected in the soil microbial communities. To address this issue, we used amplicon sequencing to quantify the microbiota (bacteria and fungi) in the soil of forests (n = 312) experiencing four different land uses, national parks (set aside for nature conservation), managed (for forestry purposes), suburban (on the border of an urban area) and urban (fully within a town or city), which broadly represent a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. Alpha diversity of bacteria and fungi increased with increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance, and was thus highest in urban forest soils and lowest in the national parks. The forest soil microbial communities were structured according to the level of anthropogenic disturbance, with a clear urban signature evident in both bacteria and fungi. Despite notable differences in community composition, there was little change in the predicted functional traits of urban bacteria. By contrast, urban soils exhibited a marked loss of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Soil pH was positively correlated with the level of disturbance, and thus was the strongest predictor of variation in alpha and beta diversity of forest soil communities, indicating a role of soil alkalinity in structuring urban soil microbial communities. Hence, our study shows how the properties of urban forest soils promote an increase in microbial diversity and a change in forest soil microbiota composition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Scholier
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Anton Lavrinienko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Laboratory of Food Systems Biotechnology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ilze Brila
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Eugene Tukalenko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Rasmus Hindström
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Ecology and Genetics Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Andrii Vasylenko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Claire Cayol
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.,The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK
| | - Frauke Ecke
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Navinder J Singh
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jukka T Forsman
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anne Tolvanen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juho Matala
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Otso Huitu
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eva R Kallio
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Esa Koskela
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Phillip C Watts
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jolliet O. Integrating Dietary Impacts in Food Life Cycle Assessment. Front Nutr 2022; 9:898180. [PMID: 35911123 PMCID: PMC9326460 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.898180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Food production and food consumption have been too long studied separately. This paper therefore reviews progresses in assessment methods and identifies how nutrition effects on human health and environmental impacts of the entire food production and consumption can and should be consistently and systematically assessed, on a life cycle-based and a health-based perspective. Main observations include: (a) The strong activity in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a large range of agriculture production, covering beyond carbon footprint the biodiversity and health impacts of land, water, fertilizers, and pesticide use. (b) The multi-functionality of all foods and the need to compare a wide range of possible alternative including comparing serving size, meal alternatives and diets. (c) The availability of epidemiological dietary risk factors expressed in DALYs, enabling the creation of an additional LCA nutritional impact category and providing much broader flexibility in the choice of the functional unit and the kind of valid comparison LCA can address. (d) The need to use Big Data and machine learning method to better understand interactions and propose healthy and sustainable food baskets. As illustrated by the fruit yogurt example, dietary impacts on human health often dominate the life cycle impacts on human health and it is strongly recommended to consider them in the life cycle inventory and impact assessment of all commodities and foods that will eventually be consumed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Jolliet
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Sun Z, Behrens P, Tukker A, Bruckner M, Scherer L. Global Human Consumption Threatens Key Biodiversity Areas. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:9003-9014. [PMID: 36350780 PMCID: PMC9228074 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c00506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Key biodiversity areas (KBAs) are critical regions for preserving global biodiversity. KBAs are identified by their importance to biodiversity rather than their legal status. As such, KBAs are often under pressure from human activities. KBAs can encompass many different land-use types (e.g., cropland, pastures) and land-use intensities. Here, we combine a global economic model with spatial mapping to estimate the biodiversity impacts of human land use in KBAs. We find that global human land use within KBAs causes disproportionate biodiversity losses. While land use within KBAs accounts for only 7% of total land use, it causes 16% of the potential global plant loss and 12% of the potential global vertebrate loss. The consumption of animal products accounts for more than half of biodiversity loss within KBAs, with housing the second largest at around 10%. Bovine meat is the largest single contributor to this loss, at around 31% of total biodiversity loss. In terms of land use, lightly grazed pasture contributes the most, accounting for around half of all potential species loss. This loss is concentrated mainly in middle- and low-income regions with rich biodiversity. International trade is an important driver of loss, accounting for 22-29% of total potential plant and vertebrate loss. Our comprehensive global, trade-linked analysis provides insights into maintaining the integrity of KBAs and global biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhongxiao Sun
- Institute
of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden
University, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
- College
of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural
University, 100193 Beijing, China
| | - Paul Behrens
- Institute
of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden
University, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden
University College The Hague, 2595 DG The Hague, the Netherlands
| | - Arnold Tukker
- Institute
of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden
University, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
- The
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO, 2595 DA The Hague, the Netherlands
| | - Martin Bruckner
- Institute
for Ecological Economics, Vienna University
of Economics and Business, 1020 Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Scherer
- Institute
of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden
University, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|