1
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Torres A, Zu Ermgassen SOSE, Navarro LM, Ferri-Yanez F, Teixeira FZ, Wittkopp C, Rosa IMD, Liu J. Mining threats in high-level biodiversity conservation policies. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14261. [PMID: 38571408 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Amid a global infrastructure boom, there is increasing recognition of the ecological impacts of the extraction and consumption of construction minerals, mainly processed as concrete, including significant and expanding threats to global biodiversity. We investigated how high-level national and international biodiversity conservation policies address mining threats, with a special focus on construction minerals. We conducted a review and quantified the degree to which threats from mining these minerals are addressed in biodiversity goals and targets under the 2011-2020 and post-2020 biodiversity strategies, national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and the assessments of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Mining appeared rarely in national targets but more frequently in national strategies. Yet, in most countries, it was superficially addressed. Coverage of aggregates mining was greater than coverage of limestone mining. We outline 8 key components, tailored for a wide range of actors, to effectively mainstream biodiversity conservation into the extractive, infrastructure, and construction sectors. Actions include improving reporting and monitoring systems, enhancing the evidence base around mining impacts on biodiversity, and modifying the behavior of financial agents and businesses. Implementing these measures could pave the way for a more sustainable approach to construction mineral use and safeguard biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Torres
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- Georges Lemaître Earth and Climate Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Sophus O S E Zu Ermgassen
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Laetitia M Navarro
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación y Cambio Global, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco Ferri-Yanez
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación y Cambio Global, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio "Ramón Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Fernanda Z Teixeira
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Constanze Wittkopp
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | | | - Jianguo Liu
- Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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2
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Pereira VM, Baldusco R, Silva PB, Quarcioni VA, Motta RS, Suzuki S, Angulo SC. Thermoactivated cement from construction and demolition waste for pavement base stabilization: A case study in Brazil. WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTES AND PUBLIC CLEANSING ASSOCIATION, ISWA 2024:734242X241227370. [PMID: 38380635 DOI: 10.1177/0734242x241227370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Construction and demolition waste (CDW) worldwide generation accounts 10 billion tonnes yearly. The major fraction is landfilled requiring innovative recycling methods to reduce the associated environmental impacts and to increase its circularity. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of using different CDW fines to develop recycled cements and optimized the content of CDW recycled cements with well-graded crushed stone (WGCS) for use as pavement base layer. We scaled up the study obtaining CDW cement and aggregates from a local recycling plant, as well as pilot pavement sections designed, constructed and field deflections measured. As results, the CDW cement pastes exhibited accumulated heat values of up to 111 J g-1 and achieved a compressive strength of approximately 16 MPa. The unconfined compressive strength and resilient modulus (RM) achieved using CDW cement and WGCS were 2-3 and >3000 MPa, respectively. The sections constructed using CDW cement exhibited intermediate behaviour compared to those obtained using reference materials (6% Portland cement-WGCS and a conventional granular base made using WGCS). The deflection decreased over time owing to the pozzolanic reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valdir M Pereira
- National Institute on Advanced Eco-Efficient Cement-Based Technologies, Brazil. Escola Politecnica, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Rosângela S Motta
- Department of Transportation Engineering, Escola Politecnica, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Sergio C Angulo
- National Institute on Advanced Eco-Efficient Cement-Based Technologies, Brazil. Escola Politecnica, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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3
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Dai M, Jurczyk J, Arbabi H, Mao R, Ward W, Mayfield M, Liu G, Tingley DD. Component-Level Residential Building Material Stock Characterization Using Computer Vision Techniques. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38334723 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09207] [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
Residential building material stock constitutes a significant part of the built environment, providing crucial shelter and habitat services. The hypothesis concerning stock mass and composition has garnered considerable attention over the past decade. While previous research has mainly focused on the spatial analysis of building masses, it often neglected the component-level stock analysis or where heavy labor cost for onsite survey is required. This paper presents a novel approach for efficient component-level residential building stock accounting in the United Kingdom, utilizing drive-by street view images and building footprint data. We assessed four major construction materials: brick, stone, mortar, and glass. Compared to traditional approaches that utilize surveyed material intensity data, the developed method employs automatically extracted physical dimensions of building components incorporating predicted material types to calculate material mass. This not only improves efficiency but also enhances accuracy in managing the heterogeneity of building structures. The results revealed error rates of 5 and 22% for mortar and glass mass estimations and 8 and 7% for brick and stone mass estimations, with known wall types. These findings represent significant advancements in building material stock characterization and suggest that our approach has considerable potential for further research and practical applications. Especially, our method establishes a basis for evaluating the potential of component-level material reuse, serving the objectives of a circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menglin Dai
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jakub Jurczyk
- Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, U.K
| | - Hadi Arbabi
- Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, U.K
| | - Ruichang Mao
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Wil Ward
- Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, U.K
| | - Martin Mayfield
- Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, U.K
| | - Gang Liu
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Danielle Densley Tingley
- Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, U.K
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4
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Ding Y, Geng X, Liu X, Zhang C, Chen WQ. Material resource decoupling dilemma: Convergence and traps of in-use stock productivity in national economy development. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:119617. [PMID: 38039590 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119617] [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: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Various studies have suggested decoupling material stock from economic output as an important measure for promoting sustainable development. Here, we develop three theoretical hypotheses to describe the evolution features and economic effects of material stock intensity, and predict in theory that (1) Countries with higher material stock intensity are more likely to decouple economic growth from material stock. (2) Material stock intensity follows convergence trends. (3) Higher material stock intensity leads to higher long-run economic growth rates. To examine the adaptability of these hypotheses, we choose steel in-use stock as the proxy for the material capital stock and use panel data in 85 countries from 1950 to 2018 to conduct empirical analysis. Our empirical results in most countries support the theoretical predictions of the hypotheses. In particular, a 0.1t/k$ increase in steel stock intensity leads to a 2.12% increase in the probability of decoupling between steel stock and economic output next year and a 0.34% increase in the long-run GDP per capita growth rate annually. Moreover, steel stock intensity converges to approximately 0.25t/k$ to 0.35t/k$ at mature development stages. We predict that, except China, which is expected to follow decoupling trends, other large developing economies will couple economic output with steel stock. However, the shape of intensity curves is still uncertain for highly developed countries in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ding
- School of Business, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Xinyi Geng
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian, 361021, China.
| | - Xiangling Liu
- School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Wei-Qiang Chen
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian, 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 52 Sanlihe Road, Beijing, China Beijing, 100864, China
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5
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Dorninger C, Menéndez LP, Caniglia G. Social-ecological niche construction for sustainability: understanding destructive processes and exploring regenerative potentials. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220431. [PMID: 37952625 PMCID: PMC10645119 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Through the exponential expansion of human activities, humanity has become the driving force of global environmental change. The consequent global sustainability crisis has been described as a result of a uniquely human form of adaptability and niche construction. In this paper, we introduce the concept of social-ecological niche construction focusing on biophysical interactions and outcomes. We use it to address destructive processes and to discuss potential regenerative ones as ways to overcome them. From a niche construction point of view, the increasing disconnections between human activities and environmental feedbacks appear as a success story in the history of human-nature coevolution because they enable humans to expand activities virtually without being limited by environmental constraints. However, it is still poorly understood how suppressed environmental feedbacks affect future generations and other species, or which lock-ins and self-destructive dynamics may unfold in the long-term. This is crucial as the observed escape from natural selection requires growing energy input and represents a temporal deferral rather than an actual liberation from material limitations. Relying on our proposal, we conclude that, instead of further taming nature, there is need to explore the potential of how to tame socio-metabolic growth and impact in niche construction processes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Dorninger
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstraße 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Schottenfeldgasse 29, Vienna 1070, Austria
| | - Lumila Paula Menéndez
- Department of Anthropology of the Americas, University of Bonn, Oxfordstraße 15, 53111 Bonn, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Guido Caniglia
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstraße 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
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6
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Jiang M, Wang R, Wood R, Rasul K, Zhu B, Hertwich E. Material and Carbon Footprints of Machinery Capital. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:21124-21135. [PMID: 37990406 PMCID: PMC10734266 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06180] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Machinery and equipment, integral as technology-specific capital goods, play a dual role in climate change: it acts as both a mitigator and an exacerbator due to its carbon-intensive life cycle. Despite their importance, current climate mitigation analyses often overlook these items, leaving a gap in comprehensive analyses of their material stock and environmental impacts. To address this, our research integrates input-output analysis (IOA) with dynamic material flow analysis (d-MFA) to assess the carbon and material footprints of machinery. It finds that in 2019, machinery production required 30% of global metal production and 8% of global carbon emissions. Between 2000 and 2019, the metal footprint of the stock of machinery grew twice as fast as the economy. To illustrate the global implications and scale, we spotlight key countries. China's rise in machinery material stock is noteworthy, surpassing the United States in 2008 in total amount and achieving half of the US per capita level by 2019. Our study also contrasts economic depreciation─a value-centric metric─with the tangible lifespan of machinery, revealing how much the physical size of the capital stock exceeds its book values. As physical machinery stocks saturate, new machinery can increasingly be built from metals recycled from retired machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Jiang
- Department
of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7491, Norway
| | - Ranran Wang
- Institute
of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden
University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Wood
- Department
of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7491, Norway
| | - Kajwan Rasul
- Department
of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7491, Norway
| | - Bing Zhu
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Edgar Hertwich
- Department
of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7491, Norway
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7
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Frantz D, Schug F, Wiedenhofer D, Baumgart A, Virág D, Cooper S, Gómez-Medina C, Lehmann F, Udelhoven T, van der Linden S, Hostert P, Haberl H. Unveiling patterns in human dominated landscapes through mapping the mass of US built structures. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8014. [PMID: 38049425 PMCID: PMC10695923 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43755-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Built structures increasingly dominate the Earth's landscapes; their surging mass is currently overtaking global biomass. We here assess built structures in the conterminous US by quantifying the mass of 14 stock-building materials in eight building types and nine types of mobility infrastructures. Our high-resolution maps reveal that built structures have become 2.6 times heavier than all plant biomass across the country and that most inhabited areas are mass-dominated by buildings or infrastructure. We analyze determinants of the material intensity and show that densely built settlements have substantially lower per-capita material stocks, while highest intensities are found in sparsely populated regions due to ubiquitous infrastructures. Out-migration aggravates already high intensities in rural areas as people leave while built structures remain - highlighting that quantifying the distribution of built-up mass at high resolution is an essential contribution to understanding the biophysical basis of societies, and to inform strategies to design more resource-efficient settlements and a sustainable circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Frantz
- Geoinformatics - Spatial Data Science, Trier University, Trier, Germany.
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Franz Schug
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrated Research Institute on Transformations of Human Environment Systems (IRI THESys), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Dominik Wiedenhofer
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - André Baumgart
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Virág
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sam Cooper
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Fabian Lehmann
- Institute for Computer Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Udelhoven
- Environmental Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, Trier University, Trier, Germany
| | | | - Patrick Hostert
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrated Research Institute on Transformations of Human Environment Systems (IRI THESys), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Helmut Haberl
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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8
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Vélez-Henao JA, Pauliuk S. Material Requirements of Decent Living Standards. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:14206-14217. [PMID: 37696762 PMCID: PMC10537420 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03957] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Decent living standards (DLS) provide a framework to estimate a practical threshold for the energy, GHG, and material consumption required to alleviate poverty. Currently, most research has focused on estimating the energy required to provide the DLS. However, no attempt has been made to estimate the material consumption needed to provide the DLS. Thus, we ask the following questions: First, what is the amount of materials in stocks and flows needed to provide a DLS? Second, which lifestyle and technology choices are effective in providing a DLS without creating an excessive demand for additional materials? To provide a DLS, a material footprint (MF) of 6 t/(cap*yr) with a lower and upper bound between 3 and 14 t/(cap*yr) is required. The direct and indirect in-use stocks required are estimated at 32 t/cap and 11 t/cap, respectively. Nutrition (39%) and mobility (26%) contribute the most to total MF. Buildings account for 98% of direct stocks, while the construction sector accounts for 61% of indirect stocks. We extend the coverage of the DLS by including the collective service dimension and link the material stock-flow-service nexus and life cycle assessment to compute the MF and in-use stocks needed to provide the DLS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Andrés Vélez-Henao
- Faculty of Environment and
Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, 8 Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Pauliuk
- Faculty of Environment and
Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, 8 Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
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9
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Hata S, Nansai K, Nakajima K. Supply Chain Factors Contributing to Improved Material Flow Indicators but Increased Carbon Footprint. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:12713-12721. [PMID: 37591495 PMCID: PMC10469450 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00859] [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: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Improvements in four material flow indicators (MFIs) have helped facilitate Japan's transition to a sound material-cycle society. However, the economic and technological factors that have affected these MFIs have not been identified previously. Moreover, it is unclear whether the improvements in the MFIs have contributed to Japan's progress toward carbon mitigation. In this study, we quantified the contribution of the factors in the capital-embodied supply chain to changes in the MFIs at the national and sector levels. We also examined the consistency of MFI improvements with carbon footprint reduction. Our results show that, in many sectors, structural changes in the supply chain improved two of the MFIs (resource productivity and material circularity) but increased the carbon footprint of the sector. To address this conflict, producers need to manage their supply chains based on an understanding of the nexus between material consumption and carbon emissions, paying particular attention to supply chains associated with capital formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Hata
- Material
Cycles Division, National Institute for
Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
- Graduate
School of Frontier Sciences, The University
of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
| | - Keisuke Nansai
- Material
Cycles Division, National Institute for
Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Kenichi Nakajima
- Material
Cycles Division, National Institute for
Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
- Graduate
School of Frontier Sciences, The University
of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
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10
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Haberl H, Löw M, Perez-Laborda A, Matej S, Plank B, Wiedenhofer D, Creutzig F, Erb KH, Duro JA. Built structures influence patterns of energy demand and CO 2 emissions across countries. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3898. [PMID: 37400457 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39728-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Built structures, i.e. the patterns of settlements and transport infrastructures, are known to influence per-capita energy demand and CO2 emissions at the urban level. At the national level, the role of built structures is seldom considered due to poor data availability. Instead, other potential determinants of energy demand and CO2 emissions, primarily GDP, are more frequently assessed. We present a set of national-level indicators to characterize patterns of built structures. We quantify these indicators for 113 countries and statistically analyze the results along with final energy use and territorial CO2 emissions, as well as factors commonly included in national-level analyses of determinants of energy use and emissions. We find that these indicators are about equally important for predicting energy demand and CO2 emissions as GDP and other conventional factors. The area of built-up land per capita is the most important predictor, second only to the effect of GDP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Haberl
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Markus Löw
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Sarah Matej
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Plank
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dominik Wiedenhofer
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Felix Creutzig
- Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, EUREF 19, 10829, Berlin, Germany
- Technical University Berlin, Straße des 17 Junis 135, 10623, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karl-Heinz Erb
- Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Juan Antonio Duro
- Economics Department and Eco-SOS, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
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11
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Wang R, Hertwich EG, Fishman T, Deetman S, Behrens P, Chen WQ, de Koning A, Xu M, Matus K, Ward H, Tukker A, Zimmerman JB. The legacy environmental footprints of manufactured capital. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2218828120. [PMID: 37276416 PMCID: PMC10268226 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218828120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The foundations of today's societies are provided by manufactured capital accumulation driven by investment decisions through time. Reconceiving how the manufactured assets are harnessed in the production-consumption system is at the heart of the paradigm shifts necessary for long-term sustainability. Our research integrates 50 years of economic and environmental data to provide the global legacy environmental footprint (LEF) and unveil the historical material extractions, greenhouse gas emissions, and health impacts accrued in today's manufactured capital. We show that between 1995 and 2019, global LEF growth outpaced GDP and population growth, and the current high level of national capital stocks has been heavily relying on global supply chains in metals. The LEF shows a larger or growing gap between developed economies (DEs) and less-developed economies (LDEs) while economic returns from global asset supply chains disproportionately flow to DEs, resulting in a double burden for LDEs. Our results show that ensuring best practice in asset production while prioritizing well-being outcomes is essential in addressing global inequalities and protecting the environment. Achieving this requires a paradigm shift in sustainability science and policy, as well as in green finance decision-making, to move beyond the focus on the resource use and emissions of daily operations of the assets and instead take into account the long-term environmental footprints of capital accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranran Wang
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CCLeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Edgar G. Hertwich
- Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491Trondheim, Norway
| | - Tomer Fishman
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CCLeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastiaan Deetman
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CCLeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Behrens
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CCLeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wei-qiang Chen
- Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen361024, China
| | - Arjan de Koning
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CCLeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ming Xu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing100190, China
| | - Kira Matus
- Division of Public Policy, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong999077, China
| | - Hauke Ward
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CCLeiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arnold Tukker
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CCLeiden, The Netherlands
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12
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Dombi M, Harazin P, Karcagi-Kováts A, Aldebei F, Cao Z. Perspectives on the material dynamic efficiency transition in decelerating the material stock accumulation. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 335:117568. [PMID: 36848807 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117568] [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: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The golden rule of material accumulation can be defined as the ability of society to process materials as the benefit of capital, with physical investments as the expense of the process. Societies are incentivized to accumulate resources while disregarding resource restrictions. Since they earn more on such a path, despite how unsustainable it is. We propose the material dynamic efficiency transition as a policy tool for sustainability, with the goal of slowing down material accumulation as an alternative sustainable path. The material dynamic efficiency transition is characterized by a simultaneous drop in savings and depreciation rates. In this paper, we first examine a sample of 15 countries -using dynamic efficiency measures-in terms of their economies' responses to declining depreciation and saving tendencies. We then construct a large sample of material stock estimation and economic characteristics for 120 countries to examine the socioeconomic and long-term developmental implications of such a policy. We found that investment in the productive sector withstood the scarcity of available savings, whereas residential building and civil engineering investments reacted intensely to the changes. We also reported on the continuous rise in developed countries' material stock, accentuating the civil engineering infrastructure as a focal point of the related policies. The material dynamic efficiency transition shows a substantial reduction effect of 7.7%-10%, depending on the stock type and development stage. Therefore, it can be a potent tool for slowing material accumulation and mitigating the environmental implications of this process without causing significant disruptions in economic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihály Dombi
- Faculty of Economics and Business, Institute of Economics and World Economy, Department of Environmental Economics, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen Böszörményi Str. 138., Hungary.
| | - Piroska Harazin
- Faculty of Economics and Business, Institute of Economics and World Economy, Department of Environmental Economics, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen Böszörményi Str. 138., Hungary
| | - Andrea Karcagi-Kováts
- Faculty of Economics and Business, Institute of Economics and World Economy, Department of Environmental Economics, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen Böszörményi Str. 138., Hungary
| | - Faisal Aldebei
- Faculty of Economics and Business, Institute of Economics and World Economy, Department of Environmental Economics, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen Böszörményi Str. 138., Hungary
| | - Zhi Cao
- Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings (EMIB), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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13
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Watari T, Cao Z, Serrenho AC, Cullen J. Growing role of concrete in sand and climate crises. iScience 2023; 26:106782. [PMID: 37250298 PMCID: PMC10214720 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Concrete production poses multiple sustainability challenges, including resource over-exploitation and climate change. Here we show that growing global demand for buildings and infrastructure over the past three decades has quadrupled concrete production, reaching ∼26 Gt/year in 2020. As a result, annual requirements for virgin concrete aggregates (∼20 Gt/year) exceeded the extraction of all fossil fuels (∼15 Gt/year), exacerbating sand scarcity, ecosystem destruction, and social conflict. We also show that despite industry efforts to reduce CO2 emissions by ∼20% per unit of production, mainly through clinker substitution and improved thermal efficiency, increased production has outweighed these gains. Consequently, concrete-related CO2 emissions have tripled between 1990 and 2020, and its contribution to global emissions has risen from 5% to 9%. We propose that the policy agenda should focus more on limiting production growth by changing how concrete structures are designed, constructed, used, and disposed of to address the sand and climate crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Watari
- Material Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2, Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
| | - Zhi Cao
- Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings (EMIB), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - André Cabrera Serrenho
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
| | - Jonathan Cullen
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
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14
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Rasul K, Hertwich EG. Decomposition Analysis of the Carbon Footprint of Primary Metals. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7391-7400. [PMID: 37146235 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates how different technological and socioeconomic drivers have impacted the carbon footprint of primary metals. It analyzes the historical evidence from 1995 to 2018 using new metal production, energy use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission extensions made for the multiregional input-output model EXIOBASE. A combination of established input-output methods (index decomposition analysis, hypothetical extraction method, and footprint analysis) is used to dissect the drivers of the change in the upstream emissions occurring due to the production of metals demanded by other (downstream) economic activities. On a global level, GHG emissions from metal production have increased at a similar pace as the GDP but have decreased in high-income countries in the most recent 6 year period studied. This absolute decoupling in industrialized countries is mainly driven by reduced metal consumption intensity and improved energy efficiency. However, in emerging economies increasing metal consumption intensity and affluency have driven up emissions, more than offsetting any reductions due to improved energy efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kajwan Rasul
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim 7034, Norway
| | - Edgar G Hertwich
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, Trondheim 7034, Norway
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15
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Li X, Song L, Liu Q, Ouyang X, Mao T, Lu H, Liu L, Liu X, Chen W, Liu G. Product, building, and infrastructure material stocks dataset for 337 Chinese cities between 1978 and 2020. Sci Data 2023; 10:228. [PMID: 37080990 PMCID: PMC10119088 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02143-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Reliable city-level product, building, and infrastructure material stocks data are essential for understanding historical material use patterns, benchmarking material efficiency, and informing future recycling potentials. However, such urban material stocks data are often limited, due primarily to unavailable, inconsistent, or noncontinuous city-level statistics. Here, we provided such an Urban Product, Building, and Infrastructure Material Stocks (UPBIMS) dataset for China, a country that has undergone a remarkable urbanization process in the past decades, by collating different official statistics and applying various gap-filling methods. This dataset contains the stock of 24 materials contained in 10 types of products, buildings, and infrastructure in all 337 prefecture-level cities in China from 1978 to 2020. This quality controlled and unified dataset is the first of its kind with such a full coverage of all prefecture-level Chinese cities and can be used in a variety of applications, for example in urban geography, industrial ecology, circular economy, and climate change mitigation. Every piece of data is tagged with its source and the dataset will be periodically updated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lulu Song
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 361021, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism, 361021, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Qiance Liu
- Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark
| | - Xin Ouyang
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ting Mao
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 361021, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Haojie Lu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 361021, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Litao Liu
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaojie Liu
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Weiqiang Chen
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 361021, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
- Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism, 361021, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
| | - Gang Liu
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China.
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16
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Milojevic-Dupont N, Wagner F, Nachtigall F, Hu J, Brüser GB, Zumwald M, Biljecki F, Heeren N, Kaack LH, Pichler PP, Creutzig F. EUBUCCO v0.1: European building stock characteristics in a common and open database for 200+ million individual buildings. Sci Data 2023; 10:147. [PMID: 36941275 PMCID: PMC10027854 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02040-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Building stock management is becoming a global societal and political issue, inter alia because of growing sustainability concerns. Comprehensive and openly accessible building stock data can enable impactful research exploring the most effective policy options. In Europe, efforts from citizen and governments generated numerous relevant datasets but these are fragmented and heterogeneous, thus hindering their usability. Here, we present EUBUCCO v0.1, a database of individual building footprints for ~202 million buildings across the 27 European Union countries and Switzerland. Three main attributes - building height, construction year and type - are included for respectively 73%, 24% and 46% of the buildings. We identify, collect and harmonize 50 open government datasets and OpenStreetMap, and perform extensive validation analyses to assess the quality, consistency and completeness of the data in every country. EUBUCCO v0.1 provides the basis for high-resolution urban sustainability studies across scales - continental, comparative or local studies - using a centralized source and is relevant for a variety of use cases, e.g., for energy system analysis or natural hazard risk assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Milojevic-Dupont
- Mercator Research Institute of Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin, 10829, Germany.
- Technical University Berlin, Berlin, 10623, Germany.
| | - Felix Wagner
- Mercator Research Institute of Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin, 10829, Germany.
- Technical University Berlin, Berlin, 10623, Germany.
| | - Florian Nachtigall
- Mercator Research Institute of Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin, 10829, Germany
- Technical University Berlin, Berlin, 10623, Germany
| | - Jiawei Hu
- Mercator Research Institute of Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin, 10829, Germany
- Technical University Berlin, Berlin, 10623, Germany
| | | | - Marius Zumwald
- Technical University Berlin, Berlin, 10623, Germany
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Filip Biljecki
- National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119077, Singapore
| | - Niko Heeren
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, 7491, Norway
| | - Lynn H Kaack
- Hertie School, Data Science Lab, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Peter-Paul Pichler
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam, 14473, Germany
| | - Felix Creutzig
- Mercator Research Institute of Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin, 10829, Germany
- Technical University Berlin, Berlin, 10623, Germany
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17
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Sofuoğlu E, Kirikkaleli D. Towards achieving net zero emission targets and sustainable development goals, can long-term material footprint strategies be a useful tool? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:26636-26649. [PMID: 36370305 PMCID: PMC9652588 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24078-2] [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: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
This study analyzes material footprint (MF), which can be essential in achieving net zero emission targets and sustainable development goals for EURO-26 countries. Increasing the efficiency of MF rather than domestic material consumption is more effective in reducing emissions. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between MF, economic growth, and CO2 emissions for EURO-26 countries. For empirical analysis, second-generation panel cointegration tests and long-term coefficient estimators, which consider the cross-sectional dependence, are employed. The empirical results indicate that (i) there is a long-term relationship between the variables and (ii) MF increases the CO2 emissions. However, the positive relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions is statistically insignificant. According to the individual results, while the impact of MF on CO2 emissions is negative in developed countries, MF increases CO2 emissions in developing countries in general. Overall findings reveal that long-term material footprint strategies should be implemented in EURO-26 countries and material footprint policies can be used as a strategic tool to achieve net zero emission targets and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Emrah Sofuoğlu
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Kirsehir Ahi Evran University, Kirsehir, 40100 Turkey
| | - Dervis Kirikkaleli
- Department of Banking and Finance, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, European University of Lefke, Lefke, Northern Cyprus 99700 Turkey
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18
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Rousseau LSA, Kloostra B, AzariJafari H, Saxe S, Gregory J, Hertwich EG. Material Stock and Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Global and Urban Road Pavement. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:18050-18059. [PMID: 36455072 PMCID: PMC9775204 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Roads play a key role in movements of goods and people but require large amounts of materials emitting greenhouse gases to be produced. This study assesses the global road material stock and the emissions associated with materials' production. Our bottom-up approach combines georeferenced paved road segments with road length statistics and archetypical geometric characteristics of roads. We estimate road material stock to be of 254 Gt. If we were to build these roads anew, raw material production would emit 8.4 GtCO2-eq. Per capita stocks range from 0.2 t/cap in Chad to 283 t/cap in Iceland, with a median of 20.6 t/cap. If the average per capita stock in Africa was to reach the current European level, 166 Gt of road materials, equivalent to the road material stock in North America and in East and South Asia, would be consumed. At the urban scale, road material stock increases with the urban area, population density, and GDP per capita, emphasizing the need for containing urban expansion. Our study highlights the challenges in estimating road material stock and serves as a basis for further research into infrastructure resource management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola S. A. Rousseau
- Industrial
Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, NTNU − Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Høgskoleringen
5, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bradley Kloostra
- Department
of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University
of Toronto, 35 St. George Street, Toronto, OntarioM5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Hessam AzariJafari
- School
for Environment and Sustainability, University
of Michigan, Dana Building, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109, United States
- Civil
& Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Shoshanna Saxe
- Department
of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University
of Toronto, 35 St. George Street, Toronto, OntarioM5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Jeremy Gregory
- MIT
Climate and Sustainability Consortium, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, 105 Broadway Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts02142, United States
| | - Edgar G. Hertwich
- Industrial
Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, NTNU − Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Høgskoleringen
5, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
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19
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Wuyts W, Miatto A, Khumvongsa K, Guo J, Aalto P, Huang L. How Can Material Stock Studies Assist the Implementation of the Circular Economy in Cities? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:17523-17530. [PMID: 36441957 PMCID: PMC9775195 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
City and regional planners have recently started exploring a circular approach to urban development. Meanwhile, industrial ecologists have been designing and refining methodologies to quantify and locate material flows and stocks within systems. This Perspective explores to which extent material stock studies can contribute to urban circularity, focusing on the built environment. We conducted a critical literature review of material stock studies that claim they contribute to circular cities. We classified each article according to a matrix we developed leveraging existing circular built environment frameworks of urban planning, architecture, and civil engineering and included the terminology of material stock studies. We found that, out of 271 studies, only 132 provided information that could be relevant to the implementation of circular cities, albeit to vastly different degrees of effectiveness. Of these 132, only 26 reported their results in a spatially explicit manner, which is fundamental to the effective actuation of circular city strategies. We argue that future research should strive to provide spatial data, avoid being siloed, and increase engagement with other sociopolitical fields to address the different needs of the relevant stakeholders for urban circularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy Wuyts
- Department
of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2815Gjøvik, Norway
| | - Alessio Miatto
- Center
for Industrial Ecology, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut06511, United States
| | - Kronnaphat Khumvongsa
- Graduate
School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya
University, Nagoya, Aichi464-8603, Japan
| | - Jing Guo
- School
of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing100084, China
| | - Pasi Aalto
- Department
of Architecture and Technology, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, 7034Trondheim, Norway
| | - Lizhen Huang
- Department
of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2815Gjøvik, Norway
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20
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Luo J, Luo X, Xie M, Li HZ, Duan H, Zhou HG, Wei RJ, Ning GH, Li D. Selective and rapid extraction of trace amount of gold from complex liquids with silver(I)-organic frameworks. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7771. [PMID: 36522331 PMCID: PMC9755257 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35467-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The design of adsorbents for rapid, selective extraction of ultra-trace amounts of gold from complex liquids is desirable from both an environmental and economical point of view. However, the development of such materials remains challenging. Herein, we report the fabrication of two vinylene-linked two-dimensional silver(I)-organic frameworks prepared via Knoevenagel condensation. This material enables selective sensing of gold with a low limit of detection of 60 ppb, as well as selective uptake of ultra-trace gold from complex aqueous mixtures including distilled water with 15 competing metal ions, leaching solution of electronic waste (e-waste), wastewater, and seawater. The present adsorbent delivers a gold adsorption capacity of 954 mg g-1, excellent selectivity and reusability, and can rapidly and selectively extract ultra-trace gold from seawater down to ~20 ppb (94% removal in 10 minutes). In addition, the purity of recovered gold from e-waste reaches 23.8 Karat (99.17% pure).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Luo
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Xiao Luo
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Mo Xie
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Hao-Zhen Li
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Haiyan Duan
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Hou-Gan Zhou
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Rong-Jia Wei
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Guo-Hong Ning
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
| | - Dan Li
- grid.258164.c0000 0004 1790 3548College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632 China
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21
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Chu J, Zhou Y, Cai Y, Wang X, Li C, Liu Q. Flow and stock accumulation of plastics in China: Patterns and drivers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158513. [PMID: 36075419 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158513] [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: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plastic pollution has always been a hot issue of global concern. Previous studies have mainly focused on the flow of plastics. However, information on the patterns and characteristics of flow, stock, and waste in the plastic life cycle and their driving factors is limited in China, and effective waste reduction and sustainable strategies are missing. Therefore, this research established a flow model of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET); further analyzed the driving factors; and proposed strategies for waste reduction and sustainable development. We found that the total consumption, stock, and waste of PET, PE, and PP in 2010-2017 reached 552.96, 292.70, and 257.18 Tg, respectively. Building and construction (B&C), packaging, and textiles were the sectors with the largest stock of PE, PP, and PET. From 2010 to 2013, the stock of PE increased by 440 %, which was mainly driven by the increase in material utilization intensity (MUI). Similarly, the growth of MUI was the main driving factor driving PP (351 %) and PET (367 %) stocks. Notably, from 2014 to 2017, economic growth was the main factor driving the plastic stock. These results will provide a scientific basis for promoting the sustainable utilization of PE, PP, and PET and be of great significance to achieve the strategic goal of a no-waste city.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwen Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Yanpeng Cai
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China.
| | - Xuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chunhui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Qiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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22
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Li Q, Gummidi SRB, Lanau M, Yu B, Liu G. Spatiotemporally Explicit Mapping of Built Environment Stocks Reveals Two Centuries of Urban Development in a Fairytale City, Odense, Denmark. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:16369-16381. [PMID: 36256736 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The urban built environment stocks such as buildings and infrastructure provide essential services to urban residents, and their spatiotemporal dynamics are key to the circular and low-carbon transition of cities. However, spatiotemporally explicit characterization of urban built environment stocks remains hitherto limited, and previous studies on fine-grained mapping of built environment stocks often focus on an urban area without consideration of temporal dynamics. Here, we combined the emerging geospatial data and historical maps to quantify the spatially and temporally refined stocks of buildings and infrastructure and developed a novel indexing method to track the construction, demolition, and renovation for each building across various historical snapshots, with a case study of Odense, Denmark, from 1810 to 2018. We show that built environment stock in Odense increased from 80 t/cap in 1810 to 279 t/cap in 2018. Their dynamics appear overall in line with urban development of Odense over the past two centuries and well reflect the combined effects of industrialization, infrastructure development, socioeconomic characteristics, and policy interventions. Such spatiotemporally explicit stock mapping offers a physical and resource perspective for measuring urbanization and provides the public and government insight into urban spatial planning and related resource, waste, and climate strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoxuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai200241, China
- SDU Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230Odense, Denmark
- School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai200241, China
| | | | - Maud Lanau
- Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, S1 3JDSheffield, U.K
- Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bailang Yu
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai200241, China
- School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai200241, China
| | - Gang Liu
- SDU Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230Odense, Denmark
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23
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Alcalde-Calonge A, Sáez-Martínez FJ, Ruiz-Palomino P. Evolution of research on circular economy and related trends and topics. A thirteen-year review. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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24
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Salatino P, Chirone R, Clift R. Chemical Engineering and Industrial Ecology: Remanufacturing and Recycling as Process Systems. CAN J CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.24625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Piero Salatino
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, and Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie per l’Energia e la Mobilità Sostenibili, CNR Italy
| | - Roberto Chirone
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, and Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie per l’Energia e la Mobilità Sostenibili, CNR Italy
| | - Roland Clift
- Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, UK, and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of British Columbia Canada
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25
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Blumenthal J, Diamond ML, Liu G, Wang Z. Introducing "Embedded Toxicity": A Necessary Metric for the Sound Management of Building Materials. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:9838-9841. [PMID: 35786890 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Blumenthal
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada
| | - Miriam L Diamond
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada
| | - Gang Liu
- SDU Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Zhanyun Wang
- Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Chair of Ecological Systems Design, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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26
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Wang Z, Yin Y, Liu G, Lun F, Zhang F, Cui Z, Wu J. International trade reduces global phosphorus demand but intensifies the imbalance in local consumption. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 830:154484. [PMID: 35283130 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154484] [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: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
International trade has led to increasing levels of economic development; however, its role in altering the global phosphorus (P) demand and local P footprint (PF) is unclear. Here, through a multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis, we quantified the PF associated with the global consumption of agricultural products for 159 countries and 169 crops over the period of 1995-2015. The results suggested that the international network of P flows was highly connected and the flow distribution was overridingly driven by developed economies (e.g., USA and Germany) and large emerging economies (e.g., China and India). A decoupling between the PF and economic growth was observed in most countries. The high PF per capita in developed economies was mainly driven by imports from developing countries rather than domestic P applications. Our results also highlighted that international trade had two impacts on global P management. Firstly, it reduced the total global P demand from agricultural production by 16%; secondly, it intensified the imbalance of local P consumption. Therefore, the future sustainable management of P requires consideration of the original suppliers and final consumers along the global supply chains and the associated consequences on P management from both local and global perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Wang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| | - Yulong Yin
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Gang Liu
- SDU Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense 5230, Denmark.
| | - Fei Lun
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| | - Fusuo Zhang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| | - Zhenling Cui
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| | - Jiechen Wu
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China; Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
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27
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On the rules of life and Kleiber's law: the macroscopic relationship between materials and energy. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09647. [PMID: 35711996 PMCID: PMC9193873 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09647] [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: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts to accommodate the growth in global energy consumption within a fragile biosphere are primarily focused on managing the transition towards a low-carbon energy mix. We show evidence that a more fundamental problem exists through a scaling relation, akin to Kleiber's Law, between society's energy consumption and material stocks. Humanity's energy consumption scales at 0.78 of its material stocks, which implies predictable environmental pressure regardless of the energy mix. If true, future global energy scenarios imply vast amounts of materials and corresponding environmental degradation, which have not been adequately acknowledged. Thus, limits to energy consumption are needed regardless of the energy mix to stabilize human intervention in the biosphere.
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28
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Yan H, Du W, Feng Z, Yang Y, Xue Z. Exploring adaptive approaches for social-ecological sustainability in the Belt and Road countries: From the perspective of ecological resource flow. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 311:114898. [PMID: 35305368 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The countries along the Belt and Road (B&R) are characterized by fragile ecosystems and underdevelopment economy. International trade usually transferred the eco-environmental negative impacts to developing countries. How to avoid the conflict between economic development and eco-environmental protection is the primary concern of building the Green Silk Road. To discover the adaptive strategies for ensuring the sustainability of the social-ecosystem in countries along the B&R, this study analyzes the supply-consumption relationship of ecological resources by simulating the flow of net primary productivity between the ecosystem and the social system. The results show that: (1) The flow of ecological resources between agricultural and husbandry systems have effectively alleviated the local ecological pressure caused by animal husbandry in countries along the B&R. Animal husbandry in developed countries economize the local ecological resources by importing feed, while mitigating the grazing pressure by utilizing the local crop residues in underdeveloped agricultural countries. (2) International trade not only enables countries with insufficient ecological resources to meet their demands by importing ecological products and thus alleviate ecosystem pressure, but also promotes countries with sufficient ecological resources to transform their resource advantages into economic advantages by exporting without at the expense of ecological sustainability. (3) For underdeveloped countries, the dependence of economic development on ecological resources is at the expense of the living demands of residents, only if the economy could have leap-forward improvement the allocation of ecological resources within the social system would be inclined to living demands. These adaptive approaches not only provide the evidences of ecological-social sustainable development by promoting the reasonable flow and allocation of ecological resources, but also imply the necessary assistance for the underdeveloped countries to guarantee the basic human well-being in economic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Yan
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wenpeng Du
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Zhiming Feng
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yanzhao Yang
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhichao Xue
- School of International Economics and Management, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
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29
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Plank B, Streeck J, Virág D, Krausmann F, Haberl H, Wiedenhofer D. Compilation of an economy-wide material flow database for 14 stock-building materials in 177 countries from 1900 to 2016. MethodsX 2022; 9:101654. [PMID: 35402170 PMCID: PMC8987645 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2022.101654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
International datasets on economy-wide material flows currently fail to comprehensively cover the quantitatively most important materials and countries, to provide centennial coverage and to differentiate between processing stages. These data gaps hamper research and policy on resource use. Herein, we present and document the data processing and compilation procedures applied to develop a novel economy-wide database of primary stock-building material flows systematically covering 177 countries from 1900- 2016. The main methodological novelty is the consistent integration of material flow accounting and analysis principles and thereby addresses limitations in terms of transparency, data quality and uncertainty treatment. The database systematically discerns four processing stages from raw materials extraction, to processing of raw and semi-finished products, to manufacturing of stock-building materials. Included materials are concrete, asphalt, bricks, timber products, paper, iron & steel, aluminium, copper, lead, zinc, other metals, plastics, container and flat glass. The database is compiled using international and national data sources, using a transparent and consistent 10-step procedure, as well as a systematic uncertainty assessment. Apart from a detailed documentation of the data compilation, validations of the database using data from previous studies and additional uncertainty estimates are presented. • Systematically compiled historical database of primary stock-building material flows for 177 countries. • Consistent integration of economy-wide material flow accounting and detailed material flow analysis principles. • Methodological enhancements in terms of transparency, data quality and uncertainty treatment.
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30
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Guven G, Arceo A, Bennett A, Tham M, Olanrewaju B, McGrail M, Isin K, Olson AW, Saxe S. A construction classification system database for understanding resource use in building construction. Sci Data 2022; 9:42. [PMID: 35140241 PMCID: PMC8828772 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01141-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The building sector is a voracious consumer of primary materials. However, the study of building material use and associated impacts is challenged by the paucity of publicly available data in the field and the heterogeneity of data organization and classification between published studies. This paper makes two main contributions. First, we propose and demonstrate a building material data structure adapted from UniFormat and MasterFormat, two widely used construction classification systems in North America. Second, the dataset included provides fine grained material data for 70 buildings in North America. The dataset was developed by collecting design or construction drawings for the studied buildings and performing material takeoffs based on these drawings. The ontology is based on UniFormat and MasterFormat to facilitate interoperability with existing construction management practices, and to suggest a standardized structure for future material intensity studies. The data structure supports investigation into how form and building design are driving material use, opportunities to reduce construction material consumption and better understanding of how materials are used in buildings. Measurement(s) | material quantities | Technology Type(s) | digital curation • material takeoffs | Factor Type(s) | building • building type • location | Sample Characteristic - Environment | anthropogenic environment | Sample Characteristic - Location | Canada • United States of America |
Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.17209331
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Affiliation(s)
- Gursans Guven
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada.
| | - Aldrick Arceo
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Allison Bennett
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Melanie Tham
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Bolaji Olanrewaju
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Molly McGrail
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Kaan Isin
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Alexander W Olson
- University of Toronto, Centre for Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Shoshanna Saxe
- University of Toronto, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada.
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31
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Dror I, Yaron B, Berkowitz B. The Human Impact on All Soil-Forming Factors during the Anthropocene. ACS ENVIRONMENTAL AU 2022; 2:11-19. [PMID: 37101758 PMCID: PMC10114744 DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Soil-the thin outer skin of the Earth's land-is a critical and fragile natural resource. Soil is the basis for almost all global agriculture and the medium in which most terrestrial biological activity occurs. Here, we reconsider the five forming factors of soil originally suggested more than a century ago (parent material, time, climate, topography, and organisms) and updated over the years to add human activity as the sixth forming factor. We demonstrate how present anthropogenic activity has become the leading component influencing each one of the original forming factors. We thus propose that, starting from the Anthropocene, human activity should no longer be considered as a separate forming factor but rather a main driving force of each of the five original ones. We suggest that the importance of soil and the strong direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic factors on soil-forming factors should be considered together to ensure sustainability of this critical resource.
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32
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Song L, Han J, Li N, Huang Y, Hao M, Dai M, Chen WQ. China material stocks and flows account for 1978-2018. Sci Data 2021; 8:303. [PMID: 34824269 PMCID: PMC8617187 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-01075-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the world's top material consumer, China has created intense pressure on national or global demand for natural resources. Building an accurate material stocks and flows account of China is a prerequisite for promoting sustainable resource management. However, there is no annually, officially published material stocks and flows data in China. Existing material stocks and flows estimates conducted by scholars exhibit great discrepancies. In this study, we create the Provincial Material Stocks and Flows Database (PMSFD) for China and its 31 provinces. This dataset describes 13 materials' stocks, demand, and scrap supply in five end-use sectors in each province during 1978-2018. PMSFD is the first version of material stocks and flows inventories in China, and its uniform estimation structure and formatted inventories offer a comprehensive foundation for future accumulation, modification, and enhancement. PMSFD contributes insight into the material metabolism, which is an important database for sustainable development as well as circular economy policy-making in China. This dataset will be updated annually.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Song
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361021, P. R. China
- Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361021, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19 (A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Ji Han
- Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, P. R. China
- Institute of Eco-Chongming, 3633N. Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Nan Li
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361021, P. R. China.
- Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361021, P. R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19 (A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
| | - Yuanyi Huang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361021, P. R. China
- College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, 3688 Nanhai Road, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Min Hao
- College of Life Sciences, Ningde Normal University, 1 Xueyuan Road, Ningde, Fujian Province, 352106, P. R. China
| | - Min Dai
- Fudan Tyndall Center, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200438, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Qiang Chen
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361021, P. R. China
- Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361021, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19 (A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
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33
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Zhong X, Hu M, Deetman S, Steubing B, Lin HX, Hernandez GA, Harpprecht C, Zhang C, Tukker A, Behrens P. Global greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial building materials and mitigation strategies to 2060. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6126. [PMID: 34675192 PMCID: PMC8531392 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26212-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Building stock growth around the world drives extensive material consumption and environmental impacts. Future impacts will be dependent on the level and rate of socioeconomic development, along with material use and supply strategies. Here we evaluate material-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for residential and commercial buildings along with their reduction potentials in 26 global regions by 2060. For a middle-of-the-road baseline scenario, building material-related emissions see an increase of 3.5 to 4.6 Gt CO2eq yr-1 between 2020-2060. Low- and lower-middle-income regions see rapid emission increase from 750 Mt (22% globally) in 2020 and 2.4 Gt (51%) in 2060, while higher-income regions shrink in both absolute and relative terms. Implementing several material efficiency strategies together in a High Efficiency (HE) scenario could almost half the baseline emissions. Yet, even in this scenario, the building material sector would require double its current proportional share of emissions to meet a 1.5 °C-compatible target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyang Zhong
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Mingming Hu
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
- School of Management Science and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 40045, China
| | - Sebastiaan Deetman
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, 3584 CB, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Steubing
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hai Xiang Lin
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Glenn Aguilar Hernandez
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Carina Harpprecht
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Networked Energy Systems, Curiestreet 4, 70563, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Chunbo Zhang
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arnold Tukker
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, 2595 DA, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Behrens
- Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden University College The Hague, Leiden University, 2595 DG, The Hague, The Netherlands.
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Miatto A, Dawson D, Nguyen PD, Kanaoka KS, Tanikawa H. The urbanisation-environment conflict: Insights from material stock and productivity of transport infrastructure in Hanoi, Vietnam. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 294:113007. [PMID: 34119992 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113007] [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: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Developing regions experience rapid population growth and urbanisation, which require large quantities of materials for civil infrastructure. The production of construction materials, especially for urban transport systems, however, contributes to local and global environmental change. Political agendas may overlook the environmental implications of urban expansion, as economic growth tends to be prioritised. While elevating the standard of living is imperative, decision-making without careful environmental assessments can undermine the overall welfare of society. In this study, we evaluate the material demand and in-use stock productivity for the large-scale development plan for transport infrastructure in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam, from 2010 to 2030, combining geospatial and socioeconomic data with statistics on roads and railways. The results show that the total material stock could rise threefold from 66 Tg in 2010 to 269 Tg in 2030, which roughly translates to an addition of 30 Empire State Buildings per year by mass. The materials we account are required for construction exceed the availability of local sand and will need to be gathered farther away. Furthermore, the material stock productivity of the transport infrastructure appears to have been declining overall since 2010, and this trend may continue to 2030. These findings demonstrate the importance of informing urban planning with a comprehensive assessment of construction materials demand, supply capacity, and environmental impacts. Policy priorities for improving the in-use stock productivity are also recommended towards achieving a more efficient utilisation of natural resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Miatto
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - David Dawson
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Phuoc Dac Nguyen
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | | | - Hiroki Tanikawa
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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35
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Abstract
Materials are continuously accumulating in the human-built environment since massive amounts of materials are required for building, developing, and maintaining cities. At the end of their life cycles, these materials are considered valuable sources of secondary materials. The increasing construction and demolition waste released from aging stock each year make up the heaviest, most voluminous waste outflow, presenting challenges and opportunities. These material stocks should be utilized and exploited since the reuse and recycling of construction materials would positively impact the natural environment and resource efficiency, leading to sustainable cities within a grander scheme of a circular economy. The exploitation of material stock is known as urban mining. In order to make these materials accessible for future mining, material quantities need to be estimated and extrapolated to regional levels. This demanding task requires a vast knowledge of the existing building stock, which can only be obtained through labor-intensive, time-consuming methodologies or new technologies, such as building information modeling (BIM), geographic information systems (GISs), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. This review paper gives a general overview of the literature body and tracks the evolution of this research field.
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36
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Construction of Biophysical Indicators for the Catalan Economy: Building a New Conceptual Framework. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13137462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The main objective of this work is to create an environmental vision of the Catalan economy based on various indicators. To do this, we started from the fundamental idea of obtaining new metrics to measure impacts on the economy. The methodology used is focused on the systematization of descriptive statistics and econometric review. In this sense, GDP and GDP per capita are valued as chrematistic units, and biophysical variables are incorporated. For the period 2000–2016, the figures for energy consumption, CO2 emissions, energy intensity of the economy and water consumption were collected. In addition, demographic evolution and the Gini index were also ordered as factors that contribute to explaining not only population trajectory but also some of the social factors. Greater technological efficiency in regard to environmental aspects is intuited as sensitive to the economic cycle. The study is novel in the panorama of the regional economy of Spain, by incorporating biophysical variables to the applied economic analysis.
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37
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Chang J, Ge Y, Wu Z, Du Y, Pan K, Yang G, Ren Y, Heino MP, Mao F, Cheong KH, Qu Z, Fan X, Min Y, Peng C, Meyerson LA. Modern cities modelled as "super-cells" rather than multicellular organisms: Implications for industry, goods and services. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2100041. [PMID: 34085302 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The structure and "metabolism" (movement and conversion of goods and energy) of urban areas has caused cities to be identified as "super-organisms", placed between ecosystems and the biosphere, in the hierarchy of living systems. Yet most such analogies are weak, and render the super-organism model ineffective for sustainable development of cities. Via a cluster analysis of 15 shared traits of the hierarchical living system, we found that industrialized cities are more similar to eukaryotic cells than to multicellular organisms; enclosed systems, such as factories and greenhouses, paralleling organelles in eukaryotic cells. We further developed a "super-cell" industrialized city model: a "eukarcity" with citynucleus (urban area) as a regulating centre, and organaras (enclosed systems, which provide the majority of goods and services) as the functional components, and cityplasm (natural ecosystems and farmlands) as the matrix. This model may improve the vitality and sustainability of cities through planning and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Chang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ying Ge
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhaoping Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Du
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kaixuan Pan
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guofu Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mikko P Heino
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Feng Mao
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Kang Hao Cheong
- Science, Mathematics and Technology Cluster, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore.,SUTD-Massachusetts Institute of Technology International Design Centre, Singapore
| | - Zelong Qu
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xing Fan
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yong Min
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Changhui Peng
- Center of CEF/ESCER, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Quebec, Montreal, Canada
| | - Laura A Meyerson
- Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
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38
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Abstract
Carbonation in cement binders has to be thoroughly understood because it affects phase assemblage, binder microstructure and durability performance of concretes. This is still not the case as the reaction products can be crystalline, nanocrystalline and amorphous. The characterisation of the last two types of components are quite challenging. Here, carbonation reactions have been studied in alite-, belite- and ye’elimite-containing pastes, in controlled conditions (3% CO2 and RH = 65%). Pair distribution function (PDF) jointly with Rietveld and thermal analyses have been applied to prove that ettringite decomposed to yield crystalline aragonite, bassanite and nano-gibbsite without any formation of amorphous calcium carbonate. The particle size of gibbsite under these conditions was found to be larger (~5 nm) than that coming from the direct hydration of ye’elimite with anhydrite (~3 nm). Moreover, the carbonation of mixtures of C-S-H gel and portlandite, from alite and belite hydration, led to the formation of the three crystalline CaCO3 polymorphs (calcite, aragonite and vaterite), amorphous silica gel and amorphous calcium carbonate. In addition to their PDF profiles, the thermal analyses traces are thoroughly analysed and discussed.
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Schaffartzik A, Pichler M, Pineault E, Wiedenhofer D, Gross R, Haberl H. The transformation of provisioning systems from an integrated perspective of social metabolism and political economy: a conceptual framework. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE 2021; 16:1405-1421. [PMID: 34721700 PMCID: PMC8549981 DOI: 10.1007/s11625-021-00952-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Energy, food, or mobility can be conceptualized as provisioning systems which are decisive to sustainability transformations in how they shape resource use and because of emissions resulting from them. To curb environmental pressures and improve societal well-being, fundamental changes to existing provisioning systems are necessary. In this article, we propose that provisioning systems be conceptualized as featuring integrated socio-metabolic and political-economic dimensions. In socio-metabolic terms, material stocks-buildings, infrastructures, and machines, for example-are key components of provisioning systems and transform flows of energy and materials into goods and services. In political-economic terms, provisioning systems are formed by actors, institutions, and capital. We loosely identify and closely analyze, from socio-metabolic and political-economic perspectives, five phases along which provisioning systems are shaped and in which specific opportunities for interventions exist. Relying mainly on examples from the fossil-fueled electricity system, we argue that an integrated conceptualization of provisioning systems can advance understanding of these systems in two essential ways: by (1) facilitating a more encompassing perspective on current forms of provisioning as relying on capitalist regulation and on material stocks and flows and by (2) embedding provisioning systems within their historical context, making it possible to conceive of more sustainable and just forms of provisioning under (radically) altered conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Schaffartzik
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Melanie Pichler
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Eric Pineault
- Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Dominik Wiedenhofer
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Gross
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
- Institute of History and European Ethnology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Helmut Haberl
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
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Plank B, Eisenmenger N, Schaffartzik A. Do material efficiency improvements backfire?: Insights from an index decomposition analysis about the link between CO 2 emissions and material use for Austria. JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 25:511-522. [PMID: 34220182 PMCID: PMC8247022 DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
To keep global heating and other negative consequences of socioeconomic activities within manageable boundaries, industrialized countries must undergo substantial decarbonization, requiring the exploitation of synergies with other environmental endeavors. Improving resource efficiency-that is, reducing the resources required to generate a unit of economic output-is a prominent goal pursued across levels of scale. How does resource efficiency relate to decarbonization? Do economies decrease their emissions as they become more efficient? We examine this relationship for Austria from 2000 to 2015 by conducting an index decomposition analysis at the sectoral level by using consumption-based indicators from the multi-regional input-output model Exiobase. Our analysis shows that for Austria, the currently popular pursuit of material efficiency appears to run the risk of coinciding with higher emissions, suggesting that the opportunities to achieve both decarbonization and dematerialization are limited. The Austrian service sectors could contribute to a reduction of the CO2 footprint via material efficiency improvements, but strong economic growth foils this possibility coming to fruition. The Austrian economy would do well to either curb demand for goods and services driving global CO2 emissions or to produce imported goods and services domestically in an environmentally more benign manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Plank
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), Department of Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo)University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)ViennaAustria
| | - Nina Eisenmenger
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), Department of Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo)University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)ViennaAustria
| | - Anke Schaffartzik
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), Department of Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo)University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)ViennaAustria
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Vita G, Rao ND, Usubiaga-Liaño A, Min J, Wood R. Durable Goods Drive Two-Thirds of Global Households' Final Energy Footprints. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:3175-3187. [PMID: 33577305 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Sustainability endorses high quality, long-lasting goods. Durable goods, however, often require substantial amounts of energy during their production and use-phase and indirectly through complementary products and services. We quantify the global household's final energy footprints (EFs) of durable goods and the complementary goods needed to operate, service and maintain durables. We calculate the EFs of 200 goods across 44 individual countries and 5 world regions for the period of 1995-2011. In 2011, we find 68% of the total global household's EF (218 EJ) is durable-related broken down as follows: 10% is due to the production of durables per se, 7% is embodied in goods complementary to durables (consumables and services) and 51% is operational energy. At the product level, the highest durable-related EFs are: transport goods (148-648 MJ/cap), housing goods (40-811 MJ/cap), electric appliances (34-181 MJ/cap), and "gas stoves and furnaces" (40-100 MJ/cap). Between 1995 and 2011, the global household EF increased by 28% (48 EJ), of which 72% was added by durable-related energy. Globally, a 10% income growth corresponded to an increase in EF by 9% in durables, 11% in complementary consumables and 13% in complementary services-with even higher elasticities in the emerging economies. The average EF of the emerging economies (35 GJ/cap) is 2.5 times lower than in advanced economies (86 GJ/cap). Efficiency gains were detected in 47 out of 49 regions, but only 16 achieved net energy reductions. The large share of durable-related EF across regions (40-88%) confirms the dominance of durables in driving EFs, but the diversity of patterns suggests that policy and social factors influence durable-dependency. Demand-side solutions targeting ownership and inter-linkages between durables and complements are key to reduce global energy demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gibran Vita
- Environmental Sciences, Open University of The Netherlands (OU), Heerlen 6401 DL, Netherlands
- Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol), NTNU, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg 2361, Austria
- Sustainable Resource Futures Group (SURF), Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, 34121 Kassel, Germany
| | - Narasimha D Rao
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg 2361, Austria
| | - Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño
- UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL-ISR), University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Jihoon Min
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg 2361, Austria
| | - Richard Wood
- Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol), NTNU, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
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Haberl H, Wiedenhofer D, Schug F, Frantz D, Virág D, Plutzar C, Gruhler K, Lederer J, Schiller G, Fishman T, Lanau M, Gattringer A, Kemper T, Liu G, Tanikawa H, van der Linden S, Hostert P. High-Resolution Maps of Material Stocks in Buildings and Infrastructures in Austria and Germany. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:3368-3379. [PMID: 33600720 PMCID: PMC7931449 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The dynamics of societal material stocks such as buildings and infrastructures and their spatial patterns drive surging resource use and emissions. Two main types of data are currently used to map stocks, night-time lights (NTL) from Earth-observing (EO) satellites and cadastral information. We present an alternative approach for broad-scale material stock mapping based on freely available high-resolution EO imagery and OpenStreetMap data. Maps of built-up surface area, building height, and building types were derived from optical Sentinel-2 and radar Sentinel-1 satellite data to map patterns of material stocks for Austria and Germany. Using material intensity factors, we calculated the mass of different types of buildings and infrastructures, distinguishing eight types of materials, at 10 m spatial resolution. The total mass of buildings and infrastructures in 2018 amounted to ∼5 Gt in Austria and ∼38 Gt in Germany (AT: ∼540 t/cap, DE: ∼450 t/cap). Cross-checks with independent data sources at various scales suggested that the method may yield more complete results than other data sources but could not rule out possible overestimations. The method yields thematic differentiations not possible with NTL, avoids the use of costly cadastral data, and is suitable for mapping larger areas and tracing trends over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Haberl
- Institute
of Social Ecology, University of Natural
Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dominik Wiedenhofer
- Institute
of Social Ecology, University of Natural
Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Franz Schug
- Geography
Department, Humboldt Universität
zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Integrative
Research Institute on Transformations
of Human-Environment Systems, Humboldt Universität
zu Berlin, Unter den
Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - David Frantz
- Geography
Department, Humboldt Universität
zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Doris Virág
- Institute
of Social Ecology, University of Natural
Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph Plutzar
- Institute
of Social Ecology, University of Natural
Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070 Vienna, Austria
- Department
of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University
of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria
| | - Karin Gruhler
- Leibniz
Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Weberplatz 1, D-01217 Dresden, Germany
| | - Jakob Lederer
- Institute
for Water Quality and Resource Management, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13/226.2, A-1040 Wien, Austria
- Institute
of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/166, A-1060 Wien, Austria
| | - Georg Schiller
- Leibniz
Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Weberplatz 1, D-01217 Dresden, Germany
| | - Tomer Fishman
- School
of Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Hauniversita 8, 4610101 Herzliya, Israel
| | - Maud Lanau
- SDU
Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
- Department
of Civil and Structural Engineering, University
of Sheffield, Sir Frederick Mappin Building, Mappin Street, S1 3JD Sheffield, U.K.
| | - Andreas Gattringer
- Department
of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University
of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria
| | - Thomas Kemper
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Gang Liu
- SDU
Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Hiroki Tanikawa
- Department
of Environmental Engineering and Architecture in the Graduate School
of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, 464-8601 Nagoya, Japan
| | - Sebastian van der Linden
- Institut
für Geographie und Geologie, Universität
Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 16, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Patrick Hostert
- Geography
Department, Humboldt Universität
zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
- Integrative
Research Institute on Transformations
of Human-Environment Systems, Humboldt Universität
zu Berlin, Unter den
Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
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43
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Pineault E. The ghosts of progress: Contradictory materialities of the capitalist Golden Age. ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/1463499620980292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This theoretical contribution will examine the process of displacement of the constitutive contradictions of advanced capitalist societies from interior to exterior during the postwar era known as the ‘capitalist Golden Age’ (1945 to 1980). I ask the following question: what if this displacement is both an inherent and necessary process? In that case, the apparent stability or expansion gained in the core during this era was not only at the expense of externalized instability and destruction ‘elsewhere’; rather, this displacement was a precondition for growth in the centre. This has normative, political and methodological implications for current projects of socio-ecological transformation based on a proverbial Green New Deal. By examining theories of unequal ecological exchange and biophysically expanded versions of the labour process as developed by ecological anthropologists such as Hornborg or ecological economists such as Georgescu-Roegen, I will explore the possibility of understanding the material trajectory of advanced capitalism as a zero-sum game. This leads to a view of capitalist development in the 20th century where the accumulation process is no longer seen as progressive. To substantiate this argument, I will re-examine the energy flow patterns that sustained the growth of American capitalism during the Fordist period of accumulation, or so-called Golden Age of American capitalism. This revision of the American experience of growth from 1945 to 1980 can be considered a contribution to the wider study of the development of the dependence of capitalism on fossil fuels, or ‘fossil capital’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Pineault
- Institute of Environmental Sciences and department of Sociology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
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44
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Roy B, Schaffartzik A. Talk renewables, walk coal: The paradox of India's energy transition. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS 2021; 180:106871. [PMID: 33071457 PMCID: PMC7547319 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Coal is on the rise in India: despite the devasting impacts of the climate crisis, the awareness for land and forest rights, and political talk of a coal phase-out. In this article, we demonstrate that despite the renewables-led rhetoric, India is in the midst of a transition to (not away from) greater use of coal in its fossil energy system and in the electricity system in particular. We investigate this paradox by combining socio-metabolic and political-ecological analysis of the Indian coal complex. Our framework integrates material and energy flow data as characterizing the Indian fossil energy transition, indicators on the development and structure of the coal industry, and studies of ecological distribution conflicts around coal. The dominant claim to expansive use of coal and the competing counterclaims are indicative of underlying power relations which can also be witnessed in other countries. In India, they extend into the conflicted development of renewable energy including hydropower, in which the land dispossession, exclusion, and injustices associated with the expansion of the coal complex are reproduced. We conclude that the current energy transition - in which coal continues to play a dominant role - is neither sustainable nor just.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brototi Roy
- ICTA-UAB, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anke Schaffartzik
- ICTA-UAB, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Austria
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45
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Tagesson T, Tian F, Schurgers G, Horion S, Scholes R, Ahlström A, Ardö J, Moreno A, Madani N, Olin S, Fensholt R. A physiology-based Earth observation model indicates stagnation in the global gross primary production during recent decades. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:836-854. [PMID: 33124068 PMCID: PMC7898396 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Earth observation-based estimates of global gross primary production (GPP) are essential for understanding the response of the terrestrial biosphere to climatic change and other anthropogenic forcing. In this study, we attempt an ecosystem-level physiological approach of estimating GPP using an asymptotic light response function (LRF) between GPP and incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) that better represents the response observed at high spatiotemporal resolutions than the conventional light use efficiency approach. Modelled GPP is thereafter constrained with meteorological and hydrological variables. The variability in field-observed GPP, net primary productivity and solar-induced fluorescence was better or equally well captured by our LRF-based GPP when compared with six state-of-the-art Earth observation-based GPP products. Over the period 1982-2015, the LRF-based average annual global terrestrial GPP budget was 121.8 ± 3.5 Pg C, with a detrended inter-annual variability of 0.74 ± 0.13 Pg C. The strongest inter-annual variability was observed in semi-arid regions, but croplands in China and India also showed strong inter-annual variations. The trend in global terrestrial GPP during 1982-2015 was 0.27 ± 0.02 Pg C year-1 , and was generally larger in the northern than the southern hemisphere. Most positive GPP trends were seen in areas with croplands whereas negative trends were observed for large non-cropped parts of the tropics. Trends were strong during the eighties and nineties but levelled off around year 2000. Other GPP products either showed no trends or continuous increase throughout the study period. This study benchmarks a first global Earth observation-based model using an asymptotic light response function, improving simulations of GPP, and reveals a stagnation in the global GPP after the year 2000.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torbern Tagesson
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource ManagementUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Feng Tian
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
- School of Remote Sensing and Information EngineeringWuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Guy Schurgers
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource ManagementUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Stephanie Horion
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource ManagementUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Robert Scholes
- Global Change InstituteUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Anders Ahlström
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
- Center for Middle Eastern StudiesLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Jonas Ardö
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Alvaro Moreno
- Image Processing Laboratory (IPL)Universitat de ValènciaPaterna, ValènciaSpain
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, W.A. Franke College of Forestry & ConservationUniversity of MontanaMissoulaMTUSA
| | | | - Stefan Olin
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Rasmus Fensholt
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource ManagementUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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Inflows and Outflows from Material Stocks of Buildings and Networks and their Space-Differentiated Drivers: The Case Study of the Paris Region. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13031376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization causes massive flows of construction materials and waste, which generates environmental impacts and land-use conflicts. Circular economy strategies at a local scale and in coordination with urban planning could respond to those issues. Implementing these strategies raises challenges as it requires a better knowledge of flows and their space-differentiated drivers. This article focuses on the case of the Paris region (Ile-de-France) in 2013. Construction materials inflows and outflows to and from anthropogenic stocks of buildings and networks are estimated and located though a bottom-up approach based on the collection and processing of geolocalized data. Flow analysis focuses on the relationship between urbanization and flows with a view to establishing context-specific circular economy strategies. Results show that regional inflows of construction materials to stocks in 2013 reach between 1.8 and 2.1 t/capita while outflows are between 1.0 and 1.5 t/capita. Both inflows and outflows are mainly driven by building construction and demolition as well as by road renewal. The region is composed of three sub-urban areas and flows per capita in the dense central city of Paris are significantly lower than in the low-density outskirt area of Grande Couronne (GC). Road renewal accounts for a larger share of flows in GC. Future research will address methodological limits.
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47
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Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass. Nature 2020; 588:442-444. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-3010-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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48
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A DPSIR Assessment on Ecosystem Services Challenges in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Coping with the Impacts of Sand Mining. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12229323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
River sand mining has been a concerning problem for the southern Asian developing nations. The rampant growth of urbanisation in developing countries has led to an extensive need for and consumption of sand. The Mekong River and its delta are an essential part of southern Vietnam, and also a global biodiversity hub that is currently being exhausted by intensive sand mining. The understanding of the cause–effect of the sand mining over the Mekong delta region and river, from a systems-thinking perspective, is lacking, not only with Vietnam but also with other countries along the Mekong River. The DPSIR framework (Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response) is a useful tool to assess and describe the cause–effect within an ecosystem to aid in a better systems-thinking approach for stakeholders, policy makers, and governance managers to draft response measures. This study used the DPSIR framework to assess the different effects of sand mining on the ecosystem services and human well-being in the Mekong River and delta region of Vietnam. Rapid population growth, urbanisation, and infrastructure development needs remain as primary drivers for the sand consumption. The DPSIR study showed a holistic view of several interlinked pressures and state changes in Vietnam’s Mekong, along with some potential responses, to form systematic, sustainable approaches for mitigating and adapting the impacts caused by extensive river sand mining.
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49
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Watari T, Nansai K, Giurco D, Nakajima K, McLellan B, Helbig C. Global Metal Use Targets in Line with Climate Goals. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:12476-12483. [PMID: 32915547 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c02471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Metals underpin essential functions in modern society, yet their production currently intensifies climate change. This paper develops global targets for metal flows, stocks, and use intensity in the global economy out to 2100. These targets are consistent with emissions pathways to achieve a 2 °C climate goal and cover six major metals (iron, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, and nickel). Results indicate that despite advances in low-carbon metal production, a transformative system change to meet the society's needs with less metal is required to remain within a 2 °C pathway. Globally, demand for goods and services over the 21st century needs to be met with approximately 7 t/capita of metal stock-roughly half the current level in high-income countries. This systemic change will require a peak in global metal production by 2030 and deep decoupling of economic growth from both metal flows and stocks. Importantly, the identified science-based targets are theoretically achievable through such measures as efficient design, more intensive use, and longer product lifetime, but immediate action is crucial before middle- and low-income countries complete full-scale urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Watari
- Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
| | - Keisuke Nansai
- Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
- Centre for Integrated Sustainability Analysis, School of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Damien Giurco
- Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Kenichi Nakajima
- Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
| | - Benjamin McLellan
- Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Christoph Helbig
- Resource Lab, University of Augsburg, Universitaetsstr. 16, Augsburg 86159, Germany
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50
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Vadén T, Lähde V, Majava A, Järvensivu P, Toivanen T, Hakala E, Eronen JT. Decoupling for ecological sustainability: A categorisation and review of research literature. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY 2020; 112:236-244. [PMID: 32834777 PMCID: PMC7330600 DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The idea of decoupling "environmental bads" from "economic goods" has been proposed as a path towards sustainability by organizations such as the OECD and UN. Scientific consensus reports on environmental impacts (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions) and resource use give an indication of the kind of decoupling needed for ecological sustainability: global, absolute, fast-enough and long-enough. This goal gives grounds for a categorisation of the different kinds of decoupling, with regard to their relevance. We conducted a survey of recent (1990-2019) research on decoupling on Web of Science and reviewed the results in the research according to the categorisation. The reviewed 179 articles contain evidence of absolute impact decoupling, especially between CO2 (and SOX) emissions and evidence on geographically limited (national level) cases of absolute decoupling of land and blue water use from GDP, but not of economy-wide resource decoupling, neither on national nor international scales. Evidence of the needed absolute global fast-enough decoupling is missing.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Vadén
- BIOS Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland
| | - V Lähde
- BIOS Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland
| | - A Majava
- BIOS Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland
| | - P Järvensivu
- BIOS Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland
- Sustainability in Business Research, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - T Toivanen
- BIOS Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Political and Economic Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - E Hakala
- BIOS Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland
- Global Security Programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Helsinki, Finland
| | - J T Eronen
- BIOS Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme & Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
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