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Renewable energy sources can help combat climate change but knowing the land, water and carbon implications of different renewable energy production mixes becomes a key. This paper systematically applies land, water and carbon foo...
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Renewable energy sources can help combat climate change but knowing the land, water and carbon implications of different renewable energy production mixes becomes a key. This paper systematically applies land, water and carbon footprint accounting methods to calculate resource appropriation and CO(2)eq GHG emissions of two energy scenarios. The '100% scenario' is meant as a thinking exercise and assumes a complete transition towards bioenergy, mostly as bioelectricity and some first-generation biofuel. The 'SDS-bio scenario' is inspired by IEA's sustainable development scenario and assumes a 9.8% share of bioenergy in the final mix, with a high share of first-generation biofuel. Energy inputs into production are calculated by differentiating inputs into fuel versus electricity and exclude fossil fuels used for non-energy purposes. Results suggest that both scenarios can lead to emission savings, but at a high cost of land and water resources. A 100% shift to bioenergy is not possible from water and land perspectives. The SDS-bio scenario, when using the most efficient feedstocks (sugar beet and sugarcane), would still require 11-14% of the global arable land and a water flow equivalent to 18-25% of the current water footprint of humanity. In comparative terms, using sugar or starchy crops to produce bioenergy results in smaller footprints than using oil-bearing crops. Regardless of the choice of crop, converting the biomass to combined heat and power results in smaller land, water and carbon footprints per unit of energy than when converting to electricity alone or liquid biofuel.
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Whether globalization is sustainable is a contested issue. The quantitative literature on the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI) and the KOF index of globalization shows that globalization contributes positively to economic and ...
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Whether globalization is sustainable is a contested issue. The quantitative literature on the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI) and the KOF index of globalization shows that globalization contributes positively to economic and human development, environmental performance, mortality, gender equality and physical integrity rights. However, globalization also drives within-country income inequality, especially in developing countries. Evidence on the effects of globalization on the ecological environment does not provide clear patterns; various dimensions of globalization have different effects on various pollutants. This article analyzes the statistical relationship between the most recent MGI (2012 edition) and the ecological dimension of sustainable development. The latter will be operationalized by considering four variants of the Ecological Footprint. The relation between globalization and sustainable development will be controlled for GDP per capita as a proxy for affluence and report the results for Pearson's correlations and multivariate regressions for up to 171 countries. We conclude that the overall index of globalization significantly increases the Ecological Footprint of consumption, exports and imports. The decomposition of globalization into different domains reveals that apart from the political dimension, all dimensions drive human pressures and demands on the environment. Globalization needs to go into new directions if it is to make a contribution toward all aspects of sustainable development.
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The multifunctionality of bioresources is a major opportunity for the future; it offers the ability to replace fossil-related market demands in a carbon neutral way. However, the switchover to a biobased economy faces two main cha...
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The multifunctionality of bioresources is a major opportunity for the future; it offers the ability to replace fossil-related market demands in a carbon neutral way. However, the switchover to a biobased economy faces two main challenges in comparison with the current fossil-based situation: biofeedstock requires an intensive cultivation step and furthermore there is a certain competition with the food chain which limits the amount of land available for new markets. So whilst biomass is seen as a 'renewable' resource, it is definitely not 'gratuite', inducing the need of an efficient cultivation and valorization. In this paper, a case study is executed to highlight that biorefining feedstock into a wide range of products is a thermodynamically efficient (81.1%) way of processing all molecules of the bioresources for specific purposes in different segments of the market demand. On the other hand, it is demonstrated in the second part of the paper that replacing fossils requires a certain amount of inputs from the Earth's crust causing additional thermodynamic losses in the production chain (15.3% efficient), which are quantified based on the resource footprint of the Cumulative Exergy Extracted from the Natural Environment (CEENE) methodology. A scenario assessment demonstrates the resulting tradeoff between the carbon footprint of bioproducts and the land, water, and minerals footprint; in the case study executed, 27% fossil resources are saved at the cost of 93% extra land, water and mineral input from the natural environment. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
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This study examines the effects of real income, financial development and trade openness on the ecological footprint (EF) of consumption using a panel data of leading world EF contributors during the period 1991-2012. A number of ...
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This study examines the effects of real income, financial development and trade openness on the ecological footprint (EF) of consumption using a panel data of leading world EF contributors during the period 1991-2012. A number of panel unit root tests confirm that the data are first-difference stationary. Results from Pedroni co-integration tests show that the variables are co-integrated. The panel dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) method is then employed to estimate the long run association between the variables. The results indicate a positive and significant association between ecological footprint (EF) and real income, and a negative and insignificant impact of trade openness on EF. Financial development is also observed to reduce EF. Afterwards, the group-mean fully modified ordinary least squares method is applied to check the robustness of the DOLS estimates. The findings are partially robust as only real income confirms the positive significant impact on EF. In addition, the vector error correction model supports a unidirectional causal impact running from real income to EF. Finally, findings from variance decomposition analysis and impulse response functions reveal that real income will have an increasing effect on EF for the selected countries into the future. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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The Paris Agreement recognizes that countries may be affected not only by climate change, but also by impacts of measures taken in response to it. The Agreement also requires parties to address the adverse implications arising fro...
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The Paris Agreement recognizes that countries may be affected not only by climate change, but also by impacts of measures taken in response to it. The Agreement also requires parties to address the adverse implications arising from the use of response measures, particularly on developing countries. Parties' tool-kit of response measures to meet their pre-2020 actions and post-2020 intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) could include trade measures such as carbon taxes, cap-and-trade schemes and related offsets, carbon border tax adjustments, carbon standards and labelling, and subsidies for low carbon goods. Aside from parties, international organizations are also developing response measures such as the ISO's carbon footprint standards (CFPs). These measures could have economic and trade implications and may possibly modify the conditions of competition in various sectors. Depending on how these measures are designed and applied, they can also be incompatible with WTO law. The inter-linkages between trade and climate response measures will become more pronounced as parties implement their pre-2020 climate actions and post-2020 INDCs. Trade disputes are more likely in a world of uncoordinated and conflicting national responses to climate challenge. What should be done to foster coherence between the WTO and UNFCCC regimes, and prevent legal inconsistencies from arising? This calls for the governance of response measures — the need for pre-emptive cooperation at the national and international levels supplemented by ex-ante and ex-post transparency and guided by parameters to foster coherence between the trade and climate regimes. While this paper discusses response measures and their implications from the trade-climate lens, the approach adopted in the paper would also be applicable in the interaction of response measures with other policy areas such as economic diversification, just transition in the workforce and development issues. In sum, as the paper highlights, from the perspective of the Paris Agreement's mandate that climate protection should be enhanced in the context of sustainable development, and response measures must also colored, textured and shaded in sustainable development.
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This paper builds on and extends previous research to contribute to ongoing discussion on the use of resource and carbon accounting tools in regional policy making. The Northern Visions project has produced the first evidence-base...
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This paper builds on and extends previous research to contribute to ongoing discussion on the use of resource and carbon accounting tools in regional policy making. The Northern Visions project has produced the first evidence-based footpath setting out the actions that need to be taken to achieve the step changes in the Ecological and Carbon Footprint of Northern Ireland. A range of policies and strategies were evaluated using the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme. The analysis provided the first regional evidence base that current sustainable development policy commitments would not lead to the necessary reductions in either the Ecological Footprint or carbon dioxide emissions. Building on previous applications of Ecological Footprint analysis in regional policy making, the research has demonstrated that there is a valuable role for Ecological and Carbon Footprint Analysis in policy appraisal. The use of Ecological and Carbon Footprint Analysis in regional policy making has been evaluated and recommendations made on ongoing methodological development. The authors hope that the research can provide insights for the ongoing use Ecological and Carbon Footprint Analysis in regional policy making and help set out the priorities for research to support this important policy area.
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The water footprint has developed into a widely-used concept to examine water use and resulting local impacts caused during agricultural and industrial production. Building on recent advancements in the water footprint concept, it...
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The water footprint has developed into a widely-used concept to examine water use and resulting local impacts caused during agricultural and industrial production. Building on recent advancements in the water footprint concept, it can be an effective steering instrument to support, inter alia, achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) - SDG 6 in particular. Within the research program "Water as a Global Resource" (GRoW), an initiative of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, a number of research projects currently apply and enhance the water footprint concept in order to identify areas where water is being used inefficiently and implement practical optimization measures (see imprint for more information). With this paper, we aim to raise awareness on the potential of the water footprint concept to inform decision-making in the public and private sectors towards improved water management and achieving the SDGs.
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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 mate...
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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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This paper analyzes the Cuban model of sustainable development and explains the causes that made Cuba the only country that meets the conditions of sustainability according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). The Human Develop...
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This paper analyzes the Cuban model of sustainable development and explains the causes that made Cuba the only country that meets the conditions of sustainability according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). The Human Development Index has three main components: quality of life (health indicator measured as life expectancy at birth), knowledge (education indicator measured as adult literacy) and the standard of life (economic indicator measured by the Gross Domestic Income). This paper analyses the aspects of the educational and health system of Cuba and also of its energy policies that explain the excellent scores of the Human Development Index. Cuba shows a Human Development Index of 0.8 with an Ecological Footprint of 1.8 gha. This is achieved with a Gross Domestic Income lower than other countries with similar Human Development Index. The Ecological Footprint of Cuba is mainly determined by the CO_2 and the agricultural land footprint. The paper shows how the economic transition, after the economic crisis of the early 1990s, was realized without significantly increasing the Ecological Footprint.
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This contribution presents the selected categories of environmental footprints related to the planetary boundaries and threats to human security. The analysis covers the footprint family of indicators that usually consists of ecol...
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This contribution presents the selected categories of environmental footprints related to the planetary boundaries and threats to human security. The analysis covers the footprint family of indicators that usually consists of ecological, carbon or more precisely greenhouse gas and water footprints and also sometimes the energy footprint. The other assessed footprints that are important for ecosystem health in regard to water, health, food, and land and species security are nitrogen, phosphorus, biodiversity and land footprints, which have already transgressed the planetary boundaries and are therefore outside the safe operating space. The importance of the various footprints is discussed and the simultaneous analysis of footprints is emphasised as a major direction of research and practice. The comprehensive set of environmental impacts, e.g. set of presented footprints in this contribution, should be considered and should incorporate the burdening and unburdening concept from the life cycle perspective. Some applications of the presented environmental footprints are offered, and conclusions and remarks provided for future observation.
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