Integrating crop redistribution and improved managements could meet China’s food demand with lower environmental costs

Abstract Sustainably feeding the growing population in China attracts attention globally. Despite practices success, producing enough food to simultaneously address resource and pollution problems has been infeasible. To assess how to achieve this goal in 2035, we created a pathway that synergistic combining improved managements and cropland redistribution based on 11.1 million farmer surveys and 4,272 georeferenced field observations. Here, we firstly selected the practices of top 10% performers in crop yield and nitrogen (N) efficiency as crop-specific attainable improved managements at the county level. The optimized crop distribution within improved managements was then performed to minimize inputs (N and phosphorus fertilizer, irrigation water) or environmental impacts (reactive N [Nr] loss and greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions). We identified that combing improved managements and cropland redistribution could produce enough food demands in 2035, with 24% more production compared to 2012. It also reduced the inputs and environmental impacts in a range of 19%-35%, mainly sourced from the central and eastern coastal areas by improved productivity and diminished cropland of fruit and vegetables. These findings highlight the necessity for a synergistic combination of measures to sustainably feed the growing population and establish a more realistic and effective policy.

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Assessing the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Alternative Renewable Portfolio Standards: Winners and Losers

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14113319 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 3319

Author(s):

Jamal Mamkhezri ◽

Leonard A. Malczynski ◽

Janie M. Chermak

Keyword(s):

New Mexico ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

The State ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Renewable Portfolio Standard ◽

County Level ◽

Renewable Portfolio Standards ◽

Energy Potential ◽

Output Analysis ◽

The Impact

State-mandated renewable portfolio standards affect substantial portions of the total U.S. electricity supply. Renewable portfolio standards are environmentally motivated policies, yet they have the potential to greatly impact economy. There is not an agreement in the literature on the impact of renewable portfolio standards policies on regional economies, especially on job creation. By integrating various methodologies including econometrics, geographic information system, and input–output analysis into a unique system dynamics model, this paper estimates the economic and environmental impacts of various renewable portfolio standards scenarios in the state of New Mexico, located in Southwestern U.S. The state is endowed with traditional fossil fuel resources and substantial renewable energy potential. In this work we estimated and compared the economic and environmental tradeoffs at the county level under three renewable portfolio standards: New Mexico’s original standard of 20% renewables, the recently adopted 100% renewables standard, and a reduced renewable standard of 10%. The final one would be a return to a more traditional generation profile. We found that while the 20% standard has the highest market-based economic impact on the state as a whole, it is not significantly different from other scenarios. However, when environmental impacts are included, the 100% standard yields the highest value. In addition, while the state level economic impacts across the three scenarios are not significantly different, the county-level impacts are substantial. This is especially important for a state like New Mexico, which has a high reliance on energy for economic development. A higher renewable portfolio standard appears to be an economic tool to stimulate targeted areas’ economic growth. These results have policy implications.

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Strategies to Improve the Energy Performance of Buildings: A Review of Their Life Cycle Impact

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings8080105 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 105 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Nadia MIRABELLA ◽

Martin RÖCK ◽

Marcella Ruschi Mendes SAADE ◽

Carolin SPIRINCKX ◽

Marc BOSMANS ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Case Studies ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Energy Use ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Embodied Energy ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Operational Energy

Globally, the building sector is responsible for more than 40% of energy use and it contributes approximately 30% of the global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This high contribution stimulates research and policies to reduce the operational energy use and related GHG emissions of buildings. However, the environmental impacts of buildings can extend wide beyond the operational phase, and the portion of impacts related to the embodied energy of the building becomes relatively more important in low energy buildings. Therefore, the goal of the research is gaining insights into the environmental impacts of various building strategies for energy efficiency requirements compared to the life cycle environmental impacts of the whole building. The goal is to detect and investigate existing trade-offs in current approaches and solutions proposed by the research community. A literature review is driven by six fundamental and specific research questions (RQs), and performed based on two main tasks: (i) selection of literature studies, and (ii) critical analysis of the selected studies in line with the RQs. A final sample of 59 papers and 178 case studies has been collected, and key criteria are systematically analysed in a matrix. The study reveals that the high heterogeneity of the case studies makes it difficult to compare these in a straightforward way, but it allows to provide an overview of current methodological challenges and research gaps. Furthermore, the most complete studies provide valuable insights in the environmental benefits of the identified energy performance strategies over the building life cycle, but also shows the risk of burden shifting if only operational energy use is focused on, or when a limited number of environmental impact categories are assessed.

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Current issues and controversies in assessing the environmental impacts of livestock production.

CAB Reviews Perspectives in Agriculture Veterinary Science Nutrition and Natural Resources ◽

10.1079/pavsnnr202116044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (044) ◽

Author(s):

Judith L. Capper

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Resource Use ◽

Management Practices ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Livestock Production ◽

Environmental Indicators ◽

Environment Impact ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Specific Practice ◽

Over Time

Abstract The environment impact of livestock production is one of the most significant issues within agriculture. Global concerns over climate change, resource use, pollution and other environment indicators means that producers must implement practices and systems to reduce environmental impacts, yet this may only be achieved through assessments that allow impacts to be quantified, benchmarked and improved over time. Although environmental indicators are widely accepted, the metrics by which these are assessed continue to evolve over time as assessment objectives gain clarity and focus, and as the science relating to controversial topics (e.g. global warming or carbon sequestration) becomes more refined. however, significant negative trade-offs may occur between different metrics and denominators such that a specific practice or system may appear to have greater or lesser impacts, depending on assessment methodology. A number of tools and models have been developed to empower producers in quantifying environmental impacts, which will be increasingly important is satisfying future consumers' hunger for information as well as food. These tools must be supplied in tandem with information as to the potential consequences of changing management practices and systems. At present however, tools available are based on differing methodologies, are often opaque in their background calculations and do not necessarily account for all the factors that influence environmental impacts from livestock. There is a clear need for robust tools that can be used as standards for assessing environmental impacts from the global livestock industry and that go beyond GHG emissions to produce a more rounded holistic assessment.

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Consolidated Climate Markets Mechanism Analysis—Case Studies of China, Japan, and Taiwan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11226478 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (22) ◽

pp. 6478

Author(s):

Jules Chuang ◽

Hsing-Lung Lien ◽

Akemi Kokubo Roche ◽

Pei-Hsuan Liao ◽

Walter Den

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Case Studies ◽

Financial Burden ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Mechanism Analysis ◽

Policy Tool ◽

Ghg Reduction ◽

Effective Policy ◽

Trading Mechanisms ◽

Primary Instrument

The post-Kyoto Protocol era has seen a transition to focus on the development of a renewable energy (RE) market as a primary instrument to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. This paper analyses the development of GHG reduction and RE market in China, Japan, and Taiwan that are geographically proximate but socioeconomically diverse, and each plays a different but significant role in the world’s economy. By deploying a consolidated model incorporating the key components of market drivers underlying the goal of achieving GHG reduction, we threaded through the policy- and market-instruments implemented for each of the case studies over the past 20 years using the model. One commonality is that subsidiary schemes in the form of feed-in tariffs have served as an effective policy tool to boost the growth of renewable energy installations, though the worsening financial burden renders this path unsustainable. Over-reliance on feed-in-tariff schemes may have also impeded the liberation of an energy market pivotal to the success of elevating RE portfolio through trading mechanisms. What followed were the implementations of renewable energy certificate (REC) systems that have experienced various roadblocks leading to failures of the certificate market. By understanding the paths engaged in each of the cases, a conceptualized strategy depicted by the consolidated model is proposed to show the links between a renewable market and a carbon market. The framework would expedite the trading of RECs and carbon credits to accelerate the attainment of GHG emission reduction goals.

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Unraveling Green Information Technology Systems as a Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Game-Changer

Administrative Sciences ◽

10.3390/admsci9020043 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Katundu Imasiku ◽

Valerie Thomas ◽

Etienne Ntagwirumugara

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Information Technology ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Renewable Resources ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Green Growth ◽

Green Information Technology

Green information technology systems (Green ITS) are proposed as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and other environmental impacts while supporting ecological sustainable development. The Green ITS concept combines both Green information technology (IT) and Green information system (IS) applications. The Green ITS concept has the potential to combat the carbon emission problem globally, beyond simply Green IT, because it combines management, organizational, and technology dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially if supported by global policy. Examples include life cycle assessment software for measuring GHG emissions, and software for monitoring GHG emissions. Previous studies on environmental burdens such as GHGs, water and air pollution, energy losses and other forms of waste alongside socio-economic dependent variables including renewable resources and climate change policies are reviewed and synthesized. The research analysis conjointly points to the usage of renewable resources such as solar and wind as a critical strategy to scale back GHG emissions and enhance green growth. Empirical evidence shows that developed countries can reduce their carbon emissions while developing countries can utilize carbon emission-free technologies as they aspire to achieve development. The two significant benefits of the Green ITS strategy are first, to provide the environmental benefits of reducing greenhouse emissions and other environmental impacts and second, to enhance global green growth, which supports achievement of ecological sustainable development. Green ITS tools support achievement of the UN SDG 7, 13 and 15, which emphasize clean energy, climate action and ecological sustainable development, respectively. Future research directions include the formulation of a strategy to combat GHGs and design of a system to monitor carbon emissions and other waste remotely.

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Consideration of Manufacturing Processes and the Supply Chain in Product Design

ASME 2011 International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference, Volume 2 ◽

10.1115/msec2011-50232 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed J. Alsaffar ◽

Karl R. Haapala ◽

Zhaohui Wu

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Product Design ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

The United States ◽

Design For X ◽

Transportation Sector ◽

Manufacturing Supply Chain ◽

Environmentally Benign Manufacturing

As efforts continue to incorporate environmental sustainability into product design, struggles persist to concurrently consider the environmental impacts resulting from transportation planning and supply chain network design. In fact, the transportation sector is the second largest contributor to direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, following electricity generation. To address these concerns and consider environmental issues more holistically during the development of products, Design for X (X: manufacturing, environment, etc.) methods, such as environmentally benign manufacturing (EBM) and life cycle assessment (LCA) continue to be advanced through research. In spite of improving environmental performance through design, supply chain related impacts are not well understood and can be impacted by decisions made during product design. Thus, the aim of this research is to explore how changes to the design of a product affect manufacturing supply chain configurations and, in turn, influence product environmental sustainability. The environmental impacts for producing several three-ring binder design variations are predicted by assuming a given set of suppliers that provide materials and components to the manufacturer. Supply chain transportation impacts are also accounted for in the analysis. Transportation impacts are found to be minor compared to materials and manufacturing impacts.

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Disposable Medical Masks: Environmental Costs

10.21203/rs.3.rs-647486/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

BURÇİN ATILGAN TÜRKMEN

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Global Warming Potential ◽

Functional Unit ◽

Environmental Costs ◽

Inventory Data

Abstract A massive increase in the use and production of masks worldwide has been seen in the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has contributed to reducing the transmission of the virus globally. This paper aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of disposable medical masks using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, first for the selected functional unit related to the manufacturing of one disposable medical mask and then for the global manufacturing of this type of mask in 2020. The inventory data was constructed directly from the industry. The system boundaries include the fabric, nose wire, and ear loops parts, transportation of materials, body making, ultrasonic vending, and packaging steps. The results suggest that the global warming potential of a disposable medical mask is 0.02 g CO2-Eq. for which the main contributor is the packaging step (44%) followed by the life cycle of fabric (27%), and nose wire (14%) parts. In total, 52 billion disposable medical masks used worldwide consumes 25 TJ of energy in 2020. The global warming potential of disposable medical masks supplied in a year of the COVID-19 pandemic is 1.1 Mt CO2 eq., equivalent to around 1.3 billion return flights from Istanbul to New York. This paper assessed the hotspots in the medical mask, allowing for a significant reduction in the environmental impact of mask use. This can be used as a roadmap for future mask designs.

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Organic Vegetable Cultivation Reduces Resource and Environmental Costs While Increasing Farmers’ Income in the North China Plain

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10030361 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 361

Author(s):

Qiang Xu ◽

Kelin Hu ◽

Hongyuan Zhang ◽

Hui Han ◽

Ji Li

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Resource Use ◽

North China Plain ◽

North China ◽

Environmental Costs ◽

Environment Impact ◽

The North ◽

Organic Cultivation ◽

The North China Plain ◽

Vegetable Cultivation

Organic cultivation has been promoted in recent years as a possible alternative to conventional cultivation in order to reduce environmental burdens and nonrenewable resource use. However, a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of different vegetable cultivation modes is currently lacking. In this study, a combined use of economic analysis (ECA), emergy analysis (EMA), and lifecycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the economic performance, resource use, and environmental impacts of three greenhouse eggplant production modes, namely conventional (CON), low-input (LOW), and organic (ORG) cultivation. ECA results showed that the economic profit and value to cost ratio of ORG increased by 14%–17% and 36%–41% compared with CON and LOW, respectively. EMA results showed that ORG had higher resource use efficiency. The unit emergy value and emergy sustainability index of ORG increased by 37%–49% and 45%–65% than those of CON and LOW, respectively. LCA results revealed lower potential environmental impacts for ORG, and its total potential environment impact index was 80%–91% lower than that of CON and LOW. These results showed that organic vegetable cultivation reduced resource and environmental costs while increasing farmers’ income, which is the most sustainable vegetable production mode in the North China Plain.

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Environmental Assessment of an Urban Vertical Hydroponic Farming System in Sweden

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11154124 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 4124 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Michael Martin ◽

Elvira Molin

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Farming System ◽

Electricity Demand ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Vertical Farming ◽

Growing Medium

With an expanding population and changing dynamics in global food markets, it is important to find solutions for more resilient food production methods closer to urban environments. Recently, vertical farming systems have emerged as a potential solution for urban farming. However, although there is an increasing body of literature reviewing the potential of urban and vertical farming systems, only a limited number of studies have reviewed the sustainability of these systems. The aim of this article was to understand the environmental impacts of vertical hydroponic farming in urban environments applied to a case study vertical hydroponic farm in Stockholm, Sweden. This was carried out by evaluating environmental performance using a life cycle perspective to assess the environmental impacts and comparing to potential scenarios for improvement options. The results suggest that important aspects for the vertical hydroponic system include the growing medium, pots, electricity demand, the transportation of raw materials and product deliveries. By replacing plastic pots with paper pots, large reductions in GHG emissions, acidification impacts, and abiotic resource depletion are possible. Replacing conventional gardening soil as the growing medium with coir also leads to large environmental impact reductions. However, in order to further reduce the impacts from the system, more resource-efficient steps will be needed to improve impacts from electricity demand, and there is potential to develop more symbiotic exchanges to employ urban wastes and by-products.

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