scholarly journals The Ecological Cost Of Consumption

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Peterson ◽  
Matthew Selinske ◽  
Manfred Lenzen ◽  
Atte Moilanen

Abstract The link between global ecosystem decline, trade, and human consumption suggests that trade-based biodiversity footprints should be regarded as a critical indicator of planetary impacts. Here we integrate a global input-output economic framework that encompasses global trade between 15909 sectors, with range and impact data on 10518 terrestrial plant, 17234 terrestrial animal, 6101 freshwater and 5059 marine species, to specify the biodiversity footprints associated with global trade and consumption across domestic and international supply chains. Our framework characterises global species loss as driven by domestic trade in emerging market economies including China, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Ecuador, and exacerbated by consumption in high-income countries, especially those in the G7, that are driving species loss in emerging markets and low-income nations. We attribute the largest sector-scope footprints to construction in China, Colombia, and India, agriculture commodity trade in Madagascar, Mexico, Tanzania, and Peru, and food manufacture in Mexico, Germany and France.

Author(s):  
Katja Lehnert ◽  
Mamun M. Rashid ◽  
Benoy Kumar Barman ◽  
Walter Vetter

AbstractNile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was grown in Bangladesh with four different feeding treatments as part of a project that aims to produce fish in a cost-effective way for low-income consumers in developing countries. Fillet and head tissue was analysed because both tissues were destined for human consumption. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses of transesterified fatty acid methyl ester extracts indicated the presence of ~ 50 fatty acids. Major fatty acids in fillet and head tissue were palmitic acid and oleic acid. Both linoleic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids with three or more double bonds were presented in quantities > 10% of total fatty acids in fillet, but lower in head tissue. Erucic acid levels were below the newly proposed tolerable daily intake in the European Union, based on the consumption of 200 g fillet per day. Moreover, further analysis produced evidence for the presence of the dicarboxylic fatty acid azelaic acid (nonanedioic acid, Di9:0) in head tissue. To verify this uncommon finding, countercurrent chromatography was used to isolate Di9:0 and other dicarboxylic acids from a technical standard followed by its quantification. Di9:0 contributed to 0.4–1.3% of the fatty acid profile in head tissue, but was not detected in fillet. Fish fed with increasing quantities of flaxseed indicated that linoleic acid was the likely precursor of Di9:0 in the head tissue samples.


Author(s):  
Kayley D. McCubbin ◽  
John W. Ramatowski ◽  
Esther Buregyeya ◽  
Eleanor Hutchinson ◽  
Harparkash Kaur ◽  
...  

AbstractSince the introduction of antibiotics into mainstream health care, resistance to these drugs has become a widespread issue that continues to increase worldwide. Policy decisions to mitigate the development of antimicrobial resistance are hampered by the current lack of surveillance data on antibiotic product availability and use in low-income countries. This study collected data on the antibiotics stocked in human (42) and veterinary (21) drug shops in five sub-counties in Luwero district of Uganda. Focus group discussions with drug shop vendors were also employed to explore antibiotic use practices in the community. Focus group participants reported that farmers used human-intended antibiotics for their livestock, and community members obtain animal-intended antibiotics for their own personal human use. Specifically, chloramphenicol products licensed for human use were being administered to Ugandan poultry. Human consumption of chloramphenicol residues through local animal products represents a serious public health concern. By limiting the health sector scope of antimicrobial resistance research to either human or animal antibiotic use, results can falsely inform policy and intervention strategies. Therefore, a One Health approach is required to understand the wider impact of community antibiotic use and improve overall effectiveness of intervention policy and regulatory action.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia de Oliveira Campos ◽  
Marconi Freitas da Costa

PurposeThis study aims to further analyse the decision-making process of low-income consumer from an emerging market by verifying the influence of regulatory focus and construal level theory on indebtedness.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental study was carried out with a design 2 (regulatory focus: promotion vs prevention) × 2 (psychological distance: high vs low) between subjects, with 140 low-income consumers.FindingsOur study points out that the propensity towards indebtedness of low-income consumer is higher in a distal psychological distance. We found that promotion and prevention groups have the same propensity to indebtedness. Moreover, we highlight that low-income consumers are prone to propensity to indebtedness due to taking decisions focused on the present with an abstract mindset.Social implicationsFinancial awareness advertisements should focus on providing more concrete strategies in order to reduce decision-making complexity and provide ways to reduce competing situations that could deplete self-regulation resources. Also, public policy should organize educational programs to increase the low-income consumer's ability to deal with personal finances and reduce this task complexity. Finally, educational financial programs should also incorporate psychology professionals to teach mindfulness techniques applied to financial planning.Originality/valueThis study is the first to consider regulatory focus and construal level to explain low-income indebtedness. This paper provides a deeper analysis of the low-income consumers' decision process. Also, it supports and guides future academic and decision-making efforts.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thabiti Soudjay Kamal ◽  
Yunfeng Huang ◽  
Chulong Huang ◽  
Su Xu ◽  
Gao Bing ◽  
...  

We present a quantitative analysis of phosphorus (P) flows that characterize the food production-consumption system metabolism in a low-income, food, and phosphorus deficient country, using Comoros, a small African island state, as an example from the year 2000 to 2011. The data were interpreted in terms of the connections between crop production, livestock breeding, human consumption, and soil stock, using the substance flow analysis (SFA) model. We found that the total P input into Comoros totaled 132.37 t in 2000 and 270.60 t in 2011, whereas the total P output totaled 567.40 t in 2000 and 702.29 t in 2011. Farmers in Comoros are cropping with little or no P input, resulting in a soil P deficiency; it varied from 435.03 t in 2000 to 431.69 t in 2011. In addition, the Phosphorus Use Efficiencies (PUEs) of plant and animal production in Comoros were 131.80% and 14%, respectively, in 2011. This is the first SFA of a small island state, and the lack of a closed P loop is a major issue for the country in terms of P security and this has not changed between 2000 and 2011. This study proposes crucial solutions for improving the PUE through recycling and reusing animal manure, human excreta, and household solid organic waste.


Helia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina Vedmedeva ◽  
Tatiana Machova

Abstract Sunflower is used for the production of oil, confectionery and animal feed. Birds are very fond of sunflowers and can be pests of sunflower crops, and are consumers of seeds. Sunflower poultry feed is an emerging market that determines the direction of breeding. Its development is based on the determination of bird preferences and the available variety of sunflower lines. This is what our research is devoted to. Experimental feeding of chickens with a mixture of sunflower seeds of different colours was carried out. Chickens have been found to prefer contrasting striped seeds with white and dark stripes more than others. The white colour of the seeds was eaten less than others. Studies of the genetics of sunflower colour allow us to distinguish two groups of lines by seed colour. The first has white seeds with the EwEwPP genotype, suitable for use in human confectionery and more protected from being eaten by wild birds in the fields. The second is striped seeds with the EstrEstrPP genotype, which can be fed whole seeds to birds. Donors of seed colour traits and other traits important for hybrid breeding were selected from the evaluated collection of sunflower lines. InK1039 line is a donor of small striped seeds and pollen fertility restoration. InK1587 line is a sterility fixer and donor of striped and early maturing seeds. To create hybrids with white seeds for human consumption and thus more resistant to ingestion by wild birds, white seed donors were isolated with KG9 to restore pollen fertility and I2K2218 in a pollen sterility fixer.


Author(s):  
Wee Chian Koh ◽  
Shu Yu

Emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) weathered the 2009 global recession relatively well. However, the impact of the global recession varied across economies. EMDEs with stronger pre-crisis fundamentals — such as large foreign exchange reserves, sound fiscal positions, and low inflation — suffered milder growth slowdowns, in part due to their greater capacity to engage in monetary and fiscal stimulus. Low-income countries were also resilient, as foreign aid and inflows of remittances remained relatively stable. In contrast, EMDEs that were heavily dependent on short-term capital flows — such as portfolio investment and cross-border bank lending — fared less well, especially those in Europe and Central Asia. A key lesson for EMDEs is the need to strengthen macroeconomic frameworks and create policy space to prepare for future global downturns.


2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley A. Pomponi ◽  
Daniel G. Baden ◽  
Yonathan Zohar

Marine biotechnology is an applied science, the goal of which is to develop goods and services from marine organisms and processes. The new wave of marine biotechnology research began in the early 1980s and includes some significant success stories. A new drug to manage pain is commercially available, and a new cancer drug has been recommended for approval, the first from a fish-eating snail and the second from a mangrove tunicate. Enzymes from hydrothermal vent microbes are routinely used in PCR reactions, and marine-derived molecular probes are helping understand the molecular basis of disease processes. Advances in aquaculture biotechnology have resulted in more efficient production of finfish and shellfish for human consumption, and polyunsaturated fatty acids from marine microalgae are used as nutritional supplements for adults and infants. Rapid diagnostic tools have been developed to monitor toxins in the environment and in seafood, and genetic fingerprinting techniques are helping to control illegal trade of threatened marine species. In the future, multidisciplinary programs in oceans and human health should focus not only on microbial pathogens and harmful algal bloom toxins but also on discovery of new chemicals to prevent or treat human diseases. And the development of biological and biochemical sensors to detect pathogens, contaminants, and toxins and to monitor human and environmental health indicators in the marine environment should be a very high priority in the establishment of U.S. coastal ocean observing systems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-387
Author(s):  
Dwaipayan Banerjee ◽  
James Sargent

Medical policy analysts and oncologists have cautioned against the high price of anticancer drugs. They argue that the current drug development model that relies on patents and short-term shareholder value is proving unsustainable, since the cost of the new generation of drugs puts many of them out of reach for the average consumer. The high price of cancer drugs is especially troubling in the context of middle- and low-income countries, where the burden of cancer carries disproportionate impact. To analyse the pricing of anticancer drugs, we examined legal controversies, regulatory treaties and documents, as well as the history of pricing data in India. We also conducted interviews with policy consultants and surveyed financial data filings of major global and Indian pharmaceutical corporations. Our research revealed that global trade agreements have become key barriers to lowering anticancer drug prices. This article argues that in the shadow of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) imminent, serious policy changes are necessary to ensure the survival of generic production in the market for anticancer drugs.


Policy Papers ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 (47) ◽  
Author(s):  

At its Spring Meeting, the IMFC reiterated the importance of implementing the program of quota and voice reforms in line with the timetable set out by the Board of Governors in Singapore. The Committee welcomed the initial informal Board discussions on a new quota formula and stressed the importance of agreeing on a new formula, which should be simple and transparent and should capture members’ relative positions in the world economy. It noted that this reform would result in higher shares for dynamic economies, many of which are emerging market economies, whose weight and role in the global economy have increased. The Committee also stressed the importance of enhancing the voice and participation of low-income countries, a key issue for which is an increase in basic votes, at a minimum preserving the voting share of low-income countries. The Committee called on the Executive Board to continue its work on the reform package as a matter of priority.


Policy Papers ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 09 ◽  
Author(s):  

Against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, the IMF has decided to implement a US$250 billion general allocation of special drawing rights (SDRs). In addition, the Fourth Amendment of the Fund’s Articles of Agreement has recently become effective, and will make available to SDR Department participants a special allocation of up to an additional SDR 21.5 billion (US$33 billion). Nearly US$115 billion of these combined allocations will go to emerging market and developing countries, including about US$20 billion to low-income countries (LICs), thereby providing an important boost to the reserves of countries with the greatest needs.


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