Green it! Planning more sustainable conferences

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-18
Author(s):  
Irma Klerings ◽  
Maria-Inti Metzendorf ◽  
Gerhard Bissels
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Green It ◽  
Virtual Collaboration ◽  
Future Conference ◽  
It Planning ◽  
Scientific Meetings ◽  
Academic Sector

Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic challenge us to re-evaluate the way we live and work. In the academic sector, this includes organising and attending conferences and other scientific meetings. The pandemic has led EAHIL 2020 to be moved online, which is “greener” than physical meetings, but has interactional drawbacks. On the other hand, planning of physical conferences can make use of existing guidance to improve the environmental impact in areas such as venue and travel arrangements, catering, waste reduction as well as communication. In the future, conference organisers can draw upon insights into remote and virtual collaboration gained during the pandemic. Hybrid conferences that allow physical and remote attendance might become an option for increased sustainability of scientific meetings.

Excellent environmental performance of beet sugar production in the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
pp. 161-165
Author(s):  
Bertram de Crom ◽  
Jasper Scholten ◽  
Janjoris van Diepen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Cane Sugar ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Beet Sugar ◽  
Glucose Syrup

To get more insight in the environmental performance of the Suiker Unie beet sugar, Blonk Consultants performed a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on beet sugar, cane sugar and glucose syrup. The system boundaries of the sugar life cycle are set from cradle to regional storage at the Dutch market. For this study 8 different scenarios were evaluated. The first scenario is the actual sugar production at Suiker Unie. Scenario 2 until 7 are different cane sugar scenarios (different countries of origin, surplus electricity production and pre-harvest burning of leaves are considered). Scenario 8 concerns the glucose syrup scenario. An important factor in the environmental impact of 1kg of sugar is the sugar yield per ha. Total sugar yield per ha differs from 9t/ha sugar for sugarcane to 15t/ha sugar for sugar beet (in 2017). Main conclusion is that the production of beet sugar at Suiker Unie has in general a lower impact on climate change, fine particulate matter, land use and water consumption, compared to cane sugar production (in Brazil and India) and glucose syrup. The impact of cane sugar production on climate change and water consumption is highly dependent on the country of origin, especially when land use change is taken into account. The environmental impact of sugar production is highly dependent on the co-production of bioenergy, both for beet and cane sugar.

scholarly journals Improving the Sustainability of Dairy Slurry by A Commercial Additive Treatment

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Borgonovo ◽  
Cecilia Conti ◽  
Daniela Lovarelli ◽  
Valentina Ferrante ◽  
Marcella Guarino
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Mineral Fertilizer ◽  
Cattle Slurry ◽  
N Loss ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Environmental Impact Categories ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from livestock farms contribute to negative environmental impacts such as acidification and climate change. A significant part of these emissions is produced from the decomposition of slurry in livestock facilities, during storage and treatment phases. This research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the additive “SOP LAGOON” (made of agricultural gypsum processed with proprietary technology) on (i) NH3 and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, (ii) slurry properties and N loss. Moreover, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to assess the potential environmental impact associated with stored slurry treated with the additive. Six barrels were filled with 65 L of cattle slurry, of which three were used as a control while the additive was used in the other three. The results indicated that the use of the additive led to a reduction of total nitrogen, nitrates, and GHG emissions. LCA confirmed the higher environmental sustainability of the scenario with the additive for some environmental impact categories among which climate change. In conclusion, the additive has beneficial effects on both emissions and the environment, and the nitrogen present in the treated slurry could partially displace a mineral fertilizer, which can be considered an environmental credit.

Stress Testing to Assess Recovery from Extreme Events

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. John Plodinec
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Stress Testing ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Other ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Potential Benefits

Abstract Over the last decade, communities have become increasingly aware of the risks they face. They are threatened by natural disasters, which may be exacerbated by climate change and the movement of land masses. Growing globalization has made a pandemic due to the rapid spread of highly infectious diseases ever more likely. Societal discord breeds its own threats, not the least of which is the spread of radical ideologies giving rise to terrorism. The accelerating rate of technological change has bred its own social and economic risks. This widening spectrum of risk poses a difficult question to every community – how resilient will the community be to the extreme events it faces. In this paper, we present a new approach to answering that question. It is based on the stress testing of financial institutions required by regulators in the United States and elsewhere. It generalizes stress testing by expanding the concept of “capital” beyond finance to include the other “capitals” (e.g., human, social) possessed by a community. Through use of this approach, communities can determine which investments of its capitals are most likely to improve its resilience. We provide an example of using the approach, and discuss its potential benefits.

Mitigation and Adaptation through Environmental Impact Assessment Litigation: Rethinking the Prospect of Climate Change Litigation in China

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Xiangbai He
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Regulatory Effects ◽  
The Government ◽  
Legal Barriers

Abstract There are two general pathways towards climate change litigation in China: tort-based litigation to hold carbon emitters accountable in civil law, and administrative litigation against the government to demand better climate regulation. While the first pathway is gaining momentum among Chinese scholars, this article argues that legal barriers to applying tort-based rules to climate change should be fairly acknowledged. The article argues that China's legal framework for environmental impact assessment (EIA) provides more openness and flexibility for the resolution of climate change disputes. Therefore, EIA-based climate lawsuits, which challenge environmental authorities for not adequately taking climate change factors into account in decision-making processes, encounter relatively fewer legal barriers, require less radical legal or institutional reform, and have greater potential to maintain existing legal orders. The regulatory effects produced by EIA-based litigation suggest that the scholarship on climate change litigation in China should take such litigation seriously because it could influence both governments and emitters in undertaking more proactive efforts. This China-based study, with a special focus on judicial practice in the largest developing country, will shine a light on China's contribution to transnational climate litigation.

scholarly journals Is the Green Wave Really Green? The Risks of Rebound Effects When Implementing “Green” Policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5411
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Bloder ◽  
Georg Jäger
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The Other ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Traffic System ◽  
Rebound Effects ◽  
Car Use ◽  
Reduce Emissions

Traffic and transportation are main contributors to the global CO2 emissions and resulting climate change. Especially in urban areas, traffic flow is not optimal and thus offers possibilities to reduce emissions. The concept of a Green Wave, i.e., the coordinated switching of traffic lights in order to favor a single direction and reduce congestion, is often discussed as a simple mechanism to avoid breaking and accelerating, thereby reducing fuel consumption. On the other hand, making car use more attractive might also increase emissions. In this study, we use an agent-based model to investigate the benefit of a Green Wave in order to find out whether it can outweigh the effects of increased car use. We find that although the Green Wave has the potential to reduce emissions, there is also a high risk of heaving a net increase in emissions, depending on the specifics of the traffic system.

scholarly journals Phenology of two interdependent traits in migratory birds in response to climate change

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1807) ◽  
pp. 20150288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadiah Pardede Kristensen ◽  
Jacob Johansson ◽  
Jörgen Ripa ◽  
Niclas Jonzén
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Hatching Date ◽  
Arrival Date ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Asynchronous Hatching

In migratory birds, arrival date and hatching date are two key phenological markers that have responded to global warming. A body of knowledge exists relating these traits to evolutionary pressures. In this study, we formalize this knowledge into general mathematical assumptions, and use them in an ecoevolutionary model. In contrast to previous models, this study novelty accounts for both traits—arrival date and hatching date—and the interdependence between them, revealing when one, the other or both will respond to climate. For all models sharing the assumptions, the following phenological responses will occur. First, if the nestling-prey peak is late enough, hatching is synchronous with, and arrival date evolves independently of, prey phenology. Second, when resource availability constrains the length of the pre-laying period, hatching is adaptively asynchronous with prey phenology. Predictions for both traits compare well with empirical observations. In response to advancing prey phenology, arrival date may advance, remain unchanged, or even become delayed; the latter occurring when egg-laying resources are only available relatively late in the season. The model shows that asynchronous hatching and unresponsive arrival date are not sufficient evidence that phenological adaptation is constrained. The work provides a framework for exploring microevolution of interdependent phenological traits.

Climate Change: The Other Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. S17
Author(s):  
Mark A. Mitchell ◽  
Cheryl Holder
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
The Other

scholarly journals First record of Solea (Microchirus) boscanion (Osteichthyes: Soleidae) in the Mediterranean Sea, with data on other sympatric soleid species

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 907-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enric Massutí ◽  
J.A. Reina-Hervás ◽  
Domingo Lloris ◽  
L. Gil de Sola
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
First Record ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Mediterranean

The capture of five specimens of Solea (Microchirus) boscanion (Osteichthyes: Soleidae), a species previously unrecorded in the Mediterranean, is reported from the Iberian coast (western Mediterranean). The main morphometric and meristic measurements of this species with data of the other sympatric, and morphologically very similar, soleids Microchirus variegatus and Buglossidium luteum are also given. The record is discussed in relation to climate change and competition between species.

scholarly journals Klimaforandringer: Perspektiv og skala i studiet af det høje nord

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Hastrup
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
The Other ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
The One ◽  
Strategic Perspective

Klima og klimaforandringer er blevet nye store temaer i antropologien, og det er påtrængende at stille kritiske spørgsmål til brugen af disse begreber, der synes at indeholde både konkret (lokalt) vejr og abstrakt (globalt) klima. Spørgsmålet er, hvordan man kan bruge „klimaet“ strategisk og produktivt i antropologiske analyser uden at gøre det til endnu en udefrakommende ulykke, der rammer klodens svage befolkninger. I artiklen argumenteres der for en nytænkning af skalabegrebet, som kan rumme både det „lokale“ og det „globale“, i og med at der er tale om et analytisk perspektiv snarere end et empirisk forhold. Herigennem åbnes der for en komparativ analyse af „klimaets“ infiltrering i det sociale og dets varierende forklaringsværdi. Artiklen trækker på forfatterens arbejde i Island og Grønland. Søgeord: klimaforandringer, skala, worlding, Island, Grønland English: Climate Explanations: Perspective and Scale in the Study of the High North“Climate” has entered into everyday parlance across the globe. In anthropology, “climate change” has opened up a new field of concern for vulnerable populations on the one hand and for the distinctiveness of the discipline on the other. In this article it is argued that while climate as such is a meteorological abstraction, it may also function as a strategic perspective, which allows for a comparison between ascribed values and dynamisms in social worlds. It is further shown how the implications of worldwide climate change open up for a new understanding of scale as an analytical rather than an empirical category. The substance draws from the author’s work in Northwest Greenland and in Iceland. Keywords: Climate change, scale, worlding, Iceland, Greenland 

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