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Steinegger, Tobias. "Investigating the Environmental Footprint of Swedish Household Consumption." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-257861.
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Production-based indicators show that Sweden has lower emissions per capita than other high-income countries. Nevertheless, scientific evidence points to a significant overshoot of some of the planetary boundaries, especially regarding climate change, if Swedish consumption-related emissions abroad are considered. Households are one of the key drivers behind the increasing environmental deconstruction. Studies estimate that household consumption, directly and indirectly, contributes to 51-81% of these environmental footprints. Better consumption-based indicators are therefore required to directpolicy interventions if Sweden wants to achieve its Generational Goal. The Generational Goalstates that the major environmental problems in Sweden should be solved, without increasing environmental and health problems outside Sweden’s borders. This project aimed to estimate the consumption-based environmental impacts of Sweden with the most recent available data. Furthermore, it gave valuable insights into the consumption-behaviour of Swedish households. The consumption-based calculations, based on EXIOBASE 3, estimated a carbon footprint of 94 Mt CO2-eq. for Sweden in 2011, whereas the production-based GHG-emissions were 30% lower than the actual emissions caused by Swedish consumption. The Land footprint was estimated at 333 000 km2. The material footprint showed that Sweden imported twice as much material as it exported to other countries, which led to a consumption-based material footprint of 279 000 kt. The total of 2 000 Mm3 of blue water was to 94% embodied in imported products. The results proved the importance of looking at the consumption-based environmental footprints to gain an accurate picture of the national environmental impact. Data on the Swedish household expenditure were combined with environmentally extended multiregional input-output tables to estimate the environmental footprint of Swedish households — the study identified food, housing and transportation as the expenditure categories with the highest environmental impact. According to the results, the total carbon footprint for one Swedish household in 2011 was 14 t CO2-eq., the land use amounted to 32 200 m2, the extracted materials to 431 m2, and the blue water consumption to 431 m3. The combination of household expenditures and environmentally extended input-output tables create a comprehensive picture of the consumption-based emissions and give a detailed insight into the consumption behaviour of Swedish households. These insights can further be used to design more accurate policies promoting a zero-carbon society within Sweden.Produktionsbaserade indikatorer visar att Sverige har lägre utsläpp per capita än andra höginkomstländer. Vetenskapliga bevis tyder dock på en tydlig överskridning av några av de planetära gränserna, särskilt den gällande klimatförändringar, om svenska konsumtionsrelaterade utsläpp utomlands beaktas. Hushållen är en av de viktigaste drivkrafterna bakom ökningen av hållbarhetsrelaterade problem. Studier uppskattar att hushållens konsumtion direkt och indirekt bidrar till 51–81% av deras miljöpåverkan. Bättre konsumtionsbaserade indikatorer är därför nödvändiga för att styra politiska insatser om Sverige vill uppnå sitt generationslöfte att lösa de stora miljöproblemen i Sverige utan att öka miljö- och hälsoproblemen utanför Sveriges gränser. Detta projekt syftar till att uppskatta Sveriges konsumtionsbaserade miljöpåverkan med senast tillgängliga data. Dessutom ger uppsatsen värdefull insikt i de svenska hushållens konsumtionsbeteende. De konsumtionsbaserade beräkningarna, baserade på EXIOBASE 3, uppskattade ett koldioxidavtryck på 94 Mt CO2-ekv. under 2011 för Sverige, där deproduktionsbaserade växthusgasutsläppen var 30% lägre än de faktiska utsläppen som skapades genom svensk konsumtion. Det landmässiga fotavtrycket uppskattades till 333 000 km2. Det materiella fotavtrycket visade att Sverige importerade dubbelt så mycket material som de exporterade till andra länder, vilket ledde till ett konsumtionsbaserat materialavtryck på 279 000 kt. Det mesta av det blåa vatten som är inkorporerat i produkter importerades, hela 94% av den svenska totalen på2 000 Mm3. Resultaten visar vikten av att titta på konsumtionsbaserad miljöpåverkan för att få en exakt bild av den nationella miljöpåverkan. Data gällande svenska hushållsutgifter kombinerades med miljömässigt utökade multiregionala input-output-värden för att beräkna de svenska hushållens miljöpåverkan. Studien identifierade mat, boende och transport som utgiftskategorier med högst miljöpåverkan. Enligt resultaten så var det totala koldioxidavtrycket för ett svenskt hushåll under2011 14 t CO2-eq, markanvändningen uppgick till 32 200 m2, materialutvinningen till 29 t och den blå vattenförbrukningen till 431 m3. Kombinationen av hushållsutgifter och miljömässigt utökade input-output-tabeller ger en omfattande bild av de konsumtionsbaserade utsläppen och ger en detaljerad inblick i konsumtionsbeteendet hos svenska hushåll. Dessa insikter kan vidare användas för att utforma mer exakta policyer som främjar ett noll-kol-samhälle i Sverige.
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Wei, Wenjing. "Energy Consumption and Carbon Footprint of Secondary Aluminum Cast House." Thesis, KTH, Tillämpad processmetallurgi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-122081.
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Primary aluminum production brings about severe environmental burden due to its energy intensive process. Secondary aluminum production contributes to cutting off high energy demand around 90-95% and greenhouse gas emission by remelting scraps. However, previous research indicates melting furnace’s energy efficiency in secondary plant is still very low, which is around 26-29% and more than 70% heat is lost in different way. The objective of this project is to investigate energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in secondary aluminum cast house through process analysis. The result offers a comprehensive overview to aid decision-maker to compare energy consumption and environmental impacts caused by different product or process. This project has been done in collaboration with SAPA Heat Transfer. This project consists of two tasks. First task is aimed to give an overview of annual energy distribution and carbon footprint of per ton aluminum slab in SAPA cast house. In order to analyze energy distribution, mass and energy conservation has been applied for calculation. Meanwhile, International standard method, life cycle assessment, has been used to evaluate greenhouse gas contribution of the whole production process. The second task intends to investigate two effects (melting furnace type, raw material type) on products’ energy consumption and carbon footprint. Melting furnace’s effect is compared by selecting electric induction furnace and oxy-fuel furnace. On the other hand, raw material’s effect is studied by comparison of four different cast house products which have different raw material recipe. Calculation and analysis results indicates that per ton Sapa cast house aluminum slab consumes energy 3826MJ and contributes to 306kgCO2eq. green house gas. Meanwhile, comparison results show that oxy-fuel melting furnace has higher energy efficiency than electric induction furnace, however, it contributes much more GHG due to consumption of propane fuel. In addition, primary ingot has been concluded as distinct carbon footprint contribution than others contributors (i.e. fuel) for Sapa cast house’s slab.
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Wada, Yoshihiko. "The myth of sustainable development, the ecological footprint of Japanese consumption." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape7/PQDD_0015/NQ46441.pdf.
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Danielsson, Lina. "Water footprint calculationfor truck production." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-220449.
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Water is an irreplaceable resource, covering around two thirds of Earth´s surface, although only one percent is available for use. Except from households, other human activities such as agriculture and industries use water. Water use and pollution can make water unavailable to some users and places already exposed for water scarcity are especially vulnerable for such changes. Increased water use and factors such as climate change make water scarcity to a global concern and to protect the environment and humans it will be necessary to manage this problem. The concept of water footprint was introduced in 2002 as a tool to assess impact from freshwater use. Since then, many methods concerning water use and degradation have been developed and today there are several studies made on water footprint. Still, the majority of these studies only include water use. The aim of this study was to evaluate three different methods due to their ability to calculate water footprint for the production of trucks, with the qualification that the methods should consider both water use and emissions. Three methods were applied on two Volvo factories in Sweden, located in Umeå and Gothenburg. Investigations of water flows in background processes were made as a life cycle assessment in Gabi software. The water flows were thereafter assessed with the H2Oe, the Water Footprint Network and the Ecological scarcity method. The results showed that for the factory in Umeå the water footprint values were 2.62 Mm3 H2Oe, 43.08 Mm3 and 354.7 MEP per 30,000 cabins. The variation in units and values indicates that it is complicated to compare water footprints for products calculated with different methods. The study also showed that the H2Oe and the Ecological scarcity method account for the water scarcity situation. A review of the concordance with the new ISO standard for water footprint was made but none of the methods satisfies all criteria for elementary flows. Comparison between processes at the factories showed that a flocculation chemical gives a larger water footprint for the H2Oe and the Ecological scarcity method, while the water footprint for the WFN method and carbon footprint is larger for electricity. This indicates that environmental impact is considered different depending on method and that a process favorable regarding to climate change not necessarily is beneficial for environmental impact in the perspective of water use.Vatten är en ovärderlig resurs som täcker cirka två tredjedelar av jordens yta men där endast en procent är tillgänglig för användning. Människan använder vatten till olika ändamål, förutom i hushåll används vatten bland annat inom jordbruk och industrier. Vattenanvändning och utsläpp av föroreningar kan göra vatten otillgängligt, vilket kan vara extra känsligt i de områden där människor redan lider av vattenbrist. Den ökade vattenanvändningen tillsammans med exempelvis klimatförändringar bidrar till att göra vattenbrist till en global angelägenhet och det kommer att krävas åtgärder för att skydda människor och miljö. År 2002 introducerades begreppet vattenfotavtryck som ett verktyg för att bedöma miljöpåverkan från vattenanvändning. Sedan dess har begreppet utvecklats till att inkludera många olika beräkningsmetoder men många av de befintliga studierna har uteslutit föroreningar och bara fokuserat på vattenkonsumtion. Syftet med denna rapport var att utvärdera tre olika metoder med avseende på deras förmåga att beräkna vattenfotavtryck vid produktion av lastbilar, med villkoret att metoderna ska inkludera både vattenkonsumtion och föroreningar. I studien användes tre metoder för att beräkna vattenfotavtrycket för två Volvo fabriker placerade i Umeå och Göteborg. En livscykelanalys utfördes i livscykelanalysverktyget Gabi, för att kartlägga vattenflöden från bakgrundsprocesser. Därefter värderades vattenflödena med metoderna; H2Oe, WFN och Ecological scarcity. Resultatet för fabriken i Umeå gav för respektive metod ett vattenfotavtryck motsvarande 2,62 Mm3 H2Oe, 43,08 Mm3 respektive 354,7 MEP per 30 000 lastbilshytter. Variationen i enheter och storlek tyder på att det kan vara svårt att jämföra vattenfotavtryck för produkter som beräknats med olika metoder. Studien visade att H2Oe och Ecological scarcity tar hänsyn till vattentillgängligheten i området. En granskning av metodernas överensstämmelse med den nya ISO standarden för vattenfotavtryck gjordes men ingen av metoderna i studien uppfyllde alla kriterier. Av de processer som ingår i fabrikerna visade det sig att vattenfotavtrycket för H2Oe och Ecological scarcity metoden var störst för en fällningskemikalie. För den tredje metoden och koldioxid var avtrycket störst för elektriciteten. Detta tyder på att olika metoder värderar miljöpåverkan olika samt att de processer som anses bättre ur miljösynpunkt för klimatförändringar inte nödvändigtvis behöver vara bäst vid vattenanvändning.
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Staples, Mark Douglas. "Water consumption footprint and land requirements of alternative diesel and jet fuel." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81130.
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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-110).
The Renewable Fuels Standard 2 (RFS2) is an important component of alternative transportation fuels policy in the United States (US). By mandating the production of alternative fuels, RFS2 attempts to address a number of imperfections in the transportation fuels market: US economic vulnerability to volatile prices; security and environmental externalities; and a lack of investment in alternatives to petroleum-derived fuels. Although RFS2 aims to reduce the climate impact of transportation fuels, the policy raises a number of additional environmental concerns, including the water and land resource requirements of alternative fuel production. These factors should be considered in order to determine the overall environmental viability of alternatives to petroleum-derived transportation fuels. Middle distillate (MD) fuels, including diesel and jet fuel, are of particular interest because they currently make up almost 30% of liquid fuel consumption in the US, and alternative MD fuels could potentially satisfy 21 of the 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels mandated by RFS2 in 2022. This thesis quantifies the lifecycle blue (surface and ground) water consumption footprint of MD from conventional crude oil; Fischer-Tropsch (FT) MD from natural gas and coal; fermentation and advanced fermentation (AF) MD from biomass; and hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) MD and biodiesel from oilseed crops, in the US. FT and rainfed biomass-derived MD have lifecycle blue water consumption footprints between 1.4 and 18.1 lwater/lMD, comparable to conventional MD, between 4.1 and 7.5 lwater/lMD. Irrigated biomass-derived MD has a lifecycle blue water consumption footprint potentially several orders of magnitude larger, between 2.5 and 5300 lwater/lMD. Results are geospatially disaggregated, and the trade-offs between blue water consumption footprint and areal MD productivity, between 490 and 3710 lMD/ha, are quantified under assumptions of rainfed and irrigated biomass cultivation.
by Mark Douglas Staples.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
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Asplund, Mikael, Anton Thomasson, Alonso Ekhiotz Jon Vergara, and Simin Nadjm-Tehrani. "Software-related Energy Footprint of a Wireless Broadband Module." Linköpings universitet, RTSLAB - Laboratoriet för realtidssystem, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-69745.
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Energy economy in mobile devices is becoming an increasinglyimportant factor as the devices become more advancedand rich in features. A large part of the energy footprint of amobile device comes from the wireless communication module,and even more so as the amount of trac increases.In this paper we study the energy footprint of a mobilebroadband hardware module, and how it is aected by software,by performing systematic power consumption measurements.We show that there are several cases where thesoftware does not properly take into account the eect thatdata communication has on the power consumption. Thisopens up for potential energy savings by creating better applicationsthat are aware of the energy characteristics of thecommunication layer.
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Yampolsky, Vincent. "An evaluation of the power consumption and carbon footprint of a cloud infrastructure." Thesis, Edinburgh Napier University, 2010. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3973.
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The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector represent two to three percentsof the world energy consumption and about the same percentage of GreenHouse Gas(GHG) emission. Moreover the IT-related costs represent fifty per-cents of the electricity billof a company. In January 2010 the Green Touch consortium composed of sixteen leading companies and laboratories in the IT field led by Bell's lab and Alcatel-Lucent have announced that in five years the Internet could require a thousand times less energy than it requires now. Furthermore Edinburgh Napier University is committed to reduce its carbon footprint by 25% on the 2007/8 to 2012/13 period (Edinburgh Napier University Sustainability Office, 2009) and one of the objectives is to deploy innovative C&IT solutions. Therefore there is a general interest to reduce the electrical cost of the IT infrastructure, usually led by environmental concerns. One of the most prominent technologies when Green IT is discussed is Cloud Computing (Stephen Ruth, 2009). This technology allows the on-demand self service provisioning by making resources available as a service. Its elasticity allows the automatic scaling of thedemand and hardware consolidation thanks to virtualization. Therefore an increasing number of companies are moving their resources into a cloud managed by themselves or a third party. However this is known to reduce the electricity bill of a company if the cloud is managed by a third-party off-premise but this does not say to which extent is the powerconsumption is reduced. Indeed the processing resources seem to be just located somewhere else. Moreover hardware consolidation suggest that power saving is achieved only during off-peak time (Xiaobo Fan et al, 2007). Furthermore the cost of the network is never mentioned when cloud is referred as power saving and this cost might not be negligible. Indeed the network might need upgrades because what was being done locally is done remotely with cloud computing. In the same way cloud computing is supposed to enhance the capabilities of mobile devices but the impact of cloud communication on their autonomy is mentioned anywhere. Experimentations have been performed in order to evaluate the power consumption of an infrastructure relying on a cloud used for desktop virtualization and also to measure the cost of the same infrastructure without a cloud. The overall infrastructure have been split in different elements respectively the cloud infrastructure, the network infrastructure and enddevices and the power consumption of each element have been monitored separately. The experimentation have considered different severs, network equipment (switches, wireless access-points, router) and end-devices (desktops Iphone, Ipad and Sony-Ericsson Xperia running Android). The experiments have also measured the impact of a cloud communication on the battery of mobile devices. The evaluation have considered different deployment sizes and estimated the carbon emission of the technologies tested. The cloud infrastructure happened to be power saving and not only during off-peak time from a deployment size large enough (approximately 20 computers) for the same processing power. The power saving is large enough for wide deployment (500 computers) that it could overcome the cost of a network upgrade to a Gigabit access infrastructure and still reduce the carbon emission by 4 tonnes or 43.97% over a year and on Napier campuses compared to traditional deployment with a Fast-Ethernet access-network. However the impact of cloud communication on mobile-devices is important and has increase the power consumption by 57% to 169%.
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Irwin, Amanda. "Consumption-based accounting of biodiversity loss." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/29445.
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Biodiversity is critical to life on earth, yet projections show that loss of biodiversity, specifically the increase in species extinction risk, is likely to continue without significant intervention. Human activity is a key driver of this loss, with local, direct activity often induced by geographically distant consumption of goods and services. In order to reduce biodiversity loss, we need first to quantify it, then identify key actors implicated in the loss and finally, develop interventions which can successfully halt that loss.
This work presents a methodology for consumption-based accounting of biodiversity loss by first introducing the ‘extinction-risk footprint’ and then demonstrating its application on three different scales. Leveraging both the power of input-output analysis and the comprehensive data curated in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, this extinction-risk footprint provides insights into the key locations and sectors of consumption which drive species extinction risk, facilitating the identification of interventions which can reduce this risk.
The extinction-risk footprint introduced within this thesis, then applied in three different contexts, enables the assessment of biodiversity loss using the same methodology as that used to assess more mainstream environmental indicators such as carbon emissions. At a time when the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is under development, the insights that this consumption-based accounting provides could be an important advance in supporting global conservation efforts.
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Nyambo, Patrick. "Water footprint of growing vegetables in selected smallholder irrigation schemes in South Africa." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019775.
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Knowledge of water use, through water foot printing (WF) in smallholder agriculture crop production is the key to the global fight against poverty, achievement of food security and sustainability within the world’s rural community. Water footprint of a crop can be defined as the volume of fresh water used to produce a certain crop in all the steps in the production line. This study, therefore aimed at contributing towards improvements in rural livelihoods by raising awareness of the increased productive use of green, blue and grey water in smallholder agriculture in South Africa. This was done through determination of water footprints of five vegetable crops, i.e. potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), cabbage (Brassica oleracea spp) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) in the 2000-2013 period. Quantification of water footprints has been done worldwide but, in South Africa (SA) focus has mostly been on the industrial and domestic sector. Water footprint assessment framework, was used to estimate the full impact of vegetable production on water resources at Zanyokwe, Thabina and Tugela Ferry irrigation schemes as case studies. The CROPWAT@ model was used to calculate crop evapotranspiration, differentiating green and blue water. Local climatic data were obtained from SA weather services, while the crop and soil parameters were obtained from the FAO data base. Nitrogen was considered the main pollutant hence its use in the grey water footprint calculation. Generally, Thabina irrigation scheme had the highest water footprint, followed by Tugela Ferry irrigation scheme whilst Zanyokwe irrigation scheme had the lowest. Green beans had the highest water footprint at all the three irrigation schemes with Thabina irrigation scheme having the highest (3535.1 m3/ton). For Tugela Ferry irrigation scheme, the calculated WF was 2753 m3/ton whilst the lowest was observed at ZIS i.e. 2407.6 m3/ton. Cabbage had the lowest water footprint. The highest water footprint for growing cabbage was 254.5 m3/ton in TFIS, 223.1 m3/ton in TIS and the lowest was 217.8 m3/ton in ZIS. The differences observed in the WF of a crop at each scheme maybe attributed to the differences management, weather and environmental characteristics, in the three locations. Moreover, the needs for ET are related to soil type and plant growth, and primarily depend on crop development and climatic factors which are closely related to climatic demands. The grey water footprint was calculated using the recommended fertilizer application rates for all the three sites. Green beans had the highest WFgrey i.e. 373 m3/ton and the lowest was cabbage with 37 m3/ton. Potato, spinach and tomatoes had 156 m3/ton, 214 m3/ton and 132 m3/ton, respectively. Grey water footprint in this study was higher as compared to other studies, possibly because of the high rates of nitrogen fertilizers used in the calculations and the low yields farmers get. Compared with estimates from other studies, the water footprints of vegetable production within smallholder irrigation schemes was relatively high. There is therefore, a need to focus on crop management and tillage practices that will help in increasing yield while minimizing water usage.
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Pongsakornrungsilp, Pimlapas. "Energy consumption and the ecological footprint of tourism in an island destination : the case of Koh Samui, Thailand." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/3247.
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This thesis aims to apply the concept of the Ecological Footprint (EF) to examine the impact that the tourism industry has on the environment through energy consumption and also investigates patterns of energy-consuming behaviour among tourists and tourism businesses. EF is becoming an increasingly popular analytical tool in tourism studies. However, at present most attention has fallen on its value for studying tourism in international level. Moreover, very few studies have taken account of the influence of social factors when making EF calculations linked to tourism. As a consequence of these biases, there is currently a need for studies of tourism which take account of EFs at the destination level and how the behaviour of tourists and tourism businesses affects energy consumption at holiday destinations. This study addresses this gap by investigating the EF of energy-consuming behaviour linked to tourists and tourism businesses at a particular holiday destination, namely Koh Samui in Thailand, and also by exploring the factors which influence this kind of behaviour. The findings of this study show that most tourists rely on modes of transport which release high levels of CO2 (especially long haul flights). In the case of Thailand, a majority of tourists fly from Bangkok to Koh Samui and then use private cars to get around the island. Energy intensive electrical appliances such as air conditioning and tankless hot water heaters were widely used in accommodation, while beach activities, which generally have a low carbon footprint, attracted the largest numbers of tourists. It was also found that demographic factors, including travel behaviour and concern for the environment, influenced these kinds of behaviour in various ways. As regards different types of tourism business, in the accommodation sector hotels used the largest quantities of electricity while tour operators used more diesel and petrol than any other type of tourism business. Furthermore, it was also found that even though respondents who stayed in five-star hotels expressed the greatest level of concern for climate change, they still considered their own convenience and satisfaction to be their highest priorities. Tourism on Koh Samui consumed about 54.55 PJ of energy in 2007 and thus needed 3.41 gha of forest land to absorb the resulting CO2 emissions. Given that this figure exceeds the current world-average biocapacity of 1.8 gha, it can be stated that tourism on Koh Samui is currently unsustainable. This study highlights the relationship between the EF of tourism at a particular holiday destination and the energy-consuming behaviour of both tourists and tourism businesses. In this way, it is shown here that excessive energy consumption combined with a lack of effective energy management in the business sector can lead to the development of an unsustainable EF. In response to this finding, practitioners and policy-makers should consider ways of mitigating EFs linked to tourism.
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Giljum, Stefan, Martin Bruckner, and Aldo Martinez. "Material Footprint Assessment in a Global Input-Output Framework." Wiley, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12214.
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Material flow-based indicators play an important role in indicator sets related to green and resource-efficient growth. This paper examines the global flows of materials and the amounts of materials directly and indirectly necessary to satisfy domestic final demand in different countries world-wide. We calculate the indicator Raw Material Consumption (RMC), also referred to as Material Footprint (MF), by applying a global, multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model based on the GTAP database and extended by material extraction data. We examine world-wide patterns of material extraction and materials embodied in trade and consumption, investigating changes between 1997 and 2007. We find that flows of materials related to international trade have increased by almost 60% between 1997 and 2007. We show that the differences in Material Footprints per capita are huge, ranging from up to 100 tonnes in the rich, oil-exporting countries to values as low as 1.5 to 2 tonnes in some developing countries. We also quantify the differences between the indicators Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) and RMC, illustrating that net material exporters generally have a DMC larger than RMC, while the reverse is observed for net importers. Finally, we confirm the fact that most countries with stable or declining DMCs actually show increasing RMCs, indicating the occurrence of leakage effects, which are not fully captured by DMC. This challenges the world-wide use of DMC as a headline indicator for national material consumption and calls for the consideration of upstream material requirements of international trade flows.
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Gonçalves, Vitória Maria Pereira. "Impact of nitrogen into the environment. A step on nitrogen footprint calculation in Lisbon, Portugal." Master's thesis, ISA/UTL, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/5738.
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Mestrado em Engenharia do Ambiente - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThe use of anthropogenic sources of nitrogen (N) in food and energy production has negative impacts, due to the buildup of reactive N in the environment and subsequent nitrogen cascade effects. With the objective of quantifying Nitrogen Footprint to Portugal was used the model proposed by Leach et al (2012). This model – The Nitrogen Calculator – focuses on the consumption of food and energy using an average per capita data for each country. The N Footprint found for the restricted area of Lisbon, Portugal was 23.5 Kg N per capita per year. Losses of N to the environment are higher for the food consumption than for the energy consumption. Through this study the Portuguese consumers will be able to understand the way their habits determinate the losses of N to the environment
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Eisenmenger, Nina, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Anke Schaffartzik, Stefan Giljum, Martin Bruckner, Heinz Schandl, Thomas Wiedmann, Manfred Lenzen, Arnold Tukker, and de Koning Arjan. "Consumption-based material flow indicators - Comparing six ways of calculating the Austrian raw material consumption providing six results." Elsevier, 2016. http://epub.wu.ac.at/6684/1/ECOLEC.pdf.
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Understanding the environmental implications of consumption and production depends on appropriate monitoring tools. Material flow accounting (MFA) is a method to monitor natural resource use by countries and has been widely used in research and policy. However, the increasing globalization requires the consideration of "embodied" material use of traded products. The indicator raw material consumption (RMC) represents the material use - no matter where in the world it occurs - associated with domestic final demand. It provides a consumption-based perspective complementary to the MFA indicators that have a territorial focus. Several studies on RMC have been presented recently but with diverging results; hence, a better understanding of the underlying differences is needed. This article presents a comparison of Austrian RMC for the year 2007 calculated by six different approaches (3 multi-regional input-output (MRIO) and 3 hybrid life-cycle analysis-IO approaches). Five approaches result in an RMC higher than the domestic material consumption (DMC). One hybrid LCA-IO approach calculates RMC to be lower than DMC. For specific material categories, results diverge by 50% or more. Due to the policy relevance of the RMC and DMC indicators it is paramount that their robustness is enhanced, which needs both data and method harmonization.
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ZUCCHINELLI, MARIA. "ASSESSMENT OF WATER FOOTPRINT METHODOLOGIES TO EVALUATE THE IMPACTS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION ON WATER RESOURCES." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/95713.
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La produzione globale di cibo provoca impatti sia sull’ ambiente che sulla salute umana. Tra le molteplici sfide che la comunità globale deve affrontare, le risorse di acqua dolce della Terra sono state identificate come pericolosamente soggette a una crescente pressione sia in termini quantitativi che qualitativi. Una profonda comprensione del nesso acqua-cibo è pertanto cruciale per lo sviluppo sostenibile.
Nella presente tesi è stato applicato il concetto di Water Footprint (WF) calcolata attraverso differenti metodologie – ovvero attraverso approcci di tipo volumetrico e per la quantificazione dei potenziali impatti – al fine di stimare gli impatti sul consumo di acqua conseguenti produzione e consumo di cibo. Per valutare diverse tecniche di produzione, sono state confrontate le prestazioni ambientali di due vigneti coltivati con metodi di agricoltura convenzionale e biologica. Inoltre, sono stati studiati gli impatti sulle risorse idriche in relazione a diversi scenari di consumo alimentare in Italia e Danimarca, per indagare come le scelte alimentari dei consumatori rappresentino una strategia di riduzione degli impatti sull’ acqua. Nel calcolo degli impatti ambientali, i risultati hanno evidenziato il ruolo chiave dell'origine dei prodotti alimentari consumati, insieme alla tipologia dei prodotti e la riduzione di sprechi alimentari.Global food production has increasingly affected both the environment and human health in substantial and remarkable ways. Among the many concerns global community has to face, Earth’s freshwater resources have been identified as dangerously subject to increasing pressure in the form of consumptive water use and pollution. A deep understanding of the water-food nexus is crucial to support the exploration of more suitable avenues for a sustainable development. In this work, the concept of water footprint (WF) presented by different methodologies – volumetric and impacts oriented approach – has been applied to link impacts on water consumption to the food production and consumption. With regard to the study of the production side, comparison of environmental performances of two vineyard where conventional and organic viticulture were applied, has been performed. Additionally, impacts on water resources related to different Italian and Danish dietary patterns have been investigated to understand the positive impacts that demand-side solutions can have. The studies highlighted that the origin of consumed foodstuffs played a key role in the calculation of local environmental impacts. Finally, the analysis showed that consumer’s choices could tackle environmental impact on water use by changing their consumption patterns, selecting less water-demanding products and reducing food waste.
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ZUCCHINELLI, MARIA. "ASSESSMENT OF WATER FOOTPRINT METHODOLOGIES TO EVALUATE THE IMPACTS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION ON WATER RESOURCES." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/95713.
Full textAbstract:
La produzione globale di cibo provoca impatti sia sull’ ambiente che sulla salute umana. Tra le molteplici sfide che la comunità globale deve affrontare, le risorse di acqua dolce della Terra sono state identificate come pericolosamente soggette a una crescente pressione sia in termini quantitativi che qualitativi. Una profonda comprensione del nesso acqua-cibo è pertanto cruciale per lo sviluppo sostenibile.
Nella presente tesi è stato applicato il concetto di Water Footprint (WF) calcolata attraverso differenti metodologie – ovvero attraverso approcci di tipo volumetrico e per la quantificazione dei potenziali impatti – al fine di stimare gli impatti sul consumo di acqua conseguenti produzione e consumo di cibo. Per valutare diverse tecniche di produzione, sono state confrontate le prestazioni ambientali di due vigneti coltivati con metodi di agricoltura convenzionale e biologica. Inoltre, sono stati studiati gli impatti sulle risorse idriche in relazione a diversi scenari di consumo alimentare in Italia e Danimarca, per indagare come le scelte alimentari dei consumatori rappresentino una strategia di riduzione degli impatti sull’ acqua. Nel calcolo degli impatti ambientali, i risultati hanno evidenziato il ruolo chiave dell'origine dei prodotti alimentari consumati, insieme alla tipologia dei prodotti e la riduzione di sprechi alimentari.Global food production has increasingly affected both the environment and human health in substantial and remarkable ways. Among the many concerns global community has to face, Earth’s freshwater resources have been identified as dangerously subject to increasing pressure in the form of consumptive water use and pollution. A deep understanding of the water-food nexus is crucial to support the exploration of more suitable avenues for a sustainable development. In this work, the concept of water footprint (WF) presented by different methodologies – volumetric and impacts oriented approach – has been applied to link impacts on water consumption to the food production and consumption. With regard to the study of the production side, comparison of environmental performances of two vineyard where conventional and organic viticulture were applied, has been performed. Additionally, impacts on water resources related to different Italian and Danish dietary patterns have been investigated to understand the positive impacts that demand-side solutions can have. The studies highlighted that the origin of consumed foodstuffs played a key role in the calculation of local environmental impacts. Finally, the analysis showed that consumer’s choices could tackle environmental impact on water use by changing their consumption patterns, selecting less water-demanding products and reducing food waste.
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Weber, Christopher. "Operational Efficiency in the Food and Beverage Industry Through Sustainable Water Consumption." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6813.
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The scarcity of water poses a threat to domestic and global economic sustainability while inhibiting the operational efficiency of food and beverage industry firms. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies some food and beverage industry leaders in the United States used for implementing sustainable water consumption practices to improve operational efficiency. The conceptual framework for the study was stakeholder theory. The primary data source was semistructured interviews with 4 food and beverage industry leaders in Wisconsin who have responsibility for implementing their firms' sustainability practices, and the secondary data source was corporate sustainability reports. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data, which resulted in 4 themes: efficient equipment, stakeholder and sustainability focus, water recycling, and supply chain support. The implications of this study for social change include the potential for leaders in the food and beverage industry to use findings to create more sustainable water supplies and demonstrate greater stewardship of the environment.
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Souza, Jackeline Lucas. "Methodological proposal for calculating the water footprint in the real estate construction." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2014. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=16003.
Full textAbstract:
nÃo hÃO presente trabalho tem como objetivo propor uma metodologia de cÃlculo para mensurar a pegada hÃdrica (PH) na atividade de construÃÃo civil imobiliÃria. A pegada hÃdrica à um indicador empÃrico da quantidade, do perÃodo e do local onde a Ãgua à consumida e poluÃda, que à medido ao longo de toda a cadeia produtiva de um produto, mostrando nÃo sà o volume de Ãgua, como tambÃm o tipo de uso da Ãgua (consuntivo, de chuva, superficial ou subterrÃnea, ou a poluiÃÃo da Ãgua), a localizaÃÃo e o momento em que a Ãgua foi usada. Para calcular a pegada hÃdrica na atividade de construÃÃo civil imobiliÃria foi utilizada a metodologia de Hoekstra et al. (2011), utilizando o conceito parcial de âÃgua azulâ â um tipo de medida de apropriaÃÃo da pegada hÃdrica determinada pelo consumo, pela evaporaÃÃo e pelo escoamento para o oceano â em seu uso/consumo para propÃsitos humanos, a fim de estimar o quantum de Ãgua à necessÃrio para produÃÃo de um edifÃcio residencial. A mediÃÃo foi segregada em trÃs grupos que compÃem a atividade de construÃÃo civil, sendo estes: mÃo de obra, materiais e serviÃos. Os resultados comprovaram, estatisticamente, que uma amostra de 90 trabalhadores da mÃo de obra pÃde ser extrapolada à mÃdia de trabalhadores utilizados ao longo da obra (115 trabalhadores), permitindo mensurar o volume de consumo de Ãgua (pegada hÃdrica) para o grupo mÃo de obra de 1.124.068,2 m3 de Ãgua (distribuÃda em Direta e Indireta), para o grupo materiais formados por 128 itens que possuem componente hÃdrico a pegada hÃdrica de 30.100,5 m3 de Ãgua (Indireta) e para o grupo serviÃos formados por 92 itens que utilizam Ãgua em suas execuÃÃes a pegada hÃdrica de 584.423,1 m3 de Ãgua (Direta), ou seja, no total do empreendimento a pegada hÃdrica de 1.738.591,8 m3. O montante total de consumo de Ãgua (1.738.591,8 m3) dividido pela Ãrea total do empreendimento (em m2) resultou em 93,98 m3/m2. Conclui-se que a pegada hÃdrica à uma metodologia de cÃlculo capaz de mensurar do volume de Ãgua consumido na atividade de construÃÃo civil permitindo que esse volume seja estimado na fase de planejamento da obra para melhor fornecimento pelos ÃrgÃos pÃblicos de gestÃo, para estimativa mais prÃxima do real da extraÃÃo voluntÃria que empresas de engenharia precisam realizar na perfuraÃÃo de poÃos e para avaliar possÃveis impactos ambientais desse recurso escasso.
This paper aims to propose a calculation methodology to measure the water footprint (PH) in the real estate construction activity. The water footprint is an empirical quantity indicator, the period and the place where the water is consumed and polluted, which is measured over the entire productive chain of a product showing not only the volume of water, as well as the type of water use (consumptive, rain, surface or underground, or water pollution), the location and the time when water was used. To calculate the water footprint in housing construction activity was used the methodology of Hoekstra et al. (2011) using the partial concept of 'blue water' - a kind of measure of ownership of the water footprint determined by consumption, evaporation and runoff into the ocean - in its use / consumption for human purposes in order to estimate the quantum of water is required to produce a residential building. The measurement was divided into three groups that make up civil construction activity, namely: labor, materials and services. The results showed statistically that a sample of 90 workers could be extrapolated to the average of workers employed throughout the work (115 employees), allowing to measure the volume of water consumption (water footprint) for the group of hand work was 1124068200.0 l of water (distributed direct and indirect) for the materials group consisting of 128 items that have water component, the water footprint was 30,100,539.5 l of water (Indirect) and for the service group, consisting of 92 items that use water, the water footprint was 584,427,948.4 l of water (Direct), ie the total of the enterprise the water footprint of 1738596688.0 l . The most relevant consumption workmanship were given to the categories 'liquid' and 'other higienes' in PH Direct and 'industrialized' and 'transport' in PH Indirect; for the most outstanding materials was evidenced in 'irons CA' (PH Indirect), and in services, the largest water consumption was evident in the service of 'mechanical protection' (PH Direct). The total amount of water consumption (1738596688.0 l) divided by the total area of the project (in m2) resulted in 93978.2 l / m2, where the housing unit of 157.14 m2 has a water footprint of 14,767. 734.2 l and 167.12 m2 one water footprint of 15705636.8 l. It follows that the water footprint is a calculation method capable of measuring the volume of water consumed in construction activity, allowing builders estimate this volume from the work planning stage in order to manage this scarce environmental resource
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Wärmark, Katarina. "Assessment of water footprint for civil construction projects." Thesis, Institutionen för vatten och miljö, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet (SLU), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-257147.
Full textAbstract:
Water is an irreplaceable resource and the strain on it is getting tougher. Around 40 per cent of the water withdrawn in Europe is for industrial use. With a growing population and an increased demand for food and energy per capita, the demand and pressure on our water resources will increase. CEEQUAL is a rating scheme for the civil construction industry and has raised the water footprint as an important sustainability issue to consider when choosing building materials. There is however little knowledge within the industry of how to do this. This paper offers information regarding available water footprint tools and gives a practical example using two of the most developed methods; the Water Footprint Network (WFN) method and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The case study showed that the results are very dependent on which method one chooses. The LCA method gives a bigger footprint since it is more inclusive than the WFN method. There are however some similarities when looking at which of the materials that are high-risk and low-risk materials when it comes to freshwater footprint. Among the studied products, steel was the material that uses and consumes the most water per kilogram, and could also be imported from water scarce areas. Fill material had a low water consumption and use per kilogram, but the huge amount used in the project makes it the material that used and consumed most water in total. Fill material is most often produced locally because of the large amount used, and was therefore not as significant when weighting the results by a water stress index. Calculating a water footprint can be used as a part of declaring the environmental performance of a project by including it in an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), a sustainability report or by setting up an Environmental Profit and Loss (E P&L) account for water. It can also be used to identify and assess risks related to water use.Färskvatten är en begränsad, men förnybar resurs som på grund av sina unika egenskaper saknar substitut i många processer och användningsområden. Resursen är ojämnt fördelad över världen och många lever idag i vattenstressade regioner. I Europa står industrisektorn för cirka 40 procent av det totala vattenuttaget. Med en växande befolkning och ökad efterfrågan på mat och energi per capita kommer konkurrensen om vattenresurserna att bli hårdare. Vi måste därför anpassa oss efter denna verklighet och framtid och börja använda våra färskvattenresurser mer effektivt. Certifieringssystemet CEEQUAL har lyft vattenavtryck för byggprodukter som en viktig fråga vid val av material. Inom branschen vet man i dagsläget inte hur man ska hantera den frågan och utgångspunkten för denna rapport är att ge vägledning bland de metoder som finns tillgängliga idag samt att ge ett praktiskt exempel på två av de mest utvecklade metoderna, Water Footprint Network (WFN) metoden och livscykelanalys (LCA). Som ett praktiskt exempel utfördes en fallstudie som visade att resultatet av en vattenavtrycksanalys beror väldigt mycket på vilken metod som väljs, vilket innebär att harmonisering inom branschen är viktigt. LCA-metoden ger ett större avtryck än WFNmetoden då metoden inkluderar fler typer av vattenanvändning. Av de studerade materialen visade sig stål vara det som både använder och förbrukar mest vatten per kilogram. Det är också ett material som i betydande grad importeras från regioner som kan vara vattenstressade. Fyllnadsmaterial var ett av materialen med lägst vattenavtryck per kilogram, men då det används i så stora mängder i anläggningsprojekt är det detta material som bidrar med störst totalt vattenavtryck. På grund av den stora mängd som används utvinns fyllnadsmaterial dock oftast lokalt. Detta gör att vattenavtryckets signifikans minskar när det viktas med ett vattenstressindex, då det generellt finns gott om vatten i Sverige. Vattenavtryck kan användas till deklaration av potentiell påverkan på vattenresurser genom att inkludera resultatet i en miljövarudeklaration eller hållbarhetsrapport. Det kan även användas i ett naturkapitalkonto (E P&L) för vatten eller för att identifiera risker kopplade till vattenanvändning samt ge vägledning vid materialval och val av leverantör.
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Shigetomi, Yosuke. "Study of Mid-Term Impact of Japanese Households on Formation of Low-Carbon Society from Consumption-Based Approach." Kyoto University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/215644.
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Kyoto University (京都大学)0048
新制・課程博士
博士(エネルギー科学)
甲第19818号
エネ博第324号
新制||エネ||65(附属図書館)
32854
京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー社会・環境科学専攻
(主査)教授 東野 達, 教授 宇根﨑 博信, 准教授 MCLELLAN,Benjamin
学位規則第4条第1項該当
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Nilakantan, Ravishankar. "New power converter topologies for minimizing energy consumption of electronic appliances." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/41209.
Full textAbstract:
The proliferation of electronic equipment that is permanently connected to the grid causes significant parasitic losses. Yet, the design of power supplies for PCs, servers, multi-function printers, etc, is governed by the cost and component specifications at the peak operating point as well as the thermal management of the power supply itself. Most power supplies have lower efficiencies at light loads than at their rated loads. If the unit spends most of its time at the light load operating point, then the energy consumption will be much higher compared to a situation where the power supply is optimized for overall energy consumption with a specified load cycle. Considering that most electronic appliances are produced in high volume, the use of power supplies that permit easy custom design makes sense from the standpoint of energy efficiency. Over the past few years, multiple topological changes and design changes that aim to improve the efficiency of the power supplies have been proposed. However, their proliferation in low cost consumer electronics has been limited primarily by their high costs, additional area overhead and incompatibility with existing power supply converter topologies. As a part of this Master's thesis research work, a business case is first proposed to show that a market for low cost and high power rating electronic devices that exhibits high power efficiency exists. Then a novel yet simple, low cost device(SSSR) is proposed to improve the efficiency of existing power supplies without effecting major changes to their existing design. Our claims are backed up by simulation results and a working prototype. Finally, a ROI model is presented to showcase the effectiveness of the proposed solution in today's consumer market.
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Mesfin, M. Mekonnen, Franz Stephan Lutter, and Aldo Martinez. "Anthropogenic Nitrogen and Phosphorus Emissions and Related Grey Water Footprints Caused by EU-27's Crop Production and Consumption." MDPI, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w8010030.
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Water is a prerequisite for life on our planet. Due to climate change and pollution, water availability for agricultural production, industry and households is increasingly put at risk. With agriculture being the largest water user as well as polluter worldwide, we estimate anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to fresh water related to global crop production at a spatial resolution level of 5 by 5 arc min and calculate the grey water footprints (GWF) related to EU-27's crop production. A multiregional input-output model is used to trace the the GWF embodied in the final consumption of crop products by the EU-27. The total GWF related to crop production in the EU-27 in 2007 was 1 × 1012 m3/year. Spain contributed about 40% to this total. Production of cereals (wheat, rice and other cereals) take the largest share, accounting for 30% of the GWF, followed by fruits (17%), vegetables (14%), and oil crops (13%). The total agricultural GWF of the EU-27 related to crop consumption was 1830 billion m3/year, which is 3700 m3/year per capita on average. Overall, the EU-27 was able to externalize about 41% of the GWF to the rest of the world through imports of crop products.
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Berggren, Nora, and Sandra Pöder. "Follow generational footsteps, or minimize future footprint? : Exploring the motives behind Gen Z’s meat consumption and the implications on the marketing of meat substitutes." Thesis, Jönköping University, Internationella Handelshögskolan, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-52969.
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Background: The environmental changes leave the younger generation (Gen Z) to worry about their future, which means implementing changes in their consumption behavior. With global meat consumption drastically increasing, Gen Z has the potential to frame their food consumption patterns for the future. Existing research lacks an understanding of the young consumer's motives for their meat consumption and how marketing can reach the young consumers. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the motives of Gen Z's sustainable consumption, and more precisely, meat consumption, and what implications their perceptions can have on the marketing of meat substitutes. Method: This is an exploratory qualitative study, where sixteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews of participants from Gen Z were held and analyzed inductively. The collected data was analyzed through the Gioia method to find patterns and further develop a theory. Conclusion: The empirical findings suggest that awareness is the key driver for women of Gen Z to change their consumption patterns. However, the same awareness is not affecting the male participants to the same extent. Moreover, the findings suggest that the best approach to reach the young consumers is through digital channels and through neutralizing the concept of avoiding meat. This study contributes to research regarding the consumption patterns of Gen Z and provides insight into a crucial segment of the modern market. Furthermore, suggestions are provided for future research.
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Martins, Renata de Souza Leão. "Empresas e gestão da água: uma abordagem a partir do uso do indicador pegada hídrica." Universidade de São Paulo, 2014. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/106/106132/tde-18112014-182843/.
Full textAbstract:
Nos últimos anos, as questões relacionadas à problemática ambiental multiplicaram sua presença na agenda do setor empresarial. Mais recentemente, observa-se o aumento do interesse das empresas pela água, recurso natural indispensável para a manutenção do equilíbrio dos ecossistemas e das atividades socioeconômicas humanas. Diante da ampliação da pressão sobre seu uso, resultado do crescimento populacional e incremento dos padrões atuais de produção e consumo, diferentes ferramentas têm sido desenvolvidas para contribuir para que o uso da água se torne mais racional e sustentável. Uma delas é a Pegada Hídrica (PH), um indicador de consumo direto e indireto da água utilizada durante a produção de bens ou serviços. A PH está relacionada com a pressão causada aos recursos hídricos pelas atividades humanas e classifica a água usada nesses processos e atividades de acordo com sua origem e impacto. Sua utilização pelo setor empresarial tem sido cada vez mais frequente. Tendo como base este contexto, este trabalho busca compreender quais são os principais motivos que tem levado as empresas a utilizarem a PH. Esta Tese, de caráter interdisciplinar, utiliza como referenciais teóricos a Teoria da Modernização Ecológica (TME), a Teoria dos Stakeholders (TS) e elementos da Nova Sociologia Econômica (NSE). Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, foram utilizados três procedimentos metodológicos: a) levantamento documental; b) revisão bibliográfica sistemática; c) estudos de caso. Os motivos que justificam a utilização da PH extraídos dos documentos analisados na revisão bibliográfica sistemática foram sistematizados e agrupados em quatro categorias que podem ser relacionadas com os referenciais teóricos utilizados. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa indicaram que os motivos que têm levado as empresas a utilizarem a Pegada Hídrica são: 1) vantagens do método, já que permite uma visão detalhada do consumo de água em toda a cadeia produtiva (TME); 2) comunicação com stakeholders, pois reconhecem que é necessário avaliar o consumo da água em toda a sua cadeia, para atender as demandas dos diferentes stakeholders internos e externos e melhorar sua comunicação com eles (TS; NSE); 3) porque a PH pode colaborar na identificação de riscos associados à água, o que permite agir com certa antecipação a futuras regulações e contestações dos diferentes stakeholders (NSE); 4) porque os resultados dos estudos de PH podem fornecer informações que colabore na tomada de decisão para reduzir o consumo de água, estabelecer parcerias e cooperação entre os diferentes setores da sociedade (TME). Entre os motivos apontados, os mais frequentes são aqueles relacionados com as vantagens do método, o que permite uma compreensão mais ampla da pressão e impactos à água causados pelas atividades das empresas. Entretanto, considerando que sua utilização pelo setor empresarial é muito recente, pesquisas futuras necessitam ser realizadas para acompanhar a evolução das ações e do comportamento das empresas sobre a temática da água. Nesse sentido, torna-se cada vez mais urgente uma reflexão sobre a necessidade de que os limites físicos existentes e a capacidade de suporte dos ecossistemas orientem a organização das sociedades.In recent years, several environmental issues have multiplied their presence in the corporate sectors agenda. More recently, an increased interest is observed among companies on the topic of water, an essential natural resource for the maintenance of ecosystems equilibrium and human socio-economic activities. To face the increasing pressure over the resource, resulting from the combination of population growth and changing consumption patterns, several tools have been developed. Their goal is to make corporate water consumption more rational and sustainable. One of these tools is the Water Footprint (WF), an indicator of direct and indirect water consumption in the production of goods and services. The water footprint quantifies and assesses the pressure from human activities on water resources. It classifies water resources according to their source and potential impact. Its use by the private sector is increasingly frequent. Against this context, this work aims at understanding the main reasons for companies adoption of the WF Assessment. This thesis, embracing a multidisciplinary approach, makes use of three theoretical frameworks: the Ecological Modernization Theory (EMT), Stakeholder theory (ST) and elements of the New Economic Sociology (NES). To this end, three different methodologies where used: a) document research; b) systematic literature research; c) case studies. The stated reasons for using the WF found in the literature research where classified into four categories that may be related to the theoretical frameworks presented. The results from this research identified as the main reasons under private sectors adoption of the WF. The first reason could be called advantages of this methodology, since it allows for a detailed analysis of water consumption in the supply chain, which can be analyzed using the EMT. A second reason would be related to the communication with the stakeholders. Companies recognize the need for addressing water consumption over their whole supply chain in order to meet the demands of different stakeholders and improve their communications with them. This recognition is explained by the ST and NES. Thirdly, risk assessment was is another important argument. WF assessment may help to address water-related risks, allowing them to anticipate the introduction of new regulations or contestation from different stakeholders. NES allows us to understand this reason. Lastly, companies include informed decision-making as another adoption reason. WF may be used for establishing goals and priorities for lower water consumption rates, identifying key partners and working together with key sectors of society. Ecological modernization theory contributes to explain this effect. The most frequent reasons mentioned were those related to the advantages of the methodology, arguing that the WF provides a broader understanding of pressure resulting from corporate activities. Nevertheless, considering the recent adoption by the private sector of this method, it would be important to re-evaluate the relation between water and the private sector, and with the WF in particular. In this sense, it is increasingly necessary that environmental limits and ecosystems carrying capacity guide societal organization.
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Helander, Hugo, and Linus Tegelmo. "Homo Colossus Energy Calculator." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-279566.
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This thesis covers the creation of a series of questions that have the purpose of estimating the amount of energy that an individual uses over the course of a year. These questions are designed for a kiosk in an exhibition environment, and they will be used for an environmental project called Homo Colossus which will be presented at different exhibitions. The foundational energy values used in this thesis are from David JC MacKay. The main problem explored throughout this thesis is how we can, with as few questions as possible, give someone an estimation of their yearly energy consumption. To achieve this, we interviewed people with relevant experience and conducted a questionnaire to test the questions. The results from the test led to minor alterations in our questionnaire structure.Denna uppsats handlar om skapandet av en samling frågor som har syftet att uppskatta mängden energi som en individ använder över ett år. Dessa frågor är designade för en kiosk i en utställningsmiljö, och kommer att användas för ett projekt som kallas för ‘Homo Colossus’ som kommer att presenteras på diverse utställningar. Huvudkällan för energivärdena i denna uppsats kommer ifrån David JC MacKay. Huvudfrågan som denna uppsats täcker är hur vi kan, med så få frågor som möjligt, ge en uppskattning av någons årliga energikonsumtion. För att uppnå detta, så intervjuade vi personer med relevant erfarenhet och skapade ett frågeformulär för att testa frågorna. Resultatet från testet ledde till små förändringar i strukturen av frågeformuläret.
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Munro, Samantha Alanna. "A water footprint assessment of primary citrus production in the Lower Sundays River Valley Citrus Farms, Eastern Cape, South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017558.
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With the current implementation of the South African National Water Act (NWA) underway, comprehensive tools to assist in the efficient, fair and sustainable management of water resources are needed. Water footprints (WFs) are increasingly being recognised as a meaningful way to represent human appropriation of water resources and provide a framework for assessing the sustainability of water use. The study calculated blue, green and grey WFs for the lower Sundays River Valley (LSRV) citrus sector across dry, humid and long-term average climates for a number of cultivars. The sustainability of both the LSRV and the production process of citrus were examined through the adoption of a number of environmental, social and economic indicators. The study revealed that there was no water scarcity in the area because of an inter-basin transfer and that water pollution levels attributed to citrus production required a more comprehensive indicator than the grey WF. Results showed that navels, despite being the dominant cultivar, had the highest WF and the lowest water productivity and technical efficiency. It also provided lower benefits of income and employment in terms of water use in comparison to other cultivars. Conversely, cultivars such as lemons, which required a greater amount of water and fertiliser, were the most productive cultivar with the lowest blue, green and grey WF. The study demonstrated the complexity of decisions regarding water management and the need to assess accurately the environmental, social and economic implications of strategies to increase efficiency of water. The importance of incorporating local data and verifying WFs was also illustrated. The analysis highlighted that WF assessments could be useful for the South African government and agricultural sectors to assist in future water management decisions and promote increased collaboration between stakeholders. The study found that the adoption of local benchmarks could be useful in aiding the promotion of more efficient water use and could factor in sensitive economic and social attributes. WFs in conjunction with other economic and social indicators could also be used to evaluate the sustainability of current and future allocations pertaining to the implementation of the NWA. It was however noted that this requires vast amounts of accurate data.
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Beux, Fernanda Christine. "Pegada hídrica de aglomerados subnormais: o caso do Bairro Rocinha / Rio de Janeiro." Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, 2014. http://www.bdtd.uerj.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=7667.
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A água é essencial à manutenção da vida. No entanto, com as situações de estresse hídrico - disponibilidade hídrica inferior a 1.700 m per capita ao ano (FALKENMARK, 1989) - vivenciadas em diversos pontos do planeta, somadas ao acelerado crescimento da população mundial, os problemas relacionados ao uso da água tendem a aumentar. Neste contexto, a pegada hídrica (PH), que é um indicador de sustentabilidade ambiental, se torna uma importante ferramenta de gestão de recursos hídricos pois indica o consumo de água doce com base em seus usos. O presente trabalho objetiva mensurar a pegada hídrica em função das componentes industrial, doméstica e alimentar da população do bairro Rocinha, um aglomerado subnormal localizado no município do Rio de Janeiro. A pesquisa se deteve a um Estudo de Caso de 20 sub-bairros da comunidade. Sua abordagem foi quantitativa, contando com uma amostra de 203 domicílios, erro amostral de 7% e grau de confiança de 93%. Para tal, foi utilizada como ferramenta de cálculo o modelo Water Footprint Network do ano de 2005. Os resultados indicaram que, em média, a PH dos indivíduos que compõem a amostra é de 1715 m/ano per capita assim divididos: PH de consumo doméstico de água de 175 m/ano per capita (479 l/hab.dia); PH de produtos agrícolas igual a 1470 m/ano per capita, e PH de produtos industrializados de 70 m/ano per capita. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que os indivíduos da amostra com uma maior despesa mensal tendem a ter pegadas hídricas industrial e total também maiores.Water is essential for sustaining life. However, the situations of hydric stress - less than 1.700 m per capita water availability per year (FALKENMARK, 1989) - experienced in many parts of the world, coupled with the rapid growth of the global population, the problems related to water use tend to increase. In this context, the water footprint (WF), which is an indicator of environmental sustainability becomes an important tool for water resource management indicates the consumption of fresh water based on their uses. This study aimed to measure the water footprint as a function of industrial components, domestic and feed of the population of the Rocinhas neighborhood, a cluster subnormal located in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The research was focused on a case study of 20 sub-districts of the community. Its approach was quantitative, with a sample of 203 households, sampling error of 7% and confidence level of 93%. For this purpose, was used as the tool for calculating the Water Footprint Network model year 2005. The results indicated that, on average, the WF of the individuals in the sample is 1715 m/ year per capita divided as follows: WF of domestic water consumption of 175 m/ year per capita (479 l/ inhab.day), WF agricultural products equal to 1470 m/ year per capita, and WF industrial products 70 m/ year per capita. The results suggest that individuals in the sample with a higher monthly expenditure tend to have industrial water footprints and overall greater.
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D'AMMARO, DANIELE. "From environmental concerns toward sustainable agro-food production. Mathematical models, indicators to achieve the sustainability of the wine sector." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/115286.
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Il sistema alimentare è sempre più interconnesso con il nostro futuro, il quale include un'ampia varietà di preoccupazioni della società che vanno dalla sicurezza alimentare, alla nutrizione, alle disuguaglianze sociali ed economiche, al cambiamento climatico, alla biodiversità e ai servizi generati dagli ecosistemi oceanici. In particolare, la filiera agroalimentare del vino emerge come una tra le filiere più analizzate data la sua importante rilevanza nel mercato economico produttivo e distributivo mondiale. In accordo con le disposizioni del New Green Deal dell'Unione Europea e dell'Agenda 2030 delle Nazioni Unite, il settore vitivinicolo deve indirizzarsi verso sistemi di gestione economicamente e ambientalmente sostenibili, legati a produzioni di qualità e ad un contesto riconosciuto e remunerato di conservazione della biodiversità. Una corretta scelta dei metodi e delle linee di azione per migliorare la sostenibilità del settore vitivinicolo deve iniziare con un'analisi obiettiva e accurata delle prestazioni di sostenibilità dei suoi prodotti e delle procedure. In questo contesto, la presente tesi mira a una più profonda comprensione delle strategie applicate nel settore vitivinicolo e dei loro risultati. A tal fine, sono state condotte numerose valutazioni, con diversi indicatori impiegati per misurare, monitorare e migliare le prestazioni di sostenibilità.The food system is increasingly interlinked with our future, which includes a wide variety of societal concerns ranging from food security, nutrition, social and economic inequities to climate change, biodiversity, and ocean ecosystem services. In particular, the wine chain emerges as one of the most examined areas given its significant relevance in economic production and global distribution market. In accordance with the provisions of the European Union's New Green Deal and the United Nations Agenda 2030, the wine sector must strive to transition to economically and environmentally sustainable management systems, linked to premium quality production and a recognized and remunerated context of biodiversity conservation. A proper determination of the methods and courses of action to enhance the wine industry's sustainability must begin with an objective and accurate analysis of its products and procedures' sustainability performance. Within this framework, the present thesis aims at a deeper understanding of the strategies applied in the wine sector and of their outcomes. For this purpose, numerous assessments have been conducted, with different indicators used to measure, monitor and improve sustainability performance.
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Berglund, Mårten. "Green growth? A consumption perspective on Swedish environmental impact trends using input–output analysis." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Globala energisystem, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-157800.
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Consumption-based environmental impact trends for the Swedish economy have been generated and analysed in order to determine their levels compared to official production-based data, and to determine whether or not the Swedish economy has decoupled growth in domestic final demand from worldwide environmental impact. Three energy resources (oil, coal and gas use, as well as their aggregate fossil fuel use) and seven emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O, SO2, NOx, CO and NMVOC, as well as the aggregate CO2 equivalents) were studied. An augmented single-regional input–output model has been deployed, with world average energy and emission intensities used for products produced abroad. A new method for updating input–output tables for years missing official input–output tables, was also developed. For each of the resources and the emissions, two time series were generated based on two different revisions of Swedish national accounts data, one for the period 1993–2003, the other for the period 2000–2005. The analysis uses a recently revised time series of environmental data from the Swedish environmental accounts, as well as recently published global environmental data from the IEA and from the EDGAR emissions database (all data from 2010 or later). An index decomposition analysis was also performed to detect the various components of the time series. For fossil fuels consumption-based data don't differ much from production-based data in total. For the greenhouse gases there is a clear increase (CO2eq emissions increase approximately 20 % from 1993–2005, mainly driven by an increase in CH4 emissions), resulting from increased emissions abroad due to the increased demand for imported products. This suggests Sweden has not decoupled economic growth from increasing greenhouse gas emissions – contrary to what the slightly decreasing official production-based UNFCCC data say. For the precursor gases (SO2, NOx, CO and NMVOC), emissions are generally decreasing, with the exception of SO2 and NOx which increase in the second time series. For all emissions studied, consumption-based data lie at much higher levels than the official production-based UNFCCC data. However, further research is needed regarding the resolution of the data of the energy use and the emissions generated abroad by the Swedish domestic final demand. Also, extension of the time series and of the environmental parameters to such things as material use is needed to find out with more certainty to what extent Swedish growth has been sustainable or not.I den här studien har konsumtionsbaserade tidsserier på svensk fossilbränsleanvändning och på svenska utsläpp av luftföroreningar tagits fram i avsikt att jämföra dessa med de officiella produktionsbaserade tidsserierna. Syftet har varit att avgöra om det svenska samhällets påverkan på resurser och miljö ur ett konsumtionsperspektiv har minskat eller ökat över tiden, och framförallt om en frikoppling har skett mellan den svenska ekonomiska tillväxten och den påverkan Sverige har på miljön i Sverige och utomlands. Tre fossila bränslen (olja, kol, gas samt aggregatet fossila bränslen) och sju luftföroreningar (CO2, CH4, N2O, SO2, NOx, CO och NMVOC samt aggregatet CO2-ekvivalenter) har analyserats. En enkelregional input–output-modell har tagits fram, utökad med globala medelintensiteter för den produktion som sker utanför Sverige. En ny metod har också utvecklats för att generera input–output-tabeller för år där officiella sådana tabeller saknas. För samtliga energiresurser och luftföroreningar, upprättades två stycken tidsserier, baserat på två olika revisioner av ekonomiska data från nationalräkenskaperna. Den första tidsserien täcker åren 1993–2003, och den andra åren 2000–2005. Miljödata togs från nyligen reviderade tidsserier från de svenska miljöräkenskaperna samt från IEA och den internationella luftföroreningsdatabasen EDGAR (alla data reviderade 2010 eller senare). En komponentanalys utfördes också, för att identifiera olika bidragande komponenter i tidsserierna. Vad gäller fossila bränslen i sin helhet, uppstår ingen markant skillnad mellan konsumtionsbaserade och produktionsbaserade data. Vad gäller växthusgaserna kan en klar ökning urskiljas (20 procents ökning av CO2-ekvivalenter mellan 1993–2005; CH4-utsläppen har där bidragit mest), vilket beror på stigande utsläpp utomlands orsakade av ökad efterfrågan på importerade produkter. Detta antyder att den svenska tillväxten ännu inte frikopplats från ökade utsläpp av växthusgaser, vilket står i motsats till den minskning i utsläpp som de officiella produktionsbaserade siffrorna från UNFCCC-rapporteringen redovisar. För övriga luftföroreningar (SO2, NOx, CO och NMVOC), sker i allmänhet en minskning, förutom för SO2 och NOx som ökar i den andra tidsserien. Samtliga luftföroreningar ligger vidare på en betydligt högre nivå jämfört med UNFCCC-rapporteringen. Mer detaljerade studier behövs dock på den energiförbrukning och de utsläpp som svensk slutlig användning för med sig utomlands. Tidsserierna behöver också förlängas och fler miljövariabler som t.ex. materialanvändningen behöver studeras för att kunna dra säkrare slutsatser kring i vilken utsträckning som den svenska tillväxten har varit hållbar eller ej.
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Aigner, Joachim Felix. "Environmental Implications of Media Consumption embedded in Digital Ecosystems : A bottom-up systems approach to the perennial case of paperless reading in Germany." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-235724.
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Digitalization has been reshaping the media landscape in recent years, often conveying an implicit promise of becoming less dependent on physical resources. At the same time, the current understanding of digital reading goes beyond dedicated e-readers or definable digital media products such as magazines or newspapers. In fact, it must be perceived as a function or service obtained from existing and ever-expanding “digital ecosystems”. There is furthermore a clear and unambiguous trend that relatively small and mobile devices are on the rise for consuming all kinds of media. Next to potentially enabling environmental gains compared to traditional paper-based media consumption, there are agreeing indications of a shift from overall electricity consumption dominated by end-user devices towards an increasing importance of less tangible data transmission networks and data centers. Therefore, a bottom-up analysis is deemed to compliment more general top-down observations and assessments. To this end, an elaborated reference scenario is proposed as to bridge the mere analytical method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with behavioral aspects based on German market observations and surveys. The prevailing aim of this study is to detect environmental hot-spots and absolute impacts linked to the service of accessing text-based content via connected electronic devices. In doing so, this study takes the position that both types of media consumption – digital and paper-based - are incommensurable due to the very evident differences in provided functions, markets, and industries. Therefore, an attributional and stand-alone LCA is considered appropriate. The perceived current situation (reference scenario) evolves around substantiated estimates and assumptions concerning production of devices, use of devices as well as operation of essential data transmission network components. Looking at potential hot-spots, electricity consumption linked to data transmission could be a decisive factor for the environmental performance of digital reading. However, the actual importance of data transmission infrastructures depends on both methodological choices and a range of parameters or trends. For instance, the relative importance is shifted when more recent estimates of electricity intensities are incorporated. Depending on actual and localized electricity intensity of data transmission, the amount of data required to provide an expected function may inhibit environmental potentials of digital media consumption. Postulating average annual consumption of digital contents and assuming actual substitution of equivalent printed media products, about 50 kg CO2-equivalents. could potentially be avoided. This theoretical potential is based on the calculated global warming potential (GWP) associated with digital reading according to the reference scenario which amounts to about 29 kg CO2-equivalents. Therefore, this study supports findings from previous studies that indicated environmental benefits of digital reading. Compared to other functions or services (e.g. video/music streaming, podcasts, audio books) embedded in the same “digital ecosystems”, reading requires little amount of data. If allocation of upstream effects is based on time, the relative importance of data transmission networks could be gauged and compared by adopting a “data-to-service time” ratio. Taking the reference scenario as a starting point, a perceivable ratio for digital reading is 0.015 GB/h, including systemic inefficiencies. In contrast, streaming of high-definition video contents can easily consume 3 GB/h, a 200-fold increase. The audience of this study comprises providers of digital reading services and/or other media services as well as end-users as integral element in “digital ecosystems”. Besides, the report proposes a conceptual assessment framework which can be applied to other contemporary digital services or functions.De senaste åren har digitalisering omformat medielandskapet, med ett implicit löfte om att minska beroendet av fysiska resurser. Dessutom finns det tydliga trender som pekar mot en ökad användning av små, mobila enheter för att konsumera alla sorters media. En uppdaterad bottom-up analys bedöms komplettera mer generella observationer och bedömningar. Om man antar årliga genomsnittliga konsumtionsmönster i Tyskland, så är tillverkningen av elektroniska slutanvändarenheter – oavsett om de är till för enskilda ändamål (e-läsare) eller om de är multifunktionella (smartphone, surfplatta) – onekligen en miljömässigt kritisk punkt för digitalt läsande. Elförbrukningen, som sker i samband med dataöverföringen, kan också vara en avgörande faktor för den övergripande miljöpåverkan av digital läsning. Dock beror den faktiska påverkan av dataöverförningsinfrastrukturer dels på metodologiska val men även på ett antal andra parametrar och trender. Genom att undersöka indikatorn för global uppvärmning kan denna studie konstatera att resultaten stödjer tidigare forskning, som redan pekar på de miljömässiga vinsterna av digitalt läsande. Målgruppen för denna studie innefattar både distributörer av digitala läs-tjänster och/eller andra media tjänster såväl som slutanvändare som ett integrerat element i ”digitala ekosystem”.
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Svedberg, Stefan. "THE IMPACT OF NON-FOSSIL ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY : Investigating ecological footprints." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Nationalekonomi, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-184764.
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This study aims to investigate the impact of non-fossil energy consumption on environmental quality. The sample includes 36 OECD countries for the period 1993-2016. This study investigates environmental quality by analyzing the ecological footprint and its six components of cropland, forest land, grazing land, fishing grounds, built-up land, and carbon footprint. The ecological footprints’ six components underline a relationship between human demands and the biological supply of earth resources. This relationship is of major concern due to the hazardous development in global warming and climate change. Further, this study investigates the presence of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in the sample of OECD countries. The main results from the Generalized Method of Moments and Fixed Effects estimators revealed that increased use of non-fossil energy consumption reduces the carbon footprint, while it increases the environmental damage on grazing land and fishing grounds. Moreover, the EKC hypothesis was only confirmed for grazing land and fishing grounds but was not confirmed for carbon, built-up land, forest land, and cropland. The results of this study have several policy implications that are further discussed.
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Fetherolf, Lindsay. "Environmental Attitudes, Behavior and the Gaps In Between: A Study of College Students and Green Identity." Wittenberg University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wuhonors1617885985879573.
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Schanes, Karin, Stefan Giljum, and Edgar Hertwich. "Low carbon lifestyles: A framework to structure consumption strategies and options to reduce carbon footprints." Elsevier, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.154.
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There are many opportunities for consumers to design their lives more sustainably. While a rapidly
growing body of literature has investigated how consumers can reduce carbon footprints in key con-
sumption areas, such as food, housing and mobility, an overall framework that allows structuring those
options across all consumption areas is still missing. Hence, this paper presents a novel and systematic
framework to identify improvement options that promote climate change mitigation and structure them
based on their primary mode of impact on GHG emissions. The framework targets consumer practices
and focuses on ambitious, but technically and socioeconomically feasible strategies for consumers to
lower their carbon footprint. Four major categories for reducing consumption-based emissions form the
basic framework, which are then subdivided into behavioural strategies and sub-strategies. The practical
application of the framework is illustrated by using food consumption as an example. Systematically
identifying improvement options can advance a holistic understanding of the range of behavioural
strategies targeting consumer choices that operate at different stages in the supply chain. It thus provides
a starting point for addressing critical questions related to the role of consumers in supporting climate
change mitigation. (authors' abstract)
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Deutsch, Lisa. "Global trade, food production and ecosystem support : Making the interactions visible." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm : Institutionen för systemekologi, Univ, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-232.
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Moberg, Emma. "The water footprint of coffee production in Miraflor, Nicaragua." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-281133.
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A water footprint is a tool for assessing the impacts of freshwater use by mapping the water use of the production of a good or a service, a process in a production chain, a business or even of a whole country. One of the most commonly used methods for calculating the water footprint was developed by the Water Footprint Network (WFN). The objective of this study was to account for the water footprint of the production of coffee in the area of Miraflor, Nicaragua, using the WFN method. The study aimed to highlight where improvements can be made regarding water resources management, both with respect to the quantity of the water appropriated in the different process steps, as well as concerning the treatment of residues of the coffee production. The results of the study show a water footprint of 20 049 m3 per ton of harvested coffee in Miraflor. This equals a consumption of more than 6 000 000 m3 of water when considering the overall production of the harvest of 2015/2016. The results pinpoint the growing phase as crucial with 98.1 % of the total water footprint. Nicaragua and the region where Miraflor is located are having increasing problems with water scarcity due to drought and contamination of water resources. Together with these circumstances, the results of the study show that the current management should be improved in order to minimize the impacts on local water resources and the environment. It is mainly the application of pesticides and fertilizers in the cultivation of the coffee that give rise to the large water footprint. Furthermore, the current management violates the law restricting the discharge of effluent waters from coffee processing plants. Another important factor contributing to the water footprint yields in the consumption of rainwater via evapotranspiration by the crops in field. In order to reduce the water footprint there should be a more conscious use of pesticides and fertilizers as well as a development in the treatment of the effluent water. The latter factor can be elaborated by considering new installations where even smaller ones probably could make a considerable change. Other management practices to decrease the water footprint consist of generating a higher yield per hectare of land.Vattenfotavtryck är ett verktyg för att bedöma miljöpåverkan från användningen av vatten. Med ett vattenfotavtryck kartläggs hur vatten används för produktionen av en vara, för en process i en produktionskedja, ett företag eller för ett helt land. En av de mest använda metoderna för beräkning av vattenfotavtryck utvecklades av Water Footprint Network (WFN). Syftet med denna studie var att genom användning av WFN:s metod beräkna vattenfotavtrycket för produktionen av kaffe i området Miraflor i Nicaragua. Studien ämnade visa var förbättringar kan göras i vattenresurshanteringen, både vad gäller mängden vatten som används i de olika produktionsstegen som i behandlingen av restvattnet från kaffeproduktionen. Resultatet från studien visar ett vattenfotavtryck på 20 049 m3 per ton skördat kaffe i Miraflor. Sett till hela skörden för säsongen 2015/2016 ger detta ger en total konsumtion av mer än 6 000 000 m3 vatten. Resultatet påvisar att vegetationsperioden är den i särklass största bidragande faktorn till kaffeproduktionens vattenfotavtryck med 98,1 % av det totala avtrycket. Nicaragua och regionen där Miraflor ligger har alltjämt ökande problem med vattenbrist på grund av torka och föroreningar av vattenresurser. Studiens resultat visar tillsammans med denna bakgrund att nuvarande tekniker i kaffeproduktionen i Miraflor bör förbättras för att minimera konsekvenser för lokala vattenresurser och miljön. Främst är det användningen av bekämpningsmedel och gödsel som ger upphov till det stora vattenfotavtrycket. Kaffeproduktionen orsakar därtill överträdelser av gällande bestämmelser om värden på vattenkvalitetsparameterar i restvatten från kaffeproduktion. En ytterligare betydande faktor för vattenfotavtrycket som påvisas i studien är konsumtionen av regnvatten via evapotranspiration från grödorna i fält. För att minska vattenfotavtrycket bör i första hand en mer medveten användning av bekämpningsmedel och gödsel införas. Därtill bör det ske en förbättring i hanteringen av utsläppsvatten. Den senare faktorn kan utvecklas genom att nya installationer införs där även mindre sådana troligtvis skulle ge en betydande skillnad. Andra metoder för att minska vattenfotavtrycket ligger i att generera en högre skörd per hektar land.
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Wang, Xuechao. "Critical Transmission Sectors of Energy-Water-GHG Nexus." Doctoral thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta strojního inženýrství, 2020. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-433461.
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Využití vody, spotřeba energie a emise skleníkových plynů (GHG) jsou rozhodujícími ukazateli a do značné míry souvisí s udržováním nebo dosahováním environmentální a sociální udržitelnosti. Tato práce prezentuje vyvinuté metodiky. Představuje také provedené případové studie, které prozkoumaly a identifikovaly Water-Energy-GHG Nexus (WEGN) z pohledu dodavatelského řetězce. Pro analýzu a návrh sítě WEGN jsou navrženy tři metodiky, které jsou založeny na nové aplikaci a integraci modelu vstup-výstup (IO), geografického informačního systému (GIS) a sítě dodavatelského řetězce (SCN), a zároveň řeší výzvy, které dříve neumožňovali praktické implementace. Použitelnost těchto metod je prokázána třemi komplexními případovými studiemi zaměřenými na odvětvovou environmentální účinnost, regionální environmentální účinnost a kritické přenosy WEGN. Mezi mé příspěvky v této oblasti patří: i. Nový nástroj pro hodnocení založený na IO pro identifikaci regionální environmentální účinnosti z hlediska WEGN, zejména pro regiony, které jsou úzce propojenyobchodem. ii. Pokročilá integrace metodik GIS a IO (GIS-IO) za účelem odhalení a mapování sítě WEGN, sledování kritických meziregionálních a sektorových toků WEGN, vyjasnění regionálních, odvětvových a celosvětových vzorců sítě WEGN a určení souvisejících výhod pro různé regiony. iii. Efektivní metoda hodnocení založená na IO a SCN pro kvantifikaci sektorových koeficientů WEGN. Navrhované metodiky, s podporou sady komplexních základních rovnic, transformují komplikované výzvy identifikace a analýzy sítě WEGN do snadno srozumitelného formátu, z čehož vznikají robustní řešení pro zlepšení posuzování environmentální udržitelnosti a zmírnění environmentálních tlaků. Například v jedné z případových studií ukazují výsledky nového přístupu GIS-IO zjevné rozdíly mezi různými zeměmi v rámci EU27, mezi různými sektory a také pokud srovnáme EU27 jako blok zemí, s ostatními státy světa. Analýza ukázala, že země EU27 přispěly o 1.4 Gt nižšími emisemi CO2, o 64.5 Gm3 menší spotřebou vody a 4.9 × 104 PJ nižší spotřebou energie ve srovnání se zbytkem světa, přičemž generovaly ekvivalentní ekonomickou produkci. To má dramatický dopad na globální prostředí. Největší úspěch v CWE mezi zeměmi EU27 měly Německo, Francie a Itálie. Práce doporučuje, aby EU27 poskytovala více technické podpory zemím, které těchto výsledků nedosahují, aby se zvýšila účinnost využívání zdrojů.
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Eliasson, Karin. "Spatially explicit nitrogen and phosphorus footprinting : Linking consumption activities to nutrient leaching risk for Brazilian soy production." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tema Miljöförändring, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-153611.
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An increasing demand for food, and in particular animal products, is putting high pressure on natural resources, often at places distant from the consumption. Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients in food production but an excessive use can cause environmental impacts such as eutrophication that can harm ecosystems services vital to local communities. This study developed sub-national spatially explicit N and P footprints that were extended with an assessment of nutrient leaching risk and risk of impact on biodiversity. The consumption of N and P in Brazilian soybean production at municipal level was estimated for the whole of Brazil as well as for UK soybean demand. This was then combined with the risk of nutrient leaching (Nrisk and Prisk) and species richness (Nbio and Pbio). The results showed high Nbio and Pbio in Mato Grosso, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul. The same analysis of the effects of UK soybean demand showed a higher risk of impacts in Rondônia and less in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul compared to total Brazilian soybean production. A municipal case study showed that the demand of Brazilian soybean in the UK, EU, and China generated different spatial patterns of impact risks at municipal level. Spatially explicit footprints that also encompass risks of impacts are important for being able to identify the responsible consumer and parts of the supply chain where sustainability interventions will be most effective. There are several opportunities for future development within this research field as data availability is continuingly increasing.
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Stadler, Konstantin, Richard Wood, Tatyana Bulavskaya, Carl-Johan Södersten, Moana Simas, Sarah Schmidt, Jeroen Kunen, et al. "EXIOBASE 3: Developing a Time Series of Detailed Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output Tables." Wiley, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12715.
Full textAbstract:
Environmentally extended multiregional input-output (EE MRIO) tables have emerged as a key framework to provide a comprehensive description of the global economy and analyze its effects on the environment. Of the available EE MRIO databases, EXIOBASE stands out as a database compatible with the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) with a high sectorial detail matched with multiple social and environmental satellite accounts. In this paper, we present the latest developments realized with EXIOBASE 3-a time series of EE MRIO tables ranging from 1995 to 2011 for 44 countries (28 EU member plus 16 major economies) and five rest of the world regions. EXIOBASE 3 builds upon the previous versions of EXIOBASE by using rectangular supply-use tables (SUTs) in a 163 industry by 200 products classification as the main building locks. In order to capture structural changes, economic developments, as reported by national statistical agencies, were imposed on the available, disaggregated SUTs from EXIOBASE 2. These initial estimates were further refined by incorporating detailed data on energy, agricultural production, resource extraction, and bilateral trade. EXIOBASE 3 inherits the high level of environmental stressor detail from
its precursor, with further improvement in the level of detail for resource xtraction. To account for the expansion of the European Union (EU), EXIOBASE 3 was developed with the full EU28 country set (including the new member state Croatia). EXIOBASE 3 provides a unique tool for analyzing the dynamics of environmental pressures of economic activities over time.
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Nidhoimi, El-Assad. "Description et analyse du fonctionnement énergétique des espaces bâtis. Mises en œuvre systémique du bilan carbone associé. Application à l'Éco Ferme de Vincendo et au territoire de Mayotte." Thesis, La Réunion, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018LARE0047/document.
Full textAbstract:
Dans un contexte où les tensions liées aux ressources énergétiques fossiles sont de plus en plus vives, concevoir une nouvelle manière d'appréhender le contexte énergétique est devenu essentiel. Les moyens de production et de consommation énergétiques habituels ont montré leur limite avec l'apparition de nouveau type de pollution pour différents secteurs. Dans ce rapport de thèse, nous nous sommes essentiellement axés sur le secteur de l'électricité en proposant un outil, d'aide à la décision, pour simuler la consommation électrique ainsi que la production électrique à partir des énergies renouvelables (EnR). La simulation de la consommation électrique permet d'avoir des informations à différents échelles d'observation en s'appuyant sur une démarche systémique et typologique, qui permet de calculer le bilan carbone associé à cette consommation ainsi que son coût annuel. Par la suite, cette consommation a été analysée à l'échelle horaire afin de pouvoir là mettre en relation avec des fichiers de production pour effectuer un pilotage au niveau de la courbe de charge. Ce pilotage a pour but de lisser les pics au niveau de la courbe de charge. Les premiers résultats analytiques obtenus à l'aide des outils développés montrent qu'il est possible de réduire l'appel au réseau électrique normal à un certain niveau en fonction des dimensionnements des systèmes de production EnR et du stockage. Ainsi que de pouvoir limité les coûts d'investissement au juste nécessaire, c'est-à-dire avoir un prix le moins cher possible, grâce à une optimisation du système EnRIn a context where the tensions linked to fossil energy resources are increasing, design a new way of understanding the energy context has become essential. The usual means of energy production and consumption have shown their limit with the appearance of new types of pollution for different sectors. In this thesis, we mainly focused on the electricity sector by proposing a tool to simulate electricity consumption and electricity production from renewable energies (RES). Simulation of electricity consumption allows having information on different observation scales based on a systemic and typological approach, according to which the associated carbon footprint to this consumption is being calculated as well as its annual cost. Subsequently, this consumption was analyzed at the hourly scale, which is to relate it to the production files in order to control the load curve. This control aims to smooth down the peaks of the load curve. The first analytical results, obtained by using the developed tools, show that it is possible to reduce the use of the normal electrical network to a certain level according to the dimensions of the RES production systems and storage
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Smeets, Bram. "The sustainability of economic growth in Abu Dhabi." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/209454.
Full textAbstract:
Abu Dhabi has experienced an unprecedented development during the last half century, growing rapidly from a remote desert settlement to a thriving metropolitan. Today, the Emirate ranks among the countries with the highest GDP per capita in the world, and this impressive development is anticipated to continue in the decades to come.However, there are several challenges to the sustainability of the current economic prosperity, and the environmental degradation that was caused by the rapid development is an important factor in this context. Today, the United Arab Emirates as a country has the highest ecological footprint per capita in the world and Abu Dhabi, hosting the major part of the heavy industries and oil extraction capacity in the country, has an even larger footprint. Key drivers of this poor environmental track-record are the high greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption levels.
This deterioration of environmental conditions has growing implications for the economic welfare and physical well-being of the population. So far, the government's environmental policy is mostly symbolic, and concrete policy measures are largely lacking today. On the contrary, there are crucial elements in the governmental policy that have strong negative impacts on environmental conditions and thus on the sustainability of Abu Dhabi's growth, such as generous implicit subsidies on energy commodities and water and an ambitious strategy for economic growth, depending on a strong expansion of heavy industry.
This poses the question how environmental conditions will develop, when the population boom and economic expansion are anticipated to continue. However, the academic literature on environmental sustainability issues in Abu Dhabi as well as in the wider Gulf region is limited. Moreover, applied policy studies on the topic are absent as well.
This dissertation intends to contribute to the academic literature as well as to insights from existing policy studies, by projecting the impact of sustained economic growth on environmental conditions in Abu Dhabi. It compares a baseline scenario of economic growth with the four most relevant policy options aimed at footprint reductions available to policy makers in the Emirate: i) The introduction of a nuclear power plant; ii) An abandonment of utility price controls; iii) Shifts in the subsidization policy of water and energy markets; iv) Energy efficiency improvements in selected parts of the economy.
A recursively dynamic, multi-sectoral computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to generate the results in this dissertation, focusing on the two most important aspects of the ecological footprint in Abu Dhabi mentioned above. The CGE model is calibrated to a SAM for Abu Dhabi for 2009, and its specification is chosen to facilitate a focus on energy consumption and sustainability issues. Besides, it is extended by an environmental module and a fossil fuel module, and it incorporates several other modifications that are tailored to the Abu Dhabi economy.
Simulation results under a baseline scenario of economic growth show that carbon emissions will grow by 282% by 2030 compared to the base year 2009, and water consumption is anticipated to increase by 312%.
The introduction of nuclear plants, at the scale that is previewed today, will yield a reduction in emissions of 2.6% compared to the baseline scenario. The economic impact will be positive, with a 0.5% increase in GDP and small gains in employment levels.
Price liberalizations in the utility markets are a politically sensitive theme. When implemented, they can yield a 7.6% reduction in emissions and a 2.3% in water consumption by 2030 (vs. baseline). However, the economic cost involved amounts to 0.3% of GDP.
An abandonment of subsidies in the energy and water markets can lead to a 11.1% drop in carbon emissions, and a 28.8% decline in water consumption vs. baseline. The domestic economic impacts of this change are negative, but the GDP shows a modest 0.6% growth, due to improvements in the foreign trade balance.
Finally, efficiency improvements can lead to reductions in carbon emissions (13.8%) and water consumption (17.5%) compared to the baseline, and bring economic gains of 1.0% of GDP.
All four simulated policy scenarios in this dissertation bring about reductions in the ecological footprint, compared to the baseline as described above. Nonetheless, the consumption levels of energy and water as well as the related carbon emissions will be substantially higher in 2030 than they are today, under each of these scenarios. As a policy implication, the dissertation therefore finds that the previewed deterioration in environmental conditions requires active policy, if current welfare and prosperity are to be sustained. When assessed in the appropriate policy context, environmental conservation and improvements in the ecological footprint should be treated with a higher priority in the broad portfolio of development goals in Abu Dhabi.
Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished
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Mair, Simon, A. Druckman, and T. Jackson. "Global inequities and emissions in Western European textiles and clothing consumption." 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/18257.
Full textAbstract:
YesRising demand for cheaper textiles and clothing in Western Europe is well documented, as are changes in the Textiles and Clothing industry's globalised production structure. We apply a sub-systems global multi-regional input–output accounting framework to examine the sustainability implications of meeting Western European demand for textiles and clothing goods between 1995 and 2009. Our framework estimates environmental and socio-economic impacts of consumption in a consistent manner and shows where these occur both geographically and in the value chain. The results demonstrate that Western European textiles and clothing consumption remains dependent on low-cost labour from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), principally in the Textiles and Clothing and Agricultural sectors. Conversely, we show that the wage rate for BRIC workers in the global value chains serving Western European textiles and clothing consumption has risen over time but remains low relative to the wage rate paid to Western European workers. Likewise, we find that profits are increasingly generated within BRIC and that they are now at comparable levels to those generated in Western Europe. We find a slight overall decrease in the amount of carbon emitted in the production of textiles and clothing goods for Western Europe between 1995 and 2009. However, the trend is not linear and the importance of different underlying drivers varies over the timeseries. We conclude by discussing the implications of these results for a more sustainable future for Western European textiles and clothing consumption.
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Tseng, Szu-Yu, and 曾思毓. "The Influences of Neighborhood Built Environment on Household Energy Consumption Carbon Footprint." Thesis, 2009. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/95093984633579615992.
Full textAbstract:
碩士長榮大學
土地管理與開發研究所
97
In recent years, global environmental changes, global warming and the greenhouse effect and so on become the current common concern all over the world. United Nations Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) study made it clear that a large number of man-made greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming and other climate change is the main cause, and the use of fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emission, being seen as the result of warming culprit. The purpose of this study in the empirical analysis of the different density of the development of the neighborhood, its built environment and non-built environment on household energy consumption, the impact surveyed by using the mail survey the actual investigation and understanding of each household energy consumption in the dynamic and static energy consumption , combined with carbon footprint (Carbon Footprint) of the concept of measuring and calculating the neighborhood of household energy consumption carbon footprint; again by the structural equation model at the same time deal with the problem of measurement and analysis of the characteristics and based on past research the idea, further established of high-density and low-density carbon footprint of energy consumption theoretical model, compared the effects of the two variables and the effect of the impact. The results found that the neighborhood development density will not affect the household the choice which will transport regarding the transportation has, regardless of the dynamic energy consumption carbon footprint or static energy consumption carbon footprint, low-density of household energy consumption carbon footprint higher than high-density. High-density neighborhood in the household environment, the main cause to influence dynamic energy consumption of major carbon footprint of block types size, static energy consumption of major carbon footprint of density of registered inhabitants; low-density neighborhood in the household environment, the main cause to influence dynamic energy and static consumption of major carbon footprint of the type of building. Finally, the impact of household energy consumption, carbon footprint of factors, to improve the mitigation strategy.
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Yi-ShuanHuang and 黃翊軒. "Applied Water Footprint to Explore the Water Consumption of the Science Park." Thesis, 2013. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/36756298383518026015.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立成功大學
資源工程學系碩博士班
101
Water is indispensable limited resource of industrial development and environmental protection. Compared to the energy and environmental crisis, water scarcity will result in more direct impact on human being. In recent years, sustainable development and other related issues has been paid more and more attention. Water footprint is a new issue in succession to ecological footprint and carbon footprint. This article apply water footprint to explore the water consumption of the science park in view of direct water consumption has been unable to reflect the situation of water resources utilization. First, the water footprint model was established by the input-output model. Secondly, using the water footprint model to explore the situation of water footprint of science park industries, Hsinchu, Taichung and Tainan science parks over the years. Finally, based on empirical analysis of the results, hoping this research could provide useful information as sustainable development planning of the science park. According to the study results show that Integrated Circuit Industry, whether in the Republic of 90 years, 93 years or 95 years, are the lowest total water consumption per unit of output of the six industries. From water footprint point of view, compared to other industries of the science park, developing of integrated circuit industry has lower impact on environment. Furthermore, the Integrated Circuit Industry, Precision Machinery Industry and Biotechnology Industry increasingly dependent on foreign water resources, so as to alleviate water shortage in Taiwan. In general, different from the previous studies of water consumption, this article incorporate the indirect water into analysis. It`s in a broader perspective and comprehensive view of the water consumption of each industry.
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Chou, Chia Chen, and 周佳臻. "Effect of Consumer Environmental Attitude on Green Consumption Decision-Making from Carbon Footprint Viewpoint - A Case Study of LED Bulbs." Thesis, 2015. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/jj3bbc.
Full textAbstract:
碩士亞洲大學
經營管理學系碩士在職專班
103
When the mankind's development gets into so-called"science and technology times", the movable realm that extends the reformation nature also pushes material and spiritual civilization of mankind's world into unprecedented new high that has ever had point, besides which, however, so for the sake of existence development and promote the living standard carry on of activity, have already brought many changes for our natural environments, at present, we face the traditional energy to use up day by day face to face, world impact of the climate change, and along with promoting of citizen's knowledge level, concerning environment subject already keep on at folks proliferation, be subjected to the public value gradually, hence development of green energy industry for responding this urgent energy crisis, is this, the consumer in 21th century seems to also start changing it to live pattern and consumption behavior. Therefore, this research aim at understanding the society's green consumption behavior can under the influence of the consumer's environmental protection attitude?However, "the environmental protection attitude" oneself is belong to a kind of not complete and concept of abstraction, hard measurement, will make use of "the carbon footprint" point of view to come to quantification the consumer's"the environmental protection attitude", and take into to inquire into for this research. The way that this research adopts a questionnaire, and with point of view of carbon footprint to environmental protection attitude of quantification abstraction, after deducting an invalid questionnaire, effective questionnaire is 250, through descriptive statistics, letter after effect analysis and structure equation mode analyzes, the research suggests that appropriate environmental protection price of article and quality enhance and have already helped to promote the product value as a result;And strengthen the environmental protection value of environmental protection product, have already helped to promote the consciousness value;Another can with carbon footprint concept, measure the consumer's environmental protection attitude;And advanced age the consumer should be included in an initial environmental protection product to sell a target market.
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Alsaffar, Ahmed J. "Process-based modeling for cradle-to-gate energy and carbon footprint reduction in product design." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/28609.
Full textAbstract:
Interest in accounting for environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems during the design phase is increasing. Numerous studies have undertaken investigations for reducing environmental impacts across the product life cycle. Efforts have also been launched to quantify such impacts more accurately. Life cycle energy consumption and carbon footprint are among the most frequently adopted and investigated environmental performance metrics. As efforts continue to incorporate environmental sustainability into product design, struggles persist in concurrent consideration of environmental impacts resulting from the manufacturing processes and supply chain network design. Thus, the objective of this research is to present a framework for reducing product cradle-to-gate energy consumption and carbon footprint through simultaneous consideration of manufacturing processes and supply
chain activities. The framework developed in this thesis relies on unit process modeling, and is demonstrated for production of a bicycle pedal. It is shown that simultaneous consideration of manufacturing and supply chain processes can impact decision-making and improve product environmental sustainability at the design stage. The work presented contributes to the state of the science in sustainable design and manufacturing research. In addition, a point of departure is established for the research community to move current efforts forward for concurrent consideration of multiple stages of the product life cycle in pursuit of environmental, economic, and social sustainability.Graduation date: 2012
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Летуновська, Наталія Євгенівна, Наталия Евгеньевна Летуновская, Nataliia Yevhenivna Letunovska, Людмила Юріївна Сагер, Людмила Юрьевна Сагер, Liudmyla Yuriivna Saher, Тетяна Анатоліївна Васильєва, et al. "Dependence of public health on energy consumption: cross-regional analysis." Thesis, 2021. https://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/86019.
Full textAbstract:
Автори перевіряють гіпотезу про наявність зв’язку між споживанням невідновлюваних ресурсів у країнах-лідерах європейського регіону з точки зору промисловості з доданою вартістю та здоров’я. Вони провели рейтинговий кореляційний аналіз за ключовими показниками здоров'я населення та обсягами споживання відновлюваних і невідновлюваних ресурсів в окремих країнах. Дослідники припустили незначну залежність між показником здорових років життя і виробництвом відновлюваних джерел енергії, що робить позитивний внесок у екологічну ситуацію в країні. Серед порівнюваних країн пропорційно більш продуктивними та відновлюваними енергетичними ресурсами є ті, що характеризуються високим споживанням первинних енергоресурсів. Аналіз показує, що відмінності в показниках здоров'я населення регіонів спричиняють інші важливіші фактори, ніж досліджувані. Деякі залежності можна побачити при аналізі причин смерті населення країн, наприклад, від серцево-судинних захворювань. Фактором ризику цієї хвороби є забруднення повітря, викликане надмірним споживанням невідновлюваних енергетичних ресурсів. Показник екологічного сліду автори рекомендують враховувати в рейтингах якості життя в регіонах. У порівнянні з країнами з нижчим рейтингом добробуту, цей параметр є занадто високим для лідерів. Під час дослідження автори врахували вагу х3 для показника здоров’я в індексі процвітання Legatum.Авторы проверяют гипотезу о наличии связи между потреблением невозобновляемых ресурсов в странах-лидерах европейского региона с точки зрения промышленности с добавленной стоимостью и здоровья. Они провели ранжированный корреляционный анализ ключевых показателей здоровья населения и объемов потребления возобновляемых и невозобновляемых ресурсов в отдельных странах. Исследователи предположили небольшую взаимосвязь между количеством лет здоровой жизни и производством возобновляемых источников энергии, что внесло положительный вклад в экологическую ситуацию в стране. Среди сравниваемых стран страны, характеризующиеся высоким потреблением первичных энергоресурсов, являются пропорционально более производительными и возобновляемыми энергоресурсами. Анализ показывает, что различия в показателях здоровья населения регионов обуславливают другие более важные факторы, чем изучаемые. Некоторые зависимости можно увидеть при анализе причин смерти среди населения стран, например, от сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний. Фактором риска этого заболевания является загрязнение воздуха, вызванное чрезмерным потреблением невозобновляемых источников энергии. Авторы рекомендуют учитывать показатель экологического следа в рейтингах качества жизни в регионах. По сравнению со странами с более низким рейтингом благосостояния этот параметр слишком высок для лидеров. В ходе исследования авторы рассмотрели коэффициент x3 для показателя здоровья в Legatum Prosperity Index.
The authors test the hypothesis that there is a link between the consumption of non-renewable resources in leaders economies in the European region in terms of value-added industry and health. They performed a ranking correlation analysis on key indicators of population health and volumes of consumption of renewable and non-renewable resources in individual countries. The researchers assumed a slight relationship between the rate of healthy years of life and the production of renewable energy resources, making a positive contribution to the country's environmental situation. Among the compared countries, those characterized by high consumption of primary energy resources are proportionally more productive and renewable energy resources. The analysis shows that differences in the health indicators of the regions' population cause other more important factors than the studied ones. Some dependencies can be seen in analyzing the causes of death among the population of countries, for example, by cardiovascular diseases. The risk factor for this illness is air pollution caused by excessive consumption of non-renewable energy resources. The authors recommend considering the indicator of ecological footprint in the ratings of life quality in the regions. Compared to countries with lower welfare rankings, this parameter is too high for leaders. Under investigation, the authors considered the x3 weight for the health indicator in the Legatum Prosperity Index.
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PEŠEK, Roman. "Srovnání uhlíkové stopy spotřeby potravin domácností v regionech EU." Master's thesis, 2015. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-188250.
Full textAbstract:
The thesis compares the carbon footprints generated by household food consumption in urban and rural areas of selected regions within the European Union, and deepens the knowledge of the impact contemporary society has on global climate change. Selected regions come from the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands. The first part summarises the findings of climate change and its impact on the environment, the concept of sustainable development, and the consumer behaviour of the Czech population in the food sector, with a focus on the possibility to influence carbon footprint production. The second part addresses the particular comparison of carbon footprints generated by household food consumption and evaluates the results. The conclusion from this part of the dissertation can be used as a guide to help reduce carbon footprints through food consumption.
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Seriño, Moises Neil. "Is de-carbonized development possible? Household emissions and renewable energy in developing countries." Doctoral thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-0023-9916-C.
Full textAbstract:
Politische Entscheidungsträger stehen heute vor der Herausforderung, dem Klimawandel zu begegnen, ohne das Entwicklungspotential von Entwicklungsländern einzuschränken. In diesem Zusammenhang trägt diese Arbeit zur Beantwortung der Frage bei, ob Entwicklung ohne höheren CO2-Ausstoß möglich ist. Untersucht werden insbesondere die Emissionen von Haushalten und die mögliche Verbreitung erneuerbarer Energien in Entwicklungsländern. Diese Arbeit geht in vier Punkten über die bisherige Literatur hinaus. Erstens untersucht sie aus der Perspektive eines Entwicklungslandes die CO2-Emissionen von Haushalten und analysiert den Einfluss steigender Einkommen auf Emissionen, unter Berücksichtigung sozio-demografischer Eigenschaften der Haushalte. Zweitens betrachtet sie andere relevante Faktoren wie CO2-und Energieintensität, die steigende Emissionen beeinflussen könnten. Drittens untersucht sie, wie ungleich die Emissionen der Haushalte verteilt sind. Aus der Ungleichheit von Emissionen ergeben sich direkte Konsequenzen für die Reduzierung der CO2-Emissionen von Haushalten. Zuletzt wird die Möglichkeit der Verbreitung verschiedener erneuerbarer Energien in Entwicklungsländern erforscht. Erneuerbare Energien scheinen eine Handlungsoption zur Reduzierung von CO2-Emissionen darzustellen. Sie können helfen, Wachstum in Entwicklungsländern zu fördern, ohne die bereits besorgniserregend hohe Konzentration von klimaschädlichen Gasen in der Atmosphäre weiter zu verschlimmern. Der erste Teil der Dissertation untersucht, wie CO2-intensiv der Lebensstil philippinischer Haushalte ist und analysiert Möglichkeiten, Emissionen und Wohlstand von Haushalten zu entkoppeln. Wir schätzen die CO2-Emissionen der Haushalte, die durch den Konsum verschiedener Güter und Dienstleistungen verursacht werden, indem wir eine Input-Output-Analyse mit den Ausgaben der Haushalte in den Jahren 2000 und 2006 kombinieren. Auf Basis der Schätzung sind die Ausgaben der Haushalte, die im Zusammenhang mit Kraftstoffen, Licht und Transport stehen, die CO2-intensivsten, während diejenigen für kurzlebige Güter am wenigsten CO2-intensiv sind. Die zentralen Ergebnisse sind, dass während sozio-demografische Eigenschaften der Haushalte wichtig für die Erklärung der Höhe von Emissionen sind, keine konkreten Anzeichen für eine Entkopplung von CO2-Emissionen und Wohlstand gefunden wurden. Wenn sich das Konsumverhalten nicht ändert, werden philippinische Haushalte bei steigendem Wohlstand wahrscheinlich einen Lebensstil führen, der mit höherem CO2-Ausstoß einhergeht. Der zweite Teil schlüsselt die Veränderung der Emissionen durch Haushalte auf und untersucht andere relevante Einflussfaktoren wie CO2-Intensität und Energieintensität. Während der erste Teil die starke Korrelation zwischen Emissionen und Einkommen herausarbeitet, wird durch die Aufschlüsselung deutlich, dass diese Korrelation nicht gleichverteilt zwischen allen Haushalten ist. Der Einkommenseffekt ist in ärmeren Haushalten ausgeprägter, während der Effekt der Energieintensität in reicheren Haushalten überwiegt. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass die Energieintensität ein Ansatzpunkt dafür sein kann, Emissionen von Haushalten zu reduzieren. Insbesondere kann der Einsatz energieeffizienter Haushaltsgeräte gefördert werden, ebenso wie kraftstoffsparende Fahrzeuge oder der Zugang zu öffentlichen Transportmitteln. Um die CO2-Emissionen von Haushalten zu reduzieren, muss untersucht werden, wie sich die Emissionen auf die Haushalte verteilen. Jede politische Maßnahme zur Linderung des Klimawandels, die die Reduktion von Emissionen beinhaltet, hat einen direkteren Einfluss in gleicheren Gesellschaften, als in Ungleicheren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich die Emissionen sehr ungleich zwischen den Haushalten verteilt sind, dass diese Ungleichheit zunimmt und sich ein großer Anteil der Emissionsungleichheit durch energieintensiven Konsum von Kraftstoffen, Licht und Transport erklärt. Dies legt nahe, dass politische Entscheidungsträger sich auf energieintensiven Konsum fokussieren sollten, um die Ungleichheit von Emissionen zu reduzieren. Die ersten drei Teile der Arbeit stellen heraus, dass ein großer Anteil der CO2-Emissionen der Haushalte durch energieintensiven Konsum verursacht wird. Dies deutet auf die Notwendigkeit hin, auf emissionsneutrale Energiequellen wie erneuerbare Energien umzusteigen um den Lebensstil der Haushalte zu erhalten oder zu verbessern ohne die globalen Emissionen weiter ansteigen zu lassen. Daher wird im vierten Teil die potentielle Ausbreitung verschiedener erneuerbarer Energiequellen in Entwicklungsländern modelliert und ihre Bestimmungsfaktoren untersucht. Wir konzentrieren uns auf die Diversifikation, da die meisten erneuerbaren Energien wetterabhängig und dadurch nicht planbar sind, eine Diversifikation aber eine stabile und verlässliche Energieversorgung ermöglicht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen robusten nichtlinearen Effekt von Einkommen auf Diversifikation, der sich als grafisch als U-förmige Beziehung zeigt, so dass wir eine weitere Diversifikation erneuerbarer Energiequellen bei steigenden Einkommen in Entwicklungsländern erwarten. Darüber hinaus können technologisch fortschrittlichere Entwicklungsländer, Entwicklungsländer mit ausgebildeten Fachkräften, entwickelten Finanzmärkten, guter Regierungsführung und hohem Rohstoffvorkommen den Einsatz erneuerbarer Energien diversifizieren ohne auf ausländische Direktinvestitionen und Entwicklungshilfe angewiesen zu sein. Wir dokumentieren ferner, dass sich die Diversifizierung erneuerbarer Energiequellen seit Einführung des Kyoto-Protokolls Ende 1997 weiter verbreitet hat. Auf Grundlage der obigen Erkenntnisse können die folgenden Politikempfehlungen abgeleitet werden. Auf Seiten der Haushalte: Es ist unwahrscheinlich, dass Haushalte bei steigendem Wohlstand einen Lebensstil führen werden, der mit geringem CO2-Ausstoß einhergeht. Den Konsum der Haushalte zu beschränken ist jedoch schwierig und umstritten. Güter, durch die ein hoher CO2-Ausstoß verursacht wird, können besteuert werden um die Emissionen von Haushalten einzuschränken. Allerdings sollten politische Entscheidungsträger dabei Vorsicht walten lassen, um nicht die Bemühungen der Armutsbekämpfung zu gefährden, da auf den Philippinen ein Viertel der Bevölkerung als arm anzusehen ist. Es gibt verschiedene andere Optionen, die CO2-Emissionen der Haushalte zu drosseln. Dazu zählt die Verbesserung der Produktionseffizienz und die Veränderung des Konsumverhaltens hin zu einem weniger CO2-intensiven Lebensstil. Wichtig sind dabei insbesondere Verbesserungen beim Zugang zu öffentlichem Verkehrsmitteln, sowie zu energieeffizienteren Beleuchtungs- und Kühltechnologien. Ferner ist es ein wichtiger Politikansatz, den Einsatz erneuerbarer Energiequellen auszuweiten und erneuerbare Energie in den Energiemix von Entwicklungsländern einzugliedern, um wirtschaftliches Wachstum von Emissionen zu entkoppeln.
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Žlábková, Jana. "Hodnocení zátěže životního prostředí v ČR pomocí indikátoru Vodní stopa." Master's thesis, 2013. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-323601.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation sets its goal in application of the water footprint indicator, which is a practical and multi-layered indicator of water sources consumption. Of human activities, agriculture presents the most significant demands on water sources consumption. Therefore I have turned my focus to the widely-discussed issue of biofuels production, because the input materials for production of this kind of energy are agricultural crops (in the Czech republic those are: oilseed rape, sugar beet, Indian corn and winter wheat). The calculated results of water footprints of the selected industrial crops (m3 /t) and of water footprints of the heating value units of that crops (m3 /GJ) offer us a concrete notion of energy requirements of water of that chosen industrial crops in the conditions of the Czech republic. Keywords: water footprint indicator, biofuels, oilseed rape, water consumption, biodiesel, bioethanol, evapotranspiration.
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Irfany, Mohammad Iqbal. "Economic development and de-carbonization paths: Micro and macro perspectives from Indonesia." Doctoral thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-0023-9942-8.
Full textAbstract:
Die drei Essays dieser Dissertation verbinden Themen der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung und des Klimawandels. Alle Essays erörtern die allgemeine Frage wie steigende Einkommen und Austauschbeziehungen in Umweltfragen verbunden werden können und konzentrieren sich dabei auf CO2 Emissionen als Hauptverursacher von Treibhausgasen. Die Forschungsarbeit beleuchtet die wesentlichen Treiber und Verteilungswege von CO2 Emissionen und zeigt wie wirtschaftliches Wachstum, Energieverbrauch und Emissionen interagieren.
Im ersten Essay wird am Beispiel Indonesiens der ökologische Fußabdruck von Haushalten durch ihre Konsumentscheidung aufgezeigt. Es werden Muster, Determinanten und die Aufschlüsselung der steigenden Emissionen der Haushalte analysiert. Die Arbeit konnte zeigen, dass die Sektoren mit Leichtöl und im Transportwesen die intensivsten Emittenten in Indonesien sind und ein signifikantes Ungleichgewicht der Karbon-Emissionen zwischen Haushalten besteht. Sie konnte zudem darlegen, dass ein steigendes Einkommen die wichtigste Determinante der Haushaltsemissionen sind. Die Aufschlüsselung des Emissionswachstums legt nahe, dass die steigenden Emissionen zwischen 2005 und 2009 hauptsächlich auf den steigenden Wohlstand der Haushalte zurückzuführen sind.
Eine gerechtere Haushaltsverteilung besitzt -wie jedes Emissionsreduzierungskonzept- einen größeren Effekt zur Abschwächung des Klimawandels in einer Gesellschaft mit weniger Ungleichheit als in einer Gesellschaft mit verstärkter Ungleichheit. Im zweiten Essay wurde die Ungleichheit von Haushalts-Emissionen und die Aufschlüsselung der Emissionsungleichheiten in ihre Ursachen untersucht.. Die Studie zeigt einerseits eine steigende Ungleichheit unter den untersuchten Haushalten als auch dass Energie-Transport hauptsächlich für höhere Emissionsungleichheit verantwortlich ist.
Der dritte Essay untersucht kausale Zusammenhänge zwischen Emissionen, Energieverbrauch und wirtschaftliche Entwicklung gemeinsam mit Urbanisierung und Investitionen im Falle von Indonesien unter Verwendung von Zeitreihenanalyse. Diese Studie zeigt eine Granger-Kausalität von Output und Energieverbrauch hin zu Emissionen, aber nicht in die entgegengesetzte Richtung von Emissionen zu Output. Dies weist darauf hin die Möglichkeit Emissionen zu reduzieren ohne Wachstum zu hemmen. Damit könnte Energieverbrauch die hauptsächlich verändernde Variable zwischen Output und Emissionen sein. Urbanisierung und Kapitalformation können CO2 neutral sein, wenn das betreffende Land nachhaltige städtische Entwicklung, grüne Investitionen und Energieeffizienz zur Entschärfung des Klimawandels fördert.
Jeder dieser Essays trägt zu der Literatur dazu bei, wie ökonomische Aktivitäten (wie steigender Konsum) steigende Emissionen - eine der wichtigsten Externalitäten menschlicher Entwicklung - bedingen. Andersherum könnte Umweltzerstörung (und/oder entschärfende Maßnahmen) weitere Entwicklung menschlichen Wohlbefindens erschweren. Passende Politikmaßnahmen, der Konsum in Richtung von weniger emissionsintensiven Ausgaben stimulieren, könnten implementiert werden. Aber insbesondere in Entwicklungsländern, die mit Energieeffizienz (CO2 intensive Energiesysteme), ungenügend grünen Infrastrukturen, Städteplanung, öffentlichem Nahverkehr und hohen (und ungünstig gezielte) Treibstoffsubventionen zu kämpfen haben, könnte dies schwierig werden. Diese Themen könnten dann nicht nur für Indonesien als entwickelnde Ökonomie sondern auch bei globalen Debatten dazu beitragen, wie Entwicklungspfade weniger kohlenstoffintensiv gestaltet werden können und damit substantielle Bedeutung erlangen.
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Mesquita, Maria Carolina de Freitas Porto. "A pegada de carbono das refeições habituais omnívoras e vegetarianas em Portugal: uma estimativa, comparação e análise." Master's thesis, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10071/23243.
Full textAbstract:
As alterações climáticas são um fenómeno tanto global como local, causado pelas atividades humanas, sendo uma destas atividades a alimentação.
Nesta dissertação, para mitigar o impacto ambiental da alimentação, e consequente contribuição para as alterações climáticas, concretizou-se a alimentação ambientalmente sustentável em Portugal, pondo-se a hipótese geral da alimentação vegetariana como solução. Estimou-se a pegada de carbono, um indicador de impacto ambiental, relativamente às refeições habituais em Portugal, incluindo omnívoras e vegetarianas: comparando-as, analisando-as e apresentando alternativas de refeições omnívoras habituais ‘tornadas’ vegetarianas.
De início, procurou-se compreender os conceitos relacionados com a sustentabilidade, a nível global e em Portugal, para informar como medir o impacto ambiental da alimentação. Reviu-se brevemente como comunicar impacto ambiental, para apresentar os resultados desta dissertação de forma imediata, comparável, relevante e apelativa, levando à redução desta pegada de carbono por parte dos indivíduos.
A pegada de carbono é amplamente utilizada em estudos com tema semelhante ao desta dissertação, e foi neles que se basearam as estimativas da pegada de carbono dos alimentos que compõem as refeições em Portugal. Os resultados mostram que a pegada de carbono de refeições omnívoras habituais em Portugal é 5,5 vezes maior do que a de refeições vegetarianas habituais em Portugal. Para além disso, as refeições omnívoras habituais em Portugal quando ‘tornadas’ vegetarianas, têm uma pegada de carbono cerca de 6,4 vezes menor do que as refeições omnívoras habituais em Portugal. Assim, confirma-se a hipótese geral da alimentação vegetariana ser uma potencial solução para uma alimentação ambientalmente sustentável em Portugal.Climate change is both a global and a local phenomenon caused by human activities, where food is one such activity. In this dissertation, we present an environmentally sustainable diet in Portugal, to mitigate the environmental impact of food and its contribution to climate change, by setting the general hypothesis of vegetarian food as a solution. The carbon footprint, an environmental impact indicator, was estimated for the common omnivore and vegetarian meals in Portugal: comparing them, analysing them, and presenting alternatives to common omnivore meals in Portugal, 'turned' vegetarian. Research was done to understand the concepts related to sustainability, globally and in Portugal, to inform how to measure the environmental impact of food. A brief revision was also done on how to communicate environmental impact, in order to present the results of this dissertation in an immediate, comparable, relevant, and appealing way, towards reducing individuals’ food carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is widely used in studies with a similar theme to this dissertation. Results from those studies were applied to estimate the carbon footprint of ingredients used in the meals in Portugal. The results show that the carbon footprint of common omnivore meals in Portugal is 5.5 times higher than that of common vegetarian meals in Portugal. Moreover, the common omnivore meals in Portugal when 'turned' vegetarian, have a carbon footprint about 6.4 times lower than the usual omnivore meals in Portugal. This confirms the general hypothesis of vegetarian food as a solution to an environmentally sustainable diet in Portugal.