Approaches to Assessing the Strategic Sustainability of High-Risk Offshore Oil and Gas Projects

In the face of today’s global challenges, oil and gas companies must define long-term priorities and opportunities in implementing complex Arctic offshore projects, taking into account environmental, economic, technological and social aspects. In this regard, ensuring strategic sustainability is the basis for long-term development. The aim of the study is to analyze existing approaches to the concept of “strategic sustainability” of an offshore Arctic oil and gas project and to develop a methodological approach to assessing the strategic sustainability of offshore oil and gas projects. In the theoretical part of the study, the approaches to defining strategic sustainability were reviewed, and their classification was completed, and the most appropriate definition of strategic sustainability for an offshore oil and gas project was chosen. The method of hierarchy analysis was used for strategic sustainability assessment. Specific criteria have been proposed to reflect the technical, geological, investment, social and environmental characteristics important to the offshore oil and gas project. The strategic sustainability of 5 offshore oil and gas projects was analyzed using an expert survey as part of the hierarchy analysis method. Recommendations were made on the development of an offshore project management system to facilitate the emergence of new criteria and improve the quality of the strategic sustainability assessment of offshore projects in the Arctic

2017 EACTS/EACTA Guidelines on patient blood management for adult cardiac surgery

Authors/Task Force Members: Christa Boer (EACTA Chairperson)(Netherlands), Michael I. Meesters (Netherlands), Milan Milojevic (Netherlands), Umberto Benedetto (UK), Daniel Bolliger (Switzerland), Christian von Heymann (Germany), Anders Jeppsson (Sweden), Andreas Koster (Germany), Ruben L. Osnabrugge (Netherlands), Marco Ranucci (Italy), Hanne Berg Ravn (Denmark), Alexander B.A. Vonk (Netherlands), Alexander Wahba (Norway), Domenico Pagano (EACTS Chairperson)(UK),. Document Reviewers: Moritz W.V. Wyler von Ballmoos (USA), Mate Petricevic (Croatia), Arie Pieter Kappetein (Netherlands), Miguel Sousa-Uva (Portugal), Georg Trummer (Germany), Peter M. Rosseel (Netherlands), Michael Sander (Germany), Pascal Colson (France), Adrian Bauer (Germany)

Science and Sustainability: Selected Papers on IIASA's 20th Anniversary

IIASA celebrated its twentieth anniversary in May 1992 with its fourth general conference: "IIASA '92: An International Conference on the Challenges to Systems Analysis in the Nineties and Beyond." The conference focused on the relations between environment and development and on studies that integrate the methods and findings of several disciplines. The papers selected for inclusion in this volume deal with environmental issues and the role of science in addressing such problems, as well as to some extent creating them

Foundations of Software Science and Computation Structures

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Foundations of Software Science and Computational Structures, FOSSACS 2021, which was held during March 27 until April 1, 2021, as part of the European Joint Conferences on Theory and Practice of Software, ETAPS 2021. The conference was planned to take place in Luxembourg and changed to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 28 regular papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 88 submissions. They deal with research on theories and methods to support the analysis, integration, synthesis, transformation, and verification of programs and software systems

Including biodiversity aspects in life cycle assessments - A case study of forest-based biofuel

Analysing the environmental impact connected to biofuels has lately become more important due to the European Commission’s energy and climate target for 2020. These targets includes among others, 20 % reduction of greenhouse emissions and 20 % energy efficiency. One important solution for achieving this climate target is to increase the renewable fuel sector. In order to decide which biofuels that are of importance to focus on for further development is to use a life cycle assessment (LCA) to analyse the different environmental impacts caused by the biofuels life cycle. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are environmental categories that recently have become more of interest to include in environmental analysis assessments such as life cycle assessments. Biodiversity involves the diversity of genes within species or ecosystem, diversity of species within ecosystems, and diversity among ecosystems with in an area. This underlies all ecological processes and therefore it is vital to be able to utilize ecosystem services. Including this concept in lifecycle assessments are very complicated and until recently few methodologies existed for enable this. The largest biodiversity losses have been found to be caused by land use changes and for this reason has this been the main focus for including biodiversity in LCA. The aim of this thesis is therefore to investigate if and how it is possible to include biodiversity aspects in LCA, if not- what is needed to enable this or are alternative methods necessary? This were answered by conducting a case study for forest based DME where two different methodologies were tested. From the literature and case study it was possible to draw some conclusions about the possibility for including biodiversity aspects in LCAs. First or all, most biodiversity indicators are based on species richness for a land use type compared to a reference. This is a very simplified measure of the whole biodiversity concept and may not say so much of the impact on the ecosystem by only analyse how many species that is lost in one taxonomic group as a proxy for the whole biodiversity. Moreover, it is very complicated to perform the calculations required for the characterizations factors. Against this background one can doubt how good this indicator is. What is needed is more research and data available to include more biodiversity indicators as well as more taxonomic groups and altered geographic locations in the characterization factors. In this way the current methodology be improved.Inkludera biodiversitet i livscykelanalyser - Hur fungerar det? Biodiversitet är ett begrepp som innefattar mångfalden av arter, ekosystem och gener. Ju större mångfald desto bättre. Hur kan man koppla mångfald i naturen till produktion av olika biodrivmedel och varför är detta viktigt? Att världens befolkning står för en stor utmaning att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser för att dämpa den globala uppvärmningen, är ett ämne som nog inte undgått någon de senaste decennierna. Växthusgaser släpps ut vid tillverkning av i princip alla produkter och en av de största klimatbovarna är transportsektorn. En övergång från fossila drivmedel till drivmedel tillverkade av förnyelsebara resurser (biodrivmedel) är därför en viktig del av att minska den globala uppvärmningen. För att försäkra oss om att rätt biodrivmedel satsas på, kan en livscykelanalys (LCA) användas för att beräkna biodrivmedlets miljöpåverkan under dess livscykel. Det vill säga hur stor miljöpåverkan produkten genererar från att man utvinner råmaterialet till att man återvinner produkten. Många olika typer av miljöpåverkanskategorier inkluderas i en LCA; växthusgaser, försurning, övergödning, energiåtgång bland annat, och under de senaste åren har behovet av att inkludera påverkan på biodiversitet blivit allt större. Biodiversitet är dock ett komplicerat begrepp som innefattar mångfald av gener, arter och ekosystem. Hur kan man mäta detta och vad säger det egentligen? I examensarbetet testas två olika metoder för möjliggöra denna inkludering. Då förändring av markanvändning, så som att gå från skog till åker, har visat sig vara den största orsaken till biodiversitetsförlust, fokuserar metoderna för att inkludera biodiversitet i LCA på detta. Med markanvändning menas den mark som utnyttjas för att tillverka produkten, det kan vara den area som krävs för produktionsanläggningen, eller/och den area som krävs för att utvinna råmaterialet. Detta görs genom att ta reda på vad för typ av mark som används samt vilken area det är och under hur lång tid. För att kunna relatera detta till inverkan på biodiversiteten behövs en karakteriseringsfaktor för aktiviteten, och det är just metoder för att beräkna karakteriseringsfaktorer som undersöks i studien. Den ena metoden som testas baseras på att mäta artantal av kärlväxter (örter, buskar och träd) för olika marktyper som relateras till en referens för att kunna utvärdera statusen på biodiversiteten för en viss markaktivitet. Finns det färre arter på en viss typ av mark i jämförelse till referensen indikerar detta en negativ inverkan på biodiversiteten. Denna metod visade sig vara känslig för vilken data man använde i beräkningarna. För att beräkningarna skall vara tillförlitliga måste samma datamängd användas i alla marktypsberäkningar, i annat fall kan resultaten bli väldigt motsägelsefulla. Den andra metoden som testades i studien var en metod som undersökte förutsättningarna för biodiversitet. Genom att titta på vad som är viktigt för biodiversiteten för en viss typ av mark och genom att titta på dessa parametrar, kan man beräkna statusen på biodiversiteten för en viss marktyp. För skogstypen i norra Sverige, som studien undersökte, visade sig mängden död ved vara en bra indikator för biodiversitet och avsaknaden av detta kan vara ett hot för biodiversiteten. Varför är det viktigt att inkludera biodiversitet i produkters livscykelanalyser? Eftersom alla produkter tillverkas av olika naturresurser är vi beroende av att dessa även kommer att finnas i framtiden. Detta beroende kallas ekosystemtjänster, det vill säga tjänster som naturen tillhandahåller oss människor. Detta kan då vara till exempel biomassa, som kan användas för att tillverka biodrivmedel, matgrödor, och rent vatten. För att dessa tjänster från naturen skall fungera krävs det att biodiversiteten bevaras. Om det då är möjligt att inkludera detta i en LCA, kan man kvantifiera vilka produkter som är hållbara ur biodiversitetssynvinkel, och på så vis lättare tillverka produkter som inte äventyrar framtida generationers leverne. Detta är en sammanfattning av examensarbetet ”Inkludering av biodiversitetsaspekter i livscykelanalyser – En fallstudie av skogsbaserat biodrivmedel” av Siri Willskytt (LTH 2015

Sustainable development under the conditions of European integration. Part II

This collective monograph offers the description of sustainable development in the condition of European integration. The authors of individual chapters have chosen such point of view for the topic which they considered as the most important and specific for their field of study using the methods of logical and semantic analysis of concepts, the method of reflection, textual reconstruction and comparative analysis. The theoretical and applied problems of sustainable development in the condition of European integration are investigated in the context of economics, education, cultural, politics and law

Environmental determinants of the ecology and distribution of Acacia tortilis under arid conditions in Qatar

PhD ThesisScrub or woodland communities dominated by Acacia tortilis form one of the few tree-dominated natural ecosystems in the hyper-arid climate of Qatar, making it a very important tree species that provides an essential habitat both for native animals and domestic livestock. However, the conservation and sustainable management of this tree has so far been neglected and it is now severely impacted by overgrazing and wood fuel collection. This research investigates the main environmental, ecological and management factors affecting the growth and distribution of Acacia tortilis in Qatar, including the factors affecting its regeneration. It also aims to guide the implementation of conservation programmes and development of a strategy to forestall deforestation and prevent the extinction of Acacia tortilis in Qatar. Initially, field survey, remote sensing and GIS techniques, together with univariate and multivariate statistical modelling techniques, were used to explore environmental influences on distribution of A. tortilis in Qatar at a national scale. Different vegetation indices (VIs), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), were derived for a time series of Landsat TM/ETM+ images for 1998 and 2010 and tested using ground-truth data to explore the temporal dynamics of Acacia-dominated ecosystems which indicated substantial reduction in vegetation greenness in 2010 than 1998. The initial approach had limited success due to difficulties of identifying Acacia tortilis communities accurately on satellite images due to the sparsity of tree cover and indicates the limitations of using remote sensing methods for tracing vegetation dynamics in Qatar and similar arid and hyper arid environments. The multinomial logistic regression model has a superior ability to predict Acacia distribution and is a suitable method in the prediction of the occurrence of different vegetation types. Phytogeographical investigations of the environmental and biotic factors that control the distribution of the Acacia tortilis at a local scale, in both areas protected and unprotected from human land use impacts, demonstrate that topographic factors and their control on soil and water conditions are fundamental determinants. The distinctive topography of Qatar has resulted in a heterogeneous soil landscape with extreme contrasts of chemical and physical soil conditions within and between depressions and more elevated positions in soil toposequences. Depressional land forms are more suitable for the Acacia tree growth than the surrounding higher ground because ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS OF ACACIA TORTILIS IN QATAR II depression soils have greater soil water content, soil depth, organic carbon and available phosphorus contents. Conversely, the absence of Acacia trees in summit areas is related to severe limitations for tree growth, including negligible soil water content and shallow soil depth caused by impeding bedrock or cemented horizons resulting in drought stress, as well as large contents of gypsum and/or CaCO3 in soils. The slope-controlled movement of eroded soil material, water and plant debris, and the localised leaching of soluble salts, are suggested to be important processes that lead to improved soil quality and better tree growth in depressions. The regeneration of Acacia tortilis through seedling establishment is perhaps surprisingly shown to be greater in the unprotected than in protected areas. This is attributed to the importance of ingestion by large mammals (mainly domestic herbivores) on the germination and recruitment of Acacia seedlings. The greater frequency of Acacia saplings in depressions within the unprotected areas is, however, also attributed to the presence of greater amounts of soil water, soil depth, available phosphorus, and organic carbon. Although the action of browsing may be regarded as positive, most anthropogenic impacts were shown to have negative effects on the condition and distribution of Acacia tortilis. The results proved that the impacts of cutting and browsing were severe in the unprotected sites, despite the evidence of more active regeneration. It is concluded that there is an urgent need to review the provision and management of protected habitats for Acacia tortilis in Qatar. It is suggested that cutting for domestic use should be restricted; that conservation efforts should be concentrated in depressions that favour tree growth; and that the livestock numbers should be limited to enable seedling establishment without excessive browsing.“Qatar University”, for sponsoring my Ph.D. researc

Assessing the sustainable food consumption behaviours of generation z across national cultures

La tesi esamina i comportamenti di consumo alimentare sostenibile della Generazione Z, prendendo in considerazione tre diversi Paesi: Ghana, Italia e Canada. Basato su una filosofia critico-realista, lo studio affronta cinque domande di ricerca, cercando approfondimenti sulle motivazioni, sulle influenze tecnologiche, sulle dinamiche culturali, sui valori e sui potenziali cambiamenti verso la sostenibilità relativamente al consumo alimentare sostenibile della Gen Z. Utilizzando un modello circolare della Teoria del Comportamento Pianificato (TPB) che sfida la prospettiva lineare convenzionale, la tesi introduce il concetto di rinforzo. La ricerca è stata condotta utilizzando un metodo misto che prevede diverse metodologie di raccolta dati: un'analisi qualitativa con 30 partecipanti (10 persone per ciascuna nazione) e un sondaggio con 928 intervistati (344 ghanesi, 306 italiani e 278 canadesi). Mentre l'analisi tematica è stata utilizzata per i dati qualitativi, l'analisi quantitativa è stata condotta con il modello di equazioni strutturali. I risultati principali sottolineano l’impatto positivo delle motivazioni salutistiche e degli atteggiamenti ambientali sulle intenzioni di consumo sostenibile. Inoltre, elementi culturali come i tabù alimentari e le preferenze tradizionali esercitano una notevole influenza sui comportamenti. Sebbene la tecnologia faciliti la diffusione delle informazioni, permangono persistenti barriere finanziarie e di accessibilità. Nello studio vengono evidenziate altresì le differenze tra Paesi. L’allineamento tra valori personali e istruzione emerge come fattore cruciale nella promozione della sostenibilità, ma i problemi di accessibilità pongono sfide all’adozione diffusa. In conclusione, lo studio sostiene un approccio socioculturale globale che integri cambiamenti individuali, collettivi e strutturali attraverso interventi flessibili mirati al miglioramento della conoscenza, alla congruenza dei valori, alle modifiche politiche e agli incentivi finanziari. Con l'aiuto di un metodo misto convergente e di un disegno di ricerca interculturale, tale metodo innovativo migliora la nostra comprensione teorica dei complicati elementi che influenzano le scelte alimentari sostenibili della Generazione Z.This dissertation delves into the examination of sustainable food consumption behaviours among Generation Z, spanning three distinct national cultures—Ghana, Italy, and Canada. Grounded in a critical realist philosophy, the study addresses five research questions, seeking insights into the motivations, technological influences, cultural dynamics, values, and potential shifts toward sustainability within Gen Z. Also, employing a circular model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) that challenges the conventional linear perspective, the thesis introduces the concept of reinforcement. The research methodology involved a concurrent mixed methods approach. Data was collected from 30 participants for qualitative analysis (10 individuals from each country) and a survey encompassing 928 respondents (344 Ghanaians, 306 Italians, and 278 Canadians). The quantitative analysis employed structural equation modelling, while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data. Key findings underscore the positive impact of health motivations and environmental attitudes on sustainable consumption intentions. Additionally, cultural elements such as food taboos and traditional preferences exert a notable influence on behaviours. Although technology facilitates information dissemination, persistent financial and accessibility barriers remain. Country differences are also highlighted in the study. The alignment of values and education emerges as pivotal factors in promoting sustainability, yet issues of affordability pose challenges to widespread adoption. In conclusion, the study advocates for a comprehensive sociocultural approach that integrates individual, collective, and structural changes through flexible interventions targeting knowledge enhancement, value congruency, policy modifications, and financial incentives. This innovative approach enhances our theoretical understanding of the intricate drivers influencing Generation Z’s sustainable food choices, contributing to convergent mixed methods and cross-cultural research design