Understanding rare earth elements as critical raw materials

The boom in technological advances in recent decades has led to increased demand for rare earth elements (REEs) (also known as rare earth metals) across various industries with wide-ranging industrial applications, including in the clean energy sector, but with some environmental, economic, and social footprint concerns. This paper reviews the complexities of the production, consumption, and reuse or recovery of REEs, presenting current trends in terms of potentials and challenges associated with this. This paper in particular focuses on the supply, demand, and (environmental and economic) sustainability of REEs, as a subset of critical raw materials. It does so via a critical stocktaking of key discussions and debates in the field over the past 15 years up until now, through a thematic analysis of the published and gray (policy) literature with a grounded theory approach. The paper finds that carefully balanced lifecycle sustainability assessments are needed for assessing the respective dimensions of the extraction, processing, and reuse or recovery methods for different types of REE sources and supplies to meet current and future demands. It furthermore diagnoses the need for taking into account some shifts and substitutions among REEs also for reasons of cost and locational supplies for the security of supply. Finally, the paper provides some overall policy recommendations for addressing current problems, with a conceptual framing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Toward food waste reduction at universities

Food waste is a serious problem, which undermines the achievement of many sustainable development goals (SDGs), despite their consideration in the agendas of many countries and companies. Notoriously, food waste (FW) causes different kinds of pollution that affect public health and social justice, while contributing to economic losses. This waste phenomenon has causes, drivers, and impacts that require rigorous assessments and effective approaches to mitigate its noxious effects, which are a serious concern for universities. Within these institutions, reducing food waste becomes a circular economy strategy, which is being utilized to assist in promoting sustainable development. However, there is a need for urgent attention to the specific causes of food waste and for consistent actions to reduce it, while boosting awareness in the campus community and triggering a change in students’ eating habits. The purpose of this study is to analyze what can be done to reduce the levels of food waste at universities. To achieve this, a review of the theme’s state of the art, which is inclusive of an overview of food waste production at universities around the world, is presented. The study employed a qualitative methodology where a comprehensive review of the literature and case studies analyses from selected world regions were considered. The data indicate that a broad variance exists in producing food waste among universities, from 0.12 to 50 kg/capita/day. More factors influence the problem (e.g., gender, age, season, consumer behavior), as well as strategies to solve and prevent it (e.g., composting, recycling, new designs of packages, trayless meals, education), and benefits leading toward food waste reductions from 13 to 50%. Also, four priority actions were identified to reduce food waste at universities, and these consist of planning and awareness, food preparation and storage, services, and direct waste reuse. With appropriate adaptations, these recommended actions should be deployed as means for reducing food waste at universities around the world, while expanding learning and education in sustainability

Resolusi Konflik Dalam Komunitas Hibua Lamo Sebagai Upaya Memelihara Kohesi Sosial(Studi Etnografi Pada Etnis Tobelo Di Halmahera Utara).

Komunitas Hibua Lamo adalah suatu kelompok masyarakat yang hidup dan saling berintegrasi di Halmahera Utara, yang ditandai dengan perlakuan adat- istiadat. Dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat, komunitas Hibua Lamo selalu hidup rukun dan damai, sejak 1606, dibawah landasan nilai-nilai budaya, sebagai basis kearifan lokal. Tahun 1999-2001, komunitas Hibua Lamo dilanda konflik dan kekerasan antar saudara yang bernuansa agama (Islam vs Kristen), mereka saling membunuh. Resolusi konflik merupakan upaya analisis dan penyelesaian masalah yang dialami oleh kelompok masyarakat, untuk menghilangkan alasan-alasan yang bersifat substansial disertai emosional sebagai penyebab konflik, dengan mempertimbangkan nilai-nilai budaya yang dimilikinya. Konflik dan kekerasan yang bernuansa agama di dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo tidak dapat diselesaikan dengan pendekatan agama, melainkan dengan pendekatan adat, padahal diberbagai kasus, konflik yang bernuansa agama, harus diselesaikan melalui pendekatan agama. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mendiskripsikan dan menganalisis: (1) Perkembangan komunitas Hibua Lamo dan sebab-sebab terjadinya konflik antarsaudara yang berbeda agama di Halmahera Utara; (2) PeranHibua Lamo, sebagai media kearifan lokal yang menjadi simbol perekat sosial dalam resolusi konflik dan upaya memelihara kohesi sosial di Halmahera Utara; (3) Peran Pemerintah Daerah dan Elite Lokal dalam resolusi konflik, sebagai upaya memelihara kohesi sosial. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif, dengan pendekatan etnografi, pengumpulan data melalui observasi, wawancara, dokumen. Pendekatan ini digunakan karena informan yang diperlukan bervariasi dan membutuhkan waktu yang cukup lama (6 bulan 2 minggu dan 5 hari). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan, bahwa proses terjadinya perubahan sosial dan perkembangan komunitas Hibua lamo, ditandai dengan iklim kehidupan bermasyarakat, terpetakan menjadi tiga keadaan: Pertama, keadaan masyarakat sebelum 1999. Pada era ini dinamika kehidupan sosial kemasyarakatan komunitas Hibua Lamo dalam suasana harmonis. Kedua, keadaan komunitas Hibua Lamo, sedang berada dalam suasana berkonflik (1999-2001). Pada era ini sistem kekerabatan menjadi rapuh, semua pranata sosial kacau-balau. Masyarakat telah terprovokasi oleh gerakan tak berwajah (provokator), masing-masing mengambil pilihan dan sikap sesuai akidah dan keyakinan yang dianut. Ketiga, keadaan masyarakat pasca konflik dan kekerasan setelah 2001, era iniproses rekonsiliasi, yakni usaha mempertemukan keinginan pihak-pihak yang telah berselisih untuk mencapai tujuan bersama (menyelesaikan perselisihan dan memelihara kohesi sosial). Konflik dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo dipicuh oleh konflik dan kekerasan antar penganut agama di Ambon 1999. Ada tiga faktor yang menjadi eskalator konflik dan kekerasan di dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo: (1) Fanatisme masing-masing penganut agama yang berlebihan; (2) Rapuhnya nilai-nilai luhur dalam budaya Hibua Lamo; (3) Kelompok masyarakat yang eksodus sebagai dampak dari korban konflik kekerasan di Ambon, masing-masing membawa informasi sesuai dengan penderitaan yang dialaminya, bermuara pada rasa iba oleh masing-masing penganut agama (Islam dan Kristen), mempercepat terjadinya konflik dan kekerasan (saling membunuh) antar saudara dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo, di Tobelo Halmahera Utara. Teknologi resolusi konflik dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo, melalui pendekatan adat dibawah naungan nilai-nilai budaya Hibua Lamo, yang berbasis kearifan lokal, dengan cara “barekata” (silaturahim/saling berkunjung) dan “Higaro”(mengajak). Komunitas Hibua Lamo, telah memiliki salah satu media pengendalian sosial, lembaga adat (Hibua Lamo), sebagai institusi lokal yang berfungsi sebagai perekat sosial. Ketika terjadi konflik dan kekerasan antar saudara yang bernuansa agama, Hein hadir sebagai lokomotif resolusi konflik, berhasil menyatukan masyarakat melalui pendekatan adat, dengan cara “barekata” dan ‘ber-higaro” yakni melakukan silaturahim/berkunjung kepada komunitas yang berkonflik di pengungsian untuk saling mengajak dan membicarakan proses penyelesaian konflik dengan pendekatan “adat se-atoran” (nilai dan norma) sebagai landasan kerukunan sosial di dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo. Lembaga adat Hibua Lamo berfungsi dan berperan sebagai simbol perekat sosial,menampung dan memfasilitasi berbagai komunitas yang berada di wilayah adat, memupuk rasa persaudaraan dari berbagai golongan, mengayomi semua komunitas, melindungi setiap orang yang datang dan menetap di wilayah adat, untuk memelihara kohesi sosial Halmahera Utara. Hein sebagai tokoh sentral dari dua kekuatan, yakni sebagai Bupati untuk mengendalikan regulasi pemerintahan, sebagai “Jikomakolano” (penjaga kawasan adat) untuk mengendalikan fungsi dan peran nilai-nilai budaya sebagai basis kearifan lokal, berhasil memelihara kohesi sosial.Peran Hein sebagai pengendalian regulasi birokrasi dan pengendalian nilai-nilai budaya sebagai basis kearifan lokal, berhasil melahirkan kesadaran kolektif dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo, yakni: Pertama, kesadaran masyarakat tentang sikap kealpaan terhadap fungsi dan peran nilai-nilai budaya lokal sebagai falsafah hidup komunitas Hibua Lamo (etnis Tobelo). Kedua, kesadaran tentang kepentingan politik sesaat oleh elite lokal. Ketiga, adanya sikap mengalah dari kelompok yang berkonflik, bahwa tidak ada yang paling beruntung di antara mereka yang berkonflik. Keempat, segera adanya kesadaran para elite lokal yang terlibat dalam permainan (sebagai motivator konflik), untuk mengakhiri permainannya. Jika konflik dan kekerasan tidak segera berhenti maka wilayahnya (Halmahera Utara) yang baru dimekarkan itu akan terlambat atau tidak segera dibangun. Apabila konflik di antara mereka tidak berhenti dan berjalan terus maka impian kepentingan politik oleh para elite lokal pun tidak kunjung diperoleh. Dalam upaya memelihara keseimbangan perasaan dan rasa keadilan antara komunitas Islam dan Nasrani, Pemerintah Daerah membangun rumah ibadah (Masjid dan Gereja). Kalau sebelumnya hanya dikenal adanya gereja pusat, maka pasca konflik telah dibangun juga Masjid Raya. Kalau ada jalan aspal ke Selatan (daerah mayoritas nasrani) yang dibangun, maka pasca konflik telah dibangun juga jalan aspal ke Utara (daerah mayoritas muslim), sehingga proses hubungan timbal-balik antar masyarakat dan segera adanya pembauran antar kelompok masyarakat secara holistik. Saran-saran: (1) Harus ada Peraturan Daerah tentang pengelolaan resolusi konfli dan kohesi sosial, dan ada klausul di dalam PERDA tersebut menyatakan, bahwa setiap Bupati yang terpilih harus memangku dua jabatan (Bupati dan Jikomakolano/pengendali kawasan adat), selama menjabat Kepala Pemerintahan Daerah (khususnya daerah adat), agar dapat mengendalikan masyarakat secara holistik, melalui dua kekuatan dimaksud; (2) Agar konflik dan kekerasan. antarsaudara tidak terulang lagi, harus ada kesadaran kolektif. Pertama, kesadaran terhadap kepentingan politik sesaat (para elite politik). Kedua, kesadaran tentang sikap kealpaan terhadap eksistensi nilai-nilai budaya lokal, sebagai perekat sosial (para tokoh adat dan komunitas Hibua Lamo). Ketiga, Kesadaran tentang cara berfikir terhadap pemahaman ajaran agama masing-masing, Islam dan Kristen (para tokoh agama dan masyarakat); (3) Pemerintah Daerah bersama elite lokal, harus memfungsikan dan memberdayakan peran lembaga adat sebagai perekat sosial serta menjadi pilar pelestarian nilai-nilai budaya yang berbasis kearifan lokal. Jika ada kehadiran gelombang eksodus sebagai korban koflik dan kekerasan secara masif di daerah asalnya, jangan langsung diberi ruang untuk berbaur dengan masyarakat setempat, harus diisolir di tempat khusus, agar masyarakat tidak segera terprovokasi dan bisa merusak sistem kekerabatannya. Untuk membangun sistem kekerabatan dan memelihara kohesi sosial di dalam komunitas Hibua Lamo, maka budayakan bahasa lokal (bahasa Tobelo) sebagai bahasa pengantar dikalangan komunitas Hibu

The Influence of the Corona Virus Pandemic on Sustainable Development Goal 13 and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Processes

Apart from many social and economic problems worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has also led to sudden halt in face-to-face climate-related meetings. Moreover, it has also negatively influenced the works related to the preparations for the sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and organizing the 26th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), namely COP26 to be held in Glasgow, which was postponed to November 2021. This article presents a global study undertaken among UNFCCC contact points and other climate experts, to ascertain the impacts of the pandemic on the implementation of SDG13 and UNFCCC processes. The methodological approach entails an bibliometric analysis, online survey, and authors’ expert judgment. Results of the bibliometric analysis show that the most common terms associated with this theme are COVID-19, climate change, CO2, energy, “pandemic-related,” and “adaptation-related.” In addition, the survey revealed some difficulties associated with online participation in the processes from many developing countries. The study concluded that there is negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the UNFCCC process, more minor government priorities regarding climate action, loss of traction of the process, and a challenge to achieve the Paris Agreement, with less significant support from the respondents from less developed countries. The findings suggest that urgent action is needed, to make up for the lost time, and place climate issues more prominently on the global agenda

Deep seabed mining: A note on some potentials and risks to the sustainable mineral extraction from the oceans

The rapidly increasing global populations and socio-economic development in the Global South have resulted in rising demand for natural resources. There are many plans for harvesting natural resources from the ocean floor, especially rare metals and minerals. However, if proper care is not taken, there is substantial potential for long-lasting and even irreversible physical and environmental impacts on the deep-sea ecosystems, including on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This paper reviews the literature on some potentials and risks to deep seabed mining (DSM), outlining its legal aspects and environmental impacts. It presents two case studies that describe the environmental risks related to this exploitative process. They include significant disturbance of the seabed, light and noise pollution, the creation of plumes, and negative impacts on the surface, benthic, and meso-and bathypelagic zones. The study suggests some of the issues interested companies should consider in preventing the potential physical and environmental damages DSM may cause. Sustainable mining and the use of minerals are vital in meeting various industrial demands

Perinatal health outcomes of international migrant women in Brazil: A nationwide data linkage study of the CIDACS birth cohort (2011-2018).

BACKGROUND: We investigated perinatal outcomes among live births from international migrant and local-born mothers in a cohort of low-income individuals in Brazil. METHODS: We linked nationwide birth registries to mortality records and socioeconomic data from the CIDACS Birth Cohort and studied singleton live births of women aged 10-49 years from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2018. We used logistic regressions to investigate differences in antenatal care, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal (i.e., ≤28 days) mortality among international migrants compared to non-migrants in Brazil; and explored the interaction between migration, race/ethnicity and living in international border municipalities. RESULTS: We studied 10,279,011 live births, of which 9469 (0.1 %) were born to international migrants. Migrant women were more likely than their Brazilian-born counterparts to have a previous foetal loss (ORadj: 1.16, 1.11-1.22), a delayed start of antenatal care (i.e., beyond 1st trimester) (1.22, 95%CI:1.16-1.28), a newborn who is large for gestational age (1.29, 1.22-1.36), or a newborn with congenital anomalies (1.37, 1.14-1.65). Conversely, migrant women were less likely to deliver prematurely (0.89, 0.82-0.95) or have a low birth weight infant (0.74, 0.68-0.81). There were no differences in neonatal mortality rates between migrants and non-migrants. Our analyses also showed that, when disparities in perinatal outcomes were present, disparities were mostly concentrated among indigenous mothers in international borders and among live births of Black mothers in non-borders. CONCLUSION: Although live births of international migrants generally have lower rates of adverse birth outcomes, our results suggest that indigenous and Black migrant mothers may face disproportionate barriers to accessing antenatal care

Transient poverty in a sustainable development context

Transient poverty (TP) is a phenomenon that, by its characterisation, references a condition that may not necessarily be permanent. Its occurrence may result from an external shock, such as a severe weather-related event or geographic, national, or global impact on the economy, such as a hurricane, financial crisis, or as most recently, a pandemic. The defining aspects of TP and the needs of those pushed into TP offer an opportunity to address one aspect of poverty, which is of significance given both the disproportionate vulnerability of the poor to external shocks as well as the prohibitive effect of poverty on establishing resilience. Unfortunately, TP is not often assessed and is routinely combined and categorised as ‘poverty’, eliminating an opportunity to address unique aspects of TP and establish policies that may be beneficial to the sub-group. This paper provides a bibliometric evaluation of TP specific to the sustainable development literature, highlighting the research gap and providing a rationale for active research on the social phenomenon regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in general and specifically SDG 1: No poverty. There are three key findings relevant to sustainability. Firstly, there seems to be a disconnection between TP and the sustainable development theory, particularly in a multidisciplinary discussion. Secondly, human action in degrading ecosystems strongly influences TP and exacerbates overall poverty levels. Finally, efforts to tackle transient poverty need to consider issues such as gender, education, health, and political aspects. Based on the findings, items for future research are also presented

Genetic adult lactase persistence is associated with risk of Crohn's Disease in a New Zealand population

Background: Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is an infective agent found in ruminants and milk products, which has been suggested to increase the risk of gastrointestinal inflammation in genetically susceptible hosts. It is hypothesized that lactase persistence facilitates exposure to such milk products increasing the likelihood of adverse outcomes. Individuals either homozygous or heterozygous for the T allele of DNA variant, rs4988235, located 14kb upstream from the LCT locus, are associated with having lactase persistence. The aim of this study was to determine whether lactase persistence as evident by the T allele of rs4988235 is associated with Crohn's Disease (CD) in a New Zealand population. Findings: Individuals homozygous for the T allele (T/T genotype) showed a significantly increased risk of having CD as compared with those homozygous for the C allele (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.03-2.51). Additionally, a significant increase in the frequency of the T allele was observed in CD patients (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.05-1.61, p = 0.013), indicating that the T allele encoding lactase persistence was associated with an increased risk of CD. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that lactase persistence as evident by the presence of the T allele of rs4988235 is associated with risk of CD in this New Zealand Caucasian population