Emission trade : the effects on business strategies

Climate change is one of the most difficult problems that humans have to deal with. Today, the evidence of human effects on the climate change and the rise of temperature on earth are strong. It is extremely important that all countries get together and cooperate in order to be able to solve the problem with climate change. One step in the work on climate changes is the Convention on Climate Change, which was agreed on in 1992. The Convention on Climate Change resulted in the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement between a number of industrialized countries to limit or reduce the green gas emissions. The European Union has decided to introduce a system for tradable permits for carbon dioxide from year 2005 to reduce emissions and get experience in emission trade. The included companies are companies that provide district heating, oil refinery, factories that produce iron, steel, glass, cement, ceramic and factories for paper and paper pulp production. The included companies in the emission trade can choose different ways to handle the increased environmental demand. It is important that the companies make strategic choices to be able to look out for the possibilities and manage higher expectations. The aim with this study is to provide a case study of how companies in Sweden are affected by the emission trade in the European Union. The focus is put on how companies have chosen to act and how their planned strategies have been affected. The study is based on questions concerning how the emission trade has affected companies' development of technology and products, choice of customer, environmental strategies and their attitudes to the environment. The study also aims to provide an overall view of how the additional cost for purchase of tradable permits affects the companies' choice of strategies. The case studies are carried out through qualitative interviews with four companies, which are included in the emission trade. The study includes two steel companies and two companies that provide district heating. The result from the study shows that the emission trade have not led to any changes in the companies' strategies. The strategies for technologic development have not changed even if the companies have started to work more with carbon dioxide related questions. The emission trade have not affected the companies' product development or the choice of customer. Neither the companies' choice of environmental strategies have been affected of the emission trade. On the other hand, it is possible to see some changes in the companies' attitudes. The companies' attitudes towards environmental questions are in general more positive than the attitude towards the emission trade. During the implementation of the study we have found a number of explanations of why companies have not changed their strategies. One explanation is the increased uncertainty, which make the companies wait until they know more about the system and how it will affect their business. The companies that are a part of this study need to make long-term plans to be able to change their operation. The first period of the emission trade is only for three years and after that the rules of the emission trade is uncertain. Therefore the investigated companies have chosen to wait until they know more about the emission trade before they change their strategies. Another explanation is that some companies already have implemented strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Further observations is that the companies increased expenses will not affect them during the first period and therefore they can afford to wait until they know more about the emission trade.Klimatförändringar är en av de svåraste miljöfrågorna som människan ställs inför. Det finns idag mycket starka bevis för att människans utsläpp av växthusgaser påverkar klimatet och bidrar till de temperaturhöjningar som har skett på jorden. För att komma till rätta med klimatproblemen är det av stor vikt att alla länder engagerar sig och samarbetar. Ett led i klimatarbetet är klimatkonventionen vilken antogs av Förenta Nationerna (FN) 1992. Klimatkonventionen utgör basen till samarbete inom klimatområdet och har i sin tur resulterat i Kyotoprotokollet. I Kyotoprotokollet har ett antal i-länder åtagit sig att begränsa eller reducera utsläppen av växthusgaser. För att minska utsläppen samt öka erfarenheten av utsläppshandel har Europeiska Unionen (EU) beslutat att införa ett system för handel med utsläppsrätter innan Kyotoprotokollets första åtagandeperiod. Utsläppshandeln inom EU påbörjades i januari 2005 och berör utsläpp av koldioxid. De branscher som omfattas är kraft- och värmeverk, oljeraffinaderier, anläggningar som producerar och bearbetar järn, stål, glas och glasfibrer, cement och keramik samt anläggningar som producerar papper och pappersmassa. Handeln med utsläppsrätter kan på olika sätt påverka företag i de berörda branscherna beroende på hur företagen väljer att bemöta de ökade miljökraven. För att företag skall kunna ta tillvara ökade möjligheter men även hantera risker som utsläppshandeln kan frambringa krävs det att företagen gör olika strategiska val. Syftet med examensarbetet är att studera hur företag med verksamhet inom Sverige påverkas av införandet av handel med utsläppsrätter inom EU. Hur företagen har valt att bemöta utsläppshandelns införande och hur företagens avsedda strategier har påverkats. Studien baseras på frågeställningar rörande utsläppshandelns inverkan på företagens teknikutveckling, produktutveckling, val av kundbas, miljöstrategier samt företagens attityd gentemot miljöfrågor. Studien syftar även till att ge en övergripande bild av hur den kostnad som tillkommer för inköp av utsläppsrätter påverkar företagens strategiska val. Undersökningen grundas på fallstudier av fyra företag som omfattas av handel med utsläppsrätter och avgränsas till att omfatta två stålföretag och två fjärrvärmeföretag. För att studera företagen har kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts med berörda personer på respektive företag. Resultaten av studien visar att handeln med utsläppsrätter än så länge inte har inneburit någon förändring av företagens strategier. Utsläppshandeln har inte påverkat företagens teknologiska utveckling även om det går att se tendenser till ökat arbete med koldioxidfrågor. Införandet av utsläppshandeln har inte medfört att företagen utvecklar nya produkter eller vänder sig till en annan kundbas. Däremot går det att se en del attitydförändringar gentemot miljöfrågor på grund av införandet av utsläppshandeln. Skillnader mellan företagens grundläggande attityd gentemot miljöfrågor och utsläppshandeln kan också fastställas. De miljöstrategier som företagen hade innan införandet av utsläppshandeln har dock inte påverkats. Under studiens genomförande har olika iakttagelser gjorts vilka kan ligga till grund för varför företagen inte har förändrat sina strategier. En anledning är att införandeperioden har varit mycket kort och att företagen inte vet hur utsläppshandeln kommer att påverka dem. Företagen vet inte heller hur utsläppshandeln kommer att vara utformad efter den första perioden, 2005-2007, vilket resulterar i en ökad osäkerhet. Den ökade osäkerheten leder till att företagen avvaktar och ser hur handeln med utsläppsrätter kommer att utveckla sig innan de genomför några förändringar. En annan faktor är att företagen redan antagit strategier som resulterar i minskade koldioxidutsläpp. Ytterligare en orsak kan vara att utsläppshandeln i dagsläget inte ger några stora tillkommande kostnader för företagen vilket medför att företagen anser det möjligt att avvakta med förändringar

Are silicone foul-release coatings a viable and environmentally sustainable alternative to biocidal antifouling coatings in the Baltic Sea region?

To combat unwanted fouling on immersed hulls, biocidal antifouling coatings are commonly applied to vessels trafficking the Baltic Sea. Here, the efficacy, environmental sustainability and market barriers of silicone foul-release coatings (FRCs) was assessed for this region to evaluate their viability as replacements for biocidal coatings. Coated panels were exposed statically over a 1 year period at three locations in the Baltic Sea region to assess the long-term performance of a biocide-free FRC and two copper coatings. The FRC was found to perform equally well or significantly better than the copper coatings. Even though most silicone FRCs on the market are biocide-free, a review of the literature regarding toxic effects and the identity and environmental fate of leachables shows that they may not be completely environmentally benign, simply for the lack of biocides. Nonetheless, FRCs are substantially less toxic compared to biocidal antifouling coatings and their use should be promoted

An Hsp90 co-chaperone links protein folding and degradation and is part of a conserved protein quality control

In this paper, we show that the essential Hsp90 co-chaperone Sgt1 is a member of a general protein quality control network that links folding and degradation through its participation in the degradation of misfolded proteins both in the cytosol and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Sgt1-dependent protein degradation acts in a parallel pathway to the ubiquitin ligase (E3) and ubiquitin chain elongase (E4), Hul5, and overproduction of Hul5 partly suppresses defects in cells with reduced Sgt1 activity. Upon proteostatic stress, Sgt1 accumu- lates transiently, in an Hsp90- and proteasome-dependent manner, with quality control sites (Q-bodies) of both yeast and human cells that co-localize with Vps13, a protein that creates organelle contact sites. Misfolding disease proteins, such as synphilin-1 involved in Parkinson's disease, are also sequestered to these compartments and require Sgt1 for their clearance

Using reporters of different misfolded proteins reveals differential strategies in processing protein aggregates

The accumulation of misfolded proteins is a hallmark of aging and many neurodegenerative diseases, making it important to understand how the cellular machinery recognizes and processes such proteins. A key question in this respect is whether misfolded proteins are handled in a similar way regard less of their genetic origin. To approach this question, we compared how three different misfolded proteins, guk1-7,gus1-3, and pro3-1, are handled by the cell. We show that all three are nontoxic, even though highly overexpressed, high-lighting their usefulness in analyzing the cellular response to misfolding in the absence of severe stress. We found significant differences between the aggregation and disaggregation behavior of the misfolded proteins. Specifically, gus1-3 formed some aggregates that did not efficiently recruit the proteindisaggregase Hsp104 and did not colocalize with the other misfolded reporter proteins. Strikingly, while all three misfolded proteins generally coaggregated and colocalized to specific sites in the cell, disaggregation was notably different; the rate of aggregate clearance of pro3-1 was faster than that of the other misfolded proteins, and its clearance rate was nothindered when pro3-1 colocalized with a slowly resolved mis-folded protein. Finally, we observed using super-resolutionlight microscopy as well as immunogold labeling EM in which both showed an even distribution of the different mis-folded proteins within an inclusion, suggesting that misfolding characteristics and remodeling, rather than spatial compart-mentalization, allows for differential clearance of these mis-folding reporters residing in the same inclusion. Taken together, our results highlight how properties of misfolded proteins can significantly affect processing

Using reporters of different misfolded proteins reveals differential strategies in processing protein aggregates

The accumulation of misfolded proteins is a hallmark of aging and many neurodegenerative diseases, making it important to understand how the cellular machinery recognizes and processes such proteins. A key question in this respect is whether misfolded proteins are handled in a similar way regardless of their genetic origin. To approach this question, we compared how three different misfolded proteins, guk1-7, gus1-3, and pro3-1, are handled by the cell. We show that all three are nontoxic, even though highly overexpressed, highlighting their usefulness in analyzing the cellular response to misfolding in the absence of severe stress. We found significant differences between the aggregation and disaggregation behavior of the misfolded proteins. Specifically, gus1-3 formed some aggregates that did not efficiently recruit the protein disaggregase Hsp104 and did not colocalize with the other misfolded reporter proteins. Strikingly, while all three misfolded proteins generally coaggregated and colocalized to specific sites in the cell, disaggregation was notably different; the rate of aggregate clearance of pro3-1 was faster than that of the other misfolded proteins, and its clearance rate was not hindered when pro3-1 colocalized with a slowly resolved misfolded protein. Finally, we observed using super-resolution light microscopy as well as immunogold labeling EM in which both showed an even distribution of the different misfolded proteins within an inclusion, suggesting that misfolding characteristics and remodeling, rather than spatial compartmentalization, allows for differential clearance of these misfolding reporters residing in the same inclusion. Taken together, our results highlight how properties of misfolded proteins can significantly affect processing

Comprehensive screening of genomic and metagenomic data reveals a large diversity of tetracycline resistance genes

Tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to prevent or treat a variety of bacterial infections. Resistance is often mediated through mobile resistance genes, which encode one of the three main mechanisms: active efflux, ribosomal target protection or enzymatic degradation. In the last few decades, a large number of new tetracycline-resistance genes have been discovered in clinical settings. These genes are hypothesized to originate from environmental and commensal bacteria, but the diversity of tetracycline-resistance determinants that have not yet been mobilized into pathogens is unknown. In this study, we aimed to characterize the potential tetracycline resistome by screening genomic and metagenomic data for novel resistance genes. By using probabilistic models, we predicted 1254 unique putative tetracycline resistance genes, representing 195 gene families (<70 % amino acid sequence identity), whereof 164 families had not been described previously. Out of 17 predicted genes selected for experimental verification, 7 induced a resistance phenotype in an Escherichia coli host. Several of the predicted genes were located on mobile genetic elements or in regions that indicated mobility, suggesting that they easily can be shared between bacteria. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis indicated several events of horizontal gene transfer between bacterial phyla. Our results also suggested that acquired efflux pumps originate from proteobacterial species, while ribosomal protection genes have been mobilized from Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. This study significantly expands the knowledge of known and putatively novel tetracycline resistance genes, their mobility and evolutionary history. The study also provides insights into the unknown resistome and genes that may be encountered in clinical settings in the future

ALM-modellen

Den svenska landsbygden är rik på möjligheter inom trädgårdsnäringen, men företagandet behöver professionaliseras för att outnyttjade landskaps- och trädgårdskvaliteter ska bli synliga och utvecklingsbara. Inom projektet Tre Modellträdgårdar har SLU i samarbete med tre landsbygdsföretag testat och utvärderat olika modeller från analys- till implementeringsstadiet. Resultaten visar att det med relativt enkla medel går att systematiskt analysera miljökvaliteter och utifrån strikt företagsekonomiska utgångspunkter, i dialog mellan universitet, myndigheter och företag, finna kreativa och företagsekonomiskt hållbara lösningar ur ett trädgårds- och landskapsperspektiv. Ett konkret resultat är introduktionen av ett årligt återkommande konvent inom området. Här presenteras en ny modell för att främja företagsutveckling av Attraktiva Landsbygdsplatser baserade på Miljökvalitéer (ALM). ALM-modellen ska ge företagaren möjlighet att utveckla aktiviteter, som i sin tur kan öka attraktionskraften på ett markant, varaktigt och inkomstbringande sätt

Results from the Sweden 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Background: The Sweden 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity (PA) for Children and Youth is a unique compilation of the existing physical and health related data in Sweden. The aim of this paper is to summarize the procedure and results from the report card. Methods: Nationally representative surveys and individual studies between 2005-2015 were included. Eleven PA and health indicators were graded using the Active Healthy Kids Canada grading system. Grades were assigned based on the percentage of children/youth meeting a defined benchmark (A: 81-100%, B: 61-80%, C: 41-60%, D: 21-40%, F: 0-20%, or incomplete (INC). Results: The assigned grades were: Overall Physical Activity, D; Organized Sport Participation, B+; Active Play, INC; Active Transportation, C+; Sedentary Behaviors, C; Family and Peers, INC; School, C+; Community and the Built Environment, B; Government Strategies and Investments, B; Diet, C-; and Obesity, D. Conclusion: The included data provides some support that overall PA is too low and sedentary behavior is too high for almost all age groups in Sweden, even with the many national policies as well as an environment that is favorable to the promotion of PA

Fish Consumption and Ischemic stroke in Southern Sweden

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The relationship between fish intake and stroke incidence has been inconsistent in previous Swedish studies. Here, we report the risk of stroke and fish intake in a cohort from southern Sweden.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Data were obtained from an already available population based case-control study where the cases were defined as incident first-time ischemic stroke patients. Complete data on all relevant variables were obtained for 2722 controls and 2469 cases. The data were analyzed with logistic regression analysis. Stroke risk decreased with fat fish intake ([greater than or equal to] 1/week versus <1/month) in both men and women; adjusted pooled Odds Ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.54-0.89. However, stroke risk for women increased with intake of lean fish; adjusted OR 1.63 (95% CI: 1.17-2.28), whereas there was no association with men's lean fish intake; adjusted OR 0.97(95% CI: 0.73-1.27). Fish intake was self-reported retrospectively, yielding uncertain exposure assessment and potential recall bias. The findings regarding lean fish could be explained by recall bias if an individual's inclination to report lean fish consumption depended on both disease status and sex. The fact that the association between fat fish intake and stroke was similar in men and women does not support such a differential in recall.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results suggest fat fish intake to decrease ischemic stroke risk and lean fish intake to increase women's stroke risk. The inconsistent relationship between fish intake and stroke risk reported in previous studies is further stressed by the results of this study.</p