Environmental performance of miscanthus-lime lightweight concrete using life cycle assessment:Application in external wall assemblies

This is the final version. Available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record. In the UK context, miscanthus is a potential alternative perennial crop for the development of bio-based building materials. This paper presents the environmental benefits of using miscanthus shives in lightweight blocks and their potential application in wall assemblies. A systemic life cycle assessment (LCA) is carried out for miscanthus-lime blocks, and the effects of binder type and binder content are discussed. The environmental performance-based analysis reveals that miscanthus blocks can capture 135 kg CO eq/m for an assumed 100-years life period. The impact analysis using the University of Leiden, institute of environmental science (CML) baseline (v4.4) method shows that 75% of the greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to the production of mineral binders. A reduction of binder to aggregate ratio from 2.0 to 1.5 reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 32.9%. The use of 10 wt% mineral additions can potentially stabilise blocks while having little effect on their overall environmental impacts. The environmental profiles of wall systems incorporating miscanthus-lime blocks have been evaluated in this this study. Combining miscanthus blocks with fired clay bricks enables a potential low carbon retrofitting technique for the current stock of residential buildings in the UK. Timber-framed system filled with miscanthus blocks enables a carbon storage of ~97.3 kg CO eq/m , which presents a potential carbon offsetting strategy in new-build dwellings. Consideration should be given to the potential negative impacts related to agricultural activities for the production of miscanthus shives. The largest negative environmental impact was ozone layer depletion, where a relative difference of 12.8% was recorded between miscanthus timber-framed wall and a typical solid wall insulated with mineral wool. It appears that miscanthus-lime composites can substantially improve the environmental profile of wall assemblies and sustainability be applied in existing uninsulated masonry walls or incorporated in timber- framed new-build houses.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)NERC GW4+ Doctoral Training Partnership studentshi

The emergence of circular economy: a new framing around prolonging resource productivity

In this article we use Hirsch and Levin’s (1999) notion of ‘umbrella concepts’ as an analytical lens, in order to articulate the valuable catalytic function the circular economy concept could perform in the waste and resource management debate. We realize this goal by anchoring the circular economy concept in this broader debate through a narrative approach. This leads to the insight that while the various resource strategies grouped under circular economy’s banner are not new individually, the concept offers a new framing of these strategies by drawing attention to their capacity of prolonging resource use as well as to the relationship between these strategies. As such, circular economy offers a new perspective on waste and resource management and provides a new cognitive unit and discursive space for debate. We conclude by discussing research opportunities for the IE community relating to the concept’s theoretical development and its implementation. Specifically, we pose that reinvigorating and growing the social science aspects of IE is required for both. After all, it is the wide adoption and collective implementation of an idea that shapes our material future

Consolidation of federal conservation activities.

Mode of access: Internet

Conservation of wilflife.

Mode of access: Internet

Conservation of wildlife.

Mode of access: Internet

What evidence exists for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to alien invasive species in Europe? A systematic map protocol

Background: Invasive alien species are of global concern due to their impacts on biodiversity, related ecosystem services and on economy. A number of invasive alien species are also responsible for human health impacts, either as carriers (vectors) of pathogens, as causal agents of toxic or allergic reactions (e.g. to pollen or insect stings) or injuries. However, there has been relatively little attention given to these human health effects in invasion ecology literature, with no attempts to systematically identify and quantify evidence of impacts. It is likely that further invasive alien species will benefit from global change as some invasive traits provide high plasticity and therefore support adaptation capacities to cope with changing conditions. Thus, global change may lead to new public health concerns as invasive alien species expand their range or enter new areas, or may alter the severity of health impacts by changing the physiology or quantity of potential allergens or irritants produced. This mapping review aims at identifying any evidence for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to invasive alien species in Europe over the last 25 years. Methods/Design: A systematic search of both ecological and medical literature will be used to identify potentially relevant studies using three a priori inclusion criteria, i.e. (i) affected human population in Europe, (ii) exposure to alien species, (iii) change in health impact. Studies will be assessed against inclusion criteria at title, abstract and full text to determine relevance to the mapping review. Studies deemed relevant will be coded using predetermined categories relating to the review inclusion criteria and study design, and recorded in a searchable database. Depending on the information available, studies may also be geo-referenced to create a geographic map of the evidence. Descriptive statistics will be used to explore key trends in the evidence base. The searchable database of studies and their main characteristics will be made available with the final report. It is intended that this systematic map will be useful in informing decision making related to the future human health impacts of invasive alien species in Europe

Effectiveness of management interventions for control of invasive Common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia: a systematic review protocol

Background: Alien species are severely impacting the environment, public health and socioeconomy at a global scale. Their management is thus of crucial importance and the subject of intensive research efforts. Common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. is an alien species with negative impacts on agriculture, human health and biodiversity. It is a highly allergenic, wind-pollinated herb native to North America that was first introduced to Europe during the seventeenth century. It has since become widespread and is currently in an ongoing phase of rapid spread and increasing abundance. Several management approaches are currently implemented and effective control of the species can have strong socioeconomic benefits. However, evidence for management effectiveness is scattered and has not yet been synthesised systematically. For these reasons, we here aim to systematically review the evidence to assess (a) what is the effectiveness of management options used for control of Common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia and (b) what is the effect of confounding factors such as habitat, climate and frequency and timing of treatment? Methods: This protocol specifies the methods for conducting a systematic review to answer the specified questions. Search terms relating to the population and the intervention (type of management) will be combined and searched in a range of databases and other sources. Specific inclusion criteria are (i) any population of Ambrosia artemisiifolia at any habitat including populations in agricultural settings and such used for experimental research at any geographic location (including its native range), (ii) any physical, chemical, biological or combined management action; (iii) direct outcome measures including change in coverage, abundance, biomass, survival, reoccurrence, biology (e.g. growth, height, leaf area) or pollen production. The wide range of quality of primary literature will be evaluated with a tailored system for assessing susceptibility to bias and the reliability of the studies. If extracted data are suitable for quantitative synthesis, we aim to calculate effect sizes and conduct meta-analyses

Evidence for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to alien species in Europe: a systematic map

Background: Alien species are frequently considered a serious environmental threat but negative impacts on human health through injury, allergy, or as vectors of disease sometimes have the most dire consequences for human livelihoods. Climate change and the increasing magnitude and frequency of introductions of species across geographic barriers as a result of international trade are likely to change their establishment, spread, abundance, physiology or phenology, potentially also altering their human health impacts. Yet despite receiving increasing attention in the scientific literature, there have been few attempts to quantify recent changes in human health impacts. Here we report the findings from a systematic map of the literature identifying evidence of any change in the occurrence, frequency or severity of impacts of alien species on human health in Europe over the last 25 years. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the ecological and medical literature using English language search terms to identify potentially relevant studies. Search results were assessed against inclusion criteria published in an a priori protocol at title, abstract and full-text to determine their suitability for inclusion in the review. Repeatability was checked at each stage by comparing a subset between reviewers and testing for inter-rater agreement using Cohen’s kappa test. Studies deemed relevant at full text were coded against bibliographic, inclusion and study design criteria to create a searchable database of evidence. Results: Searches retrieved over 15,700 results yet only sixteen cases met criteria for inclusion in the systematic map. Most of this evidence represents first records of impacts from different areas, and in particular first reports of transmission of exotic diseases by introduced mosquito species. Conclusions: There is currently limited published evidence demonstrating a change in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts caused by alien species in Europe over the last 25 years. Relevant studies relate to only a few species, often report specific cases and rarely link health impacts with ecology, distribution or spread of the species. Difficulties in attributing human health impacts, such as stings or allergies, to a specific alien species likely complicate attempts to measure changes, as may differences in professional interests between the environmental and health professions. Future studies could helpfully compare spread or abundance with reported, rather than potential, health impacts. Better cooperation between invasion ecologists and health professionals working in affected areas are likely to be necessary to improve the evidence base on this topic for the future.© The Author(s) 201

The abiotic environment of Heliamphora nutans (Sarraceniaceae): pedological and microclimatic observations on Roraima Tepui

The aim of this study was the study of the abiotic environment of the carnivorous pitcher plant Heliamphora nutans (Sarraceniaceae), including the microclimate and the geochemistry of the soil of the growing sites on Roraima Tepui and discuss their relevance within the recent model of carnivorous plant ecology. The soil was peaty and low in nutrients. The microclimate on the site was very balanced, with moderately cool temperatures, a constant high humidity and very low wind speed. Heliamphora was not exposed to any recognizable climatic stress. Previous macroclimatic measurements reflected the growth conditions of Heliamphora only incorrectly, since humidity decreased drastically with height. The apparent conflict with the common model of carnivorous plant ecology was caused by the dense surrounding vegetation. However, the leaf coverage of these non carnivorous plants was too low to cause significant insolation decrease for Heliamphora. Furthermore, the temperature regime of the pitcher fluid was more balanced than the temperature of the leaf. This may improve conditions for the growth of microorganisms in the pitcher fluid that contribute to the degredation of the plant's prey