Leveraging life cycle assessment to better promote the circular economy: a first step using the concept of opportunity cost

In economics, opportunity cost is defined as the benefit foregone by choosing another course of action. Considering opportunity costs enables the improved handling of trade-offs to better support strategic decision-making. We introduce the concept of opportunity cost into life cycle assessment (LCA). In our framework, opportunity cost extends the system expansion paradigm to support better alignment with a circular economy (CE). Opportunity cost thinking is considered to be most useful for the efficient allocation of scarce economic capital for the creation of economic value. In the environmental domain, we use such thinking to account for the implications of 'wasting waste'. In this paper, we consider a case of treated wastewater sludge being used as a source of nutrients as a vehicle to study the points at which LCA can support a CE. Our conclusions, however, have wider repercussions because there are many more situations in which product systems are analytically demarcated from the web of connections in which they are embedded.Industrial Ecolog

A Critical Analysis of the Legal Problems associated with Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in Saudi Arabia: Will the New Saudi Arbitration Law (2012) Resolve the Main Legal Problems?

The thesis critically analyses the legal problems associated with the recognition and enforcement of domestic and foreign arbitral awards in Saudi Arabia. The aim is to illuminate whether or not the new Saudi Arbitration Law 2012 (SAL) and the new Enforcement Law 2012 (SEL) will be able to resolve these problems. In the thesis, we investigate the reasons for the problems with regard to the SAL 1983, and then discuss the SAL 2012 in terms of the possibility of resolving such problems. Moreover, the study includes a semi-comparative study in the light of Sharia Law and international practice. The thesis deals with Saudi judicial practices by looking at a significant number of Saudi judicial cases that relate to the enforcement of arbitral awards. This is what enhances the view that the thesis will make an effective contribution to the field of arbitration. A number of legal problems, such as the lack of identification of the limited grounds for a challenge, the competent court to decide such a challenge, the arbitration having the authority of res judicata, and the potency of the competent court to review the merits of the dispute, should all be considered due to their negative impact on the enforcement process. In this thesis, we have concluded that the new SAL 2012 and SEL 2012 can cope with and resolve many of the legal dilemmas associated with the matter of the enforcement of arbitral awards. These new pieces of legislation will be able, to some extent, to reassure and comfort national and international parties without violating Sharia law. However, some potential legal obstacles may emerge in terms of the enforcement process as it relates to arbitral awards. Therefore, the author of the thesis believes that the level of satisfaction may not be as much as is hoped for

Investigating causes contributing to increased municipal solid waste in Kuwait: A National Survey

This research publishes the results of a survey conducted on 806 subjects to study factors contributing to increased household waste and to investigate public awareness and opinion on treatment options. The objective is to estimate the Number of Waste bags disposed per household and find factors corresponding to that increase. These factors consist of any possible demographic characteristic involving: nationality, household income, property type, number of family members per household, number of maids if any, number of employed family members, number of vehicles per household, highest educational level attained per family guardian, number of family members below the age of twenty one, etc. In addition, the survey investigates behavioral aspects that are expected to also contribute to increased solid household waste; such as, dining using home deliveries versus homemade meals, and number of grocery shopping trips per week. Furthermore, the survey explores the public awareness on environmental concerns that are linked to increased household waste, and public opinion on tariff associated with waste recycling. The survey results were examined for normality and were analyzed through correlation and regression analysis. The results were validated at a 95% confidence level