Attributing ocean acidification to major carbon producers

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Licker, R.; Ekwurzel, B.; Doney, S. C.; Cooley, S. R.; Lima, I. D.; Heede, R.; Frumhoff, P. C. Attributing ocean acidification to major carbon producers. Environmental Research Letters. 14(12), (2019): 124060, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab5abc.Recent research has quantified the contributions of CO2 and CH4 emissions traced to the products of major fossil fuel companies and cement manufacturers to global atmospheric CO2, surface temperature, and sea level rise. This work has informed societal considerations of the climate responsibilities of these major industrial carbon producers. Here, we extend this work to historical (1880–2015) and recent (1965–2015) acidification of the world's ocean. Using an energy balance carbon-cycle model, we find that emissions traced to the 88 largest industrial carbon producers from 1880–2015 and 1965–2015 have contributed ~55% and ~51%, respectively, of the historical 1880–2015 decline in surface ocean pH. As ocean acidification is not spatially uniform, we employ a three-dimensional ocean model and identify five marine regions with large declines in surface water pH and aragonite saturation state over similar historical (average 1850–1859 to average 2000–2009) and recent (average 1960–1969 to average of 2000–2009) time periods. We characterize the biological and socioeconomic systems in these regions facing loss and damage from ocean acidification in the context of climate change and other stressors. Such analysis can inform societal consideration of carbon producer responsibility for current and near-term risks of further loss and damage to human communities dependent on marine ecosystems and fisheries vulnerable to ocean acidification.The approach of using equation (1) benefited from discussions with Myles R Allen (University of Oxford) and Inez Fung (University of California, Berkeley). M W Dalton provided insights for the incorporation of the updated carbon producers data. Chloe Ames provided support for references. S Doney acknowledges support from the US National Science Foundation and the University of Virginia Environmental Resilience Institute. R Licker, B Ekwurzel and P C Frumhoff acknowledge the support of the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Wallace Global Fund, and Rockefeller Family Fund to the Union of Concerned Scientists. R Heede gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Wallace Global Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Union of Concerned Scientists. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, which greatly improved our manuscript

Wood dynamics in headwater streams of the Colorado Rocky Mountains

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Library Resources Utilization: determining high yield resources for medical students

The University of Hawaii (UH) Health Sciences Library (HSL) provides a variety of resources critical for science and medical education at the UH, John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). These resources are accessible by all of the UH students and faculty, including affiliated sites. To provide tailored services for medical students, their educational needs must be identified. Currently, there is no standardized system that evaluates this. The usage data of HSL resources is collected through the number of log-in’s through the UH library system by all of UH Manoa users. As such, it does not distinguish between medical students and other UH users. We propose that resource utilization by medical students differs from those utilized by other UH users. The objectives of the survey were three-fold: 1) To identify utilization of HSL resources by medical students; 2) Compare the pattern of utilization of the HSL resources by medical students with UH Manoa users by comparing our survey results to 2021 HSL usage data; and 3) To identify utilization of resources not available through HSL system. An online survey was emailed to all current JABSOM medical students. The six item survey included two likert scale questions regarding utilization of library resources available and not available through the JABSOM library. Items were assigned a numerical value; Never =1, Rarely=2, Sometimes=3, Very Often=4, and Always=5 and an average value was calculated for each resource. The remaining four items were open-ended. Sixty-six total responses were obtained with 21% first years, 35% second years, 18% third years, and 26% fourth years. The most utilized HSL resources were Access Medicine, PubMed, Textbooks, and Clinical Keys. The least used library resources were Health and Psychology instruments, Natural Medicine database, JoVE, and Psych Articles. For both medical students and UH Manoa users, Access Medicine and Clinical Key were among the most used, whereas Health and Psych instruments, JoVE, and Natural Medicine database were among the least used. On the other hand, Cochrane was ranked higher and Psych Articles was ranked lower in overall relative usage among medical students compared to the relative ranking among UH Manoa users. The most utilized non-HSL resources among medical students were Boards and Beyond, Sketchy, Pathoma, and AMBOSS, respectively. In conclusion, our study assessed medical student resource utilization of library and non-library resources at the JABSOM library. The rank order of the utilized resources were similar between medical students and UH Manoa users, with some exceptions. The results identified the utility of non-HSL resources, suggesting they are key supplemental tools in medical education. Further studies should investigate why some resources are used more or less to guide efforts in improving availability of these services

Macroeconomic impact of stranded fossil-fuel assets

Several major economies rely heavily on fossil-fuel production and exports, yet current low-carbon technology diffusion, energy efficiency and climate policy may be substantially reducing global demand for fossil fuels.1-4 This trend is inconsistent with observed investment in new fossil-fuel ventures1,2, which could become stranded as a result. Here we use an integrated global economy environment simulation model to study the macroeconomic impact of stranded fossil-fuel assets (SFFA). Our analysis suggests that part of the SFFA would occur as a result of an already ongoing technological trajectory, irrespective of whether new climate policies are adopted or not; the loss would be amplified if new climate policies to reach the 2°C target are adopted and/or if low-cost producers (some OPEC countries) maintain their level of production (‘sell-out’) despite declining demand; the magnitude of the loss from SFFA may amount to a discounted global wealth loss of $1-4tn; and there are clear distributional impacts, with winners (e.g. net importers such as China or the EU) and losers (e.g. Russia, the US or Canada, which could see their fossil-fuel industries nearly shut down), although the two effects would largely offset each other at the level of aggregate global GDP.The authors acknowledge C-EERNG and Cambridge Econometrics for support, and funding from EPSRC (JFM, fellowship no. EP/ K007254/1); the Newton Fund (JFM, PS, JV, EPSRC grant no EP/N002504/1 and ESRC grant no ES/N013174/1), NERC (NRE, PH, HP, grant no NE/P015093/1), CONICYT (PS), the Philomathia Foundation (JV), the Cambridge Humanities Research Grants Scheme (JV), and Horizon 2020 (HP, JFM; Sim4Nexus project)

Nurse staffing, medical staffing and mortality in intensive care: an observational study

Objectives: To investigate whether the size of the workforce (nurses, doctors and support staff) has an impact of the survival chances of critically ill patients both in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the hospital. Background: Investigations of intensive care outcomes suggest that some of the variation in patient survival rates might be related to staffing levels and workload, but the evidence is still equivocal. Data: Information about patients, including the outcome of care (whether the patient lived or died) came from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme. An Audit Commission survey of ICUs conducted in 1998 gave information about staffing levels. The merged dataset had information on 65 ICUs and 38,168 patients. This is currently the best available dataset for testing the relationship between staffing and outcomes in UK ICUs Design: A cross-sectional, retrospective, risk adjusted observational study. Methods: Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression. Outcome Measures: ICU and in-hospital mortality. Results: After controlling for patient characteristics and workload we found that higher numbers of nurses per bed and higher numbers of consultants were associated with higher survival rates. Further exploration revealed that the number of nurses had the greatest impact on patients at high risk of death whereas the effect of medical staffing was across the range of patient acuity. No relationship between patient outcomes and the number of support staff was found. Distinguishing between direct care and supernumerary nurses and restricting the analysis to patients who had been in the unit for more than 8 hours made little difference to the results. Separate analysis of in-unit and in-hospital survival showed that the clinical workforce in intensive care had a greater impact on ICU mortality than on hospital mortality which gives the study additional credibility. Conclusion: This study supports claims that the availability of medical and nursing staff is associated with the survival of critically ill patients and suggests that future studies should focus on the resources of the health care team. The results emphasise the urgent need for a prospective study of staffing levels and the organisation of care in ICUs

Rastreamento de resultados adversos nas internações do Sistema Único de Saúde

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of screening for potential adverse outcomes in hospitalizations of the Brazilian Unified Health System. METHODS: A retrospective study, including all hospital admissions of adults in medical clinics (n = 3,565,811) and surgical clinics (n = 2,614,048) in Brazil in 2007. The Hospital Information System was used as a source of information. The measurement of adverse events was based on screening for eleven clinical conditions, as defined by previous international studies, recorded in the secondary diagnosis field. We performed bivariate and multivariate analysis to investigate associations between adverse events, death (dependent variable) and other variables such as age, use of the intensive care unit and performance of surgery. RESULTS: The frequency obtained for both clinic types was 3.6 potential adverse events per 1,000 admissions, with a greater frequency in medical clinics (5.3 per 1,000) than in surgery clinics (1.3 per 1,000). There were differences in the profile of hospital admissions between the two clinics: medical clinics were characterized by a predominance of older adults, longer average length of stay, higher mortality rate and lower total cost of hospitalization. The most common potential adverse outcome was hospital-acquired pneumonia. Cardiac arrest had a higher risk of death (OR= 5.76) compared to other potential adverse outcomes. Increased cost for hospitalizations was associated with sepsis. The conditions used as the screening criteria were associated with greater odds of death even after the introduction of variables such as use of intensive care and surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of adverse outcomes in hospital admissions indicates a need to develop monitoring strategies and to improve quality of care for improved patient safety.OBJETIVO: Descrever a frequência de rastreadores de potenciais resultados adversos em internações no Sistema Único de Saúde. MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo, incluindo as internações de adultos na clínica médica (n = 3.565.811) e clínica cirúrgica (n = 2.614.048) no Brasil em 2007. O Sistema de Informações Hospitalares foi utilizado como fonte de informação. A mensuração dos resultados adversos baseou-se no rastreamento de 11 condições clínicas, definidas em estudos internacionais anteriores, registradas no campo diagnóstico secundário. Foram realizadas análises bivariada e multivariada, no intuito de associar resultado adverso, óbito (variável dependente) e outras variáveis como idade, utilização de unidade de terapia intensiva e realização de cirurgia. RESULTADOS: A frequência obtida foi 3,6 potenciais resultados adversos por 1.000 internações para ambas as clínicas, superior na clínica médica (5,3 por 1.000) em relação à clínica cirúrgica (1,3 por 1.000). Houve diferenças no perfil das internações: na clínica médica predominaram idosos, maior tempo médio de permanência, maior taxa de mortalidade e menor custo total de internação. O rastreador de resultado adverso mais frequente foi pneumonia hospitalar. Choque/parada cardíaca apresentou maior risco de óbito (OR = 5,76) em relação aos demais resultados adversos. Os maiores gastos com internações estiveram relacionados à sepse hospitalar. Os rastreadores de potencial resultado adverso apresentaram altas chances de óbito, mesmo com a introdução de variáveis como uso de terapia intensiva e realização de cirurgia. CONCLUSÕES: A alta frequência de resultados adversos em internações indica a necessidade de desenvolver estratégias de monitoramento e melhorias dirigidas para a segurança do paciente.OBJETIVO: Describir la frecuencia de sondeos de potenciales resultados adversos en internaciones en el Sistema Único de Salud. MÉTODOS: Estudio retrospectivo, incluyendo las internaciones de adultos en la clínica médica (n=3.565.811) y clínica quirúrgica (n=2.614.048) en Brasil en 2007. El Sistema de Informaciones Hospitalarias fue utilizado como fuente de información. La medición de los resultados adversos se basó en el sondeo de 11 condiciones clínicas, definidas en estudios internacionales anteriores, registradas en el campo diagnóstico secundario. Se realizaron análisis bivariado y multivariado, con el propósito de asociar resultado adverso, óbito (variable dependiente) y otras variables como edad, utilización de unidad de terapia intensiva y realización de cirugía. RESULTADOS: La frecuencia obtenida fue 3,6 potenciales resultados adversos por 1.000 internaciones para ambas clínicas, superior en la clínica médica (5,3 por 1.000) con relación a la clínica quirúrgica (1,3 por 1.000). Hubo diferencias en el perfil de las internaciones: en la clínica médica predominaron ancianos, mayor tiempo promedio de permanencia, mayor tasa de mortalidad y menor costo total de internación. El sondeo de resultado adverso más frecuente fue neumonía hospitalaria. Choque/parada cardíaca presentó mayor riesgo de óbito (OR= 5,76) con relación a los demás resultados adversos. Los mayores gastos con internaciones estuvieron relacionados con la asepsia hospitalaria. Los sondeos de potencial resultado adverso presentaron altas probabilidades de óbito aún con la introducción de variables como uso de terapia intensiva y realización de cirugía. CONCLUSIONES: La alta frecuencia de resultados adversos en internaciones muestran la necesidad de desarrollar estrategias de monitoreo y mejoras dirigidas a la seguridad del paciente

Comparative LCA of concrete with recycled aggregates: a circular economy mindset in Europe

[EN] Purpose Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) is the largest waste stream in the European Union (EU) and all over the world. Proper management of C&DW and recycled materials¿including the correct handling of hazardous waste¿can have major benefits in terms of sustainability and the quality of life. The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC aims to have 70% of C&DW recycled by 2020. However, except for a few EU countries, only about 50% of C&DW is currently being recycled. In the present research, the environmental impact of concrete with recycled aggregates and with geopolymer mixtures is analysed. The aim of the present research is to propose a comparative LCA of concrete with recycled aggregates in the context of European politics. Methods Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is applied using Simapro© software. A cradle to grave analysis is carried out. The results are analysed based on the database Ecoinvent 3.3 and Impact 2002+. Results Results show that the concrete with 25% recycled aggregates is the best solution from an environmental point of view. Furthermore, geopolymer mixtures could be a valid alternative to reduce the phenomenon of ¿global warming¿; however, the production of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide has a great environmental impact. Conclusions A possible future implementation of the present study is certainly to carry out an overall assessment and to determine the most cost-effective option among the different competing alternatives through the life cycle cost analysis.Colangelo, F.; Gómez-Navarro, T.; Farina, I.; Petrillo, A. (2020). Comparative LCA of concrete with recycled aggregates: a circular economy mindset in Europe. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 25(9):1790-1804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-020-01798-6S17901804259Akhtar A, Sarmah (2018) Construction and demolition waste generation and properties of recycled aggregate concrete: a global perspective. 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Multiple carbon accounting to support just and effective climate policies

Negotiating reductions in greenhouse gas emission involves the allocation of emissions and of emission reductions to specific agents, and notably, within the current UN framework, to associated countries. As production takes place in supply chains,increasingly extending over several countries, there are various options available in which emissions originating from one and the same activity may be attributed to different agents along the supply chain and thus to different countries. In this way, several distinct types of national carbon accounts can be constructed. We argue that these accounts will typically differ in the information they provide to individual countries on the effects their actions have on global emissions; and they may also, to varying degrees, prove useful in supporting the pursuit of an effective and just climate policy. None of the accounting systems, however, prove 'best' in achieving these aims under real-world circumstances; we thus suggest compiling reliable data to aid in the consistent calculation of multiple carbon accounts on a global level