Hungry cities: how local food self-sufficiency relates to climate change, diets, and urbanisation

Using a newly developed model approach and combining it with remote sensing, population, and climate data, first insights are provided into how local diets, urbanisation, and climate change relates to local urban food self-sufficiency. In plain terms, by utilizing the global peri-urban (PU) food production potential approximately 1bn urban residents (30% of global urban population) can be locally nourished, whereby further urbanisation is by far the largest pressure factor on PU agriculture, followed by a change of diets, and climate change. A simple global food transport model which optimizes transport and neglects differences in local emission intensities indicates that CO2 emissions related to food transport can be reduced by a factor of 10

Reducing deforestation and improving livestock productivity: greenhouse gas mitigation potential of silvopastoral systems in Caquetá

Colombia's agriculture, forestry and other land use sector accounts for nearly half of its total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The importance of smallholder deforestation is comparatively high in relation to its regional counterparts, and livestock agriculture represents the largest driver of primary forest depletion. Silvopastoral systems (SPSs) are presented as agroecological solutions that synergistically enhance livestock productivity, improve local farmers' livelihoods and hold the potential to reduce pressure on forest conversion. The department of Caquetá represents Colombia's most important deforestation hotspot. Targeting smallholder livestock farms through survey data, in this work we investigate the GHG mitigation potential of implementing SPSs for smallholder farms in this region. Specifically, we assess whether the carbon sequestration taking place in the soil and biomass of SPSs is sufficient to offset the per-hectare increase in livestock GHG emissions resulting from higher stocking rates. To address these questions we use data on livestock population characteristics and historic land cover changes reported from a survey covering 158 farms and model the carbon sequestration occurring in three different scenarios of progressively-increased SPS complexity using the CO2 fix model. We find that, even with moderate tree planting densities, the implementation of SPSs can reduce GHG emissions by 2.6 Mg CO2e ha−1 yr−1 in relation to current practices, while increasing agriculture productivity and contributing to the restoration of severely degraded landscapes

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Correction: Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Diets

<p>Correction: Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Diets</p

Quantification of urban mitigation potentials - coping with data heterogeneity

Cities are at the forefront of European and international climate action. However, in many cities, the ever-growing urban population is putting pressure on settlement and infrastructure development, increasing attention to urban planning, infrastructure and buildings. This paper introduces a set of quantification approaches, capturing impacts of urban planning measures in three fields of action: sustainable building, transport and redensification. The quantification approaches have been developed to account for different levels of data availability, thus providing users with quantification approaches that are applicable across cities. The mitigation potentials of various measures such as a modal shift, the substitution of building materials with wood, and different redensification scenarios were calculated. The substitution of conventional building materials with wood was analyzed as having a high mitigation potential. Building construction, in combination with urban planning and design, are key drivers for mitigating climate change in cities. Given the data heterogeneity among cities, mixed quantification approaches could be defined and the measures and policy areas with the greatest climate mitigation potential identified

Reducing deforestation and improving livestock productivity: greenhouse gas mitigation potential of silvopastoral systems in Caquetá.

Colombiaʼs agriculture, forestry and other land use sector accounts for nearly half of its total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The importance of smallholder deforestation is comparatively high in relation to its regional counterparts, and livestock agriculture represents the largest driver of primary forest depletion. Silvopastoral systems (SPSs) are presented as agroecological solutions that synergistically enhance livestock productivity, improve local farmers’ livelihoods and hold the potential to reduce pressure on forest conversion. The department of Caquetá represents Colombia’s most important deforestation hotspot. Targeting smallholder livestock farms through survey data, in this work we investigate theGHGmitigation potential of implementing SPSs for smallholder farms in this region. Specifically, we assess whether the carbon sequestration taking place in the soil and biomass of SPSs is sufficient to offset the per-hectare increase in livestockGHGemissions resulting from higher stocking rates. To address these questions we use data on livestock population characteristics and historic land cover changes reported from a survey covering 158 farms and model the carbon sequestration occurring in three different scenarios of progressively-increased SPS complexity using theCO2 fix model.Wefind that, even with moderate tree planting densities, the implementation of SPSs can reduceGHGemissions by 2.6MgCO2e ha−1 yr−1 in relation to current practices, while increasing agriculture productivity and contributing to the restoration of severely degraded landscapes

Additional amounts of macro-nutrients (N, P₂O₅, and K₂O) uptake by crop yields (Y) and crop residues (R) by attaining high-input potential yields compared to that with low-input yields, and the amount of fertilizers applied (A) in the year 2010 on a continental scale.

<p>Additional amounts of macro-nutrients (N, P₂O₅, and K₂O) uptake by crop yields (Y) and crop residues (R) by attaining high-input potential yields compared to that with low-input yields, and the amount of fertilizers applied (A) in the year 2010 on a continental scale.</p

Location specific ratio of high-input crop calorie production attained in 2000.

<p>A ratio of 1 represents regions that have achieved their high-input crop calorie production.</p

Regions that can achieve food self-sufficiency (FSS) based on their current crop production, have the potential to be food self-sufficient by attaining high-input (hi) yields, can only increase crop production (ICP) or almost attained high-input yields but are crop insufficient (CIS) by country (con) and by moisture regime (arid (ar) and humid (hm)) for 2000.

<p>Since agricultural production constraints and agricultural management vary with agro-climatic conditions, the results are presented by country moisture regime going beyond national scales. NA represents regions with missing data.</p