The role of supply chains for the sustainability transformation of global food systems: A large‐scale, systematic review of food cold chains

Global food systems need an urgent transformation to be compatible with sustainable development. While much of the recent academic discussion has focused on food production and consumption, food supply chains have received considerably less attention. Here, we conduct a large-scale, systematic literature review of 48,014 academic articles to assess the links between the food cold chain literature and sustainable development. We find a multitude of deep links between food cooling and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also identify underexplored areas of sustainable food cooling research regarding its (1) goals, (2) analytical depth, and (3) context specificity: There is a limited understanding how several relevant synergies between SDGs can be captured, how to best design sustainable food cold chains across multiple value chain stages, and how to scale sustainable cold chains in low-income and lower-middle-income country contexts. We recommend to explicitly consider the salient interconnections between SDGs, increase the analytical depth by deploying more system-level approaches across entire value chains, and focus on localized solutions in contexts where food supply chains are most underdeveloped

Beyond technology : demand-side solutions for climate change mitigation

The assessment literature on climate change solutions to date has emphasized technologies and options based on cost-effectiveness analysis. However, many solutions to climate change mitigation misalign with such analytical frameworks. Here, we examine demand-side solutions, a crucial class of mitigation options that go beyond technological specification and costbenefit analysis. To do so, we synthesize demand-side mitigation options in the urban, building, transport, and agricultural sectors. We also highlight the specific nature of demand-side solutions in the context of development. We then discuss key analytical considerations to integrate demand-side options into overarching assessments on mitigation. Such a framework would include infrastructure solutions that interact with endogenous preference formation. Both hard infrastructures, such as the built environment, and soft infrastructures, such as habits and norms, shape behavior and as a consequence offer significant potential for reducing overall energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. We conclude that systemic infrastructural and behavioral change will likely be a necessary component of a transition to a low-carbon society

Systematizing and upscaling urban climate change mitigation

The question of what cities can contribute to mitigation and adapting to climate change is gaining traction among researchers and policy makers alike. However, while the field is rich with case studies, methods that provide rich data across municipalities and potentially at global scale remain underdeveloped, and comparative insights remain scarce. Here we summarize contributions to the focus issue on 'Systematizing and Upscaling Urban Climate Solutions', also drawing from presentations given at an accompanying conference in 2018. We highlight four core areas for systematizing and upscaling urban climate mitigation solutions. First, with more and better (big) data and associated machine learning methods, there is increasing potential to compare types of cities and leverage collective understanding. Second, while urban climate assessments have mostly emphasized urban planning, demand-side action as related to both behavioral change and modified social practices relevant to urban space deserve more academic attention and integration across a diverse set of social sciences. Third, climate mitigation would be intangible as a single objective at the urban scale, and measures and solutions that coordinate mitigation coherently with adaptation and broader sustainable development goals require explicit conceptualization and systematization. Forth, all insights should come together to develop governance frameworks that translate scientific exercises into concrete, realistic and organized action plans on the ground, for all cities

Advances toward a net-zero global building sector

The building sector is responsible for 39% of process-related greenhouse gas emissions globally, making net- or nearly-zero energy buildings pivotal for reaching climate neutrality. This article reviews recent advances in key options and strategies for converting the building sector to be climate neutral. The evidence from the literature shows it is possible to achieve net or nearly-zero energy building outcomes across the world in most building types and climates with systems, technologies, and skills that already exist, and at costs that are in the range of conventional buildings. Maximizing energy efficiency for all building energy uses is found as central to net zero targets. Jurisdictions all over the world, including Brussels, New York, Vancouver, and Tyrol, have innovated visionary policies to catalyze the success of such buildings, with more than 7 million square meters of nearly-zero energy buildings erected in China alone in the past few years. Since embodied carbon in building materials can consume up to a half of the remaining 1.5°C carbon budget, this article reviews recent advances to minimize embodied energy and store carbon in building materials.This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de Es-paña (RTI2018-093849-B-C31 - MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). The authors at the University ofLleida would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to theirresearch group GREiA (2017 SGR 1537). GREiA is a certified agent TECNIO in the category oftechnology developers from the Catalan Government. This work is partially supported by ICREAunder the ICREA Academia program.Passive House Canada and specifically Chris Ballard partially supported this work throughvolunteer and staff time. Special thanks to Klemens Schloegl from TU Vienna for his valuabledata and insights on the topic. R.K. is grateful for support from the Oxford Martin School and forthe excellent research assistance from Sharmen Hettipol

Sustainable cooling in a warming world: technologies, cultures, and circularity

Cooling is fundamental to quality of life in a warming world, but its growth trajectory is leading to a substantial increase in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The world is currently locked into vapor-compression air conditioning as the aspirational means of staying cool, yet billions of people cannot access or afford this technology. Non–vapor compression technologies exist but have low Technological Readiness Levels. Important alternatives are passive cooling measures that reduce mechanical cooling requirements and often have long histories of local use. Equally, behavioral and cultural approaches to cooling play a vital role. Although policies for a circular economy for cooling, such as production and waste, recovery of refrigerants, and disposal of appliances, are in development, more efforts are needed across the cooling life cycle. This article discusses the knowledge base for sustainable cooling in the built environment and its significant, interconnected, and coordinated technical, social, economic, and policy approaches

Overcoming the incumbency and barriers to sustainable cooling

This article examines cooling in the built environment, an area of rapidly rising energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, the status quo of cooling is assessed and proposals are made for how to advance towards sustainable cooling through five levers of change: social interactions, technology innovations, business models, governance and infrastructure design. Achieving sustainable cooling requires navigating the opportunities and barriers presented by the incumbent technology that currently dominates the way in which cooling is provided—the vapour-compression refrigerant technology (or air-conditioners). Air-conditioners remain the go-to solution for growing cooling demand, with other alternatives often overlooked. This incumbent technology has contributed to five barriers hindering the transition to sustainable cooling: (1) building policies based exclusively on energy efficiency; (2) a focus on temperature rather than other thermal comfort variables; (3) building-centric design of cooling systems instead of occupant-centric design; (4) businesses guided by product-only sales; and (5) lack of innovation beyond the standard operational phase of the incumbent technology. Opportunities and priority actions are identified for policymakers, cooling professionals, technicians and citizens to promote a transition towards sustainable cooling. Policy relevance The priority actions that can overcome key barriers to a sustainable cooling pathway are as follows. (1) Moving building policies beyond energy efficiency to address climate mitigation and adaptation for improving the heat resilience of the built environment. Building indicators are needed to measure the passive survivability to heat. (2) Conventional cooling control and related regulations based exclusively on air temperature require expansion in scope to consider a wider range of thermal comfort variables, thus stimulating technological innovation. (3) Shifting building-centric cooling control to an occupant-centric design, downsizing centralised cooling requirements and enabling adaptive environments integrating personalised environmental control systems. (4) Business models moving from product-oriented to service-based businesses. (5) Environmental cooling considerations that address the humidity influence, the role of energy storage to support renewables through energy flexibility in cooling, and the impact of F-gases. Regulation and citizen empowerment through better environmental labelling can play an important role

ALS plasma reduces the viability of NSC34 cells via altering mRNA expression of VEGF: A short report

Introduction: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that progressively leads to motor neuron degeneration at the neuromuscular junctions, resulting in paralysis in the patients. The clinical diagnosis of ALS is time taking and further delays the therapeutics that can be helpful if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage. Changes in plasma composition can be reflected upon CSF composition and hence, can be used to study the diagnosis and prognosis markers for the disease. Aim: To develop a simple model system using motor neuron like cell line after plasma induction. Method: Neuroblastoma × Spinal Cord hybridoma cell line (NSC34) was cultured under appropriate conditions. 10% ALS patients’ plasma was added to the media, and cells were conditioned for 12 h. Cell survival analysis and differential gene expression of a panel of molecules (published previously, VEGF, VEGFR2, ANG, OPTN, TDP43, and MCP-1) were done. Results: ALS patients’ plasma impacted the life of the cells and reduced survival to nearly 50% after induction. VEGF was found to be significantly down-regulated in the cells, which can be explained as a reason for reduced cell survival. Conclusion: ALS plasma altered the expression of an essential neuroprotective and growth factor VEGF in NSC34 cells leading to reduced viability

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) prediction model derived from plasma and CSF biomarkers.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disorder of motor neurons which leads to complete loss of movement in patients. The only FDA approved drug Riluzole provides only symptomatic relief to patients. Early Diagnosis of the disease warrants the importance of diagnostic and prognostic models for predicting disease and disease progression respectively. In the present study we represent the predictive statistical model for ALS using plasma and CSF biomarkers. Forward stepwise (Binary likelihood) Logistic regression model is developed for prediction of ALS. The model has been shown to have excellent validity (94%) with good sensitivity (98%) and specificity (93%). The area under the ROC curve is 99.3%. Along with age and BMI, VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), VEGFR2 (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2) and TDP43 (TAR DNA Binding Protein 43) in CSF and VEGFR2 and OPTN (Optineurin) in plasma are good predictors of ALS

More priorities, more problems? Decision-making with multiple energy, development and climate objectives

10.1016/j.erss.2018.11.003Energy Research & Social Science49143–15