Conciliare sicurezza alimentare e impatti ambientali: Water Footprint di scenari di produzione agricola nella Striscia di Gaza

Il presente studio analizza gli impatti ambientali e, in particolare, l’impronta idrica della produzione agricola su piccola scala nella Striscia di Gaza, area in cui le risorse naturali sono scarse, la densità demografica è molto elevata e buona parte della popolazione soffre di insicurezza alimentare. L’analisi confronta in una prospettiva di ciclo di vita una serie di scenari di rotazione colturale in termini di Water Footprint e di impatto ambientale, valutato mediante il metodo ReCiPe. I risultati mostrano discordanze tra gli ordinamenti dei diversi scenari ottenuti mediante le due metodologie. Viene, inoltre, valutata l’opportunità di affiancare alla produzione agricola l’acquacoltura basata sull’utilizzo dei bacini di accumulo dell’acqua piovana allo scopo di migliorare l’approvvigionamento proteico della popolazione. Risultati preliminari suggeriscono che tale attività non sia una soluzione efficiente in termini di consumi idrici, a causa degli elevati tassi di evaporazione

LCA Towards Sustainable Agriculture: The Case Study of Cupuaçu Jam from Agroforestry

Abstract Appropriate design of agricultural systems for the regeneration of deforested lands in critical areas, like the Amazon, may be an effective action to restore forest ecosystem functions and to mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change. Among the possible strategies, agroforestry may represent a viable trade-off between economic and environmental aspects. In this study, the production of a jam made of fruits from agroforestry was analysed from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective. The agroforestry system investigated was implemented in a reforested area of the Peruvian Amazon. A cradle-to-grave approach, from the cultivation phase to the end-of-life of the jam, was adopted. Additionally to LCA, the focus is on the agricultural phase and, in particular, on the comparison of alternative agro-ecosystems from an environmental viewpoint. Therefore, LCA indicators are integrated with biodiversity indicators to account for the ecological dimension. Preliminary results highlight the benefits of producing jam from fruits harvested in an area of the Amazon reforested via agroforestry, as well as the high variability of environmental impacts due to the differences in the alternative agricultural systems considered

Fishery-Induced Selection for Slow Somatic Growth in European Eel

Both theoretical and experimental studies have shown that fishing mortality can induce adaptive responses in body growth rates of fishes in the opposite direction of natural selection. We compared body growth rates in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from three Mediterranean stocks subject to different fishing pressure. Results are consistent with the hypotheses that i) fast-growing individuals are more likely to survive until sexual maturity than slow-growing ones under natural conditions (no fishing) and ii) fishing can select for slow-growing individuals by removing fast-growing ones. Although the possibility of human-induced evolution seems remote for a panmictic species like such as the European eel, further research is desirable to assess the implications of the intensive exploitation on this critically endangered fish

Identification of ecological hotspots for the seagrass Posidonia oceanica via metapopulation modeling

The seagrass Posidonia oceanica is a benthic foundation species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a key component of coastal seascapes across the Mediterranean large marine ecosystem, where it plays fundamental ecological, physical, and economic roles. Despite the importance of this iconic seagrass species, a quantitative assessment of the interplay between local dynamics and basin-wide dispersal patterns is still lacking. Here we propose a Mediterranean-scale metapopulation model for P. oceanica, accounting for both demographic processes (inter-annual survival, vegetative growth, fruit production, seed establishment) and the spatial connectivity provided by current-driven dispersal of seagrass fruits. Model simulations are used to identify hotspots of seagrass population abundance, realized connectivity, and long-distance dispersal. Our results indicate that P. oceanica multi-functional hotspots, defined as species-suitable areas that rank high in all of the considered functional roles, are unevenly distributed in the four main sub-basins of the Mediterranean Sea, and along both the European and the African coastline. Our analysis also allows us to outline a remarkable geographical gap in protection: in fact, while many of the hotspots located along European coasts occur close to protected sites, the great majority of the hotspots lying on African coasts lack any form of protection. The identification of hotspots of P. oceanica metapopulation dynamics can thus help select regions that may serve as priority candidates for focusing conservation efforts

Data on roof renovation and photovoltaic energy production including energy storage in existing residential buildings

This data article refers to the paper "Optimizing photovoltaic electric generation and roof insulation in existing residential buildings” [1]. The reported data deal with roof retrofit in different types of existing residential buildings (single-family, multi-family and apartment complex) located in Milan (Northern Italy). The study focus on the optimization of envelope insulation and photovoltaic (PV) energy production associated with different building geometries, initial insulation level, roof constructions, and materials. The data linked within this article relate to the modelled building energy consumption, renewable production, potential energy savings, and costs. Data refer to two main scenarios: refurbishment (roof in need of replacement and insulation) and re-roofing (energy intervention for roof improvement). Data allow to visualize energy consumption before and after the optimization, selected insulation level and material, costs and PV renewable production (with and without energy storage). The reduction of energy consumption can be visualized for each building type and scenario. Further data is available on CO(2) emissions, envelope, materials, and systems

Environmental and economic data on energy efficiency measures for residential buildings

This data article refers to the paper "Environmental and economic implications of energy efficiency in new residential buildings: a multi-criteria selection approach" [1]. The reported data deal with energy efficiency measures for residential buildings. This paper provides environmental and economic data related to envelope, appliances, and system measures. The calculations of the embodied energy associated with different building parts are included in the provided data. Available data relate to investment costs, lifetime, payback, net present value, embodied and operational energy, CO2 emissions, electricity and gas savings derived for each different energy efficiency measure. These data can be used to select the most suitable measures for residential buildings.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Assessing the Influence of Vegetation on the Water Budget of Tropical Areas

The regulation of the water cycle is a major service provided by forests. However, this service is endangered by the deforestation taking place in areas like the Brazilian Amazon basin. In this study, we use two different approaches to investigate how evapotranspiration and rainfall partitioning are influenced by different vegetation covers (forest and pasture). We first explore a dataset produced with a global model (GLEAM) and compare its predictions with those obtained with an existing simulation software (HYDRUS 1-D). Both methods consistently show that forests guarantee higher evapotranspiration rates than pastures, thus providing a larger contribution to water-related ecosystem services

Assessing the use of neodymium alloys in wind turbines from a Life Cycle Assessment perspective: a literature review

Direct drive permanent magnet generators are the most powerful and reliable alternative for kinetic-to-electrical energy conversion in wind turbines. The magnetic rotor is made of a metallic alloy containing neodymium, dysprosium and praseodymium, three rare-earth elements. The 2010 price bubble of rare-earth oxides increased the notoriety of these materials, which came out to be very impacting on the environment of the producing countries. Nevertheless, the great performances related to the use of these materials result in an environmental trade-off between the production and use phase. To make clarity on the subject, we critically review the literature on Life Cycle Assessments of wind turbines including rare-earths in the material inventory