EU ETS effects on emissions of European Union industries

This article contributes to the literature by analyzing how has the EU ETS allowance price affected the CO2 emissions of the EU industries, analyzing eight economic activity sectors for the three EU ETS phases (2005-2020). Estimations were performed using both a sample of 33 and 23 European countries through panel estimations. From the results, it was inferred that only in the sectors manufacture of paper and paper products (mpp) and manufacture of other nonmetallic mineral products (monmp) the impact of CO2 allowances prices has lead to the reduction of emissions intensity significantly, meaning that they reduce the emissions amount whenever the price of these allowances goes up. Therefore, the effect of allowances prices on emissions intensity is heterogeneous among sectors and the implementation phase of the EU ETS is relevant to explain emissions intensity reductions (phase 3) or increases (phases 1 and 2). Policymakers, thus should devote more attention to the other sectors where prices do not reveal a negative nor significant impact on emissions intensity.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

European assessment of support for eco-innovation: Impacts over firm performance

This work uses a sample of 63303 European firms, which answered the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) for the period 2012-2014, to relate the eco-innovation strategies implemented as well as the factors able to justify their introduction with firm performance, measured through turnover and employment growth. A mixed-effects regression model was implemented in order to derive results from the estimations, whereas at the same time some statistical evidence was presented. Results point that not all eco-innovation strategies implemented increase firm performance, nor even the factors able to justify these introductions are the most effective to justify firm performance increases. Eco-Innovations related with extended product life through longer lasting, more durable goods, have a positive impact on turnover growth and employment. Firms seem to have introduced eco-innovations mostly due to existing environmental regulations, to improve the enterprise reputation, and due to the high cost of energy, water or materials. On the other side, government grants, subsidies or other financial incentives for environmental innovations and the need to meet requirements for public procurement contracts are the factors that European firms consider most irrelevant.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Dimension effects in the relationship between eco-innovation andfirm performance: a European comparison

This study investigates the effect of eco-efficiency actions on firm performance, considering both turnover and employment growth, in the European enterprises with different firm size classes. The sample includes 63303 firms from 13 different European Union countries. The main contributions of this work are the use of the most recent Community Innovation Survey (CIS) and the consideration of firms' size when analysing the relationship between the introduction of environmental benefits and firm performance. Using the ordinary least squares and simultaneous equation models the results showed that eco-innovations may affect negatively turnover growth as well as employment growth, a result which is not sensitive to firms' size. However, environmental benefits introduced in products, demanded by the end user, are sensitive to the different size class to which the enterprise belongs. Both human capital and the number of adopted eco-innovation strategies influence positively firm performance, revealing to be more sensitive to the firm size. Overall, policy makers should be aware of the size as an important driver, or conditioning factor, for firm performance when forcing firms to introduce policies regarding environmental benefits.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nunca mais voltas ao Cais? Percepções sociais e políticas sobre os Cais da Ria de Aveiro

As comunidades existentes em torno da Ria de Aveiro sempre mantiveram com esta uma forte afinidade. Este ecossistema foi sempre utilizado como fonte de recursos, sendo que as populações mais ribeirinhas viviam em função do que a “Ria” lhes concedia – o sal, o moliço, a pesca, o transporte lagunar e mesmo a agricultura. Por esta razão, foram construídos vários cais de acostagem que serviam de suporte às diversas actividades que aí se desenvolviam. Com o desaparecimento/desvalorização de determinadas actividades, muitos destes cais foram perdendo a sua vitalidade, encontrando-se de momento em forte estado de degradação e contribuindo para o continuado abandono destas áreas que, por sua vez, tem implicações quer na estrutura socioeconómica das comunidades locais quer no próprio ecossistema. No sentido de recuperar e revalorizar os cais de acostagem, o programa Polis Litoral Ria de Aveiro, promoveu o Estudo de Caracterização para o Reordenamento e Valorização dos Núcleos Piscatórios Lagunares, focalizado sobre 22 cais dos municípios de Ovar, Estarreja, Murtosa, Aveiro, Ílhavo e Mira. Neste contexto foram analisados, a área de influência de cada cais, as actividades económicas e sociais presentes, bem como as potencialidades de desenvolvimento das actividades existentes

Variação espaço-temporal dos parâmetros para a modelagem estocástica da precipitação pluvial diária no Rio Grande do Sul.

O Rio Grande do Sul é um dos maiores produtores de grãos do Brasil, sendo a maioria das culturas conduzida em sistemas não irrigados, tornando-lhes extremamente dependentes das condições climáticas e do regime pluviométrico. Tal fato inspira diversas pesquisas na tentativa de caracterizar o comportamento espacial e temporal das precipitações. Dessa forma, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar a variação espacial e temporal dos parâmetros alfa e beta da função gama para a geração de dados de precipitação pluvial diária no Estado. Os dados de precipitação pluviométrica foram obtidos junto à ANA - Agência Nacional de Águas. A modelagem da precipitação diária foi dividida em ocorrência e quantidade. Realizou-se a estimativa dos parâmetros alfa e beta da função gama a partir das séries históricas, seguida do ajuste desses parâmetros em função do tempo e do espaço e posterior comparação entre os valores estimados e os observados. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, conclui-se que a metodologia desenvolvida pode ser aplicada para a geração de séries sintéticas de precipitação pluvial diária nas diferentes estações pluviométricas do Rio Grande do Sul.Rio Grande do Sul is one of the largest grain producer states in Brazil, since most of the crops grown in non-irrigated systems, thus making them extremely dependent on the climatic conditions and on the pluviometric regime. This fact has inspired several research studies in the attempt of characterizing the spatial and temporal behavior of the rainfall. The objective of this research was to study the spatial and temporal variation of alpha and beta parameters of the gamma function for the generation of daily rainfall data in the state. The pluviometric precipitation data were obtained from the National Water Agency (ANA). The modeling of the daily rainfall was divided into the events of occurrence and quantity. Estimation of alpha and beta parameters of the gamma function was accomplished on the basis of historical series followed by the adjustment of these parameters as a function of time and space, and then the comparison between estimated and observed values. According to the results, one can conclude that the proposed methodology can be applied for the generation of synthetic series of daily rainfall in the different pluviometric stations of Rio Grande do Sul

Eco-efficiency actions and firm growth in Portugal

This study investigates the effect of eco-efficiency actions on firm performance, considering the turnover growth, on a sample of 7083 enterprises located in Portugal. Empirical results suggest that in general, for all the sectors involved, the undertaking of an eco-strategy aimed at being more resource efficient is related with increased growth in turnover. They also seem to show that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between the number of eco-innovation strategies implemented and turnover growth, allowing us to conclude that while in an initial stage an increase on the number of eco-innovations implemented by a firm increases turnover growth, in a second stage it will lead to decreased turnover growth. This may induce the existence of an optimal value for eco-innovation-strategies implemented within the firm. The substitution of fossil fuels by renewable sources also seems to be an important strategy that benefits turnover growth, as well as the environmental benefit of recycled waste, water or materials for own use or sale.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Caracterización de cepas de Bacillus thuringiensis berliner y actividad biológica hacia Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: noctuidae) y Anticarsia gemmatalis hübner (Lepidoptera: noctuidae).

RESUMEN: Se realizó la caracterización de nueve cepas cubanas de Bacillus thuringiensis según la morfología del cristal, la determinación del patrón de proteínas Cry y la actividad biológica frente a los insectos lepidópteros Spodoptera frugiperda y Anticarsia gemmatalis. Se observó la típica morfología bipiramidal en todas las cepas, y además la presencia de inclusiones cúbicas. El patrón de proteínas Cry obtenido correspondió con el de la cepa estándar internacional de B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki cepa HD1, en el que se observan dos bandas bien definidas correspondientes a la proteína Cry 1 (130 kDa) y Cry 2 (70 kDa). En la evaluación de la actividad biológica las cepas LBT 4 y LBT 7 causaron el 100% de mortalidad frente a S. frugiperda, mientras que las LBT 4, LBT 7, LBT 13 y LBT 47 provocaron el 100% de mortalidad para A. gemmatalis. abstract: This study describes the characterization of nine Cuban Bacillus thuringiensis strains based on crystal morphology, SDS polyacrylamide electrophoresis (PAGE) and insecticidal activity against Spodoptera frugiperda and Anticarsia gemmatalis. Ultrastructural analysis of parasporal bodies of the nine strains showed the typical bipyramidal crystal and cubic inclusion partially embedded in the middle of the bipyramidal crystal. The PAGE analysis showed two bands of 130 kDa and 70 kDa belongs to Cry 1 and Cry 2 protein present to HD1 standard strains B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki. The strains LBT 4 and LBT 7 analyzed in this report showed potential as biological insecticide against S. frugiperda and LBT 4, LBT 7, LBT13 and LBT47 strains showed 100% of mortality to Anticarsia gemmatalis

PepT1 mRNA expression levels in sea bream (Sparus aurata) fed different plant protein sources

The expression and regulation of intestinal oligopeptide transporter (PepT)-1 when vegetable sources are used as a substitute for fish meal in the diet of marine fish has not yet been explored. In the present study, as part of our ongoing work on elucidating PepT1 gene expression in relation to different dietary treatments, we have now isolated and deposited in Genbank database (accession no. GU733710) a cDNA sequence representing the PepT1 in the sea bream (Sparus aurata). The \u201cde novo\u201d prediction of the three-dimensional structure of PepT1 protein is presented. We also analyzed diet-induced changes in the expression of PepT1 mRNA via real-time RTPCR using the standard curve method. Sea bream were fed for 140 days with one of the following four diet formulations (43% protein/21% lipid): a control fast growth-promoting diet (C), and three diets with the same formulation but in which 15% of the fish meal was substituted by protein concentrates either from lupine (LPC), chick pea (CPC), or green pea (PPC). Fish fed PPC had significantly (p < 0.05) lower levels of PepT1 transcripts in the proximal intestine than the controls, whereas PepT1 transcript levels in fish fed LPC or CPC were not significantly different from the controls. Although growth was similar between fish fed with different diets during the first 72 days of feeding, growth of the fish fed with PPC was reduced during the second part of the trial and was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than fish fed LPC and CPC diets by the end of the experiment. Correlation between these results and fish growth performances highlights that the intestinal PepT1 mRNA level may serve as a useful marker of the dietary protein quality and absorption efficiency