Changes in global food consumption increase GHG emissions despite efficiency gains along global supply chains

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to food consumption complement production-based or territorial accounts by capturing carbon leaked through trade. Here we evaluate global consumption-based food emissions between 2000 and 2019 and underlying drivers using a physical trade flow approach and structural decomposition analysis. In 2019, emissions throughout global food supply chains reached 30 ±9% of anthropogenic GHG emissions, largely triggered by beef and dairy consumption in rapidly developing countries—while per capita emissions in developed countries with a high percentage of animal-based food declined. Emissions outsourced through international food trade dominated by beef and oil crops increased by ~1 Gt CO2 equivalent, mainly driven by increased imports by developing countries. Population growth and per capita demand increase were key drivers to the global emissions increase (+30% and +19%, respectively) while decreasing emissions intensity from land-use activities was the major factor to offset emissions growth (−39%). Climate change mitigation may depend on incentivizing consumer and producer choices to reduce emissions-intensive food products.</p

The shift of embodied energy flows among the Global South and Global North in the post-globalisation era

Concerns about the energy associated with the manufacturing of a product or service or so-called embodied energy in international trade have been increasing due to global energy shortages and environmental degradation. With globalisation slowing, the shifting global spatial patterns and driving forces of energy embodied in international trade deserve deeper investigation. Using the most up-to-date multi-regional input-output database (GTAP 11), we analyse the spatial pattern and driving forces of change for energy embodied in international trade among the Global North and South, namely developed and developing countries, from 2000 to 2019. The results show that North-North trade dominates global embodied energy transfers, although its dominance is waning. The growth of embodied energy transfers is shifting from South-North to South-South trade. Yet the difference in embodied energy transfers between the Global South to Global North remains huge. In further parsing the drivers behind embodied energy transfers, we find that the scale of trade was the primary driver of growth in global embodied energy transfers, but its effect was fading and even had a weak negative effect on North-North and North-South embodied energy transfers between 2014 and 2019. Energy intensity was the primary inhibitor of global embodied energy transfers but with a declining influence except for South-South trade in the later stage (−24.28% during 2014–2019). The role of trade structure effects on global embodied energy transfers became increasingly evident, especially in the later phase (2014–2019) for South-South (33.08%) and South-North trade (13.22%). In contrast, changes in production structure had a small impact on global embodied energy transfers. The findings show the importance of portraying embodied energy flows to help identify the main drivers and reemphasize the need to reduce energy consumption along global value chains.</p

The shift of embodied energy flows among the Global South and Global North in the post-globalisation era

Concerns about the energy associated with the manufacturing of a product or service or so-called embodied energy in international trade have been increasing due to global energy shortages and environmental degradation. With globalisation slowing, the shifting global spatial patterns and driving forces of energy embodied in international trade deserve deeper investigation. Using the most up-to-date multi-regional input-output database (GTAP 11), we analyse the spatial pattern and driving forces of change for energy embodied in international trade among the Global North and South, namely developed and developing countries, from 2000 to 2019. The results show that North-North trade dominates global embodied energy transfers, although its dominance is waning. The growth of embodied energy transfers is shifting from South-North to South-South trade. Yet the difference in embodied energy transfers between the Global South to Global North remains huge. In further parsing the drivers behind embodied energy transfers, we find that the scale of trade was the primary driver of growth in global embodied energy transfers, but its effect was fading and even had a weak negative effect on North-North and North-South embodied energy transfers between 2014 and 2019. Energy intensity was the primary inhibitor of global embodied energy transfers but with a declining influence except for South-South trade in the later stage (−24.28% during 2014–2019). The role of trade structure effects on global embodied energy transfers became increasingly evident, especially in the later phase (2014–2019) for South-South (33.08%) and South-North trade (13.22%). In contrast, changes in production structure had a small impact on global embodied energy transfers. The findings show the importance of portraying embodied energy flows to help identify the main drivers and reemphasize the need to reduce energy consumption along global value chains.</p

ecologically unequal exchanges driven by EU consumption

In our globalized economy, the consumption of goods and services induces economic benefits but also environmental pressures and impacts around the world. Consumption levels are especially high in the current 27 member countries of the European Union (EU), which are some of the wealthiest economies in the world. Here, we determine the global distribution of ten selected environmental pressures and impacts, as well as value added induced by EU consumption from 1995 to 2019. We show that large shares of all analysed environmental pressures and impacts are outsourced to countries and regions outside the EU, while more than 85% of the economic benefits stay within the member countries. But there is also uneven distribution of costs and benefits within the EU. Over the analysed period, pressures and impacts induced by EU consumption largely decreased within the EU but increased outside its borders. We show that Eastern European neighbours of the EU experienced the highest environmental pressures and impacts per unit of GDP associated with EU consumption. The findings of this research add to the discussions on outsourcing environmental pressures and impacts and highlight the need for a reduction of pressures and impacts induced by EU consumption.</p

Building vertically-structured, high-performance electrodes by interlayer-confined reactions in accordion-like, chemically expanded graphite

10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.104482NANO ENERGY7

Burden of the global energy price crisis on households

The Russia–Ukraine conflict has triggered an energy crisis that directly affected household energy costs for heating, cooling and mobility and indirectly pushed up the costs of other goods and services throughout global supply chains. Here we bridge a global multi-regional input–output database with detailed household-expenditure data to model the direct and indirect impacts of increased energy prices on 201 expenditure groups in 116 countries. On the basis of a set of energy price scenarios, we show that total energy costs of households would increase by 62.6–112.9%, contributing to a 2.7–4.8% increase in household expenditures. The energy cost burdens across household groups vary due to differences in supply chain structure, consumption patterns and energy needs. Under the cost-of-living pressures, an additional 78 million–141 million people will potentially be pushed into extreme poverty. Targeted energy assistance can help vulnerable households during this crisis. We emphasize support for increased costs of necessities, especially for food

Efficient generation of collimated frequency upconversion blue light in rubidium vapor

Pulsed collimated blue light at 420.3 nm is generated in hot Rb vapor by upconverting the 778.10 nm pumping beam through four wave mixing process. The energy conversion efficiency exceeds 1% when a 45 cm-long, 170 degrees C heated Rb cell is used. The influence of cell temperature, wavelength, and energy of a pumping laser are fully examined. The efficiency of the photon conversion is found to be more sensitive to the blue detuning of the pump light and less sensitive to the red detuning of the pump light. This phenomenon can be explained by stimulated hyper-Raman scattering involved in the four-wave mixing process