Trade-offs and synergies in the ecosystem service demand of urban brownfield stakeholders

Brownfield site redevelopment presents an opportunity to create urban green spaces that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. It is important, therefore, to understand which ecosystem services are demanded by stakeholders and whether there are trade-offs or synergies in this demand. We performed a quantitative survey of ecosystem service demand from brownfield sites that included all major stakeholder groups. Results showed that there was a strong trade-off between demand for services related to property development (e.g. ground strength and low flood risk) and all other services, which were linked to vegetated sites. There was a secondary, but weak, trade-off between demand for services of more ‘natural’ vegetated sites (e.g. with a biodiversity protection role) and those linked to aesthetics and recreation. Stakeholders with a strong preference for biodiversity protection formed a distinct group in their ecosystem service demands. While a ‘development’ vs ‘green space’ trade-off may be unavoidable, the general lack of strong trade-offs in demand for other services indicated that the creation of multifunctional greenspaces from former brownfield sites would be desirable to most stakeholders, as long as these are biophysically possible

Engineering soils to act as carbon sinks

PhD ThesisSoils containing calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) bearing waste silicate minerals may be intentionally engineered to capture and store atmospheric carbon (C). Within the soil environment these minerals can capture and store atmospheric C through the process of weathering that releases Ca and Mg which then precipitate as carbonate minerals. Like natural silicates, silicate ‘wastes’ and artificial silicates sequester C through carbonation of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+). Terrestrial CO2 sequestration may be promoted by the inclusion of these reactive mineral substrates in soils, and many waste sites and urban and anthropogenic soils already contain quantities of these materials. The UK Government is currently committed to reducing carbon emissions by 80% in 2050 (against a 1990 baseline) and soils have a role to play, acting as sinks for carbon. It is proposed that soil engineering measures could harness the high C turnover of the global pedologic system, ~120Pg C a-1 , to develop an efficient method of enhanced weathering. Artificial silicates have the potential to capture 192-333 Mt C a-1 , representing 2.0-3.7% of contemporary global C emissions; natural silicates present a carbon capture potential many orders of magnitude greater. Mineral carbonation in an artificial soil setting has the potential to capture inorganic carbon comparable to organic carbon accumulation. Soils of this type can accumulate 20-30 kg C m2 as carbonates (≥ organic carbon content in natural soils, ~17.5 kg C m2 for rural soils in the UK). Laboratory investigations were carried out on a number of experimental scales, from meso-scale flow-through reactors to micro-scale batch experiments, to determine the rate at which Ca and Mg could be supplied from suitable materials in engineered soil systems to perform a carbon capture function. Environmental factors were controlled for each in order to constrain their contribution to the overall process. Batch experiments were carried out at standard temperature and pressure (STP) to investigate effects of changes in solute concentration, water chemistry, agitation and particle size. pH controlled experiments were run at STP from pH 3-8, to determine the effects of pH changes on the weathering of wollastonite. Flow-through weathering experiments at STP investigated the effects of time, water chemistry, hydrogeological conditions and addition of CO2 on the weathering of steel slag. Analytical results demonstrate that Ca leaches rapidly from a number of Ca-rich artificial minerals providing great potential for carbon capture to occur on human-relevant timescales. Steel slag was shown to weather at a log rate of -9.39 to -11.88 mol Ca m-2 sec-1 in laboratory settings and -7.11 to - 7.56 mol Ca m-2 sec-1 under ambient environmental conditions in the field over 975 days. Anthropogenic soils, known to contain substantial quantities of Ca and Mg-rich minerals derived from industrial and demolition activity (including iron and steel slag, cement and concrete), were systematically sampled across two field sites. Analysis illustrated mean soil carbonate values of 21.8 ± 4.7% wt to 41.16 ± 9.89 wt % demonstrating that a large quantity of soil carbonate forms and persists in these environments, formed at a rate of 18kg CO2 t-1 a-1 . Stable isotope data ( 13C, 18O) confirm that up to 81% of C in these pedogenic carbonates is atmospherically derived. 14 C data also suggest that a significant proportion of the C present in carbonates analysed is ‘modern’. Applying a current CO2 trading cost of £8-£12 t-1 CO2, the potential value of CO2 sequestration at a study site was calculated to be £51,843 £77,765 ha-1 after 58% of its carbonation potential had been exploited. The studies contained in this thesis add to a growing body of evidence for the formation of carbonate minerals in soil settings where Ca/Mg-bearing silicate minerals occur. They also support the idea that engineered soils could be effectively utilised for carbon sequestration. Soil engineering for carbon capture provides a comparatively cheap, easy and attractive way of beginning to offset the environmental impact of certain industrial processes. Carbonation of waste silicates is a useful exercise in ‘closing the loop’ on C emissions produced in their manufacture. Carbon capture taking place on sites containing industrial waste materials is of interest to a variety of stakeholders: site owners, third sector bodies and local and national legislative bodies. Effective, low- energy field-scale implementation of mineral carbonation through soil engineering could assuage current constraints on economic performance of enhanced weathering technologies and highlight the importance of soil carbon storage.Natural Environment Research Counci

Case studies on the effectiveness of capacity strengthening activities of the science granting councils initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Science Granting Councils are at various stages in developing and implementing components of their science systems; for example, through deployment of learnings from the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) on public-private partnerships, and use of science, technology and innovation (STI) indicators in development and implementation of programmes. This report provides examples of how the SGCI has been effective and influential in context-dependent ways in the study countries. Findings suggest that all SGCs surveyed have been able to engage with, benefit from, and implement at least some of the trainings received by SGCI

Global Social Challenges for Development Studies in the Crisis in the Anthropocene

This panel discussion session explores some of the central dimensions of the Crisis in the Anthropocene that constitute global social challenges in the context of development studies. The conference theme highlighted the profound human impact on our blue-green-brown planet, that is already breaching planetary boundaries and pushing us beyond the roughly 1.5°C tipping point. This threatens liveability and sustainability in many localities and regions and may well rapidly be ‘off the scale’ of imaginability and survivability. Inevitably, as mounting empirical evidence and increasingly clear projections by the IPCC and other authoritative bodies show, these impacts are unevenly spread, both socially and spatially, both now and over the coming decades. The urgency of appropriate action is undeniable and we already know many dimensions of the required adaptations and transformations. Yet progress mostly remains too slow. These challenges are vital to the development studies community – heterogenous as it is – with our concerns for tackling poverty, inequality, deprivation and environmental degradation globally and locally.Hence this symposium asks what the crisis means for development theory, policy and practice and what development studies can and should be contributing to – and, indeed, whether it is capable of – addressing some key dimensions that warrant greater attention.Keywords: Crisis of the Anthropocene; development challenges; climate change; human security; circular economy; development finance; planetary healt

Global social challenges for development studies in the Crisis in the Anthropocene

This panel discussion session explores some of the central dimensions of the Crisis in the Anthropocene that constitute global social challenges in the context of development studies. The conference theme highlighted the profound human impact on our blue-green-brown planet, that is already breaching planetary boundaries and pushing us beyond the roughly 1.5°C tipping point. This threatens liveability and sustainability in many localities and regions and may well rapidly be ‘off the scale’ of imaginability and survivability. Inevitably, as mounting empirical evidence and increasingly clear projections by the IPCC and other authoritative bodies show, these impacts are unevenly spread, both socially and spatially, both now and over the coming decades. The urgency of appropriate action is undeniable and we already know many dimensions of the required adaptations and transformations. Yet progress mostly remains too slow. These challenges are vital to the development studies community – heterogenous as it is – with our concerns for tackling poverty, inequality, deprivation and environmental degradation globally and locally. Hence this symposium asks what the crisis means for development theory, policy and practice and what development studies can and should be contributing to – and, indeed, whether it is capable of – addressing some key dimensions that warrant greater attention

Exploring human-nature relationships in academic literature on the nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen (N) cycle is a familiar concept. As is the much simplified, often diagrammatic, representation commonly used to illustrate the scale, importance and interconnectedness of this global cycle that links air, water, rocks and living beings. However, in this representation, humans are often presented as a seemingly minor entity or not explicitly shown at all. This can obscure the idea that humanity is both a direct beneficiary of the nitrogen cycle (through food and resources) and an increasingly significant influence on its function. This study sought to understand how diverse Human-Nature relationships (HNR) are expressed in recent academic literature on the nitrogen cycle. A sample of peer-reviewed literature, containing explicit and inferred examples of HNR and the nitrogen cycle, was analysed using two approaches: 1) network analysis, identifying and illustrating all quantifiable links made between components of the nitrogen cycle, and 2) content analysis to understand how different kinds of terminology were being used to describe relationships between components in the cycle. The network analysis revealed diverse links between ‘human’ and ‘non-human nature’. The content analysis found some explicit use of relational terms, most commonly ‘depend*’. Both approaches highlighted strongly reciprocal links within the ‘human’ realm and the explicit centrality in which this is held across the corpus. We demonstrate the utility of combining quantitative and qualitative analysis to understand nuanced relationships in the nitrogen cycle and explore the utility this has to increase the acknowledgement and appreciation of HNR in science communication and science-policy interface work

Navigating the science policy interface: a co-created mind-map to support early career research contributions to policy-relevant evidence

The interface between science and policy is a complex space, in theory and practice, that sees the interaction of various actors and perspectives coming together to enable policy-relevant evidence to support decision-making. Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are increasingly interested in working at the science-policy interface to support evidence-informed policy, with the number of opportunities to do so increasing at national and international levels. However, there are still many challenges limiting ECRs participation, not least how such a complex space can be accessed and navigated. While recommendations for engaging at the science-policy interface already exist, a practical ‘map’ of the science-policy interface landscape which would allow for ECR participation in evidence co-production and synthesis in science-policy is missing. With the purpose of facilitating the engagement of ECRs producing biodiversity and ecosystem services policy-relevant evidence at the interface between science and policy, the authors have co-created a ‘mind-map’—a tool to review the landscape of and leverage access to the science-policy interface. This tool was developed through reviewing published literature, collating personal experiences of the ECR authors, and validating against wider peer perspectives in an ECR workshop during the 7th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This co-created tool sees ECR engagement in (co-)producing evidence at the science-policy interface as an interaction of three main factors: the environment of the ECR, which mediates their acts of engagement at the science-policy interface leading to outcomes that will ultimately have a reciprocal impact on the ECR’s environment