Empowering Communities, beyond Energy Scarcity

“If we talk of promoting development, what have we in mind: goods or people [...]</i

Promoting circular economy transition: A study about perceptions and awareness by different stakeholders groups

Abstract The interest into Circular Economy (CE), mainly emerged recently in response to climate change, environmental damage, and the limits of a linear economy, requires a deeper investigation on how the concept and its transition process are perceived in the society. In the present explorative study (questionnaire survey), we evaluate the perception and level of awareness of three stakeholder groups with a good knowledge on CE concept and governance of the transition process, specifically: Researchers, Economists, and Administrators. The three samples contain stakeholders from EU and non-EU countries. We developed primarily a comprehensive literature review on CE perceptions and awareness useful for the design of the questionnaire, the comparison of the results and in overall for creating a wider framework of analysis and interpretation of the current CE transition. The questionnaire has been tested on one of the three samples (Researchers) and then replicated on the other two ones (Economists and Administrators). The results of the survey shows that the three groups perceive CE as a "zero waste economy" (Administrators) and in wider terms as a model for re-design our present state of economy and society in a more regenerative manner (Researchers and Economists). Administrators seem more focused on utilizing CE for economic growth and job creation while Researchers and Economists mainly expect receiving environmental benefits from the CE transition. The three groups share a common vision of CE at its initial stage of the transition process in agree with the relevant literature. In that, a more successful advance of CE depends on the governance of the process by key actors and instruments. Researchers emphasize a more holistic top-down approach while Economists and Administrators expect a bottom-up approach guided by the civil society (companies and citizens/consumers). However, these results complement each other's as all the actors are relevant for fostering CE and a mixed set of instruments is needed. Moreover, given that implementation of CE is costly for consumers and companies, the political intervention has a leading role in this initial phase also in disseminating a positive and sustainable image of CE concept and model. At this regard the support of CE research to such intervention is highly important to develop a CE path in line with all the three principles of sustainable development, the desired outcome of the society and capable of facing the current unprecedent environmental challenges

Systemic sustainability and resilience assessment of health systems, addressing global societal priorities: learnings from a top nonprofit hospital in a bioclimatic building in Africa

Health services represent a cornerstone to ensure well-being and human rights, particularly in deprived areas. The resource cost and appropriate use for the implementation of a top-quality hospital in Sudan are here investigated. An emerging approach such as systems-based Emergy Accounting is applied to assess its sustainability and resilience, also relying on Life-Cycle Assessment data to calculate some new unit emergy values. Very few similar studies have addressed civil works so far, even less bioclimatic buildings, while the focus on health systems is an absolute novelty. Particular attention is paid to design in adverse climate and economic conditions, to the humanitarian nongovernmental organisation running the hospital, and to the cutting-edge medical staff and technologies imported from abroad, also letting local practitioners to train in excellence medicine. The system’s direct and indirect socio-ecological requirements are expressed as emergy (resource investment) per patient-day, per cardiac surgical operation, per outpatient visit, and per year. From a quantitative viewpoint, these indicators represent a benchmark for improvement scenarios, comparison with new studies in a deserving field, and future investments, driven by effective healthcare policies. They also provide an overview of the efforts required by nature and society to ensure a human right in conditions of scarcity. Besides the possibility to lower a hospital’s environmental impact (sustainability-oriented) and to keep it functioning over time in changing climate, resource, societal, economic, and geo-political scenarios (resilience-oriented), this study leads to original remarks upon societal priorities and upon the challenges of guaranteeing high-quality health systems in an uncertain century

Environmental and economic sustainability of key sectors in China's steel industry chain: An application of the Emergy Accounting approach

Abstract Increasing urbanization day–by–day requires new housing and transportation infrastructures. As a consequence, demand for steel – a basic material for buildings construction as well as for vehicles and railroads – would also increases. This study applies Emergy Accounting (EMA) to assess the Chinas steel industry environmental performance and to identify key application sectors. Subsequently, this study calculates emergy–based indicators capable to assess the present economic performance, environmental sustainability, and land resource appropriate utilization. Building on these indicators, changes of sustainability scenarios in key application sectors are also investigated, with special focus on increased use of recycled steel. The results show that the environmental impacts of steel use in downstream sectors, specially in the Housing and Vehicles Sectors, are significantly higher. Furthermore, the downstream sectors also have a very large requirement for embodied land. Additionally, the Emergy Benefit Ratio (EBR) shows non-negligible advantages to China derived from importing raw iron from abroad at international market prices. Finally, when the recycling rate of scrap steel increases, the performance of downstream sectors improves, with the Vehicle sector showing the most significant changes. Although the benefits of steel-based economy to society are clear, multidimensional sustainability concerns and international competition for primary resources necessitate a transition towards increased recycling and innovative materials within a strictly enforced "circular economy" policy

Challenges in Urban Metabolism: Sustainability and Well-Being in Cities

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Developing a procedure for the integration of Life Cycle Assessment and Emergy Accounting approaches. The Amalfi paper case study

Abstract The analysis of complex systems requires an integrated application of different assessment methods also taking into account different scales and points of view to gain a systemic understanding of the investigated case study. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Emergy Accounting (EMA) are both environmental assessment methods, showing many similarities in the way they are performed, especially with respect to the inventory construction and to the interpretation of results. They also show great differences, the main residing in the different perspectives they give. LCA applies a consumer side perspective, and its space and time scales are set at a boundary capable to include all the process phases in terms of location and durability and their direct impacts on the investigated areas. On the other hand, throughout its donor side perspective, EMA expands the boundaries of the system over the entire biosphere space and time scales. Differences and similarities between LCA and EMA may gain added value by their implementation within a procedural framework which exploits the characteristics of the two methods. The present work proposes a methodological procedure based on the sequential and integrated application of LCA and EMA methods, called LEAF (LCA & EMA Applied Framework). The traditional Amalfi paper production is used as a test case study. The procedure stems include: (i) an ex-ante LCA analysis, to identify the hotspots of the investigated case study; (ii) the assessment of the environmental performance of the system through the development of different EMA-based improvement scenarios built around the chosen hotspots; and (iii) an ex-post LCA application built on each scenario results in order to detect the different environmental burdens. The application of LEAF to the traditional Amalfi paper production shows that the use of a more sustainable energy source is an effective solution (among the set of proposed options) to increase the sustainability of the investigated system

On the systemic features of urban systems. A look at material flows and cultural dimensions to address post-growth resilience and sustainability.

Urbanisation is widely recognised as a relentless trend at the global level. Nevertheless, a comprehensive assessment of urban systems able to address the future growth and decline of cities is still lacking. Urban systems today rely on abundant resources, flowing in from other regions, and their future availability and accessibility should be taken into consideration to ensure urban wellbeing and resilience in likely post-growth scenarios. A logical framework to address the challenge of urban planning and management to promote long-term urban system sustainability is proposed. Systems thinking and diagramming are applied, while comprehensively tracking the key material flows upon which cities depend back to their sources. First, the nexus among resources and urban activities is identified, and then its circularity is framed within a wider discourse on urban sustainability and resilience. Discussion is carried out within a two-fold perspective of both existing and newly built environments, while related economies are analysed in order to find possible gamechanging scenarios

Assessment of Urban Transportation Metabolism from Life Cycle Perspective: A Multi-method Study

Abstract The goal of this study is to provide a multi-method based on the eco-thermodynamic framework to examine the environmental sustainability of urban public transportation systems. Urban transportation metabolism (UTM), as a metaphor of urban systematic research methodology for transportation system, has been proposed and combined with life cycle assessment (LCA). Results show that the most important factors in assessing the acceptability of a transportation system are not only the direct fuel consumption, and the energy and material costs of the vehicles, but also the energy and materials costs for the upstream and downstream side of the infrastructure construction and vehicle fuel

The Evolution of Cities: "Brains" or "Parasites" of Sustainable Production and Consumption Processes in China☆

Abstract In the last two decades, remarkable progress in the promotion and implementation in China has occurred and generated a huge change of land use, energy and other resources demand, as well as environmental problems. It is therefore of paramount importance to explore the driving forces and the consequences of such a trend, as far as environmental integrity and resource availability are concerned. Special focus must be placed to possible changes in driving forces, in order to understand to what extent such a trend is continuous and irreversible or, instead, if sustainable metabolic processes in cities are likely to slow down as a consequence of the expected decline of available energy and material resources. Previous studies have already recognized the importance of the energy and material basis in support to urbanization trends and expressed concerns about the environmental consequences resulted from urbanization. What is missing is an integrated approach capable of establishing a bridge across the three legs of urban sustainability: (i) economic viability; (ii) social desirability; and (iii) ecological compatibility. This paper describes the development of a forecasting model, named the thermodynamic-based urban dynamic model, capable of accurately simulating the observed resource consumption, economic growth, and environmental impact of Dalian from 2000 to 2050. This model differs from previous urban dynamic models by monitoring the negative effects to human well-being and ecosystem integrity in the developing urban systems. Statistical information and calibration were also considered in this dynamic accounting. The results showed that the production and consumption processes in Dalian are heavily relied on non-renewable resources. Although the economic structure of Dalian was generally optimized, Dalian continued to face enormous resource and environmental pressures caused by the rapid economic growth. This study advances the temporal dynamic principles through integrating upstream and downstream evaluation methods to quantify the environmental impact by addressing specific damages to human health and ecosystem's integrity and by linking such impacts to a supply-side environmental cost evaluation