Interregional ecology - resource flows and sustainability in a globalizing world

In a globalizing world, trade has become essential to supporting the needs and wants of billions of people. Virtually everyone now consumes resource commodities and manufactured products traded all over the world; the ecological footprints of nations are now scattered across the globe. The spatial separation of material production (resource exploitation) from consumption eliminates negative feedbacks from supporting eco-systems. Most consumers remain unaware of the impacts that their trade dependence imposes on distant ecosystems (out of sight out of mind). I take the first steps in developing a conceptual and practical framework for an ‘interregional ecology’ approach to exploring and analyzing sustainability in an increasingly interconnected world. Such an approach accounts for some of the ‘externalities’ of globalization and international trade. It underscores the increasing dependence and impact of almost any country on resources originating from others and recognizes that the sustainability of any specified region may be increasingly linked to the ecological sustainability of distant supporting regions. I empirically describe and quantify some of the interregional material linkages between selected countries. I document the flows of renewable resources into the U.S. and quantify the U.S. external material footprint (EF) on specific countries. I then document the physical inputs involved in production of most agricultural export products from Costa Rica and Canada. Finally, I focus on major export products such as bananas, coffee and beef in Costa Rica and agricultural activities in the Canadian Prairies and document some of the ecological consequences (loss of habitat, soil degradation, water contamination and biodiversity loss) of that production. My research findings show increasing U.S. imports, increasing reliance on external sources and growing external ecological footprints. They also show how production activities mostly for overseas consumption led to changes in ecological structure and function in the studied export countries. This dissertation adds a missing trans-national dimension to the sustainability debate effectively integrating the policy and planning domain for sustainability in one region with that in others. While my research focuses mainly on documenting the nature and magnitude of interregional connections I also consider some of the implications of the interregional approach for sustainability planning.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat

Analyzing the biophysical inputs and outputs embodied in global commodity chains - the case of Israeli meat consumption

The prevailing global livestock industry relies heavily on natural capital and is responsible for high emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). In recent years, nations have begun to take more of an active role in measuring their resource inputs and GHG outputs for various products. However, up until now, most nations have been recording data for production, focusing on processes within their geographical boundaries. Some recent studies have suggested the need to also embrace a consumption-based approach. It follows that in an increasingly globalized interconnected world, to be able to generate a sustainable food policy, a full systems approach should be embraced. The case of Israeli meat consumption presents an interesting opportunity for analysis, as the country does not have sufficient resources or the climatic conditions needed to produce enough food to support its population. Therefore, Israel, like a growing number of other countries that are dependent on external resources, relies on imports to meet demand, displacing the environmental impact of meat consumption to other countries. This research utilizes a multi-regional consumption perspective, aiming to measure the carbon and land footprints demanded by Israeli cattle and chicken meat consumption, following both domestic production and imports of inputs and products. The results of this research show that the “virtual land” required for producing meat for consumption in Israel is equivalent to 62% of the geographical area of the country. Moreover, almost 80% of meat consumption is provided by locally produced chicken products but the ecological impact of this source is inconsequential compared to the beef supply chain; beef imports comprise only 13% of meat consumption in Israel but are responsible for 71% of the carbon footprint and 83% of the land footprint. The sources of Israel’s meat supply are currently excluded from environmental impact assessments of Israeli processes. However, they constitute a significant fraction of the system’s natural capital usage, so they must be included in a comprehensive assessment of Israel’s consumption habits. Only then can policy be created for a sustainable food system, and inter-regional sustainability be achieved

An Integrated Analysis of Dairy Farming: Direct and Indirect Environmental Interactions in Challenging Bio-Physical Conditions

The demand for milk and its products is growing worldwide. The need to find more efficient ways to produce milk while reducing pressure on the local and global environment has been identified. The Israeli dairy system operates in a challenging environment (limited land, water, and a harsh climate). This paper embraces a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework to analyze various local and global direct and indirect environmental interactions of milk production in Israel. The results show that the production of 1 kg of fat and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) in the systems that were analyzed requires on average 0.5 m2 of land, 52 L of water, and 3.3 MJ of energy. The emissions that were generated over the life cycle averaged 1.03 kg CO2-eq (GWP), 0.0095 kg SO2-eq (AP) and 0.003 kg PO4-eq (EP). The research findings point to several ‘pollution hotspots’ that are relevant also to dairy systems in other regions, including feed supply, GHG emissions that are related to enteric fermentation, manure management, and the use of water, and discuss some potential directions to advance more efficient, less polluting system

Place oriented ecological footprint analysis -- The case of Israel's grain supply

In today's world, any nation's ecological footprint is spread all over the globe. Still, most footprint studies are not yet sensitive to the specific locations on which the footprint falls and to the unique production characteristics of each supporting region. In recent years some studies have acknowledged the need to quantify the 'real land' footprints and particularly the share of the footprint embodied in trade. Our goal is to analyse the ecological footprint of grain-based consumption in the state of Israel during the last two decades. We present a detailed, place oriented calculation procedure of Israel's grain footprint on specific locations around the world. We document modes of production, major energy inputs in specific sources of supply, the energy required for shipping from each source, and the CO2 emissions from those operations. Our research reveals that most of Israel's grain footprint falls on North America followed by the Black Sea region. It also shows that while the overall consumption of grain products has increased throughout the research period, the size of the footprint has been dropping in recent years as a consequence of changing sources of supply and grain composition. Finally, we discuss some of the implications of the method presented here for future footprint calculations and environmental resource management.Ecological footprint analysis Grains Israel International trade Consumption

An Integrated Analysis of Dairy Farming: Direct and Indirect Environmental Interactions in Challenging Bio-Physical Conditions

The demand for milk and its products is growing worldwide. The need to find more efficient ways to produce milk while reducing pressure on the local and global environment has been identified. The Israeli dairy system operates in a challenging environment (limited land, water, and a harsh climate). This paper embraces a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework to analyze various local and global direct and indirect environmental interactions of milk production in Israel. The results show that the production of 1 kg of fat and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) in the systems that were analyzed requires on average 0.5 m2 of land, 52 L of water, and 3.3 MJ of energy. The emissions that were generated over the life cycle averaged 1.03 kg CO2-eq (GWP), 0.0095 kg SO2-eq (AP) and 0.003 kg PO4-eq (EP). The research findings point to several ‘pollution hotspots’ that are relevant also to dairy systems in other regions, including feed supply, GHG emissions that are related to enteric fermentation, manure management, and the use of water, and discuss some potential directions to advance more efficient, less polluting system

Grape Wine Cultivation Carbon Footprint: Embracing a Life Cycle Approach across Climatic Zones

Ongoing climate change processes and increasing environmental pressure suggest the need to adjust the wine production systems worldwide to the new conditions while reducing their environmental pressure. The grapes’ cultivation phase may be influenced by expected changes. It follows that existing grape wine cultivation systems should be analyzed to identify major ‘hotspots’ and opportunities for change. Several studies have analyzed materials, energy inputs, and related emissions along the grape wine life cycle. However, most research focuses on traditional grape wine growing areas, and no study has yet focused on grape wine grown in unconventional desert areas. The research presented in this paper analyzed the carbon footprint (CF) of grapes grown in the Mediterranean, semi-arid, and arid climatic regions in the state of Israel. It revealed that, on average, a ton of grapes generates 342 kg CO2 eq from the cradle to the farm gate. The product was analyzed using a life-cycle approach, with the aim of studying the CF of each phase according. Most emissions were found to be related to the use of fertilizers (37%), fuel for transportation and mechanization (19%), and water supply (17%). The CF of grapes in the arid region was found to be the highest at 361 kg CO2 eq compared to 317 kg CO2 eq in the semi-arid region and 346 kg CO2 eq in the Mediterranean region. The analysis emphasizes the arid and semi-arid potential to reduce its CF by implementing farm management practices, including the choice of grape varieties, changing vineyard infrastructure, fertilizers, water management, and more. As presented here, understanding cropping systems in these regions can promote a better adaptation of the cropping systems to the changing conditions around the world

Grape Wine Cultivation Carbon Footprint: Embracing a Life Cycle Approach across Climatic Zones

Ongoing climate change processes and increasing environmental pressure suggest the need to adjust the wine production systems worldwide to the new conditions while reducing their environmental pressure. The grapes’ cultivation phase may be influenced by expected changes. It follows that existing grape wine cultivation systems should be analyzed to identify major ‘hotspots’ and opportunities for change. Several studies have analyzed materials, energy inputs, and related emissions along the grape wine life cycle. However, most research focuses on traditional grape wine growing areas, and no study has yet focused on grape wine grown in unconventional desert areas. The research presented in this paper analyzed the carbon footprint (CF) of grapes grown in the Mediterranean, semi-arid, and arid climatic regions in the state of Israel. It revealed that, on average, a ton of grapes generates 342 kg CO2 eq from the cradle to the farm gate. The product was analyzed using a life-cycle approach, with the aim of studying the CF of each phase according. Most emissions were found to be related to the use of fertilizers (37%), fuel for transportation and mechanization (19%), and water supply (17%). The CF of grapes in the arid region was found to be the highest at 361 kg CO2 eq compared to 317 kg CO2 eq in the semi-arid region and 346 kg CO2 eq in the Mediterranean region. The analysis emphasizes the arid and semi-arid potential to reduce its CF by implementing farm management practices, including the choice of grape varieties, changing vineyard infrastructure, fertilizers, water management, and more. As presented here, understanding cropping systems in these regions can promote a better adaptation of the cropping systems to the changing conditions around the world

Footprints on the prairies: Degradation and sustainability of Canadian agricultural land in a globalizing world

The 'Canadian prairies' represent one of the world's great breadbaskets, supplying people all over the world with agricultural commodities ranging from various grains, through legumes and oilseeds, to both grain and grass-fed meat products. However, the expansion and intensification of Canadian agriculture in the last century has significantly altered the structure and degraded the function of prairie ecosystems. This, combined with climate change, has put the ecological sustainability of the region at risk and raises questions about the region's ability to continue supporting millions of distant consumers. We use variants of two existing sustainability assessment tools, material flows analysis (MFA) and ecological footprint analysis (EFA) to estimate the terrestrial ecosystem area and other physical inputs used on the Canadian prairies to satisfy export demand and to link this production to documented processes of ecological degradation. We discuss the implications of this interregional framework for impact analysis and conclude that, in a globalizing, ecologically full-world, trade-dependence implies previously-ignored risks to both importers and exporters. The results underscore the importance for all countries to protect or restore their own natural capital assets and enhance their self-reliance. Citizens and their governments, particularly of countries that have become irreversibly import-dependent, have a direct interest in ensuring that the ecosystems that support them are sustainably managed, wherever in the world the latter may be located.International trade Ecological footprint analysis Material flows analysis Canadian prairies Ecological degradation

Accounting for the Ecological Footprint of Materials in Consumer Goods at the Urban Scale

Ecological footprint analysis (EFA) can be used by cities to account for their on-going demands on global renewable resources. To date, EFA has not been fully implemented as an urban policy and planning tool in part due to limitations of local data availability. In this paper we focus on the material consumption component of the urban ecological footprint and identify the ‘component, solid waste life cycle assessment approach’ as one that overcomes data limitations by using data many cities regularly collect: municipal, solid waste composition data which serves as a proxy for material consumption. The approach requires energy use and/or carbon dioxide emissions data from process LCA studies as well as agricultural and forest land data for calculation of a material’s ecological footprint conversion value. We reviewed the process LCA literature for twelve materials commonly consumed in cities and determined ecological footprint conversion values for each. We found a limited number of original LCA studies but were able to generate a range of values for each material. Our set of values highlights the importance for cities to identify both the quantities consumed and per unit production impacts of a material. Some materials like textiles and aluminum have high ecological footprints but make up relatively smaller proportions of urban waste streams than products like paper and diapers. Local government use of the solid waste LCA approach helps to clearly identify the ecological loads associated with the waste they manage on behalf of their residents. This direct connection can be used to communicate to citizens about stewardship, recycling and ecologically responsible consumption choices that contribute to urban sustainability.Applied Science, Faculty ofNon UBCCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofReviewedFacult