CO2-eq-emissions of organic and conventional foodstuffs in Austria

To date 74 products (in each case KONV, Bio-ZZU and, in part Bio-EU) have been evaluated: dairy products (47 products), fruit and vegetables (currently 15 products), bread products (currently 12 products). This summary only presents the results of selected products in the KONV and Bio-ZZU categories

Revisiting Jevons’ Paradox with System Dynamics:Systemic Causes and Potential Cures

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.This article examines the dynamic relationship between the consumption of goods and services, technological efficiency, and associated resource use, as described by the theory of Jevons' Paradox (JP). A theory is presented about what causes JP, in which resource efficiency savings are eventually overtaken by increases in consumption to produce a net increase in resource use and therefore environmental impacts. An application of the theory was carried out using system dynamics, modeling carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) emissions from private road transport in the UK between 1970 and 2010. The model results indicate the approximate impact of JP within the historical period: a rise in travel consumption of approximately one half and a rise in CO2-eq emissions of approximately one third. The model was used to estimate whether the European Union (EU) goal of a 40% drop in CO2-eq emissions by 2030 is achievable in the road transport sector, by adding interventions, and the results indicate that higher increases in fleet efficiency than are currently forecast, costlier travel, and a reduction in travel consumption would all be required. The theory and model presented in this article highlight the need to implement a system of interventions that can influence the strength and direction of each of the feedback loops within the system being intervened with, if CO2-eq emissions are to be more reliably reduced than they are at present. Further, because the system is constantly evolving, intervening with it requires a responsive, holistic approach, while maintaining focus on a long-term goal

Investigating production parameters and impacts of potential emissions from soybean biodiesel stored under different conditions

Biodiesel production parameters and the impact analysis of the potential emissions from both soybean biodiesel and washing water stored in three different environmental conditions were investigated. The effects of the reaction temperature, methanol/oil mole ratio and catalyst concentration on biodiesel yield were considered. And the results showed optimum biodiesel yield of 99% obtained at 54°C, 7 methanol/oil mole ratio and 0.4 wt/wt % catalyst concentration. The potential emissions from both the biodiesel produced and washing water stored (for six weeks) in refrigerator (≤ 10°C), vacuum (50 kPa) and direct exposure to atmosphere were identified and quantified. Impact analysis of the emissions involved their categorization into: terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, human toxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, climate change and freshwater ecotoxicity. Freshwater ecotoxicity category had the most pronounced negative impact of the potential emissions with 5.237710-2 kg 1,4-DB eq. emissions in Atmosphere, 4.702610-2 kg 1,4-DB eq. emissions in Refrigerator and 3.966110-2 kg 1,4-DB eq. emissions in Vacuum. Climate change had the least effect of the emissions with 6.21410-6 kg CO2 eq. in Atmosphere, 3.9310-6 kg CO2 eq. in Refrigerator and 1.6710-6 kg CO2 eq. in Vacuum. The study showed that the order of preference of the storage environments of biodiesel is vacuum environment, refrigerated condition and exposure to atmosphere

The impact of genetic selection on greenhouse-gas emissions in Australian dairy cattle

In Australia, dairy cattle account for ~12% of the nation’s agricultural greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Genetic selection has had a positive impact, reducing GHG emissions from dairy systems mainly due to increased production per cow, which has led to (1) requiring fewer cows to produce the same amount of milk and (2) lowering emissions per unit of milk produced (emission intensity). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the consequences of previous and current genetic-selection practices on carbon emissions, using realised and predicted responses to selection for key traits that are included in the Australian national breeding objective. A farm model was used to predict the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-eq) emissions per unit change of these traits, while holding all other traits constant. Estimates of the realised change in annual CO₂-eq emissions per cow over the past decade were made by multiplying predicted CO₂-eq emissions per unit change of each trait under selection by the realised rates of genetic gain in each of those traits. The total impact is estimated to be an increase of 55 kg CO₂-eq/cow.year after 10 years of selection. The same approach was applied to future CO₂-eq emissions, except predicted rates of genetic gain assumed to occur over the next decade through selection on the Balanced Performance Index (BPI) were used. For an increase of AU$100 in BPI (~10 years of genetic improvement), we predict that the increase of per cow emissions will be reduced to 37 kg CO₂-eq/cow.year. Since milk-production traits are a large part of the breeding goal, the GHG emitted per unit of milk produced will reduce as a result of improvements in efficiency and dilution of emissions per litre of milk produced at a rate estimated to be 35.7 g CO₂-eq/kg milk solids per year in the past decade and is predicted to reduce to 29.5 g CO₂-eq/kg milk solids per year after a conservative 10-year improvement in BPI (AU$100). In fact, cow numbers have decreased over the past decade and production has increased; altogether, we estimate that the net impact has been a reduction of CO₂-eq emissions of ~1.0% in total emissions from the dairy industry per year. Using two future scenarios of either keeping the number of cows or amount of product static, we predict that net GHG emissions will reduce by ~0.6%/year of total dairy emissions if milk production remains static, compared with 0.3%/year, if cow numbers remain the same and there is genetic improvement in milk-production traits

Cement substitution with secondary materials can reduce annual global CO2 emissions by up to 1.3 gigatons

Population and development megatrends will drive growth in cement production, which is already one of the most challenging-to-mitigate sources of CO2 emissions. However, availabilities of conventional secondary cementitious materials (CMs) like fly ash are declining. Here, we present detailed generation rates of secondary CMs worldwide between 2002 and 2018, showing the potential for 3.5 Gt to be generated in 2018. Maximal substitution of Portland cement clinker with these materials could have avoided up to 1.3 Gt CO2-eq. emissions (~44% of cement production and ~2.8% of anthropogenic CO2-eq. emissions) in 2018. We also show that nearly all of the highest cement producing nations can locally generate and use secondary CMs to substitute up to 50% domestic Portland cement clinker, with many countries able to potentially substitute 100% Portland cement clinker. Our results highlight the importance of pursuing regionally optimized CM mix designs and systemic approaches to decarbonizing the global CMs cycle

CO₂ -based assessment for sustainable production planning in the metal processing industry

By assessing the emissions of greenhouse gases of finished goods over their entire lifecycle, it can be seen that a significant part of the emissions is caused in production and related upstream processes. A strong focus on resource-efficient production techniques could provide possibilities for significant emission reduction in these processes. This causes the need of a quantitative comparison of different production techniques and processes by their total CO2-eq.-emissions. Especially small enterprises may not be able to provide information on energy and resource flows and resulting emissions on a level that is detailed enough to reveal emission reduction potentials. The assessment model introduced is applicable for every enterprise to quantify production-related emissions of their finished goods and to compare them with other possible production techniques and processes, in order to facilitate CO2-based production planning. The model is highly flexible, as calculations are based on a process database that can easily be modified. Moreover, the input of country-specific and manufacturer-specific data like country-specific electricity-mix or material-manufacturer-specific CO2-eq.-emissions enables a high customization level

Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Organic and Conventional Foodstuffs in Austria

The consumer´s choice in quality of foodstuffs can influence GHG-emissions from the food sector. Organic agriculture is discussed as a possible way to reduce GHG-emissions. However the amount of reducing CO2eq per kg of organic products is unclear especially under supermarket conditions. The primary goal of the present study was to compare greenhouse gas emissions (CO2-eq) of organic foodstuffs with conventionally grown ones. All balanced foodstuffs are retail products, processed and marketed by nationwide supermarket companies in Austria

Climate relevance of foodstuffs – what can the organic farmer do?

Over the past year the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL) Austria has been carrying out a comprehensive study regarding the climate relevance of foodstuffs (client: “Zurück zum Ursprung”/Hofer KG and the Ministry of Agriculture). This study calculated the CO2-Emissions along the entire supply chain of 95-100 organic foodstuffs as compared to conventional foodstuffs, from the agricultural production to the supermarket branches

Efficiency & sustainability model to design and manage two-stage logistic networks

The distribution and storage efficiency together with the environmental sustainability are mandatory targets to consider when designing and managing modern supply chain (SC) networks. The current literature continuously looks for quantitative multi-perspective strategies and models, including and best balancing such issues that often diverge. This paper presents and applies a bi-objective optimization model to best design and manage two-stage logistic networks looking for the best trade-off between the SC stock level and the building and distribution environmental impact. The existence of good balance confirms the possibility to reduce the average SC stock level without a relevant increase of the emissions due to frequent replenishments