Most Cited Ecological Economics Articles
The most cited articles published since 2011, extracted from Scopus.
Rethinking ecosystem services to better address and navigate cultural valuesKai M A Chan | Terre Satterfield | Joshua Goldstein
Volume 74, Issue , February 2012, Pages 8-18
Ecosystem service approaches have become a prominent basis for planning and management. Cultural services and non-use values are included in all major typologies and present some of the most compelling reasons for conserving ecosystems, though many barriers exist to their explicit characterization. The values that conform least well to economic assumptions-variously lumped together with/as cultural services-have proven elusive in part because valuation is complicated by the properties of intangibility and incommensurability, which has in turn led to their exclusion from economic valuation. We argue that the effectiveness of the ecosystem services framework in decision-making is thwarted by (i) conflation of services, values, and benefits, and (ii) failure to appropriately treat diverse kinds of values. We address this challenge by (1) distinguishing eight dimensions of values, which have implications for appropriate valuation and decision-making; (2) demonstrating the interconnected nature of benefits and services, and so the ubiquity of intangible values; (3) discussing the implications of these propositions for ecosystem-services research; and (4) outlining briefly a research agenda to enable decision-making that is ecologically appropriate and socially just. Because many ecosystem services (co-)produce 'cultural' benefits, full characterization of services must address non-material values through methods from diverse social sciences. © 2011 Elsevier B.V..
In defence of degrowthGiorgos Kallis
Volume 70, Issue 5, March 2011, Pages 873-880
This article defends the proposal of sustainable degrowth. A starting premise is that resource and CO2 limits render further growth of the economy unsustainable. If degrowth is inevitable, the question is how it can become socially sustainable, i.e. a prosperous and stable, rather than a catastrophic, descent. Pricing mechanisms alone are unlikely to secure smooth adaptation; a full ensemble of environmental and redistributive policies is required, including - among others - policies for a basic income, reduction of working hours, environmental and consumption taxes and controls on advertising. Policies like these, that threaten to "harm" the economy, are less and less likely to be implemented within existing market economies, whose basic institutions (financial, property, political, and redistributive) depend on and mandate continuous economic growth. An intertwined cultural and political change is needed that will embrace degrowth as a positive social development and reform those institutions that make growth an imperative. Sustainable degrowth is therefore not just a structuring concept; it is a radical political project that offers a new story and a rallying slogan for a social coalition built around the aspiration to construct a society that lives better with less. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Classifying and valuing ecosystem services for urban planningErik Gómez-Baggethun | David N. Barton
Volume 86, Issue , February 2013, Pages 235-245
While technological progress has fostered the conception of an urban society that is increasingly decoupled from ecosystems, demands on natural capital and ecosystem services keep increasing steadily in our urbanized planet. Decoupling of cities from ecological systems can only occur locally and partially, thanks to the appropriation of vast areas of ecosystem services provision beyond the city boundaries. Conserving and restoring ecosystem services in urban areas can reduce the ecological footprints and the ecological debts of cities while enhancing resilience, health, and quality of life for their inhabitants. In this paper we synthesize knowledge and methods to classify and value ecosystem services for urban planning. First, we categorize important ecosystem services and disservices in urban areas. Second, we describe valuation languages (economic costs, socio-cultural values, resilience) that capture distinct value dimensions of urban ecosystem services. Third, we identify analytical challenges for valuation to inform urban planning in the face of high heterogeneity and fragmentation characterizing urban ecosystems. The paper discusses various ways through which urban ecosystems services can enhance resilience and quality of life in cities and identifies a range of economic costs and socio-cultural impacts that can derive from their loss. We conclude by identifying knowledge gaps and challenges for the research agenda on ecosystem services provided in urban areas. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
The blue, green and grey water footprint of rice from production and consumption perspectivesA. K. Chapagain | A. Y. Hoekstra
Volume 70, Issue 4, February 2011, Pages 749-758
The paper makes a global assessment of the green, blue and grey water footprint of rice, using a higher spatial resolution and local data on actual irrigation. The national water footprint of rice production and consumption is estimated using international trade and domestic production data. The global water footprint of rice production is 784km3/year with an average of 1325m3/t which is 48% green, 44% blue, and 8% grey. There is also 1025m3/t of percolation in rice production. The ratio of green to blue water varies greatly over time and space. In India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines, the green water fraction is substantially larger than the blue one, whereas in the USA and Pakistan the blue water footprint is 4 times more than the green component. The virtual water flows related to international rice trade was 31km3/year. The consumption of rice products in the EU27 is responsible for the annual evaporation of 2279Mm3 of water and polluted return flows of 178Mm3 around the globe, mainly in India, Thailand, the USA and Pakistan. The water footprint of rice consumption creates relatively low stress on the water resources in India compared to that in the USA and Pakistan. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Transdisciplinarity: Between mainstreaming and marginalizationThomas Jahn | Matthias Bergmann | Florian Keil
Volume 79, Issue , July 2012, Pages 1-10
Transdisciplinarity has a long history of academic discourse. Promoted as an adequate scientific response to pressing societal problems like climate change, it has recently received common currency in science policy rhetoric. Nevertheless, despite its increasing popularity, transdisciplinarity is still far from academically established and current funding practices do not effectively support it at universities and research institutions. One reason for this deficit is that a universally accepted definition for transdisciplinarity is still not available. Consequently, quality standards that equally guide researchers, program managers and donors are widely lacking. Therefore, a rhetorical mainstreaming of transdisciplinarity prevails which risks marginalizing those who take seriously the integrative efforts creative collaboration requires. The aim of this paper is thus to find common ground in the transdisciplinarity discourse. Based on an analysis of current scientific literature, we first identify main features of an emerging shared framework of transdisciplinarity. Second, building upon this framework, we present a conceptual model of transdisciplinarity that can be used by science and science policy to characterize different types of transdisciplinarity and their corresponding demands on integration. We also address the way in which ecological economics could benefit from adopting this model. To conclude, we propose a general definition of transdisciplinarity. © 2012 Elsevier B.V..
Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact - The role of regulatory push/pull, technology push and market pullJens Horbach | Christian Rammer | Klaus Rennings
Volume 78, Issue , June 2012, Pages 112-122
Empirical analyses of eco-innovation determinants have rarely been able to distinguish between different areas of environmental impact. The present paper tries to close this gap by employing a new and unique dataset based on the German Community Innovation Survey, conducted in 2009. The main purpose of this paper is to test whether different types of eco-innovation (according to their environmental impacts) are driven by different factors. Beside a complex set of different supply, firm-specific, and demand factors, the literature on determinants of eco-innovation accentuates the important role of regulation, cost savings and customer benefits. We find that current and expected government regulation is particularly important with regard to pushing firms to reduce air (e.g. CO 2, SO 2 or NO x) as well as water or noise emissions, avoid hazardous substances, and increase recyclability of products. Cost savings are an important motivation for reducing energy and material use, pointing to the role of energy and raw material prices as well as taxation as drivers for eco-innovation. Customer requirements are another important source of eco-innovations, particularly with regard to products with improved environmental performance and process innovations that increase material efficiency, and reduce energy consumption, waste and the use of dangerous substances. Firms confirm a high importance of expected future regulations for all environmental product innovations. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
Quo Vadis MRIO? Methodological, data and institutional requirements for multi-region input-output analysisThomas Wiedmann | Harry C. Wilting | Manfred Lenzen | Stephan Lutter | Viveka Palm
Volume 70, Issue 11, September 2011, Pages 1937-1945
In order to understand wider sustainability impacts of consumption and to successfully promote and implement sustainable consumption and production policies, there is a need to capture the whole life-cycle impact of products and services across international supply chains. Multi-region input-output (MRIO) databases are a well described and suitable foundation for global sustainability analyses addressing a wide range of policy and research questions. In this paper we reflect on the reasons for the recent boom in MRIO compilation, summarise the current state of development and discuss future options for MRIO analysis. We list in detail the requirements for efficient and effective MRIO research and propose systemic and institutional changes. We deliberately try to go beyond existing ambitions for MRIO compilation and thus intend to stimulate discussion and to lay out the options for the future of MRIO research. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
The impact of urbanization on CO2 emissions: Evidence from developing countriesInmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso | Antonello Maruotti
Volume 70, Issue 7, May 2011, Pages 1344-1353
This paper analyzes the impact of urbanization on CO2 emissions in developing countries from 1975 to 2003. It contributes to the existing literature by examining the effect of urbanization, taking into account dynamics and the presence of heterogeneity in the sample of countries. The results show an inverted-U shaped relationship between urbanization and CO2 emissions. Indeed, the elasticity emission-urbanization is positive for low urbanization levels, which is in accordance with the higher environmental impact observed in less developed regions. Among our contributions is the estimation of a semi-parametric mixture model that allows for unknown distributional shapes and endogenously classifies countries into homogeneous groups. Three groups of countries are identified for which urbanization's impact differs considerably. For two of the groups, a threshold level is identified beyond which the emission-urbanization elasticity is negative and further increases in the urbanization rate do not contribute to higher emissions. However, for the third group only population and affluence, but not urbanization, contribute to explain emissions. The differential impact of urbanization on CO2 emissions should therefore be taken into account in future discussions of climate change policies. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Environment versus growth - A criticism of "degrowth" and a plea for "a-growth"Jeroen C J M Van den Bergh
Volume 70, Issue 5, March 2011, Pages 881-890
In recent debates on environmental problems and policies, the strategy of "degrowth" has appeared as an alternative to the paradigm of economic growth. This new notion is critically evaluated by considering five common interpretations of it. One conclusion is that these multiple interpretations make it an ambiguous and rather confusing concept. Another is that degrowth may not be an effective, let alone an efficient strategy to reduce environmental pressure. It is subsequently argued that "a-growth," i.e. being indifferent about growth, is a more logical social aim to substitute for the current goal of economic growth, given that GDP (per capita) is a very imperfect indicator of social welfare. In addition, focusing ex ante on public policy is considered to be a strategy which ultimately is more likely to obtain the necessary democratic-political support than an ex ante, explicit degrowth strategy. In line with this, a policy package is proposed which consists of six elements, some of which relate to concerns raised by degrowth supporters. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Creating legitimacy in global private governance: The case of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm OilGreetje Schouten | Pieter Glasbergen
Volume 70, Issue 11, September 2011, Pages 1891-1899
This article suggests that understanding legitimization processes of private governance initiatives requires a multi-dimensional approach. This suggestion has been operationalized in three aspects that can be used to better understand such processes: legality, moral justifications, and consent/acceptance. These aspects are based on different theoretical traditions and are applied in an analysis of the process of creating legitimacy of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). This empirical research reveals the characteristics of the legitimization process of the RSPO and shows the value of a multi-dimensional approach. The three perspectives complement each other and deepen our insights in legitimization processes by revealing tensions and trade-offs in the different ways in which non-state market driven governance arrangements can create legitimacy. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Global democracy and earth system governanceJohn S. Dryzek | Hayley Stevenson
Volume 70, Issue 11, September 2011, Pages 1865-1874
The issue of climate change confirms the global reach of earth system governance, whose legitimacy and effectiveness could gain from democratisation. While electoral democracy as practised in states provides no model for global democracy, lessons drawn from the performance and history of states prove helpful in identifying the elements that a well functioning ecological democracy ought to strive for. We capture these elements through reference to the idea of a deliberative system, and show how the idea of such a system can be used to analyse, evaluate, and provide prescriptions for the global governance of climate change. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Environmental impacts of changes to healthier diets in EuropeArnold Tukker | R. Alexandra Goldbohm | Arjan De Koning | Marieke Verheijden | René Kleijn | Oliver Wolf | Ignacio Pérez-Domínguez | Jose M. Rueda-Cantuche
Volume 70, Issue 10, August 2011, Pages 1776-1788
Food consumption causes, together with mobility, shelter and the use of electrical products, most life cycle impacts of consumption. Meat and dairy are among the highest contributors to environmental impacts from food consumption. A healthier diet might have less environmental impacts. Using the E3IOT environmentally extended input output database developed in an EU study on Environmental Impacts of Products (EIPRO), this paper estimates the difference in impacts between the European status quo and three simulated diet baskets, i.e. a pattern according to universal dietary recommendations, the same pattern with reduced meat consumption, and a 'Mediterranean' pattern with reduced meat consumption. Production technologies, protein and energy intake were kept constant. Though this implies just moderate dietary shifts, impact reductions of up to 8% were possible in reduced meat scenarios. The slightly changed food costs do not lead to significant first order rebound effects. Second order rebounds were estimated by applying the CAPRI partial equilibrium model. This analysis showed that European meat production sector will most likely respond by higher exports to compensate for losses on the domestic meat market. Higher impact reductions probably would need more drastic diet changes. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Beyond GDP: Measuring and achieving global genuine progressIda Kubiszewski | Robert Costanza | Carol Franco | Philip Lawn | John Talberth | Tim Jackson | Camille Aylmer
Volume 93, Issue , September 2013, Pages 57-68
While global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased more than three-fold since 1950, economic welfare, as estimated by the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), has actually decreased since 1978. We synthesized estimates of GPI over the 1950-2003 time period for 17 countries for which GPI has been estimated. These 17 countries contain 53% of the global population and 59% of the global GDP. We compared GPI with Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Human Development Index (HDI), Ecological Footprint, Biocapacity, Gini coefficient, and Life Satisfaction scores. Results show a significant variation among these countries, but some major trends. We also estimated a global GPI/capita over the 1950-2003 period. Global GPI/capita peaked in 1978, about the same time that global Ecological Footprint exceeded global Biocapacity. Life Satisfaction in almost all countries has also not improved significantly since 1975. Globally, GPI/capita does not increase beyond a GDP/capita of around $7000/capita. If we distributed income more equitably around the planet, the current world GDP ($67. trillion/yr) could support 9.6. billion people at $7000/capita. While GPI is not the perfect economic welfare indicator, it is a far better approximation than GDP. Development policies need to shift to better account for real welfare and not merely GDP growth. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
The quantification and valuation of ecosystem servicesMark Sagoff
Volume 70, Issue 3, January 2011, Pages 497-502
This paper explores differences between economic and ecological criteria for identifying, measuring, and evaluating ecosystem services. It argues that economic stakeholders (user groups) generally do well in identifying these services and assigning prices to them. These prices arise spontaneously in-and serve to coordinate-market activity related to the environment. The relevant ecological information which markets gather and apply tends to be dispersed, contingent, particular, local, transitory, and embedded in institutions and practices. Ecologists and other scientists, in contrast, often seek to understand how ecosystems work and which populations and processes provide ecosystem services. The knowledge science seeks, unlike the information markets gather, tends to be centralized, collaborative, collective, and consensus-based; science pursues concepts and principles that are timeless and general rather than ephemeral and site-specific. The paper contrasts the dispersed and decentralized information organized by markets with the collective and centralized knowledge characteristic of science. The paper argues that the conceptual distance between market-based and science-based methods of assembling information and applying knowledge defeats efforts to determine the "value" of ecosystem services in any integrated sense. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Where is the consensus? A proposed foundation for moving ecosystem service concepts into practiceAmanda M. Nahlik | Mary E. Kentula | M. Siobhan Fennessy | Dixon H. Landers
Volume 77, Issue , May 2012, Pages 27-35
Inconsistent terms, definitions, and classifications hinder advancement of the study and application of ecosystem services. A unified approach among disciplines involved in researching and implementing ecosystem services is imperative to moving concepts into practice. An operational definition needs to be adopted by the ecosystem service community as the basis of a classification system so that ecosystem goods and services may be measured by ecologists, valued by economists, and utilized by decision-makers. We propose a transdisciplinary approach centered upon shared principles, an ecosystem services definition, and a classification system. This shared foundation provides a common set of ecosystem goods and services that serves as the focus for and connection among multiple disciplines. This foundation is specific enough to be operational while remaining relevant to a multitude of ecosystem service objectives for which frameworks and implementation plans may be developed. Although numerous ecosystem service frameworks exist in the literature, many of them are non-operational or are focused toward a single discipline. An evaluation of these frameworks identifies knowledge gaps and suggests how we may advance ecosystem services into practice. Our evaluation demonstrates that foundational concepts (especially a definition and classification system, and community involvement) are often poorly addressed in ecosystem service frameworks. © 2012.
Accountability and legitimacy in earth system governance: A research frameworkFrank Biermann | Aarti Gupta
Volume 70, Issue 11, September 2011, Pages 1856-1864
Along with concerns over the effectiveness of earth system governance, ways of enhancing its accountability and legitimacy are increasingly coming to the fore in both scholarly debate and political practice. Concerns over accountability and legitimacy pertain to all levels of governance, from the local to the global, and cover the spectrum of public and private governance arrangements. This conceptual article elaborates on the sources, mechanisms and reform options relating to more accountable, legitimate and democratic earth system governance. We proceed in four steps. First, we conceptualize accountability and legitimacy in earth system governance. Second, we place questions of accountability and legitimacy within the larger context of earth system transformation, which, we argue, poses special challenges to the pursuit of accountability and legitimacy. Third, drawing on the contributions to this special section, we analyze different sources and mechanisms of accountability and legitimacy and their effects on the democratic potential and effectiveness of governance. Fourth, in concluding, we outline reform options that may help alleviate persisting deficits in the democratic potential of earth system governance. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Redefining payments for environmental servicesLuca Tacconi
Volume 73, Issue , January 2012, Pages 29-36
The Environmental Economics and the Ecological Economics perspectives on payments for environmental services (PES) propose rather different views on how to define PES, its key elements, and on the role of PES in ecosystem conservation and rural development. This paper compares these two perspectives and addresses the following questions: what is an appropriate definition of PES, grounded in the theory and practice underlying it? What are the key design elements of PES? What should the scope of PES be given the possible trade-offs between efficiency and equity? It is found that PES schemes should focus on cost-effectiveness and best practice for positive livelihood impacts. PES schemes should be transparent, and provide additional services with conditional payments to voluntary providers. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
A coevolutionary framework for analysing a transition to a sustainable low carbon economyTimothy J. Foxon
Volume 70, Issue 12, October 2011, Pages 2258-2267
This paper proposes a coevolutionary framework for analysing a transition to a sustainable low-carbon economy, based on the coevolution of ecosystems, technologies, institutions, business strategies and user practices, within a multi-level micro-meso-macro perspective. This builds on and develops previous coevolutionary analyses of long-term technological and industrial change, and recent renewed interest within ecological economics on coevolutionary approaches. Previous work has analysed how the coevolution of technologies and institutions has led to the lock-in of current high-carbon energy systems; and how the coevolution of physical and social technologies and business strategies has brought significant material and welfare benefits to the minority of the world's population living in industrialised countries. The coevolutionary framework proposed here may be used to undertake: (1) detailed empirical analyses at a micro-meso level of the challenges relating to the innovation and adoption of particularly low-carbon technologies; (2) as a framework for analysing the multi-level interaction of social and technological elements within potential transition pathways to a low carbon energy system; (3) to assess the implications for economic growth and prosperity of a transition to a low carbon economy; and (4) to assist in the development of more formal, multi-level evolutionary economic models. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
The economic impact of shale gas extraction: A review of existing studiesThomas C. Kinnaman
Volume 70, Issue 7, May 2011, Pages 1243-1249
Recent advances in drilling technology have allowed for the profitable extraction of natural gas from deep underground shale rock formations. Several reports sponsored by the gas industry have estimated the economic effects of the shale gas extraction on incomes, employment, and tax revenues. None of these reports has been published in an economics journal and therefore have not been subjected to the peer review process. Yet these reports may be influential to the formation of public policy. This commentary provides written reviews of several studies purporting to estimate the economic impact of gas extraction from shale beds. Due to questionable assumptions, the economic impacts estimated in these reports are very likely overstated. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Analyses of water footprint of Beijing in an interregional input-output frameworkZhuoying Zhang | Hong Yang | Minjun Shi
Volume 70, Issue 12, October 2011, Pages 2494-2502
Beijing is under severe water resource pressure due to the rapid economic development and growing population. This study quantitatively evaluates the water footprint of Beijing in an interregional input-output framework with a focus on blue water resources and uses. The inter-connections of water resources between Beijing and other provinces are analyzed with a sectoral specification. The results show that the total water footprint of Beijing is 4498.4 106m3/year, of which 51% is from the external water footprint acquired through virtual water import. Agriculture has the highest water footprint of 1524.5 106m3/year with 56% coming from external sources. The main virtual water provider for Beijing is Hebei, another water scarce region, from which Beijing receives virtual water of 373.3 106m3/year with 40% from agriculture. The results of this study suggest that the interregional trade coordination, especially for the main sectors with high water use intensity, is important for enhancing the efficiency of regional and national water resource utilization. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Ecosystem services and ethicsKurt Jax | David N. Barton | Kai M A Chan | Rudolf de Groot | Ulrike Doyle | Uta Eser | Christoph Görg | Erik Gómez-Baggethun | Yuliana Griewald | Wolfgang Haber | Roy Haines-Young | Ulrich Heink | Thomas Jahn | Hans Joosten | Lilin Kerschbaumer | Horst Korn | Gary W. Luck | Bettina Matzdorf | Barbara Muraca | Carsten Neßhöver | Bryan Norton | Konrad Ott | Marion Potschin | Felix Rauschmayer | Christina von Haaren | Sabine Wichmann
Volume 93, Issue , September 2013, Pages 260-268
A major strength of the ecosystem services (ESS) concept is that it allows a succinct description of how human well-being depends on nature, showing that the neglect of such dependencies has negative consequences on human well-being and the economy. As ESS refer to human needs and interests, values are to be considered when dealing with the concept in practice. As a result we argue that in using the concept there is a need to be clear about what different dimensions of value are involved, and be aware of ethical issues that might be associated with the concept. A systematic analysis of the ethical implications associated to the ESS concept is still lacking. We address this deficiency by scrutinising value dimensions associated with the concept, and use this to explore the associated ethical implications. We then highlight how improved transparency in the use of the ESS concept can contribute to using its strengths without succumbing to possible drawbacks arising from ethical problems. These problems concern the dangers that some uses of the concept have in obscuring certain types of value, and in masking unevenness in the distribution of costs and benefits that can arise in the management of ESS. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
The innovation effects of environmental policy instruments - A typical case of the blind men and the elephant?René Kemp | Serena Pontoglio
Volume 72, Issue , December 2011, Pages 28-36
In this paper we examine the innovation effects of environmental policy instruments in four literatures: theoretical models on incentives for eco-innovation, econometric studies based on observed data, survey analysis based on stated information and technology case studies. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the methods and the results. We argue that the case studies literature, even when its results are specific and difficult to generalise, is a necessary source of empirical evidence about policy impacts and the factors responsible for these impacts, pointing to issues that are neglected in the theoretical and econometric literature such as the specifics of the innovation context and policy interaction effects. The paper states five synthesised findings and makes a plea for multi-method analysis. One other important synthesised finding is that the influence of market-based instruments on innovation (such as emission trading and taxes) is far weaker than assumed. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Greenhouse gas emissions of self-selected individual diets in France: Changing the diet structure or consuming less?F. Vieux | N. Darmon | D. Touazi | L. G. Soler
Volume 75, Issue , March 2012, Pages 91-101
The aim was to estimate the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) associated with self-selected diets and to evaluate the impact of modifying dietary structures on diet-associated GHGE. Food consumption data from 1918 adults participating in the French national dietary survey and GHGE of 73 highly consumed foods (in g CO 2e/100g of edible food) were used to estimate the GHGE of each individual diet. The mean diet-associated GHGE was 4170g CO 2e/day and a high inter-individual variability was observed. When the total caloric intakes were reduced to meet the individual energy needs, the diet-associated GHGE decreased by either 10.7% or 2.4%, depending on the assumption made on the average physical activity level of the population. The meat and deli meat food group represented the strongest diet-associated GHGE contributor, but the impact of different meat reduction scenarios was modest. In particular, when fruit and vegetables were iso-calorically substituted for meat, either null or even positive diet-associated GHGE variations were observed because the needed amounts of fruit and vegetables to maintain the caloric content of the diet were high. Therefore, substituting fruit and vegetables for meat (especially deli meat) may be desirable for health but is not necessarily the best approach to decreasing diet-associated GHGE. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
A review of transdisciplinary research in sustainability sciencePatric Brandt | Anna Ernst | Fabienne Gralla | Christopher Luederitz | Daniel J. Lang | Jens Newig | Florian Reinert | David J. Abson | Henrik Von Wehrden
Volume 92, Issue , August 2013, Pages 1-15
Achieving the goal of sustainability requires understanding and management of unprecedented and interconnected challenges. A transdisciplinary approach is a key component of sustainability science. However, there are considerable barriers to implementing transdisciplinary projects. We undertake a mixed quantitative and qualitative analysis of peer-reviewed sustainability science studies where the transdisciplinary approach has been applied. We assess the growth and scientific impact of transdisciplinary sustainability research, the methods used and how three key characteristics of transdisciplinarity research-process phases, knowledge types and the intensity of involvement of practitioners-are implemented. While transdisciplinary research is growing there is no common glossary, no focused communication platform and no commonly shared research framework. Transdisciplinary research utilizes a broad, but not clearly defined, set of methods for knowledge production. While the intensity of practitioner involvement varied within the case studies analyzed, very few realized empowerment. Based on our review of transdisciplinary case study papers we conclude that transdisciplinary research must be clearly framed, including the use of a common terminology and the development of a broad suite of appropriate methods. Despite the challenges highlighted here, science needs to move beyond classical disciplinary approaches and should consider interdisciplinary work that engages with practitioners to achieve sustainable transitions. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Multi-region input-output analysis of CO2 emissions embodied in trade: The feedback effectsBin Su | B. W. Ang
Volume 71, Issue 1, November 2011, Pages 42-53
Energy-related CO2 emissions embodied in international trade have been widely studied by researchers using the environmental input-output framework. Despite the increasing interest in using the multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model by researchers, few studies have looked into the mechanism of feedback effects. We introduce a method called the stepwise distribution of emissions embodied in trade (SWD-EET) to reveal how the emissions embodied in trade are absorbed by a country's final demands through a series of allocation steps. A country's indirect absorption patterns and its indirect trade balance of emissions from bilateral trade with other countries are also studied based on the proposed method. An empirical study using the data of Asian economies shows significant differences in the "consumption-based" emission estimates for some economies due to feedback effects through international trade. The differences can be largely captured by the first step or the first two steps of the adjustment procedure in the SWD-EET analysis. Other findings and some recommendations are also presented. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.