Autor(es): Ian Vázquez Rowe y otros
Life Cycle Assessment and Data Envelopment Analysis have been repeatedly combined in the literature as LCA+DEA method with the aim of enhancing the utility of life-cycle based methods in order to account for eco-efficiency verification and environmental impact minimization. Despite its evolution through time, it lacks specific standards that norm the combination of the two methods. In this sense, this study noted that its development has evolved in the frame of mainstream cultural perspectives to measure environmental impacts (i.e., hierarchist approaches). Therefore, the main objective of the study is to compare the benchmarking results obtained through DEA computation using different Cultural Theory approaches to calculate environmental impacts. For this, a case study for the Cantabrian purse seining fishing fleet was chosen. Hence, three different DEA matrices were constructed attending to the three main human visions on environmental issues: hierarchist, individualist and egalitarian. All three matrices represented the same set of inputs to be optimized, but differed in the nature of the output flow, representing landed fish, energy content or biomass removal. Results suggest that optimization of environmental impacts is strongly influenced by the cultural perspective selected. In the particular case of fishing fleets, benchmarking environmental impacts based on anthropocentric views may be ignoring the health of fishing stocks and the trophic complexity of the ecosystems. Methodological conclusions are directed towards the need to define more flexible and holistic frameworks in LCA+DEA modelling with the aim of enrichening the set of predetermined assumptions, including the Cultural Theory, to avoid biased interpretations.
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The production of food that is environmentally friendly and presents a high economic return is one of the current concerns for the food industry. Eco-efficiency links the environmental performance of a product to its economic value. In this context, this study combines Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to propose a two-step eco-efficiency methodology assessment for the fish canning industry. An eco-label rating system based on a descriptive weighting of environmental (Global Warming Potential, Acidification Potential, Eutrophication Potential and the ReCiPe Single Score Endpoint) and economic (Value Added) indicators was applied to the canned anchovy. Secondly, LCA-LCC results were coupled to linear programming (LP) tools in order to define a composite eco-efficiency index. This approach enables translation into economic terms of the environmental damage caused when a given alternative is chosen. In particular, different origins for anchovy species (South American vs. Cantabrian) and related waste management alternatives (landfill, incineration and valorization) were evaluated under this cradle to gate approach. Results indicated that substantial differences can be observed depending on the origin of the fish. Anchovies landed in Cantabria show a higher value added score at the expense of larger environmental impacts, mainly due to fuel use intensity. Moreover, its environmental scores are lowered when fish residues are valorized into marketable products, while increasing the value added. This study demonstrates the environmental and economic benefits of applying circular economy. According to this, it is possible to introduce the cradle-to-cradle concept in the fish canned industry. The methodology proposed is intended to be useful to decision-makers in the anchovy canning sector and can be applied to other regions and industrial sectors.
Ir al enlaceAutor(es): Ian Vázquez Rowe y otros
Urban environments in Latin America must begin decarbonizing their activities to avoid increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions rates due to their reliance on fossil fuel-based energy to support economic growth. In this context, cities in Latin America have high potential to convert sunlight into energy. Hence, the main objective of this study was to determine the potential of electricity self-sufficiency production and mitigation of GHG emissions in three medium-sized cities in Peru through the revalorization of underutilized rooftop areas in urban environments. Each city represented a distinct natural area of Peru: Pacific coast, Andean region and Amazon basin. More specifically, photovoltaic solar systems were the technology selected for implementation in these rooftop areas. Data on incident solar energy, temperature and energy consumption were collected. Thereafter, ArcGis10.3 was used to quantify the total usable area in the cities. A series of correction factors, including tilt, orientation or roof profiles were applied to attain an accurate value of usable area. Finally, Life Cycle Assessment was the methodology chosen to calculate the reduction of environmental impacts as compared to the current context of using electricity from the regional grids. Results showed that the cities assessed have the potential to obtain their entire current electricity demand for residential, commercial and public lighting purposes, augmenting energy security and resilience to intermittent natural disasters, with the support of decentralized storage systems. This approach would also translate into substantial reductions in terms of GHG emissions. Annual reductions in GHG emissions ranged from 112 ton CO2eq in the city of Ayacucho to over 523 kton CO2eq in Pucallpa, showing that cities in the Amazon basin would be the ones that benefit the most in terms of climate change mitigation.
Ir al enlaceAutor(es): Carlos Mesta Cornetero, Ramzy Kahhat Abedrabbo y otros
Building stock constitutes a huge repository of construction materials in a city and a potential source for replacing primary resources in the future. This article describes the application of a methodological approach for analyzing the material stock (MS) in buildings and its spatial distribution at a city-wide scale. A young Latin-American city, the city of Chiclayo in Peru, was analyzed by combining geographical information systems (GIS) data, census information, and data collected from different sources. Application of the methodology yielded specific indicators for the physical size of buildings (i.e., gross floor area and number of stories) and their material composition. The overall MS in buildings, in 2007, was estimated at 24.4 million tonnes (Mt), or 47 tonnes per capita. This mass is primarily composed of mineral materials (97.7%), mainly concrete (14.1 Mt), while organic materials (e.g., 0.15 Mt of wood) and metals (e.g., 0.40 Mt of steel) constitute the remaining share (2.3%). Moreover, historical census data and projections were used to evaluate the changes in the MS from 1981 to 2017; showing a 360% increase of the MS in the last 36 years. This study provides essential supporting information for urban planners, helping to provide a better understanding of the availability of resources in the city and its future potential supply for recycling as well as to develop strategies for the management of construction and demolition waste.
Ir al enlaceAutor(es): Ian Vázquez Rowe y otros
The water footprint profile was analyzed for grape used in vinification in the Ribeiro appellation (Spain) for the period 2000–2009. The ISO 14046 framework was followed to address the quantitative —freshwater scarcity— and qualitative —degradation— water-related impacts from a life cycle perspective. The timeline perspective allowed the analysis of the fluctuation of impacts for this kind of product. For the quantitative blue water-related impacts, the Available WAter REmaining (AWARE) method was implemented to assess the freshwater scarcity impacts, being the selection of characterization factors (CFs) essential to establish the main impact contributors, especially for direct water consumption at spatial scale. Blue water scarcity impact results varied considerably during the period assessed, mainly due to changes in the harvest yield. The impact results obtained from the AWARE method were compared with the results obtained with other water-related impact assessment methods —water stress index and water depletion. The results for both share the same trends as the AWARE method, with direct water consumption representing 30%–40% of the total contributions throughout the assessed period. The green water scarcity footprint was also evaluated, showing that there are perturbations in the production of surface blue water and green moisture recycled to the atmosphere. The sensitivity analysis on green water CFs showed high variations in green water scarcity footprint results, highlighting the relevance of deriving spatially differentiated and crop-specific green water CFs to assess real water consumption impacts on crop fields properly. On-field emissions were the primary responsible for water degradation impacts; in particular, those resulting from fuel consumption, pesticides application and fertilization. The sensitivity analysis conducted for pesticides emissions highlighted the necessity of a consensus dispersion model to address them.
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In a global framework of growing concern for food security and environmental protection, the selection of food products with higher protein content and lower environmental impact is a challenge. To assess the reliability of different strategies along the food supply chain, a measure of food cost through the environmental impact-protein content binomial is necessary. This study proposes a standardized method to calculate the Green Protein Footprint (GPF) index, a method that assesses both the environmental impact of a food product and its protein content provided to consumers. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to calculate the environmental impact of the selected food products, and a Life Cycle Protein Assessment (LCPA) was performed by accounting for the protein content along the supply chain. Although the GPF can be applied to all food chain products, this paper is focused on European anchovy-based products for indirect human consumption (fishmeal) and for direct human consumption (fresh, salted and canned anchovies). Moreover, the circular economy concept was applied considering the valorization of the anchovy residues generated during the canning process. These residues were used to produce fishmeal, which was employed in bass aquaculture. Hence, humans are finally consuming fish protein from the residues, closing the loop of the original product life cycle. More elaborated, multi-ingredient food products (salted and canned anchovy products), presented higher GPF values due to higher environmental impacts. Furthermore, the increase of food loss throughout their life cycle caused a decrease in the protein content. Regarding salted and canned products, the packaging was the main hotspot. The influence of the packaging was evaluated using the GPF, reaffirming that plastic was the best alternative. These results highlighted the importance of improving packaging materials in food products.
Ir al enlaceAutor(es): Ian Vázquez Rowe, Gustavo Larrea Gallegos y otros
Esta publicación académica se realiza en el marco del proyecto "Reducción del impacto ambiental de la Canasta Básica Alimentaria (CBA) en el Perú - WALAYA" Abstract: Food consumption accounts for an important proportion of the world GHG emissions per capita. Previous studies have delved into the nature of dietary patterns, showing that GHG reductions can be achieved in diets if certain foods are consumed rather than other, more GHG intensive products. For instance, vegetarian and low-meat diets have proved to be less carbon intensive than diets that are based on ruminant meat. These environmental patterns, increasingly analyzed in developed nations, are yet to be assessed in countries liked Peru where food purchase represents a relatively high percentage of the average household expenditure, ranging from 38% to 51% of the same. Therefore, food consumption can be identified as a potential way to reduce GHG emissions in Peru. However, the Peruvian government lacks a specific strategy to mitigate emissions in this sector, despite the recent ratification of the Paris Accord. In view of this, the main objective of this study is to analyze the environmental impacts of a set of 47 Peruvian food diet profiles, including geographical and socioeconomic scenarios. In order to do this, Life Cycle Assessment was used as the methodological framework to obtain the overall impacts of the components in the dietary patterns observed and primary data linked to the composition of diets were collected from the Peruvian National Institute for Statistics (INEI). Life cycle inventories for the different products that are part of the Peruvian diet were obtained from a set of previous scientific articles and reports regarding food production. Results were computed using the IPCC 2013 assessment method to estimate GHG emissions. Despite variations in GHG emissions from a geographical perspective, no significant differences were observed between cities located in the three Peruvian natural regions (i.e., coast, Andes and Amazon basin). In contrast, there appears to be a strong, positive correlation between GHG emissions and social expenditure or academic status. When compared to GHG emissions computed in the literature for developed nations, where the average caloric intake is substantially higher, diet-related emissions in Peru were in the low range. Our results could be used as a baseline for policy support to align nutritional and health policies in Peru with the need to reduce the environmental impacts linked to food production.
Descargar publicación (3,00 MB)Autor(es): Ian Vázquez Rowe y otros
Purpose: Drift net fishing activities have undergone a thorough revision at a European Union level, since authorities argue that several loopholes still exist in the legislation that allow small-scale fisheries to use these gears. High incidental catches, or the lack of selectivity, are some of the primary scientific criteria behind this discussion. This new framework is of particular interest in the region of Galicia (NW Spain) due to the social importance of small-scale fishing vessels using drift nets. In fact, over 400 vessels have a licence to capture European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) with a fishing gear called xeito, which is a small-scale drift net. Methods: The main goal of this article is to provide stakeholders in the fishing sector with environmentally relevant results regarding the life cycle impacts linked to fishing practices performed by small-scale vessels using the xeito gear to target European pilchard. We hypothesize that environmental impacts computed with LCA will provide additional insights to the sustainability of the pilchard small-scale fishery in NW Spain, adding a series of criteria that may be useful for policy-makers to determine the consequences of forbidding this type of drift netting in the future. Results and discussion: Results show that environmental impacts across impact categories and operational activities do not differ much from that of other similar fishing fleets examined in recent years, with fuel for propulsion being the main environmental burden in most impact categories. When conducting a statistical analysis, no significant difference in energy use was identified between this small-scale fleet and purse seiners targeting pilchard in Galicia. Moreover, the results obtained demonstrate, in line with previous studies, that European pilchard is still an energy-efficient source of animal protein option as compared to demersal fish alternatives, crustaceans, or livestock. Conclusions: The results do not indicate that European pilchard landed with small-scale drift nets generates higher environmental life cycle impacts than pilchard landed by purse seiners in NW Spain. However, longer time frames for the analysis should be performed to attain results with lower uncertainty.
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