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Prof. Dr. Simron Singh
School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), University of Waterloo Environment

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Editorial
Published: 27 July 2021 in Anthropocene Science
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Purushothaman C. Abhilash; Simone Bastianoni; Weiqiang Chen; Ruth DeFries; Leonardo F. Fraceto; Neven S. Fuckar; Shizuka Hashimoto; Danny Hunter; Saskia Keesstra; Othmane Merah; Patrick O’Farrell; Prajal Pradhan; Simron Singh; Pete Smith; Lindsay C. Stringer; B. L. Turner. Introducing ‘Anthropocene Science’: A New International Journal for Addressing Human Impact on the Resilience of Planet Earth. Anthropocene Science 2021, 1 -4.

AMA Style

Purushothaman C. Abhilash, Simone Bastianoni, Weiqiang Chen, Ruth DeFries, Leonardo F. Fraceto, Neven S. Fuckar, Shizuka Hashimoto, Danny Hunter, Saskia Keesstra, Othmane Merah, Patrick O’Farrell, Prajal Pradhan, Simron Singh, Pete Smith, Lindsay C. Stringer, B. L. Turner. Introducing ‘Anthropocene Science’: A New International Journal for Addressing Human Impact on the Resilience of Planet Earth. Anthropocene Science. 2021; ():1-4.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Purushothaman C. Abhilash; Simone Bastianoni; Weiqiang Chen; Ruth DeFries; Leonardo F. Fraceto; Neven S. Fuckar; Shizuka Hashimoto; Danny Hunter; Saskia Keesstra; Othmane Merah; Patrick O’Farrell; Prajal Pradhan; Simron Singh; Pete Smith; Lindsay C. Stringer; B. L. Turner. 2021. "Introducing ‘Anthropocene Science’: A New International Journal for Addressing Human Impact on the Resilience of Planet Earth." Anthropocene Science , no. : 1-4.

Editorial
Published: 16 November 2020 in Sustainability
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This editorial introduces the Special Issue “Metabolism of Islands”. It makes a case why we should care about islands and their sustainability. Islands are hotspots of biocultural diversity, and home to 600 million people that depend on one-sixth of the earth’s total area, including the surrounding oceans, for their subsistence. Today, they are on the frontlines of climate change and face an existential crisis. Islands are, however, potential “hubs of innovation” and are uniquely positioned to be leaders in sustainability and climate action. We argue that a full-fledged program on “island industrial ecology” is urgently needed with the aim to offer policy-relevant insights and strategies to sustain small islands in an era of global environmental change. We introduce key industrial ecology concepts, and the state-of-the-art in applying them to islands. Nine contributions in this Special Issue are briefly reviewed to highlight the metabolic risks inherent in the island cases. The contributors explore how reconfiguring patterns of resource use will allow island governments to build resilience and adapt to the challenges of climate change.

ACS Style

Simron Singh; Marina Fischer-Kowalski; Marian Chertow. Introduction: The Metabolism of Islands. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9516 .

AMA Style

Simron Singh, Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Marian Chertow. Introduction: The Metabolism of Islands. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9516.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simron Singh; Marina Fischer-Kowalski; Marian Chertow. 2020. "Introduction: The Metabolism of Islands." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9516.

Journal article
Published: 30 September 2020 in Sustainability
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In the past decades, the Caribbean economy has transformed to rely primarily on tourism with a vast amount of infrastructure dedicated to this sector. At the same time, the region is subject to repeated crises in the form of extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent, deadly, and costly. Damages to buildings and infrastructure (or the material stocks) from storms disrupt the local economy by an immediate decline in tourists and loss of critical services. In Antigua and Barbuda (A&B), tourism contributes 80% to the GDP and is a major driver for adding new material stocks to support the industry. This research analyzes A&B’s material stocks (MSs) in buildings (aggregates, timber, concrete, and steel) using geographic information systems (GIS) with physical parameters such as building size and footprint, material intensity, and the number of floors. In 2004, the total MSs of buildings was estimated at 4.7 million tonnes (mt), equivalent to 58.5 tonnes per capita, with the share of non-metallic minerals to be highest (2.9 mt), followed by aggregates (1.2 mt), steel (0.44 mt), and timber (0.18 mt). Under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) 2 meter (m) sea level rise scenario, an estimated 4% of the island’s total MSs would be exposed. The tourism sector would disproportionately experience the greatest exposure of 19% of its MSs. By linking stocks to services, our research contributes to the understanding of the complexities between the environmental and economic vulnerability of island systems, and the need for better infrastructure planning as part of resilience building.

ACS Style

Johnella Bradshaw; Simron Jit Singh; Su-Yin Tan; Tomer Fishman; Kristen Pott. GIS-based Material Stock Analysis (MSA) of Climate Vulnerabilities to the Tourism Industry in Antigua and Barbuda. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8090 .

AMA Style

Johnella Bradshaw, Simron Jit Singh, Su-Yin Tan, Tomer Fishman, Kristen Pott. GIS-based Material Stock Analysis (MSA) of Climate Vulnerabilities to the Tourism Industry in Antigua and Barbuda. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (19):8090.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Johnella Bradshaw; Simron Jit Singh; Su-Yin Tan; Tomer Fishman; Kristen Pott. 2020. "GIS-based Material Stock Analysis (MSA) of Climate Vulnerabilities to the Tourism Industry in Antigua and Barbuda." Sustainability 12, no. 19: 8090.

Journal article
Published: 23 August 2020 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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Islands are bounded systems, often plagued with several sustainability challenges of limited land and resource availability, as well as pressing waste management issues. Despite these known problems, research aiming to help develop proper e-waste management systems for small island nations is scarce. Focusing on five Caribbean island states, this study provides the first comprehensive view of e-waste generation trends in an island context and explores the factors driving those trends. The study estimates Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) flows for the five island cases over a period of 60 years (1965–2025), including e-waste that these flows have and will generate. A dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) approach has been used to estimate these flows and stocks for 206 product types. The results show that the five Caribbean islands produced double the e-waste per capita per year, i.e., 13 kg/cap/year compared to global average of 6.1 kg/cap/year in 2016. The aggregated amount of e-waste generated per year on these five islands seems to significantly rise in future: from 27,500 tonnes in 2010 to an estimated amount of 59,000 tonnes in 2025. This considerable estimated e-waste generation rate, when not properly managed, is not only harmful for the local environment, but also translates into considerable health impacts and loss of valuable resources. From a sustainability perspective, small islands should consider moving away from a linear to a circular economy that will limit waste generation as well as reliance on the supply of virgin materials from outside.

ACS Style

Elham Mohammadi; Simron Singh; Komal Habib. Electronic waste in the Caribbean: An impending environmental disaster or an opportunity for a circular economy? Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 164, 105106 .

AMA Style

Elham Mohammadi, Simron Singh, Komal Habib. Electronic waste in the Caribbean: An impending environmental disaster or an opportunity for a circular economy? Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 164 ():105106.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elham Mohammadi; Simron Singh; Komal Habib. 2020. "Electronic waste in the Caribbean: An impending environmental disaster or an opportunity for a circular economy?" Resources, Conservation and Recycling 164, no. : 105106.

Journal article
Published: 06 March 2020 in Ecosystem Services
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Sustainability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is a growing concern particularly under climate change scenarios. Under the Ecosystem Service (ES) framework, we analyse the performance of five Caribbean countries (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago) regarding environmental and socioeconomic indicators, specifying how far each country is from an ideal threshold (Boundary Point – BP). Furthermore, the analysis provides an estimation of the potential of each country to deliver ecosystem services. Building on an existing ecosystem service’s value database, we developed the Ecosystem Services Potential Index (ESPI) to compare possibilities in each country. Linking the ESPI of each country to its distance to the BP (Boundary Point Distance – BPD), helps us detecting shortcomings and providing recommendations on what could be improved to move towards achieving self-sufficiency with high quality of life at the lowest environmental cost. However, none of the countries analyzed fall within the ideal situation where human needs are met without overexploitation of ecosystems. Nonetheless, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Jamaica are the countries closest to achieve that goal. We conclude our findings with some recommendations to adopt Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) as a leverage point towards self-sufficiency in the Caribbean.

ACS Style

Nelson Grima; Simron J. Singh. The self-(in)sufficiency of the Caribbean: Ecosystem services potential Index (ESPI) as a measure for sustainability. Ecosystem Services 2020, 42, 101087 .

AMA Style

Nelson Grima, Simron J. Singh. The self-(in)sufficiency of the Caribbean: Ecosystem services potential Index (ESPI) as a measure for sustainability. Ecosystem Services. 2020; 42 ():101087.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nelson Grima; Simron J. Singh. 2020. "The self-(in)sufficiency of the Caribbean: Ecosystem services potential Index (ESPI) as a measure for sustainability." Ecosystem Services 42, no. : 101087.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2019 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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Dominik Noll; Dominik Wiedenhofer; Alessio Miatto; Simron Singh. The expansion of the built environment, waste generation and EU recycling targets on Samothraki, Greece: An island’s dilemma. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2019, 150, 1 .

AMA Style

Dominik Noll, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Alessio Miatto, Simron Singh. The expansion of the built environment, waste generation and EU recycling targets on Samothraki, Greece: An island’s dilemma. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2019; 150 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dominik Noll; Dominik Wiedenhofer; Alessio Miatto; Simron Singh. 2019. "The expansion of the built environment, waste generation and EU recycling targets on Samothraki, Greece: An island’s dilemma." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 150, no. : 1.

Withdrawal
Published: 27 June 2019 in Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X
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Connectivity and affluence provide communities on small islands with opportunities and challenges. Both factors drive the expansion of material stocks which in turn determines future waste generation. For islands with limited waste treatment options an effective waste management strategy is inevitable. For the Greek island of Samothraki, construction and demolition waste (CDW) represents a new phenomenon. The advent of tourism, EU funding, labor migration and the construction of a new port in the 1960s led to an expansion of the built environment unprecedented on the island. As a consequence, new types and expanding quantities of CDW put the island community increasingly in the need for action. The European Waste Framework Directive, reinforced in 2018 with the Circular Economy Package, demands from EU member states at least 70% recycling and recovery rate of CDW until 2020. In this study, a mixed methods approach enabled the integration of data from official statistics, field surveys and interviews into a dynamic stock-driven model for different infrastructure and buildings types on Samothraki from 1971 to 2016. Our results show that the material stock expanded from 175 t/cap to 350 t/cap in the given period, leading to a 15-fold increase of annual CDW generation. With a recycling rate of only 14%, the island is currently far away from meeting the recycling and recovery targets of the EU-WFD. This study provides a systematic and dynamic analysis for developing policy and management options on reducing, re-using and recycling of CDW on islands where waste treatment options are limited.

ACS Style

Dominik Noll; Dominik Wiedenhofer; Alessio Miatto; Simron Jit Singh. WITHDRAWN: The expansion of the built environment, waste generation and EU recycling targets on Samothraki, Greece: An island's dilemma. Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X 2019, 1 .

AMA Style

Dominik Noll, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Alessio Miatto, Simron Jit Singh. WITHDRAWN: The expansion of the built environment, waste generation and EU recycling targets on Samothraki, Greece: An island's dilemma. Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X. 2019; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dominik Noll; Dominik Wiedenhofer; Alessio Miatto; Simron Jit Singh. 2019. "WITHDRAWN: The expansion of the built environment, waste generation and EU recycling targets on Samothraki, Greece: An island's dilemma." Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X , no. : 1.

Research and analysis
Published: 11 April 2019 in Journal of Industrial Ecology
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The building stock consumes large amounts of resources for maintenance and expansion which is only exacerbated by disaster events where large‐scale reconstruction must occur quickly. Recent research has shown the potential for application of material stock (MS) accounts for informing disaster risk planning. In this research, we present a methodological approach to analyze the vulnerability of the material stock in buildings to extreme weather events and sea‐level rise (SLR) due to climate change. The main island of Grenada, a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) in the Caribbean region, was used as a case study. A bottom‐up approach based on a geographic information system (GIS) is used to calculate the total MS of aggregate, timber, concrete, and steel in buildings. The total MS in buildings in 2014 was calculated to be 11.9 million tonnes (Mt), which is equivalent to 112 tonnes per capita. Material gross addition to stock (GAS) between 1993 to 2009 was 6.8 Mt and the average value over the time period was 4.0 tonnes per capita per year. In the year following Hurricane Ivan (2004), the per capita GAS for timber increased by 172%, while for other metals, GAS spiked by 103% (compared to average growth rates of 11% and 8%, respectively, between 1993 and 2009). We also ran a future “Ivan‐II” scenario and estimated a hypothetical loss of between 135 and 216 kilotonnes (kt) of timber from the building stock. The potential impact of SLR is also assessed, with an estimated 1.6 Mt of building material stock exposed under a 2‐m scenario. We argue that spatial material stock accounts have an important application in planning for resilience and provide indication of the link between natural disaster recovery and resource use patterns.

ACS Style

Rob Symmes; Tomer Fishman; John Telesford; Simron Singh; Su‐Yin Tan; Kristen De Kroon. The weight of islands: Leveraging Grenada's material stocks to adapt to climate change. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2019, 24, 369 -382.

AMA Style

Rob Symmes, Tomer Fishman, John Telesford, Simron Singh, Su‐Yin Tan, Kristen De Kroon. The weight of islands: Leveraging Grenada's material stocks to adapt to climate change. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2019; 24 (2):369-382.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rob Symmes; Tomer Fishman; John Telesford; Simron Singh; Su‐Yin Tan; Kristen De Kroon. 2019. "The weight of islands: Leveraging Grenada's material stocks to adapt to climate change." Journal of Industrial Ecology 24, no. 2: 369-382.

Journal article
Published: 13 November 2018 in Land Use Policy
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Ecosystem Services are commonly understood as the goods and services people obtain from nature, such as carbon sequestration, provision of food and fibres, pollination, etc. The provision of these services is in part closely related to the level of biodiversity in a region. Since some forested regions are considered biodiversity hotspots, the loss of such forested areas would affect the provision of ecosystem services. Among others, expansion of the agricultural frontier, demand for timber, weak enforcement of environmental regulations, or illegal logging are some of the key factors contributing to forest loss. These factors can be supported or enhanced during or after periods of extreme social instability such as armed conflicts or wars. Analyzing forest cover data for four different countries that have experienced armed conflicts in the recent past (Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ivory Coast and Peru), we seek to understand the influence of armed conflicts in ecosystem services provision, aiming to identify social, political and institutional drivers. Our four case studies show that at the end of their armed conflicts, on an average there was a 68.08% increase of annual forest loss in the five years following the end of conflict, as compared to the worldwide 7.20% mean. We identified inappropriate governance and institutional arrangements as the key driver during the transition period. We argue that as part of a family of bottom-up approaches, the adaptiveco-management approach is a promising option to deal with similar situations in the future, helping to keep a sustainable provision of ecosystem services.

ACS Style

Nelson Grima; Simron J. Singh. How the end of armed conflicts influence forest cover and subsequently ecosystem services provision? An analysis of four case studies in biodiversity hotspots. Land Use Policy 2018, 81, 267 -275.

AMA Style

Nelson Grima, Simron J. Singh. How the end of armed conflicts influence forest cover and subsequently ecosystem services provision? An analysis of four case studies in biodiversity hotspots. Land Use Policy. 2018; 81 ():267-275.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nelson Grima; Simron J. Singh. 2018. "How the end of armed conflicts influence forest cover and subsequently ecosystem services provision? An analysis of four case studies in biodiversity hotspots." Land Use Policy 81, no. : 267-275.

Chapter
Published: 12 July 2018 in The Asian Tsunami and Post-Disaster Aid
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By virtue of being close to the epicentre, the Nicobar Islands located in the Bay of Bengal were severely affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Overwhelming aid followed, transforming an indigenous community of hunters-and-gatherers and coconut growers into a consumer society in a matter of months. Based on several years of fieldwork, this chapter describes the tsunami and its aftermath, the role of aid organizations, the media, and the government in driving the islanders from being self-reliant to becoming an aid dependent society, plagued with social conflicts. We call this a ‘complex disaster’, a situation that has fundamentally challenged the socio-ecological system to reproduce itself, an effect more severe and longer lasting than what the disaster itself had accomplished. In other words, a complex disaster is a consequence of inappropriate interventions following a ‘simple’ disaster, which affects the social system’s ability to regenerate, to govern its own recovery, by interfering with its cultural, economic, and political regulation. This, in turn, affects the environmental relations of the society. The case of the Nicobar Islands is discussed in the context of sustainability to reveal the inherent paradox between humanitarian aid and community resilience, asking the question: What is good help?

ACS Style

Simron Jit Singh; Marina Fischer-Kowalski; Willi Haas. The Sustainability of Humanitarian Aid: The Nicobar Islands as a Case of ‘Complex Disaster’. The Asian Tsunami and Post-Disaster Aid 2018, 143 -165.

AMA Style

Simron Jit Singh, Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Willi Haas. The Sustainability of Humanitarian Aid: The Nicobar Islands as a Case of ‘Complex Disaster’. The Asian Tsunami and Post-Disaster Aid. 2018; ():143-165.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simron Jit Singh; Marina Fischer-Kowalski; Willi Haas. 2018. "The Sustainability of Humanitarian Aid: The Nicobar Islands as a Case of ‘Complex Disaster’." The Asian Tsunami and Post-Disaster Aid , no. : 143-165.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2018 in Land Use Policy
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ACS Style

Tamara Fetzel; Panos Petridis; Dominik Noll; Simron Singh; Marina Fischer-Kowalski. Reaching a socio-ecological tipping point: Overgrazing on the Greek island of Samothraki and the role of European agricultural policies. Land Use Policy 2018, 76, 21 -28.

AMA Style

Tamara Fetzel, Panos Petridis, Dominik Noll, Simron Singh, Marina Fischer-Kowalski. Reaching a socio-ecological tipping point: Overgrazing on the Greek island of Samothraki and the role of European agricultural policies. Land Use Policy. 2018; 76 ():21-28.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tamara Fetzel; Panos Petridis; Dominik Noll; Simron Singh; Marina Fischer-Kowalski. 2018. "Reaching a socio-ecological tipping point: Overgrazing on the Greek island of Samothraki and the role of European agricultural policies." Land Use Policy 76, no. : 21-28.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2018 in Ecosystem Services
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Nelson Grima; Simron Singh; Barbara Smetschka. Improving payments for ecosystem services (PES) outcomes through the use of Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and the software OPTamos. Ecosystem Services 2018, 29, 47 -55.

AMA Style

Nelson Grima, Simron Singh, Barbara Smetschka. Improving payments for ecosystem services (PES) outcomes through the use of Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and the software OPTamos. Ecosystem Services. 2018; 29 ():47-55.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nelson Grima; Simron Singh; Barbara Smetschka. 2018. "Improving payments for ecosystem services (PES) outcomes through the use of Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and the software OPTamos." Ecosystem Services 29, no. : 47-55.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2017 in Land Use Policy
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Nelson Grima; Simron J. Singh; Barbara Smetschka. Decision making in a complex world: Using OPTamos in a multi-criteria process for land management in the Cuitzmala watershed in Mexico. Land Use Policy 2017, 67, 73 -85.

AMA Style

Nelson Grima, Simron J. Singh, Barbara Smetschka. Decision making in a complex world: Using OPTamos in a multi-criteria process for land management in the Cuitzmala watershed in Mexico. Land Use Policy. 2017; 67 ():73-85.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nelson Grima; Simron J. Singh; Barbara Smetschka. 2017. "Decision making in a complex world: Using OPTamos in a multi-criteria process for land management in the Cuitzmala watershed in Mexico." Land Use Policy 67, no. : 73-85.

Research article
Published: 27 August 2017 in Progress in Development Studies
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Given the intricate link between biodiversity and poverty, this article critically reflects on the role of mainstreaming biodiversity in development policy and practice. In order to better understand the operational challenges ‘on the ground’, we present some of the dominant development frameworks within which development organizations operate, all with a view to better understand how aid ‘thinks’ and ‘works’. The article then examines the concept of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) as a potential avenue to mainstream biodiversity into development.

ACS Style

Nelson Grima; Lisa Ringhofer; Simron Singh; Barbara Smetschka; Christian Lauk. Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Development Practice: Can the Concept of PES Deliver? Progress in Development Studies 2017, 17, 267 -281.

AMA Style

Nelson Grima, Lisa Ringhofer, Simron Singh, Barbara Smetschka, Christian Lauk. Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Development Practice: Can the Concept of PES Deliver? Progress in Development Studies. 2017; 17 (4):267-281.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nelson Grima; Lisa Ringhofer; Simron Singh; Barbara Smetschka; Christian Lauk. 2017. "Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Development Practice: Can the Concept of PES Deliver?" Progress in Development Studies 17, no. 4: 267-281.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2017 in Island Studies Journal
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ACS Style

Panos Petridis; Marina Fischer-Kowalski; Simron J. Singh; Dominik Noll. The role of science in sustainability transitions: citizen science, transformative research, and experiences from Samothraki island, Greece. Island Studies Journal 2017, 12, 115 -134.

AMA Style

Panos Petridis, Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Simron J. Singh, Dominik Noll. The role of science in sustainability transitions: citizen science, transformative research, and experiences from Samothraki island, Greece. Island Studies Journal. 2017; 12 (1):115-134.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Panos Petridis; Marina Fischer-Kowalski; Simron J. Singh; Dominik Noll. 2017. "The role of science in sustainability transitions: citizen science, transformative research, and experiences from Samothraki island, Greece." Island Studies Journal 12, no. 1: 115-134.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2017 in Land Use Policy
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ACS Style

Magdalena Hules; Simron Singh. India’s land grab deals in Ethiopia: Food security or global politics? Land Use Policy 2017, 60, 343 -351.

AMA Style

Magdalena Hules, Simron Singh. India’s land grab deals in Ethiopia: Food security or global politics? Land Use Policy. 2017; 60 ():343-351.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Magdalena Hules; Simron Singh. 2017. "India’s land grab deals in Ethiopia: Food security or global politics?" Land Use Policy 60, no. : 343-351.

Chapter
Published: 01 January 2017 in Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems
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The Introduction sets the tone for the book by outlining the main concepts, debates and applications illustrated by the various contributions in this volume. The theme of Local Food Systems (LFS) is a complex one, and therefore a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary effort, drawing on a myriad of research concepts and frameworks. The chapter begins by embedding the food debate within the broader sustainability discussion. It highlights issues around future demand and supply scenarios, current production and consumption patterns, and the challenges of addressing some of these issues in the context of climate change. The chapter also provides a review of some of the responses so far to counter the current unsustainability of the global agri-food system. Initiatives and concepts such as local food systems, localisation, food security and sovereignty are discussed, drawing on examples from both the Global North and South. Since the volume is about socio-metabolic approaches to agri-food systems, the chapter also introduces the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of this approach, and how this relates to political ecology, social conflicts and environmental justice. The chapter ends with an introduction to the various contributions in this volume that discuss the following cross-cutting issues: the necessity to consider local cases as nested in regional, national and global scales, including the debate on what might be an optimal scale for food regionalisation or sovereignty; the agenda of re-localisation and its political and ideological background in relation to biophysical/socio-metabolic insights with respect to LFS; the inclusion of trade in the methodological and ideological framework of LFS studies; the multi-functionality of agriculture and various related metrics of efficiency in agriculture (including the energy efficiency/EROI variables); the biophysical performance of other, more sustainability-focused, production regimes; the land-sparing versus land-sharing debate in connection to the biodiversity and landscape multi-functionality of both historical and existing agri-food systems; the role of livestock in various agri-food systems, and the related issue of meat consumption and dietary transition as part of a broader metabolic transition happening in many parts of the world; the issue of labour in terms of efficiency, and also in broader social and economic contexts; the political underpinnings of peasant livelihoods, existing social conflicts and uneven ecological exchange related to food; the issue of democratisation of food systems, access to means of production for fulfilling basic needs, and the agenda of food sovereignty. The contributors to this volume all ask the following two questions: Which local food systems or their particular characteristics can serve as the best practice examples for maintaining and designing more sustainable agri-food systems in the future? Which scientific and policy relevant insights can the socio-metabolic approach offer with respect to studying the sustainability of local food systems?

ACS Style

Eva Fraňková; Willi Haas; Simron Jit Singh. Introduction: Key Concepts, Debates and Approaches in Analysing the Sustainability of Agri-Food Systems. Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems 2017, 1 -24.

AMA Style

Eva Fraňková, Willi Haas, Simron Jit Singh. Introduction: Key Concepts, Debates and Approaches in Analysing the Sustainability of Agri-Food Systems. Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems. 2017; ():1-24.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eva Fraňková; Willi Haas; Simron Jit Singh. 2017. "Introduction: Key Concepts, Debates and Approaches in Analysing the Sustainability of Agri-Food Systems." Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems , no. : 1-24.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2017 in Ecological Economics
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ACS Style

Daniel Hausknost; Nelson Grima; Simron Jit Singh. The political dimensions of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES): Cascade or stairway? Ecological Economics 2017, 131, 109 -118.

AMA Style

Daniel Hausknost, Nelson Grima, Simron Jit Singh. The political dimensions of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES): Cascade or stairway? Ecological Economics. 2017; 131 ():109-118.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Hausknost; Nelson Grima; Simron Jit Singh. 2017. "The political dimensions of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES): Cascade or stairway?" Ecological Economics 131, no. : 109-118.

Chapter
Published: 01 January 2017 in Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems
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This chapter summarizes the main sustainability challenges (in terms of science and policy) of the current dominant agri-food system and presents insights derived from the cases in the volume. We return to the two main questions asked in the introductory chapter of the book. How useful is the socio-metabolic approach in studying the sustainability of local food systems (LFS)? To this, we identify three main methodological contributions: (1) That classic indicators (of material and energy flows) derived from the sociometabolic approach offers greater insights as well as lend power and rigour when combined with social, ecological, political and other dimensions; (2) Multi-dimensional and multi-scalar analyses can contribute not only to sustainability assessment of a particular LFS but also to broader theoretical and conceptual debates regarding sustainability and potential localisation of LFS; (3) Socio-metabolic studies on the local level provide detailed understanding of the particular LFS while revealing potential leverage points for intervention for improved system performance with respect to sustainability. Besides methodological insights, the chapter derives key lessons from the cases in the book, in particular the promising characteristics of both the historical and current local food system. We identify the following points as important: (1) A close proximity between the producers and consumers holds a very strong potential for systemic change of the current dominant agri-food system, but also the other way round, the growing distance obscures the sustainability challenges; (2) LFS proves better in closing nutrient cycles on local and regional levels. This issue is also related to the importance of the multifunctionality of land use, and livestock use, in both the historical and the current LFS. As seen in our case studies, LFS cannot be seen as a panacea to address all sustainability challenges of the current dominant agri-food system, however, they hold great potential and therefore deserve further exploration.

ACS Style

Simron Jit Singh; Willi Haas; Eva Fraňková. Conclusions: Promises and Challenges for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems. Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems 2017, 345 -356.

AMA Style

Simron Jit Singh, Willi Haas, Eva Fraňková. Conclusions: Promises and Challenges for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems. Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems. 2017; ():345-356.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simron Jit Singh; Willi Haas; Eva Fraňková. 2017. "Conclusions: Promises and Challenges for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems." Socio-Metabolic Perspectives on the Sustainability of Local Food Systems , no. : 345-356.

Book chapter
Published: 02 July 2016 in Social Ecology
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This chapter is a case study of a local rural system affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The Asian tsunami clearly revealed the vulnerability of coastal communities with respect to dealing with ecological hazards. An area that was greatly affected was the Nicobar Islands, an archipelago belonging to India and located in the Bay of Bengal. Critiquing disaster management and humanitarian aid structures, the chapter considers how an indigenous, subsistence, island community of hunter-gatherers was transformed into an aid-dependent monetary economy embedded in the regional market. Drawing on the concept of social metabolism and transitions, the chapter presents various scenarios of consumption and the consequences these will have on future material and energy demand, land use and time use for the local population. The case reveals the inherent metabolic traps in terms of the islands’ sustainable future, both ecologically and socially, and the role of disaster response in driving them to their biophysical limits as islands in the aftermath.

ACS Style

Simron J. Singh; Willi Haas. Complex Disasters on the Nicobar Islands. Social Ecology 2016, 523 -542.

AMA Style

Simron J. Singh, Willi Haas. Complex Disasters on the Nicobar Islands. Social Ecology. 2016; ():523-542.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simron J. Singh; Willi Haas. 2016. "Complex Disasters on the Nicobar Islands." Social Ecology , no. : 523-542.