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The paper provides an integrated assessment of environmental and socio-economic effects arising from final consumption of food products by European households. Direct and indirect effects accumulated along the global supply chain are assessed by applying environmentally extended input–output analysis (EE-IOA). EXIOBASE 3.4 database is used as a source of detailed information on environmental pressures and world input–output transactions of intermediate and final goods and services. An original methodology to produce detailed allocation matrices to link IO data with household expenditure data is presented and applied. The results show a relative decoupling between environmental pressures and consumption over time and shows that European food consumption generates relatively less environmental pressures outside Europe (due to imports) than average European consumption. A methodological framework is defined to analyze the main driving forces by means of a structural decomposition analysis (SDA). The results of the SDA highlight that while technological developments and changes in the mix of consumed food products result in reductions in environmental pressures, this is offset by growth in consumption. The results highlight the importance of directing specific research and policy efforts towards food consumption to support the transition to a more sustainable food system in line with the objectives of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy.
Philipp Schepelmann; An Vercalsteren; José Acosta-Fernandez; Mathieu Saurat; Katrien Boonen; Maarten Christis; Giovanni Marin; Roberto Zoboli; Cathy Maguire. Driving Forces of Changing Environmental Pressures from Consumption in the European Food System. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8265 .
AMA StylePhilipp Schepelmann, An Vercalsteren, José Acosta-Fernandez, Mathieu Saurat, Katrien Boonen, Maarten Christis, Giovanni Marin, Roberto Zoboli, Cathy Maguire. Driving Forces of Changing Environmental Pressures from Consumption in the European Food System. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (19):8265.
Chicago/Turabian StylePhilipp Schepelmann; An Vercalsteren; José Acosta-Fernandez; Mathieu Saurat; Katrien Boonen; Maarten Christis; Giovanni Marin; Roberto Zoboli; Cathy Maguire. 2020. "Driving Forces of Changing Environmental Pressures from Consumption in the European Food System." Sustainability 12, no. 19: 8265.
In order to ensure security of supply in a future energy system with a high share of volatile electricity generation, flexibility technologies are needed. Industrial demand-side management ranks as one of the most efficient flexibility options. This paper analyses the effect of the integration of industrial demand-side management through the flexibilisation of aluminium electrolysis and other flexibilities of the electricity system and adjacent sectors. The additional flexibility options include electricity storage, heat storage in district heating networks, controlled charging of electric vehicles, and buffer storage in hydrogen electrolysis. The utilisation of the flexibilities is modelled in different settings with an increasing share of renewable energies, applying a dispatch model. This paper compares which contributions the different flexibilities can make to emission reduction, avoidance of curtailment, and reduction of fuel and CO2 costs, and which circumstances contribute to a decrease or increase of overall emissions with additional flexibilities. The analysis stresses the rising importance of flexibilities in an energy system based on increasing shares of renewable electricity generation, and shows that flexibilities are generally suited to reduce carbon emissions. It is presented that the relative contribution towards the reduction of curtailment and costs of flexibilisation of aluminium electrolysis are high, whereby the absolute effect is small compared to the other options due to the limited number of available processes.
Arjuna Nebel; Christine Krüger; Tomke Janßen; Mathieu Saurat; Sebastian Kiefer; Karin Arnold. Comparison of the Effects of Industrial Demand Side Management and Other Flexibilities on the Performance of the Energy System. Energies 2020, 13, 4448 .
AMA StyleArjuna Nebel, Christine Krüger, Tomke Janßen, Mathieu Saurat, Sebastian Kiefer, Karin Arnold. Comparison of the Effects of Industrial Demand Side Management and Other Flexibilities on the Performance of the Energy System. Energies. 2020; 13 (17):4448.
Chicago/Turabian StyleArjuna Nebel; Christine Krüger; Tomke Janßen; Mathieu Saurat; Sebastian Kiefer; Karin Arnold. 2020. "Comparison of the Effects of Industrial Demand Side Management and Other Flexibilities on the Performance of the Energy System." Energies 13, no. 17: 4448.
The Wuppertal Institute developed, in the early 1990s, an input-oriented lifecycle-wide resource accounting method, the “Material Input per Service-Unit” concept (MIPS), today also referred to as “Material Footprint”. The official handbook applicable to products, services, and processes describes a MS Excel-based sequential approach for calculating MIPS. Today’s computing power, available to every researcher, and access to software and databases dedicated to lifecycle analysis make calculating MIPS using matrix inversion possible. This also opens up possibilities for enhancing MIPS-models programmatically: parameterizing the foreground and background systems, batch modeling for producing time series, and computational algorithms enhancing interpretation. The article provides (1) an overview of the methods and tools used for calculating MIPS from its origins to today, and (2) demonstrates some of the programmatically enhanced capabilities offered to MIPS-practitioners.
Mathieu Saurat; Michael Ritthoff. Calculating MIPS 2.0. Resources 2013, 2, 581 -607.
AMA StyleMathieu Saurat, Michael Ritthoff. Calculating MIPS 2.0. Resources. 2013; 2 (4):581-607.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Saurat; Michael Ritthoff. 2013. "Calculating MIPS 2.0." Resources 2, no. 4: 581-607.
The Low Carbon Future Cities (LCFC) project aims at facing a three dimensional challenge by developing an integrated city roadmap balancing: low carbon development, gains in resource efficiency and adaptation to climate change. The paper gives an overview of the first outcomes of the analysis of the status quo and assessment of the most likely developments regarding GHG emissions, climate impacts and resource use in Wuxi—the Chinese pilot city for the LCFC project. As a first step, a detailed emission inventory following the IPCC guidelines for Wuxi has been carried out. In a second step, the future development of energy demand and related CO2 emissions in 2050 were simulated in a current policy scenario (CPS). In parallel, selected aspects of material and water flows for the energy and the building sector were analyzed and modeled. In addition, recent and future climate impacts and vulnerability were investigated. Based on these findings, nine key sectors with high relevance to the three dimensions could be identified. Although Wuxi’s government has started a path to implement a low carbon plan, the first results show that, for the shift towards a sustainable low carbon development, more ambitious steps need to be taken in order to overcome the challenges faced.
Carmen Dienst; Clemens Schneider; Chun Xia; Mathieu Saurat; Thomas Fischer; Daniel Vallentin. On Track to Become a Low Carbon Future City? First Findings of the Integrated Status Quo and Trends Assessment of the Pilot City of Wuxi in China. Sustainability 2013, 5, 3224 -3243.
AMA StyleCarmen Dienst, Clemens Schneider, Chun Xia, Mathieu Saurat, Thomas Fischer, Daniel Vallentin. On Track to Become a Low Carbon Future City? First Findings of the Integrated Status Quo and Trends Assessment of the Pilot City of Wuxi in China. Sustainability. 2013; 5 (8):3224-3243.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarmen Dienst; Clemens Schneider; Chun Xia; Mathieu Saurat; Thomas Fischer; Daniel Vallentin. 2013. "On Track to Become a Low Carbon Future City? First Findings of the Integrated Status Quo and Trends Assessment of the Pilot City of Wuxi in China." Sustainability 5, no. 8: 3224-3243.
This chapter will provide an overview and international comparison of global material resource and land use of the European Union. The current level and composition of total material consumption of industrial economies can hardly serve as a model for worldwide adoption, as this would lead to an increase of global resource extraction by a factor of 2 to 5. Nevertheless, the good news is that a decoupling of economic growth and material and resource use is already under way. There is, however, no reason to expect an automatic absolute decline of resource consumption. On the contrary, stabilisation at a high level seems probable and the rapid increase of resource requirements in countries such as China indicates the need for enhanced decoupling. Our analysis reveals that resource requirements of industrial regions such as the EU are being increasingly supplied from other regions, and in particular from developing countries which have to carry a growing burden of resource extraction and refining. We will have a closer look at the case study of the platinum group of metals (PGM). The ‘green polluter’ provides an excellent example of how environmental policy and technology can contribute to problem shifting; and of how future technological development, such as the widespread introduction of fuel cells, will be faced with severe scarcity problems, should the efficiency of material use not be drastically increased. The case of biofuels then shows that these may turn out to be risky renewables. The growing demand for non-food biomass will lead to global expansion of cropland at the expense of natural ecosystems, with impacts on biodiversity and higher risk of climate change. Again, alternative and more efficient use of biomass and mineral resources may lead the way towards more sustainable resource use. Building the bridge to economic actors we analyse and compare ndustries and product groups. Only a few are associated with the major share of the economy's resource requirements as well as with environmental pressures such as global warming. These sectors also perform below average with regard to socioeconomic indicators such as employment. Our results show that dematerialisation in terms of resource productivity gains could contribute to resource as well as climate protection while improving socioeconomic development.
Stefan Bringezu; Helmut Schütz; Mathieu Saurat; Stephan Moll; José Acosta-Fernández; Sören Steger. Europe's resource use: Basic trends, global and sectoral patterns and environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Sustainable Resource Management: Global Trends, Visions and Policies 2013, 52 -154.
AMA StyleStefan Bringezu, Helmut Schütz, Mathieu Saurat, Stephan Moll, José Acosta-Fernández, Sören Steger. Europe's resource use: Basic trends, global and sectoral patterns and environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Sustainable Resource Management: Global Trends, Visions and Policies. 2013; ():52-154.
Chicago/Turabian StyleStefan Bringezu; Helmut Schütz; Mathieu Saurat; Stephan Moll; José Acosta-Fernández; Sören Steger. 2013. "Europe's resource use: Basic trends, global and sectoral patterns and environmental and socioeconomic impacts." Sustainable Resource Management: Global Trends, Visions and Policies , no. : 52-154.
A model of the use of the platinum group metals (PGMs) platinum, palladium, and rhodium in Europe has been developed and combined with a model of the environmental pressures related to PGM production. Compared to the base case presented in Part I of this pair of articles, potential changes in PGM production and use are quantified with regard to cumulative and yearly environmental impacts and PGM resource use, for the period 2005–2020. Reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions of PGM producer Norilsk Nickel could cut the cumulative SO2 emissions associated with the use of PGMs in Europe by 35%. Cleaner electricity generation in South Africa could reduce cumulative SO2 emissions by another 9%. Increasing the recycling rate of end-of-life catalytic converters to 70% in 2020 could save 15% of the cumulative primary PGM input into car catalysts and 10% of the SO2 emissions associated with PGM production. In 2020, PGM requirements and SO2 emissions would be, respectively, 40% and 22% lower than the base case.
Mathieu Saurat; Stefan Bringezu. Platinum Group Metal Flows of Europe, Part II. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2009, 13, 406 -421.
AMA StyleMathieu Saurat, Stefan Bringezu. Platinum Group Metal Flows of Europe, Part II. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2009; 13 (3):406-421.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Saurat; Stefan Bringezu. 2009. "Platinum Group Metal Flows of Europe, Part II." Journal of Industrial Ecology 13, no. 3: 406-421.
Mathieu Saurat; Stefan Bringezu. Platinum Group Metal Flows of Europe, Part 1. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2008, 12, 754 -767.
AMA StyleMathieu Saurat, Stefan Bringezu. Platinum Group Metal Flows of Europe, Part 1. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2008; 12 (5-6):754-767.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Saurat; Stefan Bringezu. 2008. "Platinum Group Metal Flows of Europe, Part 1." Journal of Industrial Ecology 12, no. 5-6: 754-767.