ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2977-4408
Current Organisations
RWTH Aachen University
,
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
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Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 30-05-2023
Abstract: Demand for food products, often from international trade, has brought agricultural land use into direct competition with bio ersity. Where these potential conflicts occur and which consumers are responsible is poorly understood. By combining conservation priority (CP) maps with agricultural trade data, we estimate current potential conservation risk hotspots driven by 197 countries across 48 agricultural products. Globally, a third of agricultural production occurs in sites of high CP (CP 0.75, max = 1.0). While cattle, maize, rice, and soybean pose the greatest threat to very high-CP sites, other low-conservation risk products (e.g., sugar beet, pearl millet, and sunflower) currently are less likely to be grown in sites of agriculture–conservation conflict. Our analysis suggests that a commodity can cause dissimilar conservation threats in different production regions. Accordingly, some of the conservation risks posed by different countries depend on their demand and sourcing patterns of agricultural commodities. Our spatial analyses identify potential hotspots of competition between agriculture and high-conservation value sites (i.e., 0.5° resolution, or ~367 to 3,077km 2 , grid cells containing both agriculture and high-bio ersity priority habitat), thereby providing additional information that could help prioritize conservation activities and safeguard bio ersity in in idual countries and globally. A web-based GIS tool at io ersity/ systematically visualizes the results of our analyses.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-01-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NGEO2635
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 11-2020
Abstract: Given that national pledges are likely insufficient to meet Paris greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets (Fawcett et al 2015 Science 350 ), increasingly actors at the city and state level are looking for options on how local government can contribute to reducing GHG emissions. For a typical city only one third to half of their carbon footprint (CF) is emitted within the jurisdiction, while the majority is embodied in goods and services flowing into the city. To support well-informed mitigation efforts, administrators need robust inventories of both direct emissions as well as the supply chain emissions. Here we construct household CF inventories for 1172 Japanese cities using detailed consumer expenditure data and a Japanese domestic multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model. We identify the consumption activities which city policymakers can target to reduce CF. We observe a strong concentration of household CF in a few cities in Japan: 40% of the total Japanese CF is driven by 143 cities. Understanding a city’s consumption-based CF of households in addition to its direct emissions exposes additional policy options for each citizen to contribute to achieving national goals.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-07-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-28764-5
Abstract: In animals, commensal microbes modulate various physiological functions, including behavior. While microbiota exposure is required for normal behavior in mammals, it is not known how widely this dependency is present in other animal species. We proposed the hypothesis that the microbiome has a major influence on the behavior of the vinegar fly ( Drosophila melanogaster ), a major invertebrate model organism. Several assays were used to test the contribution of the microbiome on some well-characterized behaviors: defensive behavior, sleep, locomotion, and courtship in microbe-bearing, control flies and two generations of germ-free animals. None of the behaviors were largely influenced by the absence of a microbiome, and the small or moderate effects were not generalizable between replicates and/or generations. These results refute the hypothesis, indicating that the Drosophila microbiome does not have a major influence over several behaviors fundamental to the animal’s survival and reproduction. The impact of commensal microbes on animal behaviour may not be broadly conserved.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-01-2019
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 21-05-2021
Abstract: Numerous studies have investigated the hotspots for reducing carbon emissions associated with household consumption, including reducing household carbon footprints (CFs) and greener lifestyle choices, such as living car-free, eating less meat, and having one less child. However, estimating the effect of each of these actions requires the simultaneous consideration of lifestyle choices and household characteristics that could also affect the household CF. Here, we quantify the reduction in household CFs for 25 factors associated with in idual lifestyle choices or socioeconomic characteristics. This study linked approximately 42 000 microdata on consumption expenditure with the Japanese subnational 47 prefecture-level multi-regional input–output table, which are both the finest-scale data currently available. We improved the accuracy of household CF calculations by considering regional heterogeneity, and successfully estimated the magnitude of household CF reduction associated with in idual lifestyle choices and socioeconomics. For ex le, it was found that moving from a cold region to a region with mild climate would have considerable potential for reducing the CO 2 emissions of a household, all other factors being equal. In addition, a household residing in a house that meets the most recent energy standards emits 1150 kg less CO 2 per year than if they reside in a house that meets previous energy standards. Ownership and use of durable goods also had the potential for reducing the CO 2 emissions of a household a normal-sized car, a personal computer, a compact car, and a bidet were associated with CO 2 emissions of 922, 712, 421, and 345 kg per year, respectively. The findings therefore have important implications for climate change mitigation and policy measures associated with lifestyle.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BBAMCR.2013.10.009
Abstract: Membrane proteins with a β-barrel topology are found in the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria and in the plastids and mitochondria of eukaryotic cells. The assembly of these membrane proteins depends on a protein folding reaction (to create the barrel) and an insertion reaction (to integrate the barrel within the outer membrane). Experimental approaches using biophysics and biochemistry are detailing the steps in the assembly pathway, while genetics and bioinformatics have revealed a sophisticated production line of cellular components that catalyze the assembly pathway in vivo. This includes the modular BAM complex, several molecular chaperones and the translocation and assembly module (the TAM). Recent screens also suggest that further components of the pathway might remain to be discovered. We review what is known about the process of β-barrel protein assembly into membranes, and the components of the β-barrel assembly machinery. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein trafficking and secretion in bacteria. Guest Editors: Anastassios Economou and Ross Dalbey.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-07-2012
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 07-2022
Abstract: If widely adopted, the ‘planetary health diet’ (PHD), proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission, would help to meet ambitious sustainability goals currently jeopardised by excessive and resource intensive food demand. To date, convergence of nations to the PHD has been assessed using average food consumption patterns, overlooking the influence of different consumers within this context. Using self-reported dietary intake data from a snapshot survey of the US we reveal the differentiated responsibilities of US citizens within the country’s adoption of the PHD otherwise hidden by use of country averaged dietary intake data. We show how such a granular analysis of food consumption patterns is critical to identify levers in the sustainable food transition of nations. By combining 7418 in idual food intake reports from a representative cross section of the United States (US) with commodity-level impact data we estimate the overshoot of US dietary patterns in relation to the PHD and their impacts across the climate, water and land system. The net environmental impacts of PHD adoption across the US population are quantified based on realistic dietary shifts. We estimate that US overshoot of the PHD is responsible for 70% of the US dietary greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. However, over 60% of this burden could be eliminated by just 10% of the US population following the PHD. Although we estimate PHD adoption will more than half the US dietary GHG footprint and land footprint, we find it may have unintended consequences on water demand due to increased tree nut consumption. Across almost all food categories, we show that the food choices of the top tier of consumers in the US create, and must bridge the PHD gap. As such, actions by these consumers will be of major consequences to the speed and direction of the country’s sustainable dietary transition. To avoid environmental trade-offs, dietary policies must be scrutinised across multiple sustainability criteria.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 02-11-2018
DOI: 10.1093/BIOINFORMATICS/BTY914
Abstract: Type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) can be injected into host cell cytoplasm via type III secretion systems (T3SSs) to modulate interactions between Gram-negative bacterial pathogens and their hosts. Due to their relevance in pathogen–host interactions, significant computational efforts have been put toward identification of T3SEs and these in turn have stimulated new T3SE discoveries. However, as T3SEs with new characteristics are discovered, these existing computational tools reveal important limitations: (i) most of the trained machine learning models are based on the N-terminus (or incorporating also the C-terminus) instead of the proteins’ complete sequences, and (ii) the underlying models (trained with classic algorithms) employed only few features, most of which were extracted based on sequence-information alone. To achieve better T3SE prediction, we must identify more powerful, informative features and investigate how to effectively integrate these into a comprehensive model. In this work, we present Bastion3, a two-layer ensemble predictor developed to accurately identify type III secreted effectors from protein sequence data. In contrast with existing methods that employ single models with few features, Bastion3 explores a wide range of features, from various types, trains single models based on these features and finally integrates these models through ensemble learning. We trained the models using a new gradient boosting machine, LightGBM and further boosted the models’ performances through a novel genetic algorithm (GA) based two-step parameter optimization strategy. Our benchmark test demonstrates that Bastion3 achieves a much better performance compared to commonly used methods, with an ACC value of 0.959, F-value of 0.958, MCC value of 0.917 and AUC value of 0.956, which comprehensively outperformed all other toolkits by more than 5.6% in ACC value, 5.7% in F-value, 12.4% in MCC value and 5.8% in AUC value. Based on our proposed two-layer ensemble model, we further developed a user-friendly online toolkit, maximizing convenience for experimental scientists toward T3SE prediction. With its design to ease future discoveries of novel T3SEs and improved performance, Bastion3 is poised to become a widely used, state-of-the-art toolkit for T3SE prediction. bastion3.erc.monash.edu/ selkrig@embl.de or wyztli@163.com or or trevor.lithgow@monash.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-05-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JIEC.12455
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-01-2017
DOI: 10.1038/SREP40743
Abstract: A meaningful environmental impact analysis should go beyond the accounting of pressures from resource use and actually assess how resource demand affects ecosystems. The various currently available footprints of nations report the environmental pressures e.g. water use or pollutant emissions, driven by consumption. However, there have been limited attempts to assess the environmental consequences of these pressures. Ultimately, consequences, not pressures, should guide environmental policymaking. The newly released LC-Impact method demonstrates progress on the path to providing this missing link. Here we present “ecosystem impact footprints” in terms of the consequences for bio ersity and assess the differences in impact footprint results from MRIO-based pressure footprints. The new perspective reveals major changes in the relative contribution of nations to global footprints. Wealthy countries have high pressure footprints in lower-income countries but their impact footprints often have their origin in higher-income countries. This shift in perspective provides a different insight on where to focus policy responses to preserve bio ersity.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2019.105238
Abstract: This research sets out to quantify the mortality and economic loss in in idual Asian countries caused by the PM
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NGEO2664
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-10-2014
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-10-2014
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS6078
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-03-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-08-2015
DOI: 10.1038/SREP12905
Abstract: The biogenesis of membranes from constituent proteins and lipids is a fundamental aspect of cell biology. In the case of proteins assembled into bacterial outer membranes, an overarching question concerns how the energy required for protein insertion and folding is accessed at this remote location of the cell. The translocation and assembly module (TAM) is a nanomachine that functions in outer membrane biogenesis and virulence in erse bacterial pathogens. Here we demonstrate the interactions through which TamA and TamB subunits dock to bridge the periplasm and unite the outer membrane aspects to the inner membrane of the bacterial cell. We show that specific functional features in TamA have been conserved through evolution, including residues surrounding the lateral gate and an extensive surface of the POTRA domains. Analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering document the characteristic structural features of these POTRA domains and demonstrate rigidity in solution. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements pinpoint which POTRA domain specifically docks the TamB subunit of the nanomachine. We speculate that the POTRA domain of TamA functions as a lever arm in order to drive the activity of the TAM, assembling proteins into bacterial outer membranes.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-10-2014
DOI: 10.1111/JIEC.12206
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 15-11-2011
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 09-07-2020
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-03-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-021-01417-Z
Abstract: Deforestation, a significant threat to bio ersity, is accelerated by global demand for commodities. Although prior literature has linked deforestation to global supply chains, here we provide a fine-scale representation of spatial patterns of deforestation associated with international trade. Using remote sensing data and a multi-region input-output model, we quantify and map the spatiotemporal changes in global deforestation footprints over 15 years (2001-2015) at a 30-m resolution. We find that, while many developed countries, China and India have obtained net forest gains domestically, they have also increased the deforestation embodied in their imports, of which tropical forests are the most threatened biome. Consumption patterns of G7 countries drive an average loss of 3.9 trees per person per year. Some of the hotspots of deforestation embodied in international trade are also bio ersity hotspots, such as in Southeast Asia, Madagascar, Liberia, Central America and the Amazonian rainforest. Our results emphasize the need to reform zero-deforestation policies through strong transnational efforts and by improving supply chain transparency, public-private engagement and financial support for the tropics.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 22-03-2018
DOI: 10.1101/287045
Abstract: In animals, commensal microbes modulate various physiological functions, including behavior. While microbiota exposure is required for normal behavior in mammals, it is not known how widely this dependency is present in other animal species. We proposed the hypothesis that the microbiome has a major influence on the behavior of the vinegar fly ( Drosophila melanogaster ), a major invertebrate model organism. Several assays were used to test the contribution of the microbiome on some well-characterized behaviors: defensive behavior, sleep, locomotion, and courtship in microbe-bearing, control flies and two generations of germ-free animals. None of the behaviors were largely influenced by the absence of a microbiome, and the small or moderate effects were not generalizable between replicates and/or generations. These results refute the hypothesis, indicating that the Drosophila microbiome does not have a major influence over several behaviors fundamental to the animal’s survival and reproduction. The impact of commensal microbes on animal behaviour may not be broadly conserved.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 13-07-2012
DOI: 10.1021/ES300171X
Abstract: We have developed a new series of environmentally extended multi-region input-output (MRIO) tables with applications in carbon, water, and ecological footprinting, and Life-Cycle Assessment, as well as trend and key driver analyses. Such applications have recently been at the forefront of global policy debates, such as about assigning responsibility for emissions embodied in internationally traded products. The new time series was constructed using advanced parallelized supercomputing resources, and significantly advances the previous state of art because of four innovations. First, it is available as a continuous 20-year time series of MRIO tables. Second, it distinguishes 187 in idual countries comprising more than 15,000 industry sectors, and hence offers unsurpassed detail. Third, it provides information just 1-3 years delayed therefore significantly improving timeliness. Fourth, it presents MRIO elements with accompanying standard deviations in order to allow users to understand the reliability of data. These advances will lead to material improvements in the capability of applications that rely on input-output tables. The timeliness of information means that analyses are more relevant to current policy questions. The continuity of the time series enables the robust identification of key trends and drivers of global environmental change. The high country and sector detail drastically improves the resolution of Life-Cycle Assessments. Finally, the availability of information on uncertainty allows policy-makers to quantitatively judge the level of confidence that can be placed in the results of analyses.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 14-08-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.12.553062
Abstract: The conservation of bio ersity is important for a number of reasons, one of which being drug discovery. Such conservation would benefit from better understanding of the geographical and genetic patterns of natural product (NP) biosynthesis in plants. Here, we integrate publicly accessible next-generation sequencing and species distribution data of 1,612 woody plant species and their 166 enzymes and establish critical metrics to highlight specific enzyme-rich regions. Our results show that species with patulone-forming prenyltransferase, which catalyzes patulone, a potential bioactive compounds in treating disease mediated by platelet-activating factor, are mainly distributed in the South Central region of the United States, while those with enzymes associated with shikonin derivatives biosynthesis, which are associated with potent anti-cancer activity, are mainly found in certain regions of Asia. Those species distribution patterns are different from the species richness. Moreover, we analyse the complex interplay between numerous enzymes in biosynthetic pathways using shikonin and benzylisoquinoline alkaloids biosynthesis as ex les. We detect contrasting geographical distribution patterns, with shikonin derivatives biosynthesis confined to specific regions and benzylisoquinoline alkaloids biosynthesis more globally distributed. These findings suggest policymakers adopt bio ersity conservation policies based on not only the species richness and threat level but also the genetic resources embedded in species. The maps presented in this study will help understand and set such policies.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 24-07-2019
DOI: 10.1126/SCITRANSLMED.AAN5662
Abstract: Transplanting the gut microbiota of pathogen-free mice into germ-free mice improves skeletal muscle mass and strength.
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 03-09-2015
Abstract: This original research paper addresses a key issue in sustainability science: How many and which natural resources are needed to sustain modern economies? Simple as it may seem, this question is far from trivial to answer and has indeed not been addressed satisfactorily in the scholarly literature. We use the most comprehensive and most highly resolved economic input–output framework of the world economy together with a detailed database of global material flows to calculate the full material requirements of all countries covering a period of two decades. Called the “material footprint,” this indicator provides a consumption perspective of resource use and new insights into the actual resource productivity of nations.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-11-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-021-26348-Y
Abstract: Worldwide exposure to ambient PM 2.5 causes over 4 million premature deaths annually. As most of these deaths are in developing countries, without internationally coordinated efforts this polarized situation will continue. As yet, however, no studies have quantified nation-to-nation consumer responsibility for global mortality due to both primary and secondary PM 2.5 particles. Here we quantify the global footprint of PM 2.5 -driven premature deaths for the 19 G20 nations in a position to lead such efforts. G20 consumption in 2010 was responsible for 1.983 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.685–2.285] million premature deaths, at an average age of 67, including 78.6 [71.5–84.8] thousand infant deaths, implying that the G20 lifetime consumption of about 28 [24–33] people claims one life. Our results indicate that G20 nations should take responsibility for their footprint rather than focusing solely on transboundary air pollution, as this would expand opportunities for reducing PM 2.5 -driven premature mortality. Given the infant mortality footprint identified, it would moreover contribute to ensuring infant lives are not unfairly left behind in countries like South Africa, which have a weak relationship with G20 nations.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-11-2012
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-11-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41597-021-01086-4
Abstract: Urban household consumption contributes substantially to global greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. Urban household emissions encompass both direct and indirect emissions, with the former associated with the direct use of fossil fuels and the latter with the emissions embodied in the consumed goods and services. However, there is a lack of consistent and comprehensive datasets outlining in great detail emissions from urban household consumption. To bridge this data gap, we construct an emission inventory of urban household emissions for 52 major cities in Japan that covers around 500 emission categories. The dataset spans from January 2011 to December 2015 and contains 12,384 data records for direct emissions and 1,543,128 records for indirect emissions. Direct emission intensity is provided in g-CO 2 /JPY to facilitate both future studies of household emission in Japan, as well as act as a reference for the development of detailed household emission inventories in other countries.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-07-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-01-2017
Abstract: Identifying hotspots of species threat has been a successful approach for setting conservation priorities. One important challenge in conservation is that, in many hotspots, export industries continue to drive overexploitation. Conservation measures must consider not just the point of impact, but also the consumer demand that ultimately drives resource use. To understand which species threat hotspots are driven by which consumers, we have developed a new approach to link a set of bio ersity footprint accounts to the hotspots of threatened species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The result is a map connecting consumption to spatially explicit hotspots driven by production on a global scale. Locating bio ersity threat hotspots driven by consumption of goods and services can help to connect conservationists, consumers, companies and governments in order to better target conservation actions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2012
DOI: 10.1038/NSMB.2261
Abstract: Bacteria have mechanisms to export proteins for erse purposes, including colonization of hosts and pathogenesis. A small number of archetypal bacterial secretion machines have been found in several groups of bacteria and mediate a fundamentally distinct secretion process. Perhaps erroneously, proteins called 'autotransporters' have long been thought to be one of these protein secretion systems. Mounting evidence suggests that autotransporters might be substrates to be secreted, not an autonomous transporter system. We have discovered a new translocation and assembly module (TAM) that promotes efficient secretion of autotransporters in proteobacteria. Functional analysis of the TAM in Citrobacter rodentium, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli showed that it consists of an Omp85-family protein, TamA, in the outer membrane and TamB in the inner membrane of erse bacterial species. The discovery of the TAM provides a new target for the development of therapies to inhibit colonization by bacterial pathogens.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-06-2019
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 05-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.04.075937
Abstract: Intracellular bacterial pathogens inject effector proteins into host cells to hijack erse cellular processes and promote their survival and proliferation. To systematically map effector-host protein-protein interactions (PPIs) during infection, we generated a library of 32 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ( S Tm) strains expressing chromosomally encoded affinity-tagged effector proteins, and quantified PPIs in macrophages and epithelial cells by Affinity-Purification Quantitative Mass-Spectrometry. Thereby, we identified 25 previously described and 421 novel effector-host PPIs. While effectors converged on the same host cellular processes, most had multiple targets, which often differed between cell types. Using reciprocal co-immunoprecipitations, we validated 13 out of 22 new PPIs. We then used this host-pathogen physical interactome resource to demonstrate that SseJ and SseL collaborate in redirecting cholesterol to the Salmonella Containing Vacuole (SCV) via NPC1, PipB directly recruits the organelle contact site protein PDZD8 to the SCV, and SteC promotes actin bundling by directly phosphorylating formin-like proteins.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-05-2015
DOI: 10.1093/GBE/EVV097
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 09-12-2011
DOI: 10.1021/ES202239T
Abstract: While the problem of climate change is being perceived as increasingly urgent, decision-makers struggle to agree on the distribution of responsibility across countries. In particular, representatives from countries hosting emissions-intensive exporting industries have argued that the importers of emissions-intensive goods should bear the responsibility, and ensuing penalties. Indeed, international trade and carbon leakage appear to play an increasingly important role in the carbon emissions debate. However, definitions of quantities describing the embodiment of carbon emissions in internationally traded products, and their measurement, have to be sufficiently robust before being able to underpin global policy. In this paper we critically examine a number of emissions accounting concepts, examine whether the ensuing carbon balances are compatible with monetary trade balances, discuss their different interpretations, and highlight implications for policy. In particular, we compare the emissions embodied in bilateral trade (EEBT) method which considers total trade flows with domestic emission intensities, with the multi-regional input-output (MRIO) method which considers trade only into final consumption with global emission intensities. If consumption-based emissions of different countries were to be compared, we would suggest an MRIO approach because of the global emissions coverage inherent in this method. If trade-adjusted emission inventories were to be compared, we would suggest an EEBT approach due to the consistency with a monetary trade balance.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 04-2023
Abstract: Urban regions are responsible for a significant proportion of carbon emissions. The carbon footprint (CF) is a practical measure to identify the responsibility of in iduals, cities, or nations in climate change. Numerous CF studies have focused on national accounts, and a few combined consumer consumption and global supply chains to estimate additionally detailed spatial CF. However, the drivers of temporal change in detailed spatial CF are largely unknown, along with regional, spatial, and socioeconomic disparities. Here, we uncovered the drivers of changes in household CFs in EU regions, at the finest scale currently available, between 2010 and 2015. This study mapped the household CFs of 83 macro-regions across 27 EU nations and identified the driving factors underlying their temporal change. We combined multi-regional input-output tables and micro-consumption data from 275 247 and 272 045 households in 2010 and 2015, respectively. We decomposed EU regional CF, employing structural decomposition analysis, into five driving factors: emission intensity, supply chain structure, population, per capita consumption, and final demand share. For a deeper assessment of changes in the contribution of consumption patterns, we further categorized the regional CF into 15 factors, including 11 per capita consumption categories. We found that household CF drivers vary depending on region, population density, income, and consumption patterns. Our results can help policymakers adopt climate policies at the regional level by reflecting on the residents’ socioeconomic, spatial, and consumption conditions, for further ambitious climate actions.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-03-2021
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 09-2016
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 07-02-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-07-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-12-2017
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 15-09-2016
Abstract: Life cycle thinking asks companies and consumers to take responsibility for emissions along their entire supply chain. As the world economy becomes more complex it is increasingly difficult to connect consumers and other downstream users to the origins of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Given the important role of subnational entities-cities, states, and companies-in GHG abatement efforts, it would be advantageous to better link downstream users to facilities and regulators who control primary emissions. We present a new spatially explicit carbon footprint method for establishing such connections. We find that for most developed countries the carbon footprint has diluted and spread: for ex le, since 1970 the U.S. carbon footprint has grown 23% territorially, and 38% in consumption-based terms, but nearly 200% in spatial extent (i.e., the minimum area needed to contain 90% of emissions). The rapidly growing carbon footprints of China and India, however, do not show such a spatial expansion of their consumption footprints in spite of their increasing participation in the world economy. In their case, urbanization concentrates domestic pollution and this offsets the increasing importance of imports.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 06-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2012
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE11145
Abstract: Human activities are causing Earth's sixth major extinction event-an accelerating decline of the world's stocks of biological ersity at rates 100 to 1,000 times pre-human levels. Historically, low-impact intrusion into species habitats arose from local demands for food, fuel and living space. However, in today's increasingly globalized economy, international trade chains accelerate habitat degradation far removed from the place of consumption. Although adverse effects of economic prosperity and economic inequality have been confirmed, the importance of international trade as a driver of threats to species is poorly understood. Here we show that a significant number of species are threatened as a result of international trade along complex routes, and that, in particular, consumers in developed countries cause threats to species through their demand of commodities that are ultimately produced in developing countries. We linked 25,000 Animalia species threat records from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List to more than 15,000 commodities produced in 187 countries and evaluated more than 5 billion supply chains in terms of their bio ersity impacts. Excluding invasive species, we found that 30% of global species threats are due to international trade. In many developed countries, the consumption of imported coffee, tea, sugar, textiles, fish and other manufactured items causes a bio ersity footprint that is larger abroad than at home. Our results emphasize the importance of examining bio ersity loss as a global systemic phenomenon, instead of looking at the degrading or polluting producers in isolation. We anticipate that our findings will facilitate better regulation, sustainable supply-chain certification and consumer product labelling.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2014
Start Date: 2018
End Date: 2022
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2018
End Date: 2021
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2020
End Date: 2024
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2017
End Date: 2020
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2016
End Date: 2021
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
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