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Mini-Conference #4 – June 1, 2022

Watch it here!


Presenters

  • Julio Cesar dos Reis

Title: Carbon-emergy ratio to assess farming systems sustainability in Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado

Authors: Julio Cesar dos Reis – Embrapa Cerrados; Geraldo Stachetti Rodrigues – Embrapa Meio Ambiente; Inácio de Barros – Embrapa Gado de Leite

The adoption of sustainable farming systems in the Amazon and Cerrado is central for Brazil to achieve its targets in reducing GHG emissions assumed in the Paris Agreement and the National Climate Change Plan. Integrated crop-livestock-forest systems have demonstrated huge potential to mitigate GHG while improving agricultural production. We used the emergy synthesis approach to assess and compare the environmental performances of integrated crop-livestock (soybean and beef cattle) to continuous crop (soybean/corn) and continuous livestock (beef cattle) systems using data from the 2017/18 cropping season in Mato Grosso state - the largest grain and beef producer in Brazil. Also, we propose a carbon-emergy ratio - net GHG emitted (CO2eq) per unit emergy (seJ) - to assess how integrated farming systems can contribute to reducing GHG emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated using the official methodology used by the Brazilian government to elaborate its official inventory of GHG emissions in the agricultural sector to be presented in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings. The carbon-emergy indicator highlighted the integrated system performance in increasing food production and, simultaneously, reducing CO2 emissions, at -2.71 E−11 tonCO2eq.sej-1. In contrast, the crop system released 3.70 E−11 tonCO2eq.sej-1. Traditional livestock showed the worst performance, with 7.98 E−09 tonCO2eq.sej-1. Considering the large area that potentially can adopt integrated systems in the Cerrado and Amazon, a huge contribution may be attained for minimizing CO2 emissions from agriculture.


  • Xu Tian

Mapping the resource trade patterns in China “Belt and Road” Initiative: evidences from key provinces and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Xu Tian1*, Joseph Sarkis2, Wei Chen3, Yong Geng1, Haozhi Pan1, Zuoxi Liu4, Sergio Ulgiati5

Corresponding author: tianxu@sjtu.edu.cn

  1. SJTU-UNIDO joint Institute of Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  2. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609-2280, USA
  3. School of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
  4. Key Laboratory of Clean Energy of Liaoning, School of Energy and Environment, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, China
  5. Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale-Isola C4, 80143 Napoli, Italy

Abstract: The “Belt and Road” initiative (BRI) may play an important role to improve China’s regional development and foreign trade, within a sustainable and fair-trade relationship with Partners. Traditional trade assessments always depended on economic evaluation, disregarding the environmental resource gain and loss at national and provincial levels. In order to shorten the disparities among provinces and develop a sustainable BR trade, this study looks at the pivot provinces along BRI in China and the key trade partners - ASEAN countries - as an example to investigate the environmental value of resource exchange from 2010 to 2016, by means of the Emergy Accounting (EMA) approach. Results show that China's provincial economic development occurred on the basis of increased resource imports from abroad Partners, in so increasing the environmental load on the whole network. The average growth of emergy-based provincial ELR (Environmental Loading Ratio) is from 47.1 in 2000 to 149 in 2016. China’s Eastern pivot provinces are identified as the most heavily dependent on resource imports. The Emergy Benefit Ratios were calculated for the different China regions, in order to identify those bilateral relations still needing improvements towards a more equitable and more stable exchange dynamics. Policy implications are proposed for environmentally and socially sustainable trade relations. 

Keywords: China international trade; Emergy; “The Belt and Road” initiative; ASEAN.


  • Remo Santagata

LCA impacts and emergy-based feasibility. The LEAF (LCA & EMA Applied Framework) integrated approach.

Remo Santagata1,*, Amalia Zucaro2, Gabriella Fiorentino2, Elisa Lucagnano3, Sergio Ulgiati4

  1. Department of Engineering, Parthenope University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy
  2. ENEA, Research Centre of Portici, Portici, Napoli, Italy
  3. Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy
  4. School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

*Corresponding Author: remo.santagata@assegnista.uniparthenope.it

Abstract

The analysis of complex systems might necessitate the integrated application of different assessment methods, applying a holistic understanding. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Emergy Accounting (EMA) show many similarities and great differences. LCA applies a consumer side perspective, delivering information about the impacts generated. LCA space and time scales are set at a boundary considering the process phases in terms of location, durability and direct impacts on the investigated areas. EMA, throughout its donor side perspective, expands the boundaries over the entire biosphere space and time scales, including the energy embodied in resource generation. LCA and EMA are designed for different purposes: jointly using them means answering two different sets of questions, both crucial and much needed. Differences and similarities between LCA and EMA may gain added value by their implementation within a procedural framework which exploits the characteristics of both. The present work proposes a methodological procedure based on the sequential and integrated application of the two methods. The Amalfi paper production is used as a test case study. The procedure stems from an ex-ante LCA analysis, to understand the hotspots of the investigated case study. Then, the system is assessed using different EMA-based improvement scenarios, with different emergy demands. Scenarios translate into different environmental burdens, detectable by an ex-post LCA application of each scenario. Depending on the obtained results, the investigator is able to understand the viability of any specific improvement and the sustainability of the global process, by merging LCA impacts and emergy-based resource accounting.


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