PLOS Sustainability and Transformation最新文献

{"title":"Are carbon offsets the key to green cryptocurrencies?","authors":"Aakash Lamba","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000002","url":null,"abstract":"Cryptocurrencies have seen a meteoric rise in their adoption and value over the past decade. For instance, the most widely-traded cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, which started at only a few cents per token in 2009 when it was first mined [1], crossed an all-time high price of more than USD68,000 in November 2021 [2]. Largely made possible with the rise of blockchain technology, a cryptocurrency is essentially a digital form of money that allows the transfer of value directly between users, without requiring an intervening financial institution [1]. A blockchain is a system where records of transactions are distributed across multiple users in a network as encrypted ‘blocks’ [1,3,4]. The users in a blockchain network participate in both the creation of new tokens (equivalent to ‘minting’ new money), as well as the authentication of these records through complex mathematical operations on their computers, which is referred to as ‘mining’ [1]. This decentralized ‘distributed ledger’ prevents the false modification of records [3] and allows for a more secure, trustworthy and scalable way to make financial transactions [1]. These advantages have led to significant growth in this sector. However, the massive energy consumption of mining cryptocurrencies and consequently their carbon footprint is a significant environmental concern. Studies suggest that the annual carbon emissions from the Bitcoin network alone could potentially exceed 90 MtCO2e, which surpasses the total carbon footprint of some of the most populous cities in the world including Beijing, Sao Paulo and New Delhi (www.citycarbonfootprints.info) [5]. In response to these environmental costs, several approaches to make cryptocurrencies more sustainable are being explored. These either attempt to directly decarbonize cryptocurrencies by reducing emissions or try to compensate for their adverse climate impacts through negative emissions from carbon offsets. Naturally, both these pathways are needed in tandem to achieve carbon neutrality [6]. However, due to the significant constraints that limit the future decarbonization of this sector, connecting cryptocurrencies to carbon offsets is arguably the most practical approach for mitigating their climate impact.","PeriodicalId":384293,"journal":{"name":"PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","volume":"498 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125247363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying beneficiaries for sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries","authors":"Arindam Roy","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000003","url":null,"abstract":"Implementation projects on sustainable development have already triggered the global transfer of funds through multi-lateral agencies. The selection of beneficiaries at the local level is an intriguing problem in the developmental sector and does not have a single-window solution. In absence of equitable selection, a fraction of beneficiaries might be benefitted over and over again and the rest remain deprived. The proposed opinion will discuss the challenges of selecting beneficiaries in the developing countries and shade lights in some of the probable solutions which can be used. The present opinion also suggest measures needs to be taken by funding agency, and implementing agency to create more transparent framework and assure maximal utilization of available funds.","PeriodicalId":384293,"journal":{"name":"PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","volume":"69 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122618348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reducing environmental impacts of marine biotoxin monitoring: A laboratory report","authors":"Jane Kilcoyne, Y. Bogan, C. Duffy, T. Hollowell","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000001","url":null,"abstract":"Laboratories globally contribute significantly to consumption of resources, greenhouse gas emissions, and generation of waste. Shellfish destined for human consumption are required to be tested for the presence of regulated marine biotoxins, that can be harmful to human health. Whilst running the national monitoring program for the detection of biotoxins in shellfish, efforts were made to increase resource efficiencies by reducing waste and energy consumption leading to reduced environmental and financial costs. Methods were verified to allow transitions to more sustainable and environmentally-friendly consumables, replacing plastics with paperboard and glass alternatives, leading to a reduction in the consumption of single-use plastics by 69%. A shift to polystyrene recycling and composting non-toxic shellfish waste led to an overall reduction in non-chemical waste of >95%. Adoption of green analytical chemistry principles to procurement and preparation of chemical solutions led to a reduction in hazardous chemical waste by ~23%. A further reduction in printing (~81%) was achieved by transitioning to digital document control. Strategies to reduce energy consumption through ‘switch off’ campaigns and improved fume hood and cold storage equipment management were also implemented. Fume hood and cold storage equipment energy consumption was reduced by 30%. The strategies implemented could be adopted by other laboratories e.g., monitoring and research laboratories dealing with pharmaceutical, biological, and environmental samples.","PeriodicalId":384293,"journal":{"name":"PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126523625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Protecting Our Future: What Contribution Can I Make?","authors":"Bernward Gesang","doi":"10.22541/au.163820056.62943303/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22541/au.163820056.62943303/v1","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 A)The crises related to climate and the economy endanger future and\u0000current generations, but altering the small impact or minimal emissions\u0000of an individual person is-because of the failure of political\u0000coordination-not the best way to overcome these crises.\u0000 B) When we act as individuals to act as stopgaps for policy to minimise\u0000the mountain of problems, the following applies: We should not waste our\u0000energies on limited involvements in small, primarily symbolic\u0000collaborations but should instead endeavour to make the biggest\u0000difference of which we are capable with regard to improving the world.\u0000 C) We make the biggest difference when our limited budget for improving\u0000the world is used against poverty, for example, and combatting poverty\u0000is precisely what brings positive side effects with regard to human\u0000rights and the protection of the climate, animals and species. For\u0000example, support for poor farmers in rain forests can save those rain\u0000forests. Every CO2 calculator demonstrates that commitment to the Third\u0000World is up to 50 times more efficient than personal emissions\u0000reductions.","PeriodicalId":384293,"journal":{"name":"PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","volume":"45 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125039745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A slow road from meat dominance to more sustainable diets: an analysis of purchase preferences","authors":"M. Erkkola, Satu Kinnunen, H. Vepsäläinen, J. Meinilä, L. Uusitalo, H. Konttinen, Hannu Saarijärvi, M. Fogelholm, J. Nevalainen","doi":"10.1101/2021.11.25.21266850","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.25.21266850","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Achieving a sustainable and healthy diet requires increased replacement of red meat with more sustainable foods. There is a call for novel methodologies to assess the potential of different interventions and policies in enhancing the transition from the current to more sustainable choices. Objective: We aimed to characterize consumer clusters with similar preferences in protein sources, to compare the purchase prices of these foods, and to identify ongoing transitions from one protein source to another. Design: Grocery purchase data with individual attributes on 29,437 consenting loyalty card holders were analyzed over 2.3 year period. We designed a sequence analysis to group participants to clusters with similar purchase preferences over the follow-up period and to estimate transition probabilities between preferences. We studied the determinants of prevalent purchase profiles by ordinal logistic models. Results: We identified six participant profiles with similar preferences in four protein sources: red meat, poultry, fish, and plant-based foods. Red meat dominated the purchase preferences and showed the highest persistence over time. The majority (70%) of the participants demonstrated somewhat mixed purchase profiles. A step-by-step transition from red meat towards plant-based food preference seems most likely via poultry and fish. Overall, low income was not a barrier to a more sustainable purchase profile, while price may deter the purchase of fish. The most important resources in choosing more sustainable profiles were education and stage of family life. Conclusions: Societal incentives for sustainable food choices seem most crucial at transition stages of life course and for the less educated. Here we also demonstrate that grocery purchase data offer a valuable tool for monitoring the progressive transition towards a healthy and sustainable food system.","PeriodicalId":384293,"journal":{"name":"PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","volume":"45 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133396168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The hidden value of trees: quantifying the ecosystem services of tree lineages and their major threats across the continental US","authors":"J. Cavender-Bares, E. Nelson, J. E. Meireles, J. Lasky, D. Miteva, D. Nowak, W. Pearse, M. Helmus, A. Zanne, W. Fagan, Christopher Mihiar, Nathan Z. Muller, Nathan J B Kraft, S. Polasky","doi":"10.32942/osf.io/gp7mt","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32942/osf.io/gp7mt","url":null,"abstract":"Trees provide critical contributions to human well-being. They sequester and store greenhouse gasses, filter air pollutants, and provide wood, food, and other products, among other benefits. However, global change threatens these benefits. To quantify the monetary value of US trees and the threats they face, we combine macroevolutionary and economic valuation approaches using spatially explicit information about species and lineages. We show that the value of ecosystem services generated by trees in forests, orchards, and plantations in the US - $114 billion annually (low: $85 B; high: $137 B; 2010 USD) across five key services for which we had adequate data. The high value of trees is a consequence of both their abundance and diversity. The carbon storage and air pollution removal values of US trees far exceed their commercial value from wood product and food crops. Yet the most valuable US tree species and lineages are also among those most threatened by known pests and pathogens, climate change and increasing fire risk. While US tree crops are often provided by the same lineages in different regions, the high ecosystem service value of carbon and air pollution removal depends on different lineages in different regions. The composition of tree species that provide critical ecosystem services are likely to shift with global change, highlighting the importance of maintaining forest abundance and diversity.","PeriodicalId":384293,"journal":{"name":"PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122828407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climate change resilient agricultural practices: A learning experience from indigenous communities over India","authors":"Amitava Aich, D. Dey, Arindam Roy","doi":"10.31223/osf.io/s9dvz","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31223/osf.io/s9dvz","url":null,"abstract":"The impact of climate change on agricultural practices is raising question marks on future food security of billions of people in tropical and subtropical regions. Recently introduced, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) techniques encourage the practices of sustainable agriculture, increasing adaptive capacity and resilience to shocks at multiple levels. However, it is extremely difficult to develop a single framework for climate change resilient agricultural practices for different agrarian production landscape. Agriculture accounts for nearly 30% of Indian gross domestic product (GDP) and provide livelihood of nearly two-thirds of the population of the country. Due to the major dependency on rain-fed irrigation, Indian agriculture is vulnerable to rainfall anomaly, pest invasion, and extreme climate events. Due to their close relationship with environment and resources, indigenous people are considered as one of the most vulnerable community affected by the changing climate. In the milieu of the climate emergency, multiple indigenous tribes from different agroecological zones over India have been selected in the present study to explore the adaptive potential of indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK)-based agricultural practices against climate change. The selected tribes are inhabitants of Eastern Himalaya (Apatani), Western Himalaya (Lahaulas), Eastern Ghat (Dongria-Gondh), and Western Ghat (Irular) representing rainforest, cold desert, moist upland, and rain shadow landscape, respectively. The effect of climate change over the respective regions was identified using different Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenario, and agricultural practices resilient to climate change were quantified. Primary results indicated moderate to extreme susceptibility and preparedness of the tribes against climate change due to the exceptionally adaptive ITK-based agricultural practices. A brief policy has been prepared where knowledge exchange and technology transfer among the indigenous tribes have been suggested to achieve complete climate change resiliency.","PeriodicalId":384293,"journal":{"name":"PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129535117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}