Development of LCIA characterisation factors for land use impacts on biodiversity

The UNEP/SETAC life cycle initiative has recently proposed a framework for life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) of land use. Still, a lack of appropriate LCIA-methods for assessing land use impacts exist in life cycle assessment (LCA). Most existing methods are either too coarse-grained regarding the differentiation between different land use types (e.g. conventional farming versus organic farming), or they are too narrow regarding spatial coverage (e.g. only part of Europe). Therefore, the purpose of this article is to develop a method that overcomes these problems. A secondary goal is to develop a method for which it is possible to determine characterisation factors for any land use type in any region without the need for overwhelming data and data manipulation requirements. The developed method for LCIA of biodiversity focuses on species richness of vascular plants which can be determined from species–area curves. The category indicator is calculated as the multiplication of occupied area, the number of species affected per standard area (100 m²), the duration of occupation and renaturalisation from transformation, and a factor for ecosystem vulnerability. The main uncertainties of the method are related to the determination of renaturalisation times and the establishment species–area curves. The intention of the study presented in this article, i.e. to develop an applicable model with global coverage and no constraints on resolution regarding spatial and land use type differentiation, has widely been met. The limiting factor for applicability is the access to species richness surveys for the relevant regions and land use types. But still, the method shows that, with limited efforts, it is possible to calculate characterisation factors for a large range of land use types in different parts of the world.     

高原牧区草地变化对牧民粮食安全的影响——以青海省达日县为例

农业区和牧业区的粮食安全在概念上存在着一定的差别,在关注农业区粮食安全的同时,牧业区粮食安全的研究也值得重视。论文从青海省达日县牧区牧民食物能量折算入手,构建了最小人均草地面积和草地压力指数两个计算方法,并以乡为基本单元,对各乡粮食安全进行定量计算。计算结果表明:达日县1987-2007年最小人均草地面积和草地压力指数呈增加趋势,1997年粮食安全区、警戒区、短缺区、危机区4个等级均有分布,至2007年该区域已全部演变为粮食短缺区和危机区,主要原因是草地退化严重,人口数量增加,人均草地面积减少以及技术和物质投入不足,牧业生产条件恶化。     

Environmental, land-use and economic implications of Brazilian sugarcane expansion 1996–2006

Governments are promoting biofuels and the resulting changes in land use and crop reallocation to biofuels production have raised concerns about impacts on environment and food security. The promotion of biofuels has also been questioned based on suggested marginal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, partly due to induced land use change causing greenhouse gas emissions. This study reports how the expansion of sugarcane in Brazil during 1996–2006 affected indicators for environment, land use and economy. The results indicate that sugarcane expansion did not in general contribute to direct deforestation in the traditional agricultural region where most of the expansion took place. The amount of forests on farmland in this area is below the minimum stated in law and the situation did not change over the studied period. Sugarcane expansion resulted in a significant reduction of pastures and cattle heads and higher economic growth than in neighboring areas. It could not be established to what extent the discontinuation of cattle production induced expansion of pastures in other areas, possibly leading to indirect deforestation. However, the results indicate that a possible migration of the cattle production reached further than the neighboring of expansion regions. Occurring at much smaller rates, expansion of sugarcane in regions such as the Amazon and the Northeast region was related to direct deforestation and competition with food crops, and appear not to have induced economic growth. These regions are not expected to experience substantial increases of sugarcane in the near future, but mitigating measures are warranted.     

Species-pool effect potentials (SPEP) as a yardstick to evaluate land-use impacts on biodiversity

Using land to produce biomass or to build infrastructure has adverse impacts on ecosystem quality or, more precisely, on attributes (biodiversity, ecological functions, natural resources) of ecosystem quality. However, there is no comprehensive assessment methodology that allows the assessment of different land-use activities in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). I have defined the safeguard subject ecosystem quality and have modelled land-use impacts on species diversity on both local and regional scales. The characterisation factor species-pool effect potential (SPEP) has been developed for weighting a wide range of land-use activities. Occupation of urban, built-up and arable land are found to negatively affect the species-pool. Mixed forests and fallow appear to have positive effects. Generic SPEP factors can be used to assess the potential effect of land-use interventions in the framework of LCIA.     

Adaptation of land management in the Mediterranean under scenarios of irrigation water use and availability

Meeting the growing demand for food in the future will require adaptation of water and land management to future conditions. We studied the extent of different adaptation options to future global change in the Mediterranean region, under scenarios of water use and availability. We focused on the most significant adaptation options for semiarid regions: implementing irrigation, changes to cropland intensity, and diversification of cropland activities. We used Conversion of Land Use on Mondial Scale (CLUMondo), a global land system model, to simulate future change to land use and land cover, and land management. To take into account future global change, we followed global outlooks for future population and climate change, and crop and livestock demand. The results indicate that the level of irrigation efficiency improvement is an important determinant of potential changes in the intensity of rain-fed land systems. No or low irrigation efficiency improvements lead to a reduction in irrigated areas, accompanied with intensification and expansion of rain-fed cropping systems. When reducing water withdrawal, total crop production in intensive rain-fed systems would need to increase significantly: by 130% without improving the irrigation efficiency in irrigated systems and by 53% under conditions of the highest possible efficiency improvement. In all scenarios, traditional Mediterranean multifunctional land systems continue to play a significant role in food production, especially in hosting livestock. Our results indicate that significant improvements to irrigation efficiency with simultaneous increase in cropland productivity are needed to satisfy future demands for food in the region. The approach can be transferred to other similar regions with strong resource limitations in terms of land and water.     

Environmental impact assessment taxonomy providing comprehensive coverage of midpoints,endpoints, damages,and areas of protection

Before conducting a comprehensive impact assessment, such as a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), there is a need to discuss the range of impacts which could and should be included. Up to this point of time, there has not been a comprehensive list of impacts for potential inclusion available. This research builds upon previous work which surveyed a large component of the comprehensive impact assessment field for cataloging and analysis in greater detail and then expanded it to include those midpoints, endpoints, and damages which could be covered in a more comprehensive impact assessment. In this paper, a seminal effort in the form of a meta-model is presented to facilitate an expanded discussion of the taxonomy of this field. Upon using existing models it was apparent the taxonomy needed to be structured to represent midpoint, endpoint, damage, and weighted levels as they relate to areas of protection for the impact assessment phase. Contrary to recent use in the LCIA field, a distinction will be made between an endpoint measure (which is more of a “count” of impacts) and a damage measure (which is a value-weighted aggregation of two or more endpoints). The authors present a representation of all four levels of impact assessment: midpoint, endpoint, damage, and weighted. This taxonomy was developed to include the existing impacts found in LCIA literature, and then expanded to be more comprehensive and include a larger set of impacts than are normally included within LCIA. The authors recognize this is the first of many steps necessary to capture all potential impacts that should be considered when conducting a comprehensive environmental assessment. The intent is to propose a taxonomy that would greatly facilitate the accumulation and communication of empirical and theoretical knowledge gained by offering a standard vocabulary and structure.     

Assessment of global bioenergy potentials

So far, various studies assessed global biomass potentials and came up with widely varying results. Existing potential estimates range from 0 EJ/a up to more than 1,550 EJ/a which corresponds to about three times the current global primary energy consumption. This paper provides an overview of the available research on bioenergy potentials and reviews the different assessments qualitative way with the objective to interpret previous research in an integrated way. In the context of this paper we understand bioenergy as energy from biomass sources including energy crops, residues, byproducts and wastes from agriculture, forestry, food production and waste management. In this review special attention was paid to the difference between residue and energy potentials, land availability estimates, and the geographical resolution of existing potential estimates. The majority of studies concentrate on energy crop potentials retrieved from surplus agricultural land and only few publications assess global potentials separated by different world regions. It results that land allocated to the exclusive production of energy crops varies from 0 to 7,000 ha, depending on land category and scenario assumptions. Only a small number of available potential assessments consider residue potentials as well as energy crop potentials from degraded land. Future energy crop potentials are assumed to vary in the mean from 200 to 600 EJ/yr. In contrast residue potentials are expected to contribute between 62 and 325 EJ/yr. The highest potentials are assigned to Asia, Africa and South America while Europe, North America and the Pacific region contribute minor parts to the global potential.     

Human population and the global environment

A stable ecosystem resists large, rapid changes in the sizes of its constituent populations which upset the orderly flow of energy and nutrients. An early example of such alteration was the conversion to desert of the rich Tigris and Euphrates valleys through erosion and salt accumulation resulting from faulty irrigation practices that caused the downfall of the great Mesopotamian civilization. Overgrazing and poor cultivation practices have contributed over the millennia to the expansion of the Sahara Desert. Attempts to cultivate too intensively the fragile soil of tropical rainforest areas are suspected of being in part responsible for the collapse of the Mayan civilization. The 19th century Irish potato famine because of heavy reliance of the Irish population on a single, highly productive crop led to 1.5 million deaths when the potato monoculture, a simple agricultural ecosystem, fell victim to a fungus. Modern agriculture's desire to maximize yields per acre are worrisome ecologically (increases in the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers). The liabilities include that as larger land areas are farmed the tracts available for reservoirs of species diversity and for natural ecosystems become smaller. Pressure to expand agriculture to steep hillsides unsuitable for cultivation has led to serious erosion in Indonesia, and increasing slash-and-burn practices are destroying tropical forests in the Philippines. The enormous expansion of wheat or rice monoculture has increased the probability of epidemic crop failure from insects or disease. 37% of the world's population is under 15 years of age which means that population will grow for 50-70 years more before leveling off. Despite a declining growth rate population would still increase 30% or more during the transition to stability. Zero global population growth is required for a prosperous and environmentally sustainable civilization.     

A review of assessments conducted on bio-ethanol as a transportation fuel from a net energy,greenhouse gas,and environmental life cycle perspective

Interest in producing ethanol from biomass in an attempt to make transportation ecologically sustainable continues to grow. In recent years, a large number of assessments have been conducted to assess the environmental merit of biofuels. Two detailed reviews present contrasting results: one is generally unfavourable, whilst the other is more favourable towards fuel bio-ethanol. However, most work that has been done so far, to assess the conversion of specific feedstocks to biofuels, specifically bio-ethanol, has not gone beyond energy and carbon assessments. This study draws on 47 published assessments that compare bio-ethanol systems to conventional fuel on a life cycle basis, or using life cycle assessment (LCA). A majority of these assessments focused on net energy and greenhouse gases, and despite differing assumptions and system boundaries, the following general lessons emerge: (i) make ethanol from sugar crops, in tropical countries, but approach expansion of agricultural land usage with extreme caution; (ii) consider hydrolysing and fermenting lignocellulosic residues to ethanol; and (iii) the LCA results on grasses as feedstock are insufficient to draw conclusions. It appears that technology choices in process residue handling and in fuel combustion are key, whilst site-specific environmental management tools should best handle biodiversity issues. Seven of the reviewed studies evaluated a wider range of environmental impacts, including resource depletion, global warming, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication, human and ecological health, smog formation, etc., but came up with divergent conclusions, possibly due to different approaches in scoping. These LCAs typically report that bio-ethanol results in reductions in resource use and global warming; however, impacts on acidification, human toxicity and ecological toxicity, occurring mainly during the growing and processing of biomass, were more often unfavourable than favourable. It is in this area that further work is needed.     

上海市沿海滩涂土地资源圈围与潮滩发育演变分析

上海市62%的土地是近2 000 年来长江来沙堆积而成, 尤其近50 余年来, 采用围垦-促 淤-围垦等有效的拦沙造地方式, 圈围滩涂1.01×105hm2, 为缓解上海城市发展所需的土地资源紧 缺、促进工农业发展和城市基本建设发挥了巨大的作用。论文将GIS 平台获取大量滩涂变化的基本 数据和长期现场观测资料相结合, 总结并提出: 充分利用长江来沙资源, 采用中高潮滩种青和工程 促淤拦沙圈围方法, 可加速潮滩淤涨发育和滩涂土地资源增长, 而低滩工程促淤虽然不利于潮滩地 形快速恢复, 但可快速获得大片土地资源。因而, 保证了50 余年来上海市在圈围土地与基本保持沿 海潮滩湿地面积总量变幅较少方面取得双赢效果。     

Mass-cultivation of carbohydrate rich macroalgae, a possible solution for sustainable biofuel production

Global demand for bio-fuels continues unabated. Rising concerns over environmental pollution and global warming have encouraged the movement to alternate fuels, the world ethanol market is projected to reach 86 billion litres this year. Bioethanol is currently produced from land-based crops such as corn and sugar cane. A continued use of these crops drives the food versus fuel debate. An alternate feed-stock which is abundant and carbohydrate-rich is necessary. The production of such a crop should be sustainable, and, reduce competition with production of food, feed, and industrial crops, and not be dependent on agricultural inputs (pesticides, fertilizer, farmable land, water). Marine biomass could meet these challenges, being an abundant and carbon neutral renewable resource with potential to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions and the man-made impact on climate change. Here we examine the current cultivation technologies for marine biomass and the environmental and economic aspects of using brown seaweeds for bio-ethanol production.     

Sewage sludge handling with phosphorus utilization – life cycle assessment of four alternatives

Four handling options for sewage sludge were studied from an environmental system's perspective using life cycle assessment. The studied options were restoration of mining areas, composting with other biomaterials for use on golf courses, hygienisation through storage for agricultural use, and supercritical water oxidation with phosphorus recovery. The results are discussed in terms of impact on global warming, acidification, eutrophication, and the use of finite resources and primary energy. A very large impact of including biogeochemical emissions from sludge handling and spreading on land can be seen. System expansions for replaced artificial fertilizers also had a major influence on the results. It is clear that it is important for the environmental outcome of sludge treatment options that biogeochemical emissions from sludge are minimized and that nutrients and other resources are utilized efficiently.     

华北高产粮区夏玉米生命周期环境影响评价

以山东省桓台县夏玉米生产体系为例,应用生命周期评价方法,以单位产量为评价功能单元,把夏玉米生命周期分为原料开采与运输、农资生产与运输、作物种植3个生产阶段,对不同施氮水平下夏玉米生命周期的资源消耗与污染物排放进行了清单分析和影响评价.结果表明,随着施氮量的增加,夏玉米生命周期环境影响呈指数上升趋势,其中,主要影响类型为水资源耗竭,这与农作物需水量较大、水分生产率较低有关.在低氮量条件下,主要污染影响类型是全球变暖,随着施氮量的增加,富营养化上升为主要污染影响类型.提高作物种植阶段水肥利用效率是控制夏玉米生命周期环境影响的关键,它可减少夏玉米对水资源和氮肥的需求,从而直接减少农田氮素损失污染影响,也间接降低了上游生产环节的资源消耗与污染物排放影响,进而有助于降低夏玉米生命周期环境影响总潜力.     

From site-level to regional adaptation planning for tropical commodities: cocoa in West Africa

The production of tropical agricultural commodities, such as cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea spp.), the countries and communities engaged in it, and the industries dependent on these commodities, are vulnerable to climate change. This is especially so where a large percentage of the global supply is grown in a single geographical region. Fortunately, there is often considerable spatial heterogeneity in the vulnerability to climate change within affected regions, implying that local production losses could be compensated through intensification and expansion of production elsewhere. However, this requires that site-level actions are integrated into a regional approach to climate change adaptation. We discuss here such a regional approach for cocoa in West Africa, where 70 % of global cocoa supply originates. On the basis of a statistical model of relative climatic suitability calibrated on West African cocoa farming areas and average climate projections for the 2030s and 2050s of, respectively, 15 and 19 Global Circulation Models, we divide the region into three adaptation zones: (i) a little affected zone permitting intensification and/or expansion of cocoa farming; (ii) a moderately affected zone requiring diversification and agronomic adjustments of farming practices; and (iii) a severely affected zone with need for progressive crop change. We argue that for tropical agricultural commodities, larger-scale adaptation planning that attempts to balance production trends across countries and regions could help reduce negative impacts of climate change on regional economies and global commodity supplies, despite the institutional challenges that this integration may pose.     

黄土高原生态系统过渡带土地覆盖的时空变化分析

在全球气候变化及其生态环境效应研究中,生态系统过渡带作为气候变化和人类活动的敏感区域,其土地覆盖的时空变化分析逐渐成为土地利用科学研究的热点问题。基于GIS的时空分析方法,在对Holdridge生命地带模型的判别标准进行改进的基础上,构建了生态系统过渡带的时空分析模型。在建立土地覆盖正向和逆向转换规则的基础上,构建了土地覆盖正向和逆向转换指数模型。并以黄土高原为案例区,在定量识别生态系统过渡带类型及其空间格局的基础上,定量评价了各种生态系统过渡带类型土地覆盖的转换情况。模拟分析结果表明,黄土高原地区共有14种生态系统过渡带类型,其总面积占整个黄土高原的25.21%。在1985-2005年期间,黄土高原生态系统过渡带内的耕地面积平均每10 a减少0.93%,而湿地和水体、林地、草地的面积则平均每10 a分别增加3.47%、0.24%、0.06%。整个过渡带区域土地覆盖的转换率从28.53%降低到21.91%,且其正向转换和逆向转换面积总体上均呈减少的趋势。另外,黄土高原生态系统过渡带区域和非过渡带区域的土地覆盖转换率对比分析显示,过渡带区域土地覆盖的转换率高于非过渡带区域。     

中国水土资源本底匹配状况研究

论文以中国水资源二级区为基本单元,利用单位面积水资源量法和基尼系数法,以二级区水资源总量和潜在可开垦耕地面积为数据基础,评价中国水土资源本底匹配状况,为中国水土资源优化配置提供科学依据。首先根据适宜农作物耕种的高程、坡度和土壤类型条件,得到中国潜在可开垦耕地分布;然后,计算单位潜在可开垦耕地面积水资源量,评价中国水土资源本底匹配分布状况;最后,绘制水土资源洛伦兹曲线,计算基尼系数,对中国水土资源本底匹配总体状况进行评价。研究结果表明： 1）中国北部区域潜在可开垦耕地较多,西南部和南部沿海区域分布较少,未来具有较大耕地开发潜力的区域主要分布在北方; 2）中国本底水资源和潜在可开垦耕地资源空间分布存在严重错位; 3）较之已有研究成果中依据水资源量和耕地面积计算的基尼系数0.566,论文以本底水资源和潜在耕地为基础数据计算的基尼系数0.712要大很多,表征中国本底水土资源不匹配程度要严重得多,中国80%的水资源服务不到23%的潜在可开垦耕地。     

中国农产品贸易的虚拟土地资源量化研究

虚拟资源对于揭示农产品贸易隐含的资源流动及效应具有重要意义。随着我国农产品贸易量和贸易格局的变化,定量核算我国农产品贸易隐含的土地资源量变化,可以从资源利用的角度评价我国农产品贸易的合理性,为相关贸易政策的制定提供理论依据。研究重点探讨了农产品及加工制品的虚拟土地资源量的核算方法,分别从生产者角度和消费者角度对1986—2009年我国农作物产品及其加工制品贸易的虚拟土地资源量进行了核算。计算结果表明,我国农作物产品隐含的虚拟土地资源量由1986年的净出口442.6×10⁴ hm²,转变为2009年的净进口2 889.0×10⁴ hm²,假设进口农产品在本国生产的情况下,2009年我国所需的虚拟土地资源量为3 817.5×10⁴ hm²。从虚拟土地资源进口结构和空间分布来看,我国虚拟土地资源净进口主要作物类别由谷物转变为油料作物,主要进口来源国由美国、加拿大、澳大利亚转变为美国、巴西、阿根廷。     

Impact of bioenergy crops in a carbon dioxide constrained world: an application of the MiniCAM energy-agriculture and land use model

In the coming century, modern bioenergy crops have the potential to play a crucial role in the global energy mix, especially under policies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as proposed by many in the international community. Previous studies have not fully addressed many of the dynamic interactions and effects of a policy-induced expansion of bioenergy crop production, particularly on crop yields and human food demand. This study combines an updated agriculture and land use (AgLU) model with a well-developed energy-economic model to provide an analysis of the effects of bioenergy crops on energy, agricultural and land use systems. The results indicate that carbon dioxide mitigation policies can stimulate a large production of bioenergy crops, dependent on the level of the policy. This production of bioenergy crops can lead to several impacts on the agriculture and land use system: decreases in forestland and unmanaged land, decreases in the average yield of food crops, increases in the prices of food crops, and decreases in the level of human demand of calories.

Crops,cows or timber? Including carbon values in land use choices

Farm forestry is a very minor land use in the inland agricultural landscapes of Australia. The Australian Government intends to introduce a program to encourage landholders to trade the carbon sequestration value of plantations and this may change the relative profitability of plantations against other agricultural land uses. This research compares the returns from a timber and ‘carbon’ plantation, with those from grazing and a common crop rotation in the Kingaroy area of Queensland.Typical production patterns for all systems were developed from producer and expert knowledge and soil and vegetation sampling were used to estimate sequestration rates. The costs and benefits of all land use systems were converted into monetary terms and discounted to produce net present values. With a standard discount rate and average commodity prices based on recent history, cultivation is the most profitable option, followed by pasture and plantations. After the inclusion of carbon, plantations are the most profitable option, followed by pasture and cultivation. A number of qualifications of these findings are also discussed.     

我国农耕土壤Cd污染与植物修复现状

中国人均耕地面积不足,农耕土壤的Cd污染问题对土壤资源的可持续利用和农作物的安全构成了巨大的潜在威胁。通过简述中国农耕土壤Cd污染现状和造成农耕土壤Cd污染的原因,并结合中原地区农耕土壤Cd污染调查情况,概述了中国近5年农耕土壤和农作物受到Cd污染的程度。总结近年来国家在济源开展植物修复土壤Cd污染试点工程及湖南启动长株潭耕地重金属污染修复以及农作物种植结构调整试点工程的修复效果,并简述了目前中国土壤的治理措施。最后,通过试点工程期间遇到的问题探究中国农耕土壤Cd污染的修复之路,展望未来Cd污染土壤修复工作的重点和预防措施。