Marketization of refuse collection in Denmark: social and environmental quality jeopardized.

Refuse collection has been the main public service to be outsourced in Denmark since the E.U. guidelines on public procurement came into force in 1993. The contracting activities of the municipalities are framed by a complex set of ideologies and objectives, in addition to regulations. At both EU level and at national level, the demands for marketization of the public sector are counterbalanced by demands for social and environmental considerations. The procurement directive reflects the balance legalizing the inclusion of such requirements by contracting. The Danish experiences, however, tell a grim tale of subordination of social requirements in municipal contracting practices with implications for the quality of the service. The results of a recent study of developments in the working conditions at commercial collection companies show deterioration in respect of health and safety, competence building and job security concurrent with the increase in outsourcing and competition in the sector. In the analysis of the results, a combination of municipal cost-saving strategies, harsh market forces and cultural influences are identified as causal factors. Drawing on a brief institutional analysis, it is concluded that the existing normative and regulative framework of municipal contracting needs reinforcement if societal intentions of qualified public services and acceptable working conditions are to be effective. Initiatives to simultaneously improve working conditions and environmental results of collection are called for.     

The impact of swidden decline on livelihoods and ecosystem services in Southeast Asia: A review of the evidence from 1990 to 2015

Global economic change and policy interventions are driving transitions from long-fallow swidden (LFS) systems to alternative land uses in Southeast Asia’s uplands. This study presents a systematic review of how these transitions impact upon livelihoods and ecosystem services in the region. Over 17 000 studies published between 1950 and 2015 were narrowed, based on relevance and quality, to 93 studies for further analysis. Our analysis of land-use transitions from swidden to intensified cropping systems showed several outcomes: more households had increased overall income, but these benefits came at significant cost such as reductions of customary practice, socio-economic wellbeing, livelihood options, and staple yields. Examining the effects of transitions on soil properties revealed negative impacts on soil organic carbon, cation-exchange capacity, and aboveground carbon. Taken together, the proximate and underlying drivers of the transitions from LFS to alternative land uses, especially intensified perennial and annual cash cropping, led to significant declines in pre-existing livelihood security and the ecosystem services supporting this security. Our results suggest that policies imposing land-use transitions on upland farmers so as to improve livelihoods and environments have been misguided; in the context of varied land uses, swidden agriculture can support livelihoods and ecosystem services that will help buffer the impacts of climate change in Southeast Asia.     

Sorption, desorption and mineralisation of the herbicides glyphosate and MCPA in samples from two Danish soil and subsurface profiles

The vertical distribution of the sorption, desorption and mineralisation of glyphosate and MCPA was examined in samples from two contrasting soil and subsurface profiles, obtained from a sandy agricultural site and a non-agricultural clay rich site. The highest mineralisation of [14C-methylen]glyphosate, with 9.3-14.7% degraded to 14CO2 within 3 months was found in the deepest sample from the clay site. In the deeper parts of the sandy profile high sorption and low desorption of glyphosate coincided with no or minor mineralisation indicating a limited glyphosate bioavailability. MCPA was readily mineralised except in the deepest samples from both sites. The highest MCPA mineralisation was detected just below the surface layers with 72% or 44% degraded to 14CO2 at the sandy or the clay sites, respectively. MCPA sorped to a minor extent in all samples and no indications of sorption-controlled mineralisation was revealed. None of the herbicides were mineralised under anoxic conditions.     

Analysis of changes in a shelterbelt network landscape in central Jutland,Denmark

This paper investigates the changes in a shelterbelt network between 1950 and 1997 in a study area in central Jutland, Denmark. The analysis consists of two parts. Firstly, the changes in key parameters which are of landscape ecological importance (shelterbelt density, connectivity, node type and landscape grain size) are examined. The results of this analysis show that shelterbelt density varied considerably during the period due to changes in biophysical and socioeconomic factors. A GIS analysis shows that landscape grain size decreased in 45 percent of the area. A major change of shelterbelt type occurred in the area with landscape ecological and visual scenery implications. It appears that public-subsidised shelterbelt planting programmes were the most important factors influencing changes in the shelterbelt network in the study area while differences in soil type were less important. Secondly, data from a questionnaire survey were used to examine the driving forces behind shelterbelt activities over a 10 year period. Hobby farmers were the most active farmer group in shelterbelt planting and agronomic reasons were the most important motives for shelterbelt planting in the study area during this period. Furthermore, it appeared that microclimate effects and aesthetical considerations have become important reasons for shelterbelt planting.     

The synaptic membrane D2-protein in amniotic fluid from pregnancies with fetal neural tube defects

The D2-protein is a neuronal membrane protein which has an immunochemically detectable soluble derivative in cerebrospinal fluid. We used rocket-on-line immunoelectrophoresis with an antiserum against rat synaptosomal membranes for demonstration of the human D2-protein in fetal cerebrospinal fluid and in amniotic fluids from pregnancies with fetal neural tube defects. D2 was neither found in normal amniotic fluids nor in cases of amniotic fluids from pregnancies with other malformations. Analysis of D2 in amniotic fluids may thus have a future role in the antenatal diagnosis of fetal neural tube defects.     

Linkages between the energy and agricultural sectors: insights from European Union greenhouse gas mitigation scenarios

Over the past decade, the relationship between agricultural and energy markets has strengthened. Traditional energy sources have been increasingly replaced by energy from biomass, and this trend is expected to continue into the future. Consequently, an assessment of the efficiency of bioenergy policies requires a comprehensive analysis of both agricultural and energy markets. The objective of this paper is to analyze the impacts of two detailed European Union (EU) greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation policies on the utilization of biomass for energy production and the implications for agricultural prices and trade. The consequences of a policy-induced shift from consumption of fossil to renewable energy are assessed under full consideration of interrelations between the energy and agricultural sectors. To this end, we combine an energy system model and an agricultural sector model by establishing a consistent interface between them. Depending on the ambition of the GHG emission reduction scenarios, the results indicate significant price increases. Furthermore, the increase in European demand for energy crops is to a substantial degree covered by additional imports. These results highlight that GHG emission mitigation policies enacted in a large economy like the EU cannot be considered without accounting for indirect effects in the rest of the world. They put the efficiency and also the effectiveness of such policies in general into question.     

Preventive environmental strategies for product systems

The paper describes a model for environmental quality and resource efficiency parameters to be used in evaluation of options for improvement of product systems in a life cycle and system perspective. Four main preventive strategies for product system improvements are described and discussed in the paper. (1) Reformulating user needs and requirements to the system; (2) improvement of product system performance; (3) substitution of the whole product systems or system components on different levels; (4) optimization within and between system units and components. These main strategies are discussed with respect to the structure of the product system (the domain theory), and with respect to efficiency in general. It is concluded that at present, it is not possible to make any definite rank of priorities between the different strategies, but that this should be evaluated when more systematic studies of cases are available.