Disclosure of climate risk information by the world’s largest companies

The risks related to global climate change are seen as threats to companies, taking into consideration their impact on the return on investment. In order to mitigate climate risk and introduce new opportunities to financiers, companies need to identify, manage, and report climate risks. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the climate risks disclosed by the 100 largest companies in the world, according to the Bloomberg and Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC 2015) classification, and identify some characteristics of these companies that explain the disclosure level of such information. Preliminary results revealed that of the companies investigated, 14% did not disclose any climate risk information in the Carbon Disclosure Program (CDP) report. Also, from the companies that disclosed information according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), 9.9% did not provide information regarding policies, actions, and strategies for mitigating the risks related to climate change. The results shown by the content analysis suggested that, in general, there is still a low level of disclosure about climate risks by these companies. The final results through econometric instruments and statistical tests indicate that the size of the company or the fact that corporations are from developed countries do not necessarily explain the level of information disclosed. However, the activity sector, the continent, and the efficiency of the Board of Directors are factors that strongly explain the level of climate risk disclosure. We conclude that more effort is needed to encourage an engaging attitude from corporations to develop actions, policies, and strategies to mitigate climate change risks and threats. In addition, the world’s largest companies should make a greater investment in climate risk disclosure.     

Identification, analysis and dissemination of information on near misses: A case study in the construction industry

Near misses are well-known for providing a major source of useful information for safety management. They are more frequent events than accidents and their causes may potentially result in an accident under slightly different circumstances. Despite the importance of this type of feedback, there is little knowledge on the characteristics of near misses, and on the use of this information in safety management. This article proposes guidelines for identifying, analyzing and disseminating information on near misses in construction sites. In particular, it is proposed that near misses be analyzed based on four categories: (a) whether or not it was possible to track down the event; (b) the nature of each event, in terms of its physical features (e.g. falling objects); (c) whether they provided positive or negative feedback for the safety management system; and (d) risk, based on the probability and severity associated with each event. The guidelines were devised and tested while a safety management system was being developed in a healthcare building project. The monitoring of near misses was part of a safety performance measurement system. Among the main results, a dramatic increase in both the number and quality of reports stands out after the workforce was systematically encouraged to report. While in the first 4 months of the study – when the workforce was not encouraged to report – there were just 12 reports, during the subsequent 4 months – when the workforce was so encouraged – there were 110 reports, all of them being analyzed based on the four analytical categories proposed.     

Relative contribution of dietary carotenoids and vitamin E to visual and chemical sexual signals of male Iberian green lizards: an experimental test

Carotenoid-based sexual ornaments are widespread, but the role of carotenoids as honest signalers in the trade-off between coloration and antioxidant protection remains controversial. It has been suggested that the function of carotenoids might not be an antioxidant per se, but that colorful carotenoids may indirectly reflect the levels of nonpigmentary antioxidants, such as melatonin or vitamin E. We experimentally fed male Iberian green lizards (Lacerta schreiberi) additional carotenoids or vitamin E alone, or a combination of carotenoids and vitamin E dissolved in soybean oil, whereas a control group only received soybean oil. We examined the effects of the dietary supplementations on characteristics of lizard sexual coloration and of the chemical profile of femoral gland secretions. Results indicated that both carotenoids and vitamin E in the diet increased the expression of some visual signals (head and chest, but not dorsum) in comparison to controls. However, different traits were differentially affected, and in many cases, the addition of vitamin E, alone or in combination with carotenoids, had a greater effect on the expression of coloration than the addition of carotenoids alone, even for carotenoid-dependent ornaments. Our results support the idea that other nonpigmentary antioxidants, such as vitamin E, are needed in addition to carotenoids to increase the expression of coloration of L. schreiberi lizards. Therefore, coloration may only indirectly reflect the levels of nonpigmentary antioxidants. In contrast, an increase in dietary nonpigmentary antioxidant vitamin E was directly reflected in the chemical signals. Because of an observed concordance between visual and chemical signals, we suggest that both may be used in different contexts albeit conveying similar messages in different sensory channels.     

Age-dependent effects of carotenoids on sexual ornaments and reproductive performance of a long-lived seabird

Understanding the mechanisms mediating age-dependent reproductive effort in wild animals is a major challenge in evolutionary ecology. The acquisition of molecules able to deter somatic damage could potentially improve reproductive performance, especially in physiologically compromised individuals. Carotenoids are antioxidants and immunoenhancers that animals can only obtain through diet. We tested in male blue-footed boobies whether carotenoid supplementation during incubation improves condition and reproductive performance, particularly of older males. Old birds showed lower levels of peroxidative damage than middle-aged males; however, changes of males' antioxidant capacity and peroxidative damage were not affected by carotenoid supplementation irrespective of age. Experimental old males displayed more colourful feet than control old males after 13 days of first carotenoid supplementation. The effect of carotenoids on male reproductive performance was dependent upon age: young males receiving extra-carotenoids produced chicks with smaller growth rates than control young males, whereas old males receiving extra-carotenoids produced chicks with higher growth rates than control old males. Our results highlight that carotenoids influence the relationship between age and reproductive performance and suggest a positive effect of carotenoids on reproduction of old males.     

Heavy Metals in Macroalgae of Havana's Northern Littoral,Cuba

Copper, iron, lead, manganese, and zinc contents were determined in various phyla of macroalgae typical of the rocky mesolittoral zone of Cuba and widely distributed in the Caribbean Region. the samples were collected in different zones along the shores of Havana City which are more or less influenced by anthropogenic activities. Differences in metal contents were observed due to seasonal variations and differences between sampling sites. of the analyzed species, only one brown alga, Padina vickersiae is considered as a suitable candidate for the monitoring of metal contamination.     

Safe betting: males help dull females only when they raise high-quality offspring

In evolutionary biology, whether parents should enhance or reduce parental care according to mate ornamentation is a subject of great debate. However, the evolution of female ornaments can shed light on this question. In theory, female ornamentation should be traded off against fecundity and thus cannot be wholly informative to males without a direct indication of fecundity. Hence, direct cues of offspring quality should affect the relationship between male investment and female ornamentation. Under this hypothesis, we manipulated two direct cues of offspring quality (egg size and color) after first egg laying in the blue-footed booby and registered male incubation patterns. In this species, foot color is a dynamic signal of current condition and in females is traded off with egg size. We found that males spent more time incubating when paired with dull females but only in nests with large eggs. Males also spent less time incubating small dull eggs. Results indicate that egg size, a direct cue of reproductive value, affected the relationship between male effort and female ornamentation. Males may be willing to help females that have invested in offspring at the expense of ornamentation, which suggests compensation when females are in low condition. Another possibility is that males relax their effort when paired with highly ornamented and fecund females because they have high parenting abilities. Our findings suggest that the information conveyed by female ornaments may depend on direct cues of fecundity. Results also highlight that parental decisions are complex, modulated by a combination of information sources.     

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Biocomposites Based on Polyethylene from Renewable Resources Modified with Ionic Liquids

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Biocomposites based on polyethylene from renewable resources derived from sugar cane as raw material were modified with phosphonium ionic liquids....     

Biliverdin-based egg coloration is enhanced by carotenoid supplementation

Avian eggshell color is remarkably variable among and within species and its possible function has long been controversial. Female birds use biliverdin pigment to color their eggs blue and green. Although evidence is accumulating that blue-green eggshell coloration is costly to produce, the exact mechanisms underlying its expression are little studied. Biliverdin pigment is involved in important maintenance functions such as immune and antioxidant defenses and shows similar properties to carotenoid pigments. Carotenoids play a role as immunoenhancers and have the potential to ameliorate the impact of oxidative processes, although their antioxidant function could be minor for some bird species. Important life-history components can be limited by carotenoid availability, including sexual displays and fecundity. Here we explored if biliverdin-based eggshell pigmentation was affected by carotenoid availability in a seabird, by performing a carotenoid supplementation experiment in female blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) after laying their first egg. In this species, blue eggshell color is associated with incubation patterns, and carotenoid availability affects the crucial trade-off between female foot ornamentation and fecundity. We found that under natural conditions, there was a decline in eggshell color with laying order, suggesting pigment limitation for females. However, carotenoid-supplemented females had enhanced second egg coloration compared to controls, and the color increase was independent of their previous pigment allocation to the first egg. Our results suggest that biliverdin-based eggshell coloration is costly to produce and can be alleviated by current carotenoid availability.     

Pyrolysis of plastic packaging waste: A comparison of plastic residuals from material recovery facilities with simulated plastic waste

Pyrolysis may be an alternative for the reclamation of rejected streams of waste from sorting plants where packing and packaging plastic waste is separated and classified. These rejected streams consist of many different materials (e.g., polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), aluminum, tetra-brik, and film) for which an attempt at complete separation is not technically possible or economically viable, and they are typically sent to landfills or incinerators. For this study, a simulated plastic mixture and a real waste sample from a sorting plant were pyrolyzed using a non-stirred semi-batch reactor. Red mud, a byproduct of the aluminum industry, was used as a catalyst. Despite the fact that the samples had a similar volume of material, there were noteworthy differences in the pyrolysis yields. The real waste sample resulted, after pyrolysis, in higher gas and solid yields and consequently produced less liquid. There were also significant differences noted in the compositions of the compared pyrolysis products.