The demand for energy, water and food will continuously increase, as the prediction states that 2.5 billion people will be added to the world population by 2050, representing not only an increase in the consumption bu...The demand for energy, water and food will continuously increase, as the prediction states that 2.5 billion people will be added to the world population by 2050, representing not only an increase in the consumption but also more waste production, greenhouse gas （GHG） emissions and depletion of natural resources. Taking into account that renewable sources of energy can help to overcome these challenges and diversify the energy matrix in the countries, this paper aims at analyzing the biogas potential in Brazil and the United States, especially in the livestock sector, and its benefits in the environmental, social and economic aspects. Both countries are among the top five countries globally in terms of water availability, energy consumption and food production. Until 2050, the world consumption of meat will have a significant increase： 206% of poultry meat, 56% of pork meat and 47% of beef meat, augmenting the need for sustainable management of waste and manure. This scenario can become a sustainable opportunity for biogas implementation, which provides multiple economic, environmental and social benefits for farmers, businesses and communities, including production of electrical, thermal and vehicular energy, production of high-quality biofertilizer, reduction of ground and surface water pollution and reduction of GHG emissions, and foments new income for the farmers, among others. A new concept is presented in this article to make biogas systems feasible, i.e., biogas condominiums, as small and medium-scale farms by themselves usually would not be able to afford the investments. This arrangement can bring benefits for the whole biogas supply chain that includes farmers, agroindustry, providers and local community.展开更多
Rapid economic growth, increasing populations and emergent prosperity are driving up demand tor energy, water anu food, especially in developing countries. In this scenario, the analysis of these three elements has ga...Rapid economic growth, increasing populations and emergent prosperity are driving up demand tor energy, water anu food, especially in developing countries. In this scenario, the analysis of these three elements has gained the increasing attention globally in research, business and policy spheres. This paper aims to provide an analysis of the perspectives of this nexus for Brazil and the United States, using current and predicted scenario for 2050. Considering the importance of renewable sources of energy to overcome these challenges and diversify the energy matrix in both countries, the paper will also present the biogas potential for both countries, which provides multiple economic, environmental and social benefits, such as electrical, thermal and vehicular energy, high-quality biofertilizer, reduction of odor and pathogenic vectors in the farms, decrease of ground and surface water pollution, promotion of new income for the farmers, reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions, among others.展开更多
Latin American and the Caribbean countries have one of the world＇s largest sources of renewable energy. Nonetheless, it estimated that nearly three-quarters of their energy consumption relies on the use of fossil fue...Latin American and the Caribbean countries have one of the world＇s largest sources of renewable energy. Nonetheless, it estimated that nearly three-quarters of their energy consumption relies on the use of fossil fuels, with most of the countries being net importers, ultimately imposing a marked economic and political dependence on those energy commodities. Therefore, the opportunity lies in a higher utilization of various renewable energy resources, which contribute to the country＇s energy security while promoting significant environmental benefits. This manuscript aimed to provide a comparative analysis of current energy scenarios of six Latin American countries （Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, Chile and Ecuador） to evaluate their policies, programs and strategies implemented in the search for greater participation of renewable energy, with a special attention to biogas. Given the importance of the water-energy-food nexus that could foment the use of renewable energies under conditions of water scarcity, a qualitative data comparison was accomplished, considering biogas production potential, biogas projects and CO2 emissions.展开更多
World cultural heritage refers to properties recognized as having historical, social, and anthropological value. Global urbanization has changed the land cover, land use, transportation, landscape, and local environme...World cultural heritage refers to properties recognized as having historical, social, and anthropological value. Global urbanization has changed the land cover, land use, transportation, landscape, and local environment in cities, and thus exposed World Heritage sites to risks induced by direct or indirect damaging factors. In this paper, an urbanization intensity index (UII) was developed to quantitatively measure urban dynamics in the vicinity of World Heritage sites. This index is based on three global Earth observation datasets, including a global human settlement layer, a global population grid product, and a global nighttime light imagery. Large UII values represent high urbanization levels and intensive human activities in the study area and vice versa. The assessment results show that the mean UII value at 79 world cultural heritage sites in the Belt and Road region increased from 0.26 in 2000 to 0.29 in 2015. The heritage sites were then classified into four types based on the change rates of UIIs. A total of seven heritage sites were identified as exposed to risks due to urban sprawl and infrastructure expansion. The UII dataset can be combined with UNESCO’s periodic reports and site-specific data to provide valuable information for international communities to develop heritage preservation policies.展开更多
文摘The demand for energy, water and food will continuously increase, as the prediction states that 2.5 billion people will be added to the world population by 2050, representing not only an increase in the consumption but also more waste production, greenhouse gas （GHG） emissions and depletion of natural resources. Taking into account that renewable sources of energy can help to overcome these challenges and diversify the energy matrix in the countries, this paper aims at analyzing the biogas potential in Brazil and the United States, especially in the livestock sector, and its benefits in the environmental, social and economic aspects. Both countries are among the top five countries globally in terms of water availability, energy consumption and food production. Until 2050, the world consumption of meat will have a significant increase： 206% of poultry meat, 56% of pork meat and 47% of beef meat, augmenting the need for sustainable management of waste and manure. This scenario can become a sustainable opportunity for biogas implementation, which provides multiple economic, environmental and social benefits for farmers, businesses and communities, including production of electrical, thermal and vehicular energy, production of high-quality biofertilizer, reduction of ground and surface water pollution and reduction of GHG emissions, and foments new income for the farmers, among others. A new concept is presented in this article to make biogas systems feasible, i.e., biogas condominiums, as small and medium-scale farms by themselves usually would not be able to afford the investments. This arrangement can bring benefits for the whole biogas supply chain that includes farmers, agroindustry, providers and local community.
文摘Rapid economic growth, increasing populations and emergent prosperity are driving up demand tor energy, water anu food, especially in developing countries. In this scenario, the analysis of these three elements has gained the increasing attention globally in research, business and policy spheres. This paper aims to provide an analysis of the perspectives of this nexus for Brazil and the United States, using current and predicted scenario for 2050. Considering the importance of renewable sources of energy to overcome these challenges and diversify the energy matrix in both countries, the paper will also present the biogas potential for both countries, which provides multiple economic, environmental and social benefits, such as electrical, thermal and vehicular energy, high-quality biofertilizer, reduction of odor and pathogenic vectors in the farms, decrease of ground and surface water pollution, promotion of new income for the farmers, reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions, among others.
文摘Latin American and the Caribbean countries have one of the world＇s largest sources of renewable energy. Nonetheless, it estimated that nearly three-quarters of their energy consumption relies on the use of fossil fuels, with most of the countries being net importers, ultimately imposing a marked economic and political dependence on those energy commodities. Therefore, the opportunity lies in a higher utilization of various renewable energy resources, which contribute to the country＇s energy security while promoting significant environmental benefits. This manuscript aimed to provide a comparative analysis of current energy scenarios of six Latin American countries （Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, Chile and Ecuador） to evaluate their policies, programs and strategies implemented in the search for greater participation of renewable energy, with a special attention to biogas. Given the importance of the water-energy-food nexus that could foment the use of renewable energies under conditions of water scarcity, a qualitative data comparison was accomplished, considering biogas production potential, biogas projects and CO2 emissions.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA19090107)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2017YFE0100800)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41471369).
文摘World cultural heritage refers to properties recognized as having historical, social, and anthropological value. Global urbanization has changed the land cover, land use, transportation, landscape, and local environment in cities, and thus exposed World Heritage sites to risks induced by direct or indirect damaging factors. In this paper, an urbanization intensity index (UII) was developed to quantitatively measure urban dynamics in the vicinity of World Heritage sites. This index is based on three global Earth observation datasets, including a global human settlement layer, a global population grid product, and a global nighttime light imagery. Large UII values represent high urbanization levels and intensive human activities in the study area and vice versa. The assessment results show that the mean UII value at 79 world cultural heritage sites in the Belt and Road region increased from 0.26 in 2000 to 0.29 in 2015. The heritage sites were then classified into four types based on the change rates of UIIs. A total of seven heritage sites were identified as exposed to risks due to urban sprawl and infrastructure expansion. The UII dataset can be combined with UNESCO’s periodic reports and site-specific data to provide valuable information for international communities to develop heritage preservation policies.
