Elsevier, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 68, 1 February 2017
Trees, and their derivative products, have been used by societies around the world for thousands of years. Contemporary construction of tall buildings from timber, in whole or in part, suggests a growing interest in the potential for building with wood at a scale not previously attainable. As wood is the only significant building material that is grown, we have a natural inclination that building in wood is good for the environment. But under what conditions is this really the case?
Elsevier, Applied Soil Ecology, Volume 110, 1 February 2017
The rapid global conversion of biodiverse landscapes to intensively managed arable fields may decrease microbial diversity and threaten the long-term fertility of native soils. Previous laboratory and experimental studies provide conflicting results: some have recorded declines in overall microbial diversity and certain beneficial microorganisms under intensified cultivation while others report no change (or even increased) diversity. However, few studies have been carried out in actual agricultural fields.
Elsevier, Journal of Comparative Economics, Volume 45, 1 February 2017
This paper provides a systematic study of the location choice of new polluting firms driven by the 11th Five-Year Plan's water pollution reduction mandates in China. We explore a unique dataset of environmental statistics, which contains 31380 polluting manufacturing firms newly established in the period 2006–2010.
Elsevier,
Sustainable Cities and Society, Volume 29, 1 February 2017
The expansion and operation of water supply systems under growing demands, hydrologic variability, and water scarcity requires strategic decisions on supply sources for reducing and improving reliability and flexibility. The design and operation of such supply portfolio merits decisions of what and when to expand, and how much of each source to use considering interest rates, economies of scale and hydrologic variability.
Elsevier Connect, February 2017
The Elsevier Foundation partners with Imperial College London to support a high-tech makerspace next to the college. The programme offers 14 to 18 year-olds from one of London's most disadvanataged communities the opportunity to enhance soft skills and engage with cutting-edge science, engineering and design through workshops, afterscool clubs, and mentoring. The maker challange programmes offer important enrichment to young people, who would not otherwise have this explosure, and further support both SDG 4 and SDG 17.
Elsevier Connect, 19 January 2017
Disaster risk reduction is embedded in target 5 for SDG 11 sustainable cities and communities. Recognising that Asia-Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world and the devastating impact natural disasters have on people, communities and economies, Elsevier is working with partners to advance understanding of natural disaster science and encourage collaboration between researchers and disciplines.
Elsevier, Energy Policy, Volume 105, 2017
With Sustainable Development Goal 7, the United Nations has declared its ambition to ensure access to modern energy for all by 2030. Aside from broad appeals to differentiated responsibilities and ‘greener’ technologies, however, the goal leaves significant procedural questions unaddressed. This paper argues that the basic orientation of this approach is problematic, undermining possibilities for progress toward energy justice and equitable development.
Elsevier, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 76, 2017
Uncertainties in evaluating bioenergy projects have lead policymakers to adopt a restrictive approach or even refuse to evaluate projects when the available information is limited or a clear perception of its benefits and impact is lacking. Indeed, despite its potential advantages, a bioenergy system poses several conceptual and operational challenges for academic as well as practical scrutiny because the inherent relationship and the intersection of areas related to energy production and agricultural activity requires a deeply integrated assessment.
Elsevier, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 140, 1 January 2017
Global food security is a priority for the future development agenda of the United Nations. Given the high dependence of the modern global food production system on the continuous supply of commercial phosphorus (P) fertilizers, the goal of achieving global food security could be hampered by any form of paucity of the global P resource. P is a finite, non-substitutable, non-renewable, and geographically restricted resource. The anthropogenic influences on this critical resource are likely to pose a number of challenges to its sustainability.
