As the technologies we use as a society have advanced, so have the materials used in these technologies. Some of these materials are exotic and highly specialized, making them particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions and supply disruptions particularly impactful. Such materials are designated as “critical” materials. Their level of criticality can be identified by accounting for a number of factors related to their supply risk and the extent to which a supply disruption would impact business operations or society at large.
Over the past decade, raw material price spikes have called attention to the supply security of a variety of critical materials, including rhenium, rare earth elements, and helium. While market forces play an important role in creating and resolving these situations, transitions in technology also create step-changes in demand that increase or decrease the criticality of different materials. With an appropriate understanding of how materials are used in various applications, it is possible to explore the critical materials implications associated with the introduction of new technologies.
Over the past decade, raw material price spikes have called attention to the supply security of a variety of critical materials, including rhenium, rare earth elements, and helium. While market forces play an important role in creating and resolving these situations, transitions in technology also create step-changes in demand that increase or decrease the criticality of different materials. With an appropriate understanding of how materials are used in various applications, it is possible to explore the critical materials implications associated with the introduction of new technologies.
Objectives: This paper review trends in emerging infections and the need for increased clinical and laboratory surveillance. Methods: Factors that contributed to the emergence of recent outbreaks have been reviewed. Known, major outbreaks over the past two decades were reviewed. Results: We identified at least four major drivers of emergent infections: (i) increasing density of the human population; (ii) stress from farmland expansion on the environment; (iii) globalization of the food market and manufacturing; (iv) environmental contamination.
Supporting goal 10 (reduced inequalities) and goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) Patrick Moulette, Head of the Anti-Corruption Division at the OECD shares how the legislative landscape has changed since countries signed the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention 20 years ago, and the impact it has had on companies’ attitudes towards compliance.
Use phase fuel consumption is responsible for the majority of an automobile's life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Lightweighting is an important strategy to reduce use phase fuel consumption and potentially reduce vehicle life cycle impacts. A popular lightweighting technique is material substitution, in which conventional materials (e.g., iron, steel) are replaced with lighter ones (e.g., aluminum, magnesium). Material substitution, however, often results in higher material production impacts.
Elsevier,
Jean-Pierre Desforges, Christian Sonne, Rune Dietz, Milton Levin, Marine Mammal Ecotoxicology, Academic Press, 2018, Pages 321-343
This chapter advances SDGs 13 and 14 by discussing environmental threats to marine mammals' health and wellbeing.
This book chapter addresses goals 13, 15, 11 and 14 by discussing conservation efforts to protect biodiversity on tropical islands
Contributing to SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities), this article explores how frequently gender-affirming treatments are performed, and the number of people experiencing regret of this treatment.
