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Yin K, Zhao X, Liu Y, Zhu J, Fei X. Aging Increases Global Annual Food Greenhouse Gas Emissions up to 300 Million Tonnes by 2100. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:5784-5795. [PMID: 38507561 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The dietary preferences of the elderly population exhibit distinct variations from the overall averages in most countries, gaining increasing significance due to aging demographics worldwide. These dietary preferences play a crucial role in shaping global food systems, which will result in changed environmental impacts in the future such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We present a quantitative evaluation of the influence of population aging on the changes in GHG emissions from global food systems. To achieve this, we developed regional dietary coefficients (DCs) of the elderly based on the Global Dietary Database (GDD). We then reconciled the GDD with the dataset from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to calculate the food GHG emissions of the average population in each of the countries. By applying the DCs, we estimated the national food GHG emissions and obtained the variations between the emissions from aged and average populations. We employed a modified version of the regional integrated model of climate and the economy model (RICE) to forecast the emission trends in different countries based on FAO and GDD data. This integrated approach allowed us to evaluate the dynamic relationships among aging demographics, food consumption patterns, and economic developments within regions. Our results indicate that the annual aging-embodied global food GHG emissions will reach 288 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2e) by 2100. This estimation is crucial for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and researchers as it provides insights into a potential future environmental challenge and emphasizes the importance of sustainable food production and consumption strategies to GHG emission mitigations associated with aging dietary patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Yin
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Xingyu Zhao
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Yuru Liu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Jingyu Zhu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Xunchang Fei
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
- Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Singapore 637141, Singapore
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Valarezo A, Dávila L, Bejarano ML, Nolivos I, Molina E, Schlesinger SB, Gould CF, Jack DW. Resilient clean cooking: Maintaining household clean cooking in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. Energy Sustain Dev 2023; 74:349-360. [PMID: 37143764 PMCID: PMC10070780 DOI: 10.1016/j.esd.2023.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Decades of government subsidies for LPG and electricity have facilitated near-universal clean cooking access and use in Ecuador, placing the nation ahead of most other peer low- and middle-income countries. The widespread socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the resilience of clean cooking systems globally, including by altering households' ability to purchase clean fuels and policymakers' considerations about continuing subsidy programs. As such, assessing the resilience of clean cooking in Ecuador during the pandemic can offer important lessons for the international community, especially other countries looking to ensure resilient transitions to clean cooking. We study household energy use patterns using interviews, newspaper reports, government data on household electricity and LPG consumption, and household surveys [N = 200 across two rounds]. The LPG and electricity distribution systems experienced occasional disruptions to cylinder refill delivery and meter reading processes, respectively, which were associated with pandemic-related mobility restrictions. However, for the most part, supply and distribution activities by private and public companies continued without fundamental change. Survey participants reported increases in unemployment and reductions in household income as well as increased use of polluting biomass as a secondary fuel. Ecuador's LPG and electricity distribution systems were resilient throughout the pandemic, with only minimal interruption of the widespread provision of low-cost clean cooking fuels. Our findings inform the global audience concerned about the resilience of clean household energy use on the potential for clean fuel subsidies to facilitate continued clean cooking even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Valarezo
- Institute for Energy and Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lissete Dávila
- Institute for Energy and Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - M Lorena Bejarano
- Institute for Energy and Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Iván Nolivos
- Institute for Energy and Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Emilio Molina
- Institute for Energy and Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Carlos F Gould
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Darby W Jack
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
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Shao Q. Pathway through which COVID-19 exacerbates energy poverty and proposed relief measures. Energy Sustain Dev 2023; 74:1-5. [PMID: 36942045 PMCID: PMC10017384 DOI: 10.1016/j.esd.2023.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Increased residential energy consumption and reduced income caused by the lockdown measures invoked to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have deepened energy poverty, particularly in vulnerable communities. In this context, the pathway through which COVID-19 impacts energy poverty is constructed, and six relief measures are proposed: consistent financing of energy suppliers and consumers, developing various forms of socio-economic aids, leveraging fiscal stimuli to promote renewable energy transition, identifying vulnerable populations to improve policy effectiveness, designing equitable resource allocation mechanisms, and rethinking socio-economic transition in the post-pandemic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinglong Shao
- Institute of Chinese Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstr. 23-25, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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