1,720,979 research outputs found
A multiscale reassessment of the Environmental Kuznets Curve for energy and CO2 emissions
No full textThis paper investigates the environmental Kuznets’ curve hypothesis for total primary energy supply and CO2 from fuel combustion over the period 1971–2015. Our analysis has two distinguishing features. Firstly, it adopts a robustness approach by (a) using both parametric and semi-parametric methods, and (b) analysing different geographical scales. Secondly, it strictly adheres to the EKC narrative by (a) not using control variables and (b) taking Energy and CO2 in absolute rather than in per capita terms, which is consistent with the fact that “Nature cares” about absolute pressures. We show how evidence for EKC changes depending on the model specification, the sample, and the used variables. Hence, this paper contributes to explaining why the literature on the EKC gives mixed results. The multiscale perspective and some theoretical considerations, however, tell how to perform the analysis appropriately. Thus, we can affirm that, both for CO2 and Energy, the fragile evidence of EKC that was emerging at the end of the last century has vanished with the new wave of globalization. There is only evidence of decreasing elasticities for very-high income countries. Interestingly, the great recession might have produced structural reductions in TPES and CO2 in the affected countries. Finally, the case of Germany, which shows EKC patterns, indicates that active energy policies can reduce energy and CO2 without harming the economy
Information overload and environmental degradation: Learning from H.A. Simon and W. Wenders
No full textThis paper discusses the relevance of information overload for explaining environmental degradation, insofar it can reduce individuals' awareness of the unsustainable side-effects of their choices. This “myopia” is reinforced by the increased distance from nature in everyday life brought about by the abundance of exosomatic energy. The departure point of the paper is to show that two outstanding intellectuals, engaged in very different fields, have set forth very similar reflections on the effects of information overload, namely the film director Wim Wenders and the social scientist, really a polymath, Herbert Simon, whose relevance to ecological economics has been recognised. The presentation of their ideas is then complemented by a presentation of the state of the art on information overload, which allows moving to our core argument about environmental degradation
Towards more robust energy policy metrics: Proposing a dashboard and blueprint to tackle complexity
No full textResearch on energy policy indicators has generated a large number of publications on hot-button issues. The tackled concepts are multidimensional and intertwined - which increases the twistedness and overlap of their definition. Moreover, the methods used to synthesise complex phenomena are often simplistic and not very robust. This short paper attempts to contribute to the vast sectoral scholarship by offering a bird's eye view of the topic. To this purpose, first, a comprehensive dashboard on multidimensional energy policy metrics interpretation is proposed; then, the main methodological issues affecting composite indicators are discussed. The proposal can serve as a swift state-of-the-art of existing metrics and as an agenda to reconcile and address pending methodological problems. This contribution can also help to advocate policymaking and public dialogue
Per una coesistenza duratura e sostenibile di Solvay con il territorio
No full textNon presente nel volum
The circular economy and longer product lifetime: Framing the effects on working time and waste
No full textAn important goal of circular economy strategies is the extension of product lifetimes, under the assumption that this will deliver reductions in materials, energy use and waste. More broadly, longer lifetimes might counter the “broken windows fallacy” on which much of economic growth is based. The aim of this paper is to elaborate on this assumption rather than take it for granted. What are the systemic effects of policies aimed at saving materials? Who will benefit from them? To answer these research questions, we start connecting two issues that are often handled separately, despite being closely interlinked, namely (i) working time reduction and (ii) (over)production and waste generation. Trends in work indicators and material consumption in the EU15 countries confirm that higher material efficiency has not delivered the hoped-for benefits, thereby supporting the rest of our analysis. The conceptual framework that we propose shows that efforts towards material savings might allow reductions in working time per inhabitant while keeping labour compensation unchanged. However, such a possibility is hindered by competition over material efficiency gains
A non-simplistic approach to composite indicators and rankings: An illustration by comparing the sustainability of the EU Countries
No full textComposite indicators are very popular, despite being affected by several problems that often result in lack of robustness of the rankings involved. The aim of this paper is to show that composite indicators can be safely used, provided that rankings are built via uncertainty analysis rather than using a single composite. For this purpose, the approach we follow first combines different normalisation, aggregation rules, and weighting systems to calculate many different composites, and then derives the rankings from the frequency distribution of the rankings of each “competitor” according to each composite. Such an approach appears to be a good compromise between the need for a more concise overview when looking at many variables and the loss of relevant information occurring when indicators are aggregated into a single composite indicator. To illustrate the approach, we rank EU Countries in terms of their sustainability
Economic Growth and Cancer Incidence
Full text linkWhy do we observe increasing rates of new cancer cases? Is the increasing burden of cancer mainly the outcome of higher life expectancy and better life conditions brought about by economic development? To what extent do environmental degradation and changes in life-styles play a relevant role? To answer these questions, we empirically assessed the relationship between per capita income and new cancer cases (incidence) by using cross-sectional data from 122 countries. We found that the incidence rate of all-sites cancer increases linearly with per capita income, even after controlling for population ageing, improvement in cancer detection, and omitted spatially correlated variables. If higher incidence rates in developed countries were merely due to those factors, and not also to life-styles and environmental degradation, we would have found a flat or even an inverted-U pattern between per capita income and cancer incidence. The regression analysis was applied also to the eight most common site-specific cancers. This confirmed the existing evidence on the different patterns in rich and poor countries, explained the pattern of the estimated relationship for aggregate cancers, and gave some other interesting insights
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