Planetary Resources Research Articles

Sustainable agriculture development for food safety and nutrition

Sustainable agriculture is a type of agriculture which, in addition to producing food and agricultural products, is also economically advantageous for farmers, socially correct, respectful of nature and the environment. Sustainable agriculture contributes to improving the quality of life of both farmers and society. Climate change, economic development and social equity influence the sustainable agriculture and require complex and shared solutions on a large scale. Sustainable agriculture includes different meanings, such as environmental, social and economic perspective. The environmental perspective is related to the development of virtuous processes that respect the planet's resources, the healthiness of the soil and water, guaranteeing the maintenance of biodiversity and avoiding the use of pesticides and chemical agents. The social and economic perspective is the ability to meet the global demand of both industrialized and developing countries by ensuring the improvement of the protection of human rights and solidarity-based economic development, the quality of life of farmers, the ethical treatment of animals. The aim of this work is to discuss the implications and perspectives of sustainable agriculture in relation to food production.

Harnessing stakeholder engagement for sustainable agricultural intensification: contemporary evidence from northern Ghana

This article analyses the indispensable role of sustainable agricultural intensification practices (SAIP) in meeting the needs of a burgeoning human population with limited planetary resources and examines the role of various stakeholders in the adoption of these practices by local farmers. The study setting is the Upper West, a semi-arid region of Ghana. The study employs a stakeholder salience theory and a mixed-method design. Firstly, qualitative data were collected and analysed as a basis for formulating a structured questionnaire administered to beneficiary farmers, which were then analysed using marginal effects from logistic regression. Notably, the study found four sustainable crop cultivation practices and three eco-friendly crop storage methods promoted in the area. Furthermore, the engagement of stakeholders like selected farmers, Traditional authorities, and implementing NGOs had statistically significant effects on the adoption of SAIP. However, these effects were smaller when compared to the direct involvement of all beneficiary farmers in the planning and implementation of the intervention. This suggests that while technocrats and authorities are important, they alone cannot achieve the desired impact of development interventions. Beneficiary farmers are the most critical stakeholders in adopting and promoting SAIP. The article further proposes a conceptual framework for implementing SAIP in agro-based rural communities. This research therefore underscores the importance of sustainable agricultural intensification practices in a resource-constrained world and emphasizes the central role of beneficiary farmers in driving the success of such initiatives.

Mission-oriented innovation for sustainable polymers in liquid formulation.

Industrial chemical producers and formulators are increasingly conscious of their responsibility in stewarding planetary resources and minimizing harm to the environment. In 2019, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) engaged an industry task force from across the value chain to drive technical research to classify a new class of polymer-polymers in liquid formulation (PLFs). Building on this, the task force called for step change in sustainability practices for PLFs and instigated a design and development process to identify research themes and priorities that could accelerate innovation in this area. However, a key challenge was that as a novel classification, PLFs were largely unknown outside the chemistry community and entirely absent from the mainstream research agenda. To establish the demand-pull requirements of the value chain for sustainable PLFs, the RSC used a 'mission-oriented' innovation framework to enable the taskforce to co-design an ideal-type portfolio of research and innovation projects, and to set out a realistic roadmap for transition. This perspective article presents a summary of the activities carried out by the task force in its pursuit of mission-oriented innovation for PLFs and describes the strategic design method used to enable cross-value chain consensus on action for PLF sustainability, build system-wide innovation ecosystems and explore common-good scenarios. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Green carbon for the chemical industry of the future'.

Behind the designs: An exploration of sustainability attitudes among interior design students in Jordan

This research is an attempt to understand where interior design students in Jordan and the Middle East Region stand in the sustainable thinking process through education and practice and if their education on sustainability and environmental issues is enough or if it needs more development in terms of interior design programs curriculums to be more effective sustainable interior designers. The survey instrument was used to assess the attitudes of interior design students toward ecological responsibility and environmental sustainability; a modified New Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEP) was used in this research. Students enrolled in interior design programs at a Northern Jordanian university were surveyed. The sample comprised 160 interior design students from different levels of an interior design program at a public university in Jordan. In the study’s sample, the students showed more interest in the negative effect of human usage of many of the planet's resources and how this will impact the planet's ecological system. This attitude provides insight into the students’ minds regarding where they have those ideas. As design students, this can motivate them to take a proactive stand toward sustainability, which may be done through their projects in the future. However, many participants did not understand sustainable practices and strategies. This can be due to the lack of sustainability training at the university level.Based on the NEP score distribution in each section, it can be concluded that students support the concept of sustainability and reject the destruction happening to the planet. This data shows an increased awareness of environmental and ecological problems, which can positively push design students and future designers to adapt sustainable design strategies to their projects.

Evaluating the diet in Germany with two indices focusing on healthy eating and planetary healthy eating using nationwide cross-sectional food intake data from DEGS1 (2008-2011).

To improve sustainability, adjustments to current diets are necessary. Therefore, limited planetary resources are considered within the healthy reference diet proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission. The agreement with nationwide food intake was evaluated with two indices which reflect this reference and German food intake recommendations. A healthy eating index (HEI-MON) reflecting the dietary guidelines of the German nutrition society and a planetary healthy eating index (PHEI-MON) reflecting the healthy reference diet were developed, with scores from 0 to 100. Both indices were applied to data from a nationally representative sample of the German population aged 18-79 years for which data from a 53-item food frequency questionnaire are available. Mean scores for the indices were 53 for HEI-MON and 39 for PHEI-MON. A better adherence to either guideline could be found among women, persons of older age as well as persons with higher education level. The sub-scores for HEI-MON showed high agreement with the recommendations for side dishes, fruit/nuts, (processed) meat and cereals, but low agreement with the recommendations for free sugar and vegetables/legumes. PHEI-MON sub-scores were highest for poultry, fruits and potatoes, and lowest for nuts, red meat and legumes. High scores in one index do not necessarily correspond to high scores in the other index. Individuals with more plantbased diets had higher scores in both indices, while high sugar and meat consumption led to lower scores. More plant-based diets are crucial for individual and planetary health. Both indices reflect such diets which consider already health and sustainability aspects. At an individual level, the scores for both indices may differ considerably, but overall there is a huge potential in the population to adapt to a diet more in line with both guidelines.

Pseudo-Spectral Spatial Feature Extraction and Enhanced Fusion Image for Efficient Meter-Sized Lunar Impact Crater Automatic Detection in Digital Orthophoto Map.

Impact craters are crucial for our understanding of planetary resources, geological ages, and the history of evolution. We designed a novel pseudo-spectral spatial feature extraction and enhanced fusion (PSEF) method with the YOLO network to address the problems encountered during the detection of the numerous and densely distributed meter-sized impact craters on the lunar surface. The illumination incidence edge features, isotropic edge features, and eigen frequency features are extracted by Sobel filtering, LoG filtering, and frequency domain bandpass filtering, respectively. Then, the PSEF images are created by pseudo-spectral spatial techniques to preserve additional details from the original DOM data. Moreover, we conducted experiments using the DES method to optimize the post-processing parameters of the models, thereby determining the parameter ranges for practical deployment. Compared with the Basal model, the PSEF model exhibited superior performance, as indicated by multiple measurement metrics, including the precision, recall, F1-score, mAP, and robustness, etc. Additionally, a statistical analysis of the error metrics of the predicted bounding boxes shows that the PSEF model performance is excellent in predicting the size, shape, and location of impact craters. These advancements offer a more accurate and consistent method to detect the meter-sized craters on planetary surfaces, providing crucial support for the exploration and study of celestial bodies in our solar system.

Photovoltaics for reaching Net-Zero Energy Standard in Educational buildings

Buildings should become energy-neutral to reduce pressure on the planet's resources and the atmosphere. Then cities must be energized with in-site renewables integrated to reach low-impact sustainable cities. This research project is an initial step to figuring out the feasibility of reaching the Net Zero Energy condition in the Architecture Department buildings of the University of Cuenca, as a case sample of higher-educational facilities located next to the equator and on the highlands of the Andes mountains range. In this research we had just determined the photovoltaic (PV) potential to reach the actual energy requirement as an initial step, to do so, we had virtually constructed the building facilities and obtained the building energy requirements, considering full power requirements measured before the COVID restrictions. As the main results, we determined, that 88,6 % of the 2019 energy requirements could be solved with solar PV considering roof availability and architectural restrictions. The financial analysis also reveals that it is a profitable strategy. Next research will determine that comfort levels are adequate to foresee the total requirements to reach the NZEB standard.

Characterising dietary protein intake in Irish adults on the island of Ireland

Shifting dietary protein intakes from animal to plant-based sources is suggested as a path to sustain the world’s food consumption and maintain planetary resources (1). However, to facilitate change, it is important to characterise baseline dietary protein patterns. This study aimed to examine dietary protein intakes on the island of Ireland in order to determine population characteristics and food sources influencing protein intake.Analyses were performed on the Northern Ireland sub cohort of the UK National Dietary Nutrition Survey (NDNS 2016-2019) (2) and the Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey (2008-2010) (3). Both surveys used a four-day food diary and a final sample of 1484 adults, aged 18-64 years was extracted (NANS; n =1274 and NI NDNS; n=210). Mean daily intakes for protein (MDI; % total energy, TE) for the total population were calculated and the population was divided into three tertile groups based on low, medium and high protein intake (%TE). Differences in population characteristics, energy MDI, key nutrients (%TE or per 10MJ) and contributing food sources were examined across these tertiles, using chi-square and one-way ANOVA with covariates (age and BMI) and correcting for multiple comparisons as appropriate (P<0.005).Overall, 17.1% of TE was obtained from protein and 77% of participants met their protein DRV based on EFSA recommendations of 0.83g/kg/body weight (4). The difference in protein intakes between the highest and lowest tertiles was 7.8% TE (21.2 % TE vs 13.4% TE) with high protein consumers reporting lower energy intakes (1734 ± 564kcal) compared to low consumers (2185 ± 661 kcal). High protein consumers were older (42.5 ± 12.8 years) and had a higher BMI (27.7 ± 6.0 kg/m2). They also had higher MDI of dietary fibre, calcium, zinc, sodium, iron, folate and vitamins A, C, D and B12 (per 10MJ) (p<0.001) and lower MDI of carbohydrates, fat, saturated fat (%TE) in comparison to low consumers (p<0.001). The % contribution of ‘chicken, turkey and dishes’ (18.3%), ‘beef, veal and dishes’ (12.8%) and ‘fish and fish products (7.0%) to protein intakes were significantly higher in the high versus the low consumption group (10%, 7.4%, 4.4% TE respectively; P<0.001). In contrast, those in the lowest protein intake group had a significantly higher intakes of protein coming from dietary sources including ‘burgers, sausages and meat products (9.9 vs 5.9%), ‘white bread and rolls’ (6.9 vs 3.9%), ‘potatoes (including chips)’ (4.1 vs 2.9 %) and ‘cakes, pastries, buns and fruit pies’ (1.7 vs 0.8%) compared to high consumers.In general, animal protein sources contributed more to total daily protein intakes than plant sources, however, the pattern of protein foods differed according to level of protein intake. These findings will aid in the development of strategies to diversify protein intakes on the Island of Ireland.

Mitigating environmental impacts of food consumption in the European Union: Is the power truly on our plates?

In the context of the sustainable use of our planet's resources, there is a pressing need for environmentally friendly diets. Moreover, health issues linked to inadequate nutrition are rising, further emphasising the need for more balanced diets. The aim of the planetary health diet developed by the EAT-Lancet commission is to sustainably feed 10 billion people in 2050 while not exceeding planetary limits. According to these guidelines, the EU should reduce red meat intake by 80 % and multiply legume intake by 15. This significant shift from animal to plant-based proteins could modify trade partnerships and EU dependency on plant-based proteins for animal feed, currently discussed within the EU protein strategy. This study evaluates land use changes and environmental consequences of this change in dietary patterns by applying a consequential life cycle assessment approach combined with an agri-economic model, additionally assessing if this diet shift could help to achieve EU Green Deal targets. For this simulation, the partial equilibrium model CAPRI was used, which is a global agricultural market model focusing on Europe, including bilateral trade worldwide. We found that the diet shift results in gaps between domestic demand and supply which are compensated by increased imports of legumes and additional exports of red meat from the EU due to an increased demand for red meat in non-EU countries, as a consequence of decreased red meat prices. Land use changes within NUTS-2 regions indicate broad disparities depending on regional specialisation and profitability. The results from our life cycle assessment show limited benefits for most environmental impact categories within the EU given the considerable change in diets. GHG emissions from the agricultural sector would be reduced by 9 %, representing 4 % of the change needed to achieve overall EU GHG emission targets i.e., a reduction of 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Yet, the mitigation potential allocated to EU production of shifting diets could be greater if international trade were not offsetting expected local environmental benefits. Indeed, if EU red meat and animal feed production were reduced proportionally to the demand shift, domestic legume production could hypothetically be extended in the available agricultural areas coming along with improvements in all environmental impact categories. Scientific contribution and media regularly point out the significant influence of individual consumer behaviour as an impulse for change: “the power is on our plates”, while the results of our simulations show that this holds only to a limited extent. To minimise environmental pollution, strong supply-side policies are needed to complement the power on the consumers' plates.

More than food: Why restoring the cycle of organic matter in sustainable plant production is essential for the One Health nexus

Abstract One Health professes that the health of organisms is interconnected through the exploitation of planetary resources, trade, and transportation, in particular. The impetus for the emergence of this concept in the early 2000s was knowledge of the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases that put humans at risk to diseases carried by animals. In spite of the intended comprehensiveness of One Health, the place of plant health in this concept is vague, and few issues about plant health are debated in the scientific literature related to One Health. Here, we explore the history of concepts related to One Health in an attempt to understand why there is this schism between the plant sciences and the medical and veterinary sciences beyond the prism of zoonotic diseases. We illustrate the rich history of concepts in the plant sciences concerning the oneness of plants, animals and humans, and the debates about the definition and scope of sustainability that are precursors to One Health. These concepts continue to be foundations for research and development, particularly for food security and food safety. The emergence of these concepts from plant sciences was based on fundamental understanding of the food web – where plants are food for humans and animals whose digestive processes create important resources for plant growth and health. Yet, this latter part of the food web – recycling of manures in particular – was ruptured during modernization of agriculture. We explain how attaining sustainable One Health depends on restoring this part of the food web via soil stewardship, whose principal guarantors are the ensemble of actors in plant production.

USING BIM MODELING FOR THE CALCULATION OF HEAT LOSSES AND GENERAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT THE DESIGN STAGE

Problem statement. The issue of energy efficiency is one of the key problems in the construction industry. Increasing attention to this aspect has led to the development of new technologies and tools to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. One of the powerful software complexes for BIM modeling is Revit. The program has built-in tools for analysis. One such tool is Energy Analysis and the My Insight application in Revit software. This tool allows you to calculate the energy consumption of the building and its energy efficiency. With its help, you can perform an analysis of the building's energy consumption in different seasons and under different operating conditions. To achieve energy efficiency of the building in Revit, you can choose materials and change their thermal characteristics or choose materials that have high energy efficiency and durability, develop new material connection nodes and calculate their heat loss. The use of energy-saving technologies, such as energy-efficient windows, solar panels and others, allows you to take into account the contribution of these technologies to the overall energy consumption of the building using the same Insight application that is relevant today. The purpose of this work is to increase the energy efficiency of the house at the design stage using the ВIM model with the help of the Insight cloud service. Conclusions. Energy efficiency improvements in Revit software and its Insight application help reduce building energy consumption and reduce heating and air conditioning costs. This not only helps save the planet's resources, but also reduces costs for building owners. Using these tools allows you to create energy-efficient and climate-resistant buildings, which is an important task in today's world.

About the published content on each section

About the published content on each section

Economic degrowth as a solution to environmental conflicts?

Since the mid-20th century, economic growth has played a crucial role in improving the living conditions of millions of people, raising standards of well-being, and expectations regarding the availability of goods and services. However, the positive transformations have been accompanied by an alarming increase in the exploitation of the planet's resources and the growing income and opportunity inequality, both globally and locally. This article provides preliminary a comparative analysis of natural resource usage across eight regions, based on data from the Global Footprint Network for the year 2018. The results highlight the concerning pattern of the current consumption model: economically developed regions tend to exert disproportionate pressure on degradation, while less affluent regions demonstrate greater environmental regeneration capacity. The need to reconsider economic models with the aim of achieving a balance between socio-economic well-being and natural well-being is emphasized.

Industrial Botany in the Modern Era

Scientific and technological progress has enabled humanity to create an unprecedented level of comfort, underpinned by the global exploitation of virtually all planetary resources, including plants. Humanity has paid an exorbitant price for its prosperity – it has destroyed the resilience of natural ecosystems and, consequently, the conditions for the survival of humankind. We live in an era of global ecological crisis; without finding the right way out, we risk losing the ability to inhabit planet Earth. The technocratic development of civilization is killing nature and killing humanity itself. Industrial botany aims to preserve habitats and the biosphere. Key problems facing industrial botany include studying the processes of revegetation on mine dumps and developing nature-like technologies for accelerated plant restoration on mine dumps; studying the dynamics and status of invasive species populations under anthropogenic and technogenic impacts on vegetation; conserving floristic diversity in situ and ex situ in many industrial regions; and developing a system of specially protected areas.

A shift in values is needed to address climate change impacts affecting communities and the environment in the Philippines

This feature essay explores the intricate symbiotic link that exists between human values and the planet's resources. It emphasizes the crucial relationship between human survival, economic growth, and environmental preservation. The Philippines, a country blessed with immense biodiversity, is highly reliant on natural resources for subsistence, livelihood, and well-being. The Philippines is at serious ecological risk due to unsustainable practices, particularly in the field of marine ecology. The growing threat of climate change only serves to intensify this approaching ecological disaster. The weight of addressing these challenges ultimately falls upon the shoulders of the youth, who will bear the consequences of the acts of the current generation. The paper highlights the importance of human activity in causing climate change impacts and emphasizes the urgent necessity for societal values to change in order to prevent looming environmental crises. It issues a compelling call to action, urging individuals and society as a whole to recognize their shared responsibility in minimizing the adverse impacts of climate change. Educational institutions stand out as significant catalysts for change, boosting environmental awareness and developing sustainable behaviors. The essay highlights the moral and just aspects of climate responsibility and the need for governments to take preventive action. The essay concludes that there is a need for collaborative, united efforts in the Philippines to safeguard and conserve the environment as a crucial prerequisite for a sustainable future to mitigate climate change impacts.

The environmental sustainable development goals and economic growth: an empirical investigation of selected SAARC countries.

Environmental SDGs, or Sustainable Development Goals, are a set of targets outlined by the United Nations to address the most pressing environmental issues of our time. These goals aim to promote sustainable development by addressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. By achieving these goals, we can safeguard the planet's resources for future generations while improving the quality of life for people around the world. This research investigates the effect of environmental SDGs on economic growth (GDPGRO) at the disaggregated level, with two dimensions: economic and social goals. Using panel data from selected SAARC countries between 2000 and 2020, we employ a panel ARDL (PMG) technique. The finding of this study shows that increasing access to SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 13 (climate action), and SSDGs (social Sustainable Development Goals) is negatively associated with potential decreases in economic growth which can occur in several ways, such as increased government spending and taxes, redistributive policies, and regulations that increase costs for businesses. Promoting SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) can lead to long-term economic growth. SDG 15 (life below water) and ESDGs (economic Sustainable Development Goals) have a positive relationship with economic growth by conserving and sustainably using terrestrial ecosystems that can contribute to economic growth in the long term. ESDGs lead to increased income, improved living standards, and reduced poverty and inequality. Policies should prioritize disaster risk mitigation, align climate change goals with sustainable development goals, and promote sustainable production and consumption. This can be achieved by incentivizing cleaner energy sources and sustainable cities. To balance economic growth with sustainability, policies should encourage responsible business practices and sustainable industries.

Rethinking food waste: Exploring a black soldier fly larvae-based upcycling strategy for sustainable poultry production

Food waste (FW) contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, burdens waste management systems, worsens food insecurity, and reduces biodiversity. Consequently, upcycling strategies must be refined to efficiently convert FW into valuable products. The utilization of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to convert FW into nutrient-rich insect meal for use in poultry diets is one such nascent strategy. This upcycling strategy has the potential to address food security challenges while reducing environmental impacts of both FW and poultry production systems. Indeed, innovations in BSFL production and the abundance of FW means that this strategy has a high potential for adoption and scaling up, despite a regulatory framework that lags in several countries. We analyse the suitability of various FW streams for BSFL and the insect's nutraceutical value for poultry. This strategy can resolve the global FW problem while contributing towards sustainable food production systems with minimal recourse to additional planetary resources.

FRONT-END NUTRITION LABELING AND ECO-LABELING MODELS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROMOTION

Creating food systems that provide healthy food for everyone without exploiting human or planetary resources, is one of the greatest challenges of this century. Front-end nutrition labeling and eco-efficiency systems have been proposed as a means of addressing health disparities and sustainable food and nutrition security. The aim of the study is the exploratory analysis of existing front-end nutrition labeling and eco-efficiency systems in order to make informed decisions about the further development of an effective labeling system. To carry out the study, the method of systematic document review and data triangulation was applied. The review provided information on the impact of color-coded labels and warnings in driving consumer purchasing behavior towards healthier products. Each labeling system had different attributes that should be taken into account when developing front-end nutrition labeling and eco-efficiency policies, depending on local contexts. However, front-end labeling is unlikely to be a panacea for changing consumer behavior but can target small incremental changes at different levels and actors in the food system.

Exploring groundwater–climate change interactions: A critical review of Groundwater and Climate Change: Multi‐Level Law and Policy Perspectives by Philippe Cullet

AbstractIn recent years, climate change has gained much attention worldwide, emphasizing the need to find sustainable solutions to protect the planet's resources. One of the primary resources affected by climate change is groundwater, a vital source of freshwater for agriculture and domestic use worldwide. In his book Groundwater and Climate Change: Multi‐Level Law and Policy Perspectives, Philippe Cullet discusses the complex relationship between groundwater and climate change and its legal and policy implications at various levels of interventions. Cullet's book provides comprehensive insights into the legal and governance frameworks needed to protect and sustainably manage groundwater in the face of climate change. This book review will examine the key arguments presented by Cullet, providing a critical analysis of the book's contribution to the field of environmental law and policy. It aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the legal and policy framework related to groundwater management in the context of climate change with a special focus on interaction between climate change and groundwater lessons in Indian context.

Soil flowing characteristics during flexible tube coring for lunar exploration: Modeling and verification

Obtaining planetary soil samples and returning them to the Earth is the most effective solution to detect the distribution and reserves of planetary resources. In order to maintain the stratification and a high coring ratio of soil samples during the sampling process, China National Space Administration adopted a flexible tube coring (FTC) method for the upcoming Chang’e-6 mission. In this paper, the lunar regolith FTC characteristics, coupled with its spiral debris discharge were modeled. Orthogonal experiments were carried out with different drilling parameters using the prepared high-density lunar regolith simulant. The results show that the coring height and coring ratio are greatly determined by the penetration per revolution (PPR) index. The lunar regolith simulant’s coring ratio was as high as 90% when the PPR was optimized. The physical and mechanical parameters of artificial lunar regolith were characterized with respect to the PPR index as well as the dynamic flowing of the internal core, with a resulting accurately tuned coring ratio prediction model. Furthermore, the drilling load analysis can be applied to the optimization of drilling parameters employed by Chang’e-6 when collecting lunar regolith.