Sustainable road markings for sustainable urban mobility – selection guidelines based on environmental and durability parameters

Lawn mowing is a widespread urban management practice that can generate significant biogenic emissions, even when electric equipment is used. This study investigates the intra-seasonal variability of particulate matter (PM 1 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 ) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions during electrically driven lawn mowing over a full growing season (March–September) in a sub-urban area of central Italy. Measurements were conducted every four weeks on a 100 m 2 turfgrass plot using high-frequency monitoring (0.6 Hz, about 250 data points per session, 80 data points per experiment), allowing detailed characterization of emission dynamics before, during, and after mowing. Results show that mowing itself is the dominant driver of particulate emissions, with very large effects for PM 10 and PM 2.5 (F = 177 and 123, respectively; p < 0.001). Strong intra-seasonal variability was also observed, with coefficients of variation exceeding 130% for all particulate fractions and approximately 69% for VOCs. Normalization by the mass of grass removed did not attenuate seasonal patterns, indicating that emissions appear to be influenced by seasonal changes in plant physiological status, environmental conditions, and vegetation structure rather than biomass yield alone. Particulate matter emissions exhibited a pronounced mid-season peak, whereas VOC emissions were highest in early spring and declined thereafter. Correlation analysis confirmed a strong coupling among particulate fractions (r = 0.97–0.996) but weak associations between particulate matter and VOCs, highlighting distinct emission mechanisms. These findings demonstrate that particulate matter and VOC emissions from lawn mowing are highly dynamic and season-dependent, with implications for urban air quality and operator exposure, even under low-combustion management practices. • Electric mowing generates measurable BP and VOC emissions • Emissions vary strongly across the grass growing season • Particulate emissions are dominated by the PM10 fraction • VOC emissions reflect plant physiological status rather than biomass • Seasonal timing affects operator exposure and air-quality impact

Biases in consumers' assessment of environmental damage in food chains and how investments in reputation can help

In response to Canada’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to making pathways to achieve carbon neutral buildings, this paper presents two real case studies. The paper first outlines the potential of trees to absorb CO2 emissions through photosynthesis, and the methods used for the estimation of their annual carbon sequestration rates. The net annual carbon sequestration rate of 0.575 kgCO2eq/m2 of tree cover area is considered in our study. Then, this paper presents the carbon life cycle assessment of an all-electric laboratory at Concordia University and of a single-detached house, both located in Montreal. The life cycle assessment (LCA) calculations were performed using two software tools, One Click LCA and Athena Impact Estimator for Buildings. The results in terms of Global Warming Potential (GWP) over 60 years for the laboratory were found to be 83,521 kgCO2eq using One Click LCA, and 82,666 kgCO2eq using Athena. For the single-detached house that uses natural gas for space heating and domestic hot water, the GWP was found to be 544,907 kgCO2eq using One Click LCA, and 566,856 kgCO2eq using Athena. For the all-electric laboratory, a garden fully covered with representative urban trees could offset around 17% of the total life cycle carbon emissions. For the natural gas-powered single-detached house, the sequestration by trees is around 3% of the total life cycle carbon emission. This paper presents limits for achieving carbon neutral buildings when only the emissions sequestration by trees is applied, and discusses the main findings regarding LCA calculations under different scenarios.

Carbon footprint of sheep production systems in semi-arid zone of Chile: A simulation-based approach of productive scenarios and precipitation patterns

A new trend driven by climate change concerns is the interest to label consumer products with a carbon footprint (CF) number. Here, we present a study that examines the uncertainty in the estimated CFs of a liquid and a compact powder detergent and how the uncertainty varies with the type of comparison one wishes to make. A simplified CF model for detergents, encompassing all life cycle stages, has been used for the calculation of CFs. The CFs for the two detergents were compared under three different cases: (1) a situation where most of life cycle assessment (LCA) system is similar, (2) a situation where the LCA background systems may be different but certain choices with regard to system boundaries are standardized, and (3) a situation where the LCA background system, choices of system boundaries, and foreground system may also be different. Uncertainty in the CFs was calculated for each of the three comparison situations using a stepwise sensitivity/uncertainty analysis approach. The stepwise approach makes it possible to obtain reliable uncertainty estimates without the need to have very good uncertainty descriptions for every input parameter. Only a few input parameters were found to drive the uncertainty of the CF values. For case 1, the uncertainties in the difference between the CF of the ultraliquid and compact powder products are very small. The CF of compact powder is always larger than that of the ultraliquid product. In case 3, the uncertainties become much larger, such that in 23% of the cases, a CF comparison would wrongly indicate that the compact powder product has a lower CF than the ultraliquid product. Case 2 falls between the extremes of cases 1 and 3. One of the challenges of developing user-friendly CF methods based on the ISO 14040 framework is to ensure a high level of comparability of CF values, such that misleading or oversimplified conclusions can be avoided. Our analysis shows how the uncertainty margins around the calculation of a CF for a set of given products will broaden as the assessment moves from an “internal” comparison to a comparison with data from third parties where there is no specific information how these data have been obtained. CF calculations based on internal comparisons can lead to very clear distinctions between products and illustrate the utility of a CF tool to optimize the environmental performance of products using difference analysis. CF calculations for products can only provide a fair comparison if the LCA background system used for the two products is the same and exactly the same choices in the foreground system are made. In practice, this would require consultation and agreement on specific product category rules. Simplification is needed for a wider adoption of uncertainty analysis in CF and LCA. This article introduces some first steps towards such simplification, but more work is needed both on the theoretical and practical aspects of simplified uncertainty analyses.

Global warming is caused mainly by CO2 emission from burning fossil fuels and is beginning to have large negative impacts on human well-being and ecosystems (IPCC 2014; IPCC 2018). Policies that mitigate CO2 emissions will require public support. Here, we examine how support for several possible decarbonization policies varies as a function of the personal carbon footprint of a researcher who advocates the policy. We find that people are more likely to support policies if the advocate for these policies has a low carbon footprint. Replicating our prior work, we find that the communicators’ carbon footprint massively affect their credibility and intentions of their audience to conserve energy (Attari, Krantz and Weber 2016). Our new finding is that their carbon footprint also affects audience support for public policies advocated by the communicator. In a second study, we show that the negative effects of a large carbon footprint on credibility are greatly reduced if the communicator reforms their behavior by reducing their personal carbon footprints. The implications of these results are stark: effective communication of climate science and advocacy of both individual behavior change and public policy interventions are greatly helped when advocates lead the way by reducing their own carbon footprint.

BackgroundPublic food procurement and catering are recognized as important leverage points in promoting sustainable and healthy dietary habits. This study aimed to analyze changes in nutritional quality and carbon footprint (CF) of food service in childcare centers in the City of Copenhagen from 2018 to 2022, following a new climate-friendly food strategy in 2019. The strategy has a target of decreasing the CF of municipal food service by 25% before 2025 compared to a 2018 baseline.MethodsKey initiatives in the municipality’s strategy included creating guidelines for food-service providers to reduce their CF while ensuring meal nutritional quality and providing food professionals an advisory process to develop necessary competencies.In this quasi-experimental study, food procurement data from Copenhagen’s childcare centers (n = 356 [2022]) from 2018 and 2022 were combined with CF and nutrient composition data. Dietary CF and food and nutrient content were calculated per 10 MJ of energy and compared to guideline targets. Furthermore, data for 2022 were analyzed separately for institutions that had received an advisory process (n = 87) and those that had not yet (n = 269).ResultsOn average, the CF of the food procurement decreased by 15%, mainly driven by a decrease in ruminant meat purchases (-37%). While the procurement of plant-based protein sources (pulses, nuts, seeds) increased by 25%, it was still considerably below targets. Nutrient content did not substantially change, and recommendations for calcium, iron, vitamin D, sodium, and total and saturated fat were not met in either measurement year. Institutions that had received an advisory process had a 14% lower CF in 2022 than institutions that had not.ConclusionsWith the observed 15% CF reduction, Copenhagen’s childcare centers are on track to reach the 25% reduction goal outlined in the municipality’s food strategy by 2025. Nutritional quality was largely unchanged, but further efforts to increase especially the consumption of plant-based protein sources, while simultaneously reducing meat and animal-based fat, and maintaining sufficient dairy consumption, are needed to improve nutritional quality and reach the target CF reduction in the coming years. Providing training for food professionals could play an important role in seeing the changes through.

The topic on sustainability of Industrialised Building System (IBS) in the construction industry of Malaysia is always debatable and questionable. This study is carried out to determine the carbon footprint of a typical commercial project with the application of IBS. In this paper, IBS is classified to aluminium formwork system and fully precast concrete structure. The carbon footprint is quantified with life cycle assessment (LCA) of the building dividing into production phase of materials, transportation phase and construction phase. Whereas the study adopted data of embodied carbon of materials and carbon emission factor from reliable external source to estimate the total carbon emission of the project with the application of IBS. The outcome of carbon footprint is compared with conventional building method to identify the sustainability of each building method. Based on the data analysis, the application of precast concrete has the lowest carbon footprint as compared to cast-in situ with aluminium formwork and timber formwork. Although the carbon emission from the transportation of precast concrete elements is relatively high, but the overall carbon footprint is still the lowest among the other building method. The amount of carbon emission of the commercial project with IBS construction is 0.342 tonnes \({\text{CO}}_{2}\) per meter square. The production of construction materials that contributed the most to the carbon footprint is concrete, followed by steel rebar and formwork. The findings in this study is very useful for future research on carbon footprint of construction in Malaysia. The study also helps to raise awareness towards sustainable construction with the application of IBS in Malaysia.

The Earth’s climate is rapidly changing largely due to increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agricultural practices during crop production, food processing, and product marketing all generate GHG, contributing to the global climate change. The general public and farmers are urging the development and adoption of effective measures to reduce GHG emissions from all agricultural activities and sectors. However, quantitative information is not available in regard to what strategies and practices should be adopted to reduce emission from agriculture and how crop productivity would affect the intensity of GHG emission. To provide the potential solution, we estimated the carbon footprint [i.e., the total amount of GHG associated with the production and distribution of a given food product expressed in carbon dioxide equivalence (CO2e)] for some of the major field crops grown on the Canadian prairie and assessed the effect of crop sequences on the carbon footprint of durum wheat. Key strategies for reducing the carbon footprint of various field crops grown in semiarid areas were identified. Carbon footprints were estimated using emissions from (1) the decomposition of crop straw and roots; (2) the manufacture of N and P fertilizers and their rates of application; (3) the production of herbicides and fungicides; and (4) miscellaneous farm field operations. Production and application of N fertilizers accounted for 57% to 65% of the total footprint, those from crop residue decomposition 16% to 30%, and the remaining portion of the footprint included CO2e from the production of P fertilizer and pesticides, and from miscellaneous field operations. Crops grown in the Brown soil zone had the lowest carbon footprint, averaging 0.46 kg CO2e kg−1 of grain, whereas crops grown in the Black soil zone had a larger average carbon footprint of 0.83 kg CO2e kg−1 of grain. The average carbon footprint for crops grown in the Dark Brown soil zone was intermediate to the other two at 0.61 kg CO2e kg−1 of grain. One kilogram of grain product emitted 0.80 kg CO2e for canola (Brassica napus L.), 0.59 for mustard (Brassica juncea L.) and flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), 0.46 for spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and 0.20 to 0.33 kg CO2e for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), dry pea (Pisum sativum L.), and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.). Durum wheat (T. aestivum L.) preceded by an N-fixing crop (i.e., pulses) emitted total greenhouse gases of 673 kg CO2e, 20% lower than when the crop was preceded by a cereal crop. Similarly, durum wheat preceded by an oilseed emitted 744 kg CO2e, 11% lower than when preceded by a cereal. The carbon footprint for durum grown after a pulse was 0.25 kg CO2e per kg of the grain and 0.28 kg CO2e per kg of the grain when grown after an oilseed: a reduction in the carbon footprint of 24% to 32% than when grown after a cereal. The average carbon footprint can be lowered by as much as 24% for crops grown in the Black, 28% in the Dark Brown, and 37% in the Brown soil zones, through improved agronomic practices, increased N use efficiency, use of diversified cropping systems, adoption of crop cultivars with high harvest index, and the use of soil bioresources such as P-solublizers and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in crop production.

Several studies on ethical and social food attributes have shown that consumers, especially in developed countries, are willing to pay a price premium for fair trade foods products. However, there is a scant literature on how consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for fair trade products are affected by the presence of other ethical food attributes. To fill this gap, a choice experiment was conducted in Scotland, the Netherlands and France to assess consumers’ preferences and WTP for ethical attributes, i.e., fairtrade, organic, and lower carbon footprint, of bananas and to find out whether this ethical food attributes are competing in real markets. The results showed that in the three countries consumers are willing to pay a price premium for the three ethical food attributes. The results showed that in the current market situation these ethical foods are not generally competing against each other. Nonetheless, they are likely to become competing for consumer’s money at least when: (1) the price of organic foods is decreased significantly, (2) the price for fairtrade food products is set higher than consumers’ WTP, and (3) bananas labeled as having lower carbon footprint are made available in retail stores and sold at a price lower than consumers’ WTP.

Life cycle assessment of milk production from commercial dairy farms: The influence of management tactics

Greenhouse gas emissions drive climate change, which in turn threatens human health through various pathways, including cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and infectious disease. Despite the healthcare sector accounting for 4.4% of global carbon emissions, carbon footprint analysis within the field remains limited. This perspective addresses the importance of carbon footprint assessment in healthcare, particularly in cardiovascular medicine, and illustrates the use of randomized controlled trial (RCT) data for carbon footprint comparison. Unlike other sectors, healthcare carbon footprint analysis must consider not only the emissions generated directly by medical interventions but also those produced during the subsequent clinical course and follow-up. Data routinely collected during RCT follow-up periods can be used to estimate total emissions associated with different treatment strategies. In the cardiovascular field, where procedures themselves are carbon-intensive and where serious clinical events frequently occur during long-term follow-up, such analyses are particularly relevant. For instance, based on RCT data comparing fractional flow reserve (FFR) and intravascular ultrasonography for intermediate coronary artery stenosis, we estimated that the FFR group had a lower carbon footprint during the 2-year follow-up period. Extending the analysis with a long-term simulation model over 30 years similarly revealed that the cumulative carbon emissions remained lower in the FFR group. Comparing the carbon footprint between treatment strategies using RCT data can provide meaningful insights to guide environmentally responsible healthcare decisions. Building more accurate carbon footprint databases specific to healthcare interventions and fostering greater awareness among healthcare professionals will be essential to advance this effort.

Salt-affected arable land is distributed widely in China, especially in the North China Plain. Crop residue management under appropriate tillage is critical to improving salt-affected soil organic carbon and reducing the carbon footprint. This study conducted four-year field experiments including two treatments (residue incorporated into soil with plough tillage (CT+); residue mulching with no-till (NT+)) in two sites (non-saline soil and salt-affected soil); the carbon footprint of wheat production was analyzed by life cycle assessment. The results showed that the carbon footprint of wheat production in the salt-affected soil was significantly larger than that in the non-saline soil, because the salt-affected soil exhibited higher N2O emission than the non-saline soil. CT+ has lower carbon footprint than the NT+, mainly due to the lower N2O emission and higher carbon sequestration in the CT+ compared to NT+. As for the salt-affected soil, the largest contributor of the carbon footprint per unit area was soil N2O emission, with a relative contribution of 40%; the largest contributor of the carbon footprint per unit yield was carbon sequestration, with a relative importance of 47–50%. Our results indicated that wheat production in salt-affected land has a high carbon footprint, while it can be decreased by incorporating crop residue into the soil under the plough tillage.

The carbon footprint of as-needed budesonide/formoterol in mild asthma: a post hoc analysis.

Emissions of particulate matter (PM) and a broad suite of target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in total, main-stream (MS) and side-stream (SS) smoke emissions are measured for six types of commercial cigarettes. The suitability of 2,5-dimethyl furan (DMF) as a tracer for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is investigated using laboratory results and a field study of 47 residences. Over 30 VOCs were characterized in cigarette smoke, including several that have not been reported previously. "regular tar", "low tar", menthol, and nonmenthol cigarettes showed only minor differences in PM and VOC emissions. When total emissions are considered, PM emissions averaged 18 +/- 2 mg cigarette(-1) and VOC emissions averaged 3644 +/- 160 mg cigarette(-1). DMF appears to satisfy all requirements for a tracer, namely, uniqueness, detectability, similar emission factors across tobacco products (211 +/- 16 microg cigarette(-1)), consistent proportions to other ETS compounds, and behavior similar to other ETS components in relevant environments. On the basis of field study results, DMF more reliably indicated smoking status than occupant-completed questionnaires, and cigarette smoking was responsible for significant fractions of benzene (50%), styrene (49%), and other VOCs in the smoker's homes.