bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Economic and Societal Changes in China and their Effects onWater Use A Scenario Analysis
Authors: Hubacek Klaus , Sun Laixiang 
Published: June 2005

SummaryChina's development over the last few decades has been characterized by high rates of economic growth, large‐scale migration from rural areas to the fast‐growing cities accompanied by changes in lifestyles, and steady population growth. These developments have left deep marks on resource availability and quality. In this article we conduct a scenario analysis of how lifestyle changes and other major developments might affect water resources.China has the longest tradition in river and water resource management in the world. Its civilization has sought to control the effects of floods and drought for thousands of years and has utilized water flows for irrigation and navigation. In the last century, competing uses such as domestic, municipal, and industrial water consumption have also become reasons for the regulation of and large‐scale abstraction of water.To investigate the major changes in economy and society and their effects on the water situation in China, a set of scenarios is developed and analyzed within a structural economics framework. A hydrological model that represents water flows in the major watersheds is linked to a regional input‐output model that represents socioeconomic activities in the major economic‐administrative regions of China. The regional analysis shows that the North and Northwest regions are water‐scarce and that lifestyle changes and technical shifts are the most important factors driving future water consumption.
Sustainable Consumption and Worktime Reduction
Authors: Schor Juliet B. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThis article argues that in the global North a successful path to sustainability will entail a stabilization of consumption through reductions in hours of work, a solution that neither ecologists nor economists have addressed seriously. The article presents data on the slowdown of hours reductions in many countries and discusses the need for policy intervention to counter firm‐level disincentives to reducing hours of work. It then discusses the potential popularity of work‐hour reductions with consumers. It ends with an argument that technological changes will be insufficient to achieve sustainable consumption patterns and that averting continued increases in the scale of consumption through trading income for time is imperative.
Indirect and Direct Energy Requirements of City Households in Sweden: Options for Reduction, Lessons from Modeling
Authors: Carlsson‐Kanyama Annika , Engström Rebecka , Kok Rixt 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThe objective of this article is to explore the potential for lowering household energy use given existing local support systems, in this case in the Stockholm inner city with the aid of the Dutch energy analysis program (EAP) that was adapted to Swedish conditions and that portrays total energy use for 300 consumption categories. Previously such modeling for Sweden was carried out using only Dutch databases. Our case‐study area is well equipped with food stores, local markets, public transportation, and entertainment, facilitating some energy‐efficient consumption choices. With maintained expenditure levels but changed consumption patterns, current reduction potentials are on the order of 10–20%. Options concerning diet can lower food indirect energy use by up to 30%, whereas options in other areas have a lower potential. Further reductions will require enhanced local support systems, external as well as internal. The results indicate that it is risky not to use nationally adapted figures for energy efficiency in the production sectors when modeling household energy use, because potential for change may be overlooked. Future work should include foreign energy intensities when modeling imported goods; otherwise, results may be less reliable. The Swedish EAP needs further work before it can be put to use as a modeling tool for everyday behavior, but it is already generating important possibilities for producing reliable data that can be used by local energy counselors.
Market Movements: Nongovernmental Organization Strategies to Influence Global Production and Consumption
Authors: O'Rourke Dara 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThis article analyzes nongovernmental organization (NGO) “market campaigns” that seek to motivate changes in global consumption and production patterns. Through campaigns targeting products as diverse as paper, shoes, and computers, advocacy groups seek to use existing concerns of consumers to influence producers, and simultaneously, to expand and deepen consumer demand for more sustainable products and services. NGOs deploy both negative information to critique leading brands, and positive information to help build new markets for improved products. Successful market campaigns construct networks of actors that identify points of leverage within global production and trading regimes; coordinate research, exposure, direct action, and negotiations with brands; identify solutions; advance new multi‐stakeholder standards and monitoring and certification schemes; build new nongovernmental regulatory institutions; and occasionally attempt to strengthen state regulation. Through an assessment of three market campaigns focused on Staples, Nike, and Dell, this article describes the nature of these campaigns, discusses how they function, assesses their central strategies and tactics, and analyzes whether they are actually having an impact. The article concludes by discussing the relevance and implications of these campaigns for the field of industrial ecology, and how industrial ecology might support future efforts to advance more sustainable production and consumption.
Linking the Use of Scented Consumer Products to Consumer Exposure to Polycyclic Musk Fragrances
Authors: Wormuth Matthias , Scheringer Martin , Hungerbühler Konrad 
Published: June 2005

SummarySynthetic organic chemicals are ingredients of many consumer products used daily. Consumers are therefore constantly exposed to a broad spectrum of synthetic organic chemicals, which might be irritants or have other effects harmful to human health, in the consumption phase of the product life cycle. Relevant examples are the polycyclic musk fragrances that make up an important group of synthetic fragrance compounds. Using a scenario‐based approach, we simulate various product uses and calculate the resulting dermal exposure to the musk fragrances 6‐acetyl‐1,1,2,4,4,7‐hexamethyltetraline and hexahydro‐hexamethyl‐cyclopenta (γ)‐2‐benzopyran for a wide spectrum of consumer products. The product spectrum was selected from scented personal care products and household cleansing agents. Exposure to musk fragrances is calculated with two dermal exposure models, and results are presented for female and male European consumers. The variability of required inputs is accounted for by assuming minimal, average or median, and maximal values for important model parameters. The study identifies a limited number of types of scented consumer products as significantly contributing to daily dermal consumer exposure to musk fragrances. Exposure levels resulting from the simultaneous use of these products and the number of exposed consumers are investigated.
Consumption and the Rebound Effect: An Industrial Ecology Perspective
Authors: Hertwich Edgar G. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryMeasures taken to protect the environment often have other, unintended effects on society. One concern is that changed behavior may offset part of the environmental gain, something that has variously been labeled “take‐back” or “rebound.” In energy economics, the rebound effect encompasses both the behavioral and systems responses to cost reductions of energy services as a result of energy efficiency measures. From an industrial ecology perspective, we are concerned about more than just energy use. Any given efficiency measure has several types of environmental impacts. Changes in the various impact indicators are not necessarily in the same direction. Both co‐benefits and negative side effects of measures directed to solve one type of problem have been identified. Environment is often a free input, so that a price‐based rebound effect is not expected, but other indirect effects not connected to the price, such as spillover of environmental behavior, also occur. If the costs and impact of products that are already environmentally friendly are reduced, the “rebound” can be in the opposite, desired direction. Furthermore, I identify technical spillover effects. Hence a number of related effects, often producing positive results, are not as well understood. Household environmental impact assessments and eco‐efficiency assessments take into account the rebound effect, but they do not necessarily take into account these other effects. The analysis hence indicates that the current focus on the rebound effect is too narrow and needs to be extended to cover co‐benefits, negative side effects, and spillover effects.
The Everyday Life Context of Increasing Energy Demands: Time Use Survey Data in a Decomposition Analysis
Authors: Jalas Mikko 
Published: June 2005

SummaryIndustrial ecologists have modeled with precision the material foundations of industrial systems, but given less attention to the demand for products and the drivers of structural changes in these systems. This article suggests that time use data complement data on monetary expenditure and can be used to elucidate the everyday life context in which the changes in the economy take place. It builds upon the claim that goods are not direct sources of utility, but enter specific household activities as inputs. A second argument for the proposed approach is that it can be used to introduce and foster human agency in analyses of production systems. The article uses Finnish time use survey data, consumption expenditure data, and data on the sectoral energy intensities of financial output in the Finnish economy. First, a measure of the energy intensity of activities is derived by relating consumer time use and the required direct and indirect energy requirements. Second, the results include a decomposition of changes in the energy requirements of private consumption in Finland during the 1990s. It is shown that although the same activities on average require increasing energy inputs per unit of time, Finns have simultaneously changed the structure of their everyday life toward less energy‐intensive activities.
An Analysis of Sustainable Consumption by the Waste Input‐Output Model
Authors: Takase Koji , Kondo Yasushi , Washizu Ayu 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThe extension of the waste input‐output (WIO) model to analyze households' sustainable consumption patterns is presented in this article. We estimate direct and indirect emission loads induced by household consumption by the WIO model. The WIO model is much more suitable for the analysis of sustainable consumption than the conventional input‐output model because it can deal with the disposal stage of consumed goods as well as the purchase and use stages. A simple method for evaluating income rebound effects is also introduced. As indicators of environmental loads, we estimate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and landfill consumption induced by household consumption. The model is applied to some typical sustainable consumption scenarios: shifting transportation modes from a private car to public transportation, the longer use of household electric appliances, and eating at restaurants instead of cooking at home. We found that the income rebound effects should be considered to evaluate environmental loads induced by different consumption patterns.
Pursuing More Sustainable Consumption by Analyzing Household Metabolism in European Countries and Cities
Authors: Moll Henri C. , Noorman Klaas Jan , Kok Rixt , Engström Rebecka , Throne‐Holst Harald , Clark Charlotte 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBringing about more sustainable consumption patterns is an important challenge for society and science. In this article the concept of household metabolism is applied to analyzing consumption patterns and to identifying possibilities for the development of sustainable household consumption patterns. Household metabolism is determined in terms of total energy requirements, including both direct and indirect energy requirements, using a hybrid method. This method enables us to evaluate various determinants of the environmental load of consumption consistently at several levels—the national level, the local level, and the household level.The average annual energy requirement of households varies considerably between the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden, as well as within these countries. The average expenditure level per household explains a large part of the observed variations. Differences between these countries are also related to the efficiency of the production sectors and to the energy supply system. The consumption categories of food, transport, and recreation show the largest contributions to the environmental load. A comparison of consumer groups with different household characteristics shows remarkable differences in the division of spending over the consumption categories.Thus, analyses of different types of households are important for providing a basis for options to induce decreases of the environmental load of household consumption. At the city level, options for change are provided by an analysis of the city infrastructure, which determines a large part of the direct energy use by households (for transport and heating). At the national level, energy efficiency in production and in electricity generation is an important trigger for decreasing household energy requirements.
Slower Consumption Reflections on Product Life Spans and the “Throwaway Society”
Authors: Cooper Tim 
Published: June 2005

SummarySustainable consumption is unlikely to be achieved as long as the quantity of household waste generated in industrial nations continues to rise. One factor underlying this trend is the life span of household goods. This article contributes to recent advances in life‐cycle thinking by highlighting the significance of product life spans for sustainable consumption and exploring the current state of research. A theoretical model is developed to demonstrate how, by contributing to efficiency and sufficiency, longer product life spans may secure progress toward sustainable consumption. Empirical research undertaken in the United Kingdom on consumer attitudes and behavior relating to the life spans of household products is reviewed and factors that influence the market for longer‐lasting products are discussed. A need is identified for further research on product life spans and some themes are proposed.
Small is Beautiful U.S. House Size, Resource Use, and the Environment
Authors: Wilson Alex , Boehland Jessica 
Published: June 2005

SummaryAs house size increases, resource use in buildings goes up, more land is occupied, increased impermeable surface results in more storm‐water runoff, construction costs rise, and energy consumption increases. In new, single‐family houses constructed in the United States, living area per family member has increased by a factor of 3 since the 1950s. In comparing the energy performance of compact (small) and large single‐family houses, we find that a small house built to only moderate energy‐performance standards uses substantially less energy for heating and cooling than a large house built to very high energy‐performance standards. This article examines some of the trends in single‐family house building in the United States and provides recommendations for downsizing houses to improve quality and resource efficiency.
Using Input‐Output Analysis to Measure the Environmental Pressure of Consumption at Different Spatial Levels
Authors: Munksgaard Jesper , Wier Mette , Lenzen Manfred , Dey Christopher 
Published: June 2005

SummaryInput‐output modeling is a useful tool for tracing environmental impacts of consumption. Because it includes impacts originating from production layers of infinite order (capturing the entire economy), input‐output modeling is highly relevant for studies operating in a life‐cycle context. In this article we show how the input‐output approach can be used to enumerate the problem of sustainable consumption. Based on a literature survey including research done by the authors we present measures of the emissions of carbon dioxide at different spatial levels: nation, city, and household. Further, we take more environmental effects into account and introduce the concept of environmental efficiency by combining input‐output modeling and data envelopment analysis. Finally, we discuss the policy relevance of the different measures. The article demonstrates that input‐output modeling has a wide range of life‐cycle oriented applications when combined with other data sources such as detailed trade statistics, foreign input‐output and environmental statistics, and household expenditure data.
Sustainable Consumption of Food: A Framework for Analyzing Scenarios about Changes in Diets
Authors: Duchin Faye 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThis article describes the integration of life‐cycle assessment methods with a new input‐output model of the world economy to analyze the environmental and economic implications of alternative future diets. The article reviews findings by industrial ecologists about the energy and land required for the production and consumption of alternative foods and diets in several European countries. It also reviews attributes of foods and diets identified by nutritionists as reducing the risks of obesity and major chronic diseases related to the diets of the affluent. The predominantly plant‐based Mediterranean‐type diet emerges as a dietary scenario that could satisfy both sets of concerns. The likely implications for agriculture and for farm policies of a shift toward this diet from the current average diet in the United States are discussed and shown to be substantial. The one‐country studies reviewed in the article provide substantial insights into the potential ramifications of dietary change. Many of the limitations of these studies could be overcome by conducting the analysis in a global framework that represented the relationships among consumption, production, and trade and the physical constraints within which they operate. Analysis of the environmental and economic implications of alternative scenarios describing healthy diets can help stimulate more intensive dialogue, debate, and action among the interested parties; such analysis can both benefit from and contribute to initiatives such as the World Health Organization's global strategy on diet and health, which intends to enlist the support of governments, corporations, and civil society.
Towards an Integrated Regional Materials Flow Accounting Model
Authors: Sinclair Philip , Papathanasopoulou Eleni , Mellor Warren , Jackson Tim 
Published: June 2005

SummaryA key challenge in attaining regional sustainability is to reduce both the direct and the indirect environmental impacts associated with economic and household activity in the region. Knowing what these flows are and how they change over time is a prerequisite for this task.This article describes the early development of an integrated regional materials flow accounting framework. The framework is based on a hybrid (material and economic) multiregional input‐output model. Using readily available economic and materials data sets together with transport and logistics data, the framework attempts to provide estimates of household resource flows for any U.K. region at quite detailed levels of product and material disaggregation. It is also capable of disaggregating these flows according to specific socioeconomic criteria such as income level or occupation of the head of household. Allied to appropriate energy and life‐cycle assessment data sets, the model could, in addition, be used to map both direct and indirect environmental impacts associated with these flows.The benefits of such an approach are likely to be a considerable reduction of uncertainties in (1) our knowledge of the household metabolism, and hence our predictions of regional household waste generation; (2) our assessment of the impacts of contemplated changes in industrial process siting, and thereby on other aspects of local and regional planning; and (3) our understanding of the impacts of changes in the pattern of demand for different materials and products. It is concluded that the use of such an integrated assessment tool has much to contribute to the debate on regional sustainability.
Environmental Load from Dutch Private Consumption: How Much Damage Takes Place Abroad?
Authors: Nijdam Durk S. , Wilting Harry C. , Goedkoop Mark J. , Madsen Jacob 
Published: June 2005

SummaryThis article describes a method for determining the environmental load of Dutch private consumption. The method generates detailed information about consumption‐related environmental impacts. The environmental load of households (direct) and production (indirect) was determined for 360 expenditure categories reported in the Dutch Expenditure Survey. The indirect environmental load was calculated with linked input‐output tables covering worldwide production and trade. The environmental load per Euro turnover of industries was linked to consumer expenditures. With this method we can quantify several types of environmental load per expenditure category and per economic production region.It was found that food production, room heating, and car use are the most important elements in the environmental load of Dutch private consumption. The impacts taking place abroad were—with the exception of emission of greenhouse gases and road traffic noise—found to be larger than domestic impacts. Most land use was found to take place in developing (non‐OECD) countries, whereas most emissions occur in industrialized (OECD) countries.
Live Better by Consuming Less?: Is There a “Double Dividend” in Sustainable Consumption?
Authors: Jackson Tim 
Published: June 2005

SummaryIndustrial ecology has mainly been concerned with improving the efficiency of production systems. But addressing consumption is also vital in reducing the impact of society on its environment. The concept of sustainable consumption is a response to this. But the debates about sustainable consumption can only really be understood in the context of much wider and deeper debates about consumption and about consumer behavior itself. This article explores some of these wider debates. In particular, it draws attention to a fundamental disagreement that runs through the literature on consumption and haunts the debate on sustainable consumption: the question of whether, or to what extent, consumption can be taken as “good for us.” Some approaches assume that increasing consumption is more or less synonymous with improved well‐being: the more we consume the better off we are. Others argue, just as vehemently, that the scale of consumption in modern society is both environmentally and psychologically damaging, and that we could reduce consumption significantly without threatening the quality of our lives. This second viewpoint suggests that a kind of “double dividend” is inherent in sustainable consumption: the ability to live better by consuming less and reduce our impact on the environment in the process. In the final analysis, this article argues, such “win‐win” solutions may exist but will require a concerted societal effort to realize.
Women in Mesopotamia
Authors: Stol  
Published: June 2005

AbstractA succinct but comprehensive survey is given on what we know on women in ancient Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria (with an occasional remark on Syria), covering the time span of roughly 3000-300 B.C. Thanks to the rich archival material we are well informed about her social position, in particular the status of a married or widowed wife. Marriage is the most important topic in this article. Attention is also paid to women at work and in religion. Differences in region and time are pointed out.