Search Results (4)

Background/Objectives: The Global Warming Potential Star (GWP*) refers to the amount of carbon dioxide equivalents produced by food items, with values available for n = 232 Australian food products. The aim of this study was to apply GWP* values to the AUSNUT 2011-13 food composition database to facilitate the calculation of the climate footprint of Australian dietary data. Methods: To create the GWP*-AUSNUT 2011-13 database, all n = 5740 food and beverage items in AUSNUT 2011-13 were reviewed and GWP* values applied or calculated via a systematic approach. Direct or approximate matches to a single GWP* value were prioritised. GWP* values were then calculated for composite foods with multiple ingredients. Finally, GWP* values were approximated based on food group, adjusted using other GWP* values, or foods were excluded if no appropriate match could be found. Results: A total of n = 5502 (95.85%) AUSNUT 2011-13 foods were matched to a GWP* value, with the majority requiring calculation based on multiple ingredients. Mean ± standard deviation GWP* values ranged from 0.18 ± 0.12 kg CO₂e/kg (‘Dairy and meat substitutes’) to 5.63 ± 7.55 kg CO₂e/kg (‘Meat, poultry and game products and dishes’). Conclusions: The GWP*-AUSNUT 2011-13 database can be applied to Australian dietary data to identify the climate footprint of different dietary patterns or to provide insight into dietary changes required to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Future research is now required to develop new GWP* values for a broader range of foods and to update this database when new Australian food composition databases are released. Full article

In response to escalating energy demands and global warming concerns, the Passive House Standard has emerged as a solution in residential construction, aiming to drastically reduce energy consumption and operational costs primarily through high-performance building envelopes. While a considerable volume of the literature has focused on the Passivhaus Institute (PHI) standards, predominantly in European contexts, there is a gap in research on the Passive House Institute US (Phius) standards, particularly in North American climates. This study conducts a quantitative comparative analysis of two adjacent multifamily residential buildings in Central Pennsylvania, Climate Zone 5A—one built using conventional construction methods and the other following Passive House (PHIUS+ 2015) certification standards—to validate the energy efficiency improvements attributed to Passive House designs. A comparative analysis of the whole building energy use over two years reveals that the Passive House building consumes approximately 50% less energy than its conventional counterpart in terms of whole building energy use and the national median recommended benchmark metric defined by the Energy Star Portfolio Manager. These findings emphasize the potential for significant energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions in residential buildings, highlighting the necessity for policymakers and governments to incentivize the adoption of Passive House standards to achieve environmental sustainability and reduce energy costs for society. Full article

Background: Recently, antitranspirant or radiation-reflective products have been studied in several crops to mitigate the negative effects of global warming in Mediterranean climates. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, there is a scarce availability of information studying their effects on blueberries and much less from applications of sunscreens elaborated based on a mixture of dicarboxylic acids. Methods: Controls and three treatments were performed in ‘Duke’ and ‘Star’ blueberries as follows: (i) control without water stress (T1 = 100% ETc); (ii) foliar application of sunscreen in plants without water stress (T2 = 100% ETc + sunscreen); (iii) water stress in plants without foliar application of sunscreen (T3 = 50% ETc); (iv) foliar application of the sunscreen in plants with water stress (T4 = 50% ETc + sunscreen). Stem water potential (Ψs), stomatal conductance (g_s), yield, berry weight and berry total soluble solids were determined. (3) Results: As expected, the decrease in irrigation frequency in water stress treatments (T3 and T4) allowed for a decrease in the water applied at 25% compared to non-stressed plants (T1 and T2). This resulted in an increase in the Ψs on the days closest to harvest in both varieties, decreasing g_s in blueberries plants subjected to water stress conditions. Sunscreen applications to Duke plants subjected to water stress (T4) induced higher total berry soluble solids than the treatments performed in non-stressed plants (T1 and T2). Sunscreen applications to Star plants subjected to water stress (T4) promoted similar g_s levels and did not affect total soluble solids concerning irrigated plants (T1 and T2). (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that the response to water stress to sunscreen application based on dicarboxylic acid salts depended on the cultivar. Therefore, despite the novelty of this research, it is necessary to perform long-term studies to establish accurate conclusions. Full article

Planetary boundaries are an important sustainability concept, defining absolute limits for resource use and emissions that need to be respected to avoid major and potentially irreversible earth system change. To remain within the safe operating space for humanity, there is a need for urgent adoption of climate-neutral diets, which make no additional contribution to warming. In the first study of its kind, a new climate metric, the Global Warming Potential Star (GWP*), was used to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with 9341 Australian adult diets obtained from the Australian Health Survey. Dietary climate footprints averaged 3.4 kg CO₂-equivelent per person per day, with total energy intake explaining around one quarter of the variation. Energy-dense and nutrient-poor discretionary foods contributed around one third. With lower climate footprint food choices, a diet consistent with current Australian dietary guidelines had a 42% lower climate footprint. Currently, it is not possible to define a climate-neutral dietary strategy in Australia because there are very few climate-neutral foods in the Australian food system. To bring Australian diets into line with the climate stabilization goals of the Paris Agreement, the most important need is for innovation across the agricultural and food processing industries to expand the range of climate-neutral foods available. Full article