Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability - IOPscience

Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability - IOPscience
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ISSN:
2634-4505
OPEN ACCESS
Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability
explores important challenges relevant to infrastructure within the context of sustainability and with consideration of the environment at all scales and in all geographic settings.
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Environmental Research series
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The following article is
Open access
‘What is infrastructure? What does it do?’: anthropological perspectives on the workings of infrastructure(s)
Lav Kanoi
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
012002
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, ‘What is infrastructure? What does it do?’: anthropological perspectives on the workings of infrastructure(s)
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, ‘What is infrastructure? What does it do?’: anthropological perspectives on the workings of infrastructure(s)
Infrastructure is often thought of in big material terms: dams, buildings, roads, and so on. This study, instead, draws on literatures in anthropology and the social sciences to analyse infrastructures in relation to society and environment, and so cast current conceptions of infrastructure in a new light. Situating the analysis in context of President Biden’s recent infrastructure bill, the paper expands what is meant by and included in discussions of infrastructure. The study examines what it means for different kinds of material infrastructures to function (and for whom) or not, and considers how the immaterial infrastructure of human relations are manifested in, for example, labour, as well as how infrastructures may create intended or unintended consequences in enabling or disabling social processes. Further, in this study, we examine concepts embedded in thinking about infrastructure such as often presumed distinctions between the technical and the social, nature and culture, the human and the non-human, and the urban and the rural, and how all of these are actually implicated in thinking about infrastructure. Our analysis, thus, draws from a growing body of work on infrastructure in anthropology and the social sciences, enriches it with ethnographic insights from our own field research, and so extends what it means to study ‘infrastructures’ in the 21st century.
The following article is
Open access
Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain
Estefania Orquera
et al
2025
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
035008
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, Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain
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, Australia’s greener path in a competitive global lithium supply chain
Lithium is vital for the decarbonization transition. With Australian mines supplying over 50% of global demand, building greener lithium mining in Australia is essential. Therefore, this study conducts a site-specific assessment of all seven Australian mine sites in the latest decade, examining factors such as ore yield, grade, mining costs, and emission intensity. Our analysis reveals that while Greenbushes is the lowest emitter, its limited lifespan, along with the planned expansions of other sites that have higher emission intensities, can significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions from the lithium supply in the future. To address the challenges of emissions and fluctuating lithium prices, Australia must make a sustainable strategic shift toward greater involvement in the downstream supply chain, including refining and manufacturing. A regional comparison with the Lithium Triangle highlights Australia’s mining strength and potential to become a greener lithium producer by diversifying its energy mix with renewables, adopting advanced technologies for low-grade ore recovery, and implementing strong policy frameworks to support collaborative mid-sized and emerging projects. These approaches will strengthen Australia’s role in the decarbonization transition, environmentally and economically.
The following article is
Open access
Social and economic impact analysis of solar mini-grids in rural Africa: a cohort study from Kenya and Nigeria
A T Carabajal
et al
2024
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025005
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, Social and economic impact analysis of solar mini-grids in rural Africa: a cohort study from Kenya and Nigeria
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, Social and economic impact analysis of solar mini-grids in rural Africa: a cohort study from Kenya and Nigeria
This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of the social and economic effects of solar mini-grids in rural African settings, specifically in Kenya and Nigeria. A group of 2658 household heads and business owners connected to mini-grids over the last five years were interviewed both before and one year after their connection. These interviews focused on changes in gender equality, productivity, health, safety, and economic activity. The results show notable improvements in all areas. Economic activities and productivity increased significantly among the connected households and businesses. The median income of rural Kenyan community members quadrupled. Gender equality also improved, with women gaining more opportunities in decision making and business. Health and safety enhancements were linked to reduced use of hazardous energy sources like kerosene lamps. The introduction of solar mini-grids not only transformed the energy landscape but also led to broad socioeconomic benefits in these rural areas. The research highlights the substantial impact of decentralized renewable energy on the social and economic development of rural African communities. Its findings are crucial for policymakers, development agencies, and stakeholders focused on promoting sustainable energy and development in Africa.
The following article is
Open access
Minimizing environmental impacts of solar farms: a review of current science on landscape hydrology and guidance on stormwater management
Rouhangiz Yavari
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
032002
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, Minimizing environmental impacts of solar farms: a review of current science on landscape hydrology and guidance on stormwater management
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, Minimizing environmental impacts of solar farms: a review of current science on landscape hydrology and guidance on stormwater management
As solar energy becomes an increasingly cheap source of renewable energy, major utility-scale ground solar panel installations, often called ‘solar farms’, are rapidly growing. With these solar farms often covering hundreds of acres, there is the potential for impacts on natural hydrologic processes, including runoff generation and erosion. Here we review the current state of scientific research on the hydrology and water quality impacts of solar farms, as well as management recommendations for minimizing any impacts. The limited field measurements indicate the redistribution of soil moisture around solar farms, but the net impacts on runoff and erosion are less clear. Research focused on coupling solar farms with agriculture as ‘agrivoltaics’ demonstrates reduced evaporative water losses and associated crop stress, particularly in more arid regions. With regards to land and the stormwater management associated with solar farms, most US states currently do not have solar farm-specific recommendations and instead defer to standard stormwater management permits and guidance. In states with solar farm-specific guidance, typical recommendations include minimizing construction-related compaction, ensuring a high cover of perennial vegetation with minimal maintenance, and designing with pervious space between solar panel rows to promote infiltration of any runoff; in some cases, structural stormwater management like infiltration basins may be required. In general, solar farms can be designed to minimize the impact on landscape ecohydrological processes, but more research is needed to determine whether current recommendations are adequate. In particular, there is a need for more field research on less ideal sites such as those with higher slopes.
The following article is
Open access
Complexity of increasing knowledge flows: the 2022 Southwest Airlines Scheduling Crisis
Alysha Helmrich
et al
2023
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
033001
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, Complexity of increasing knowledge flows: the 2022 Southwest Airlines Scheduling Crisis
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, Complexity of increasing knowledge flows: the 2022 Southwest Airlines Scheduling Crisis
The 2022 Southwest Airlines Scheduling Crisis, resulting in approximately 15 000 flight cancellations, demonstrates the challenges of structuring infrastructure systems and their knowledge-making processes for increasingly disruptive conditions. While the point-to-point configuration was the focus of immediate assessments of the failure, it became rapidly evident that the crew-assignment software was unable to operate effectively due to the scale of disruption. The airline failed to recognize environmental shifts associated with internal and external complexity, leaving operations vulnerable to a known potential risk: computer and telecommunications failures due to an extreme weather event resulting in knowledge systems failures. The cascading failures of the crisis emphasize the necessity to invest in adaptive capacity prior to catastrophic events and provide a lesson to other infrastructure managers pursuing resilience in the face of increasingly uncertain environments.
The following article is
Open access
Lock-in: origination and significance within infrastructure systems
Alysha Helmrich
et al
2023
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
032001
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, Lock-in: origination and significance within infrastructure systems
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, Lock-in: origination and significance within infrastructure systems
Infrastructure systems have legacies that continue to define their priorities, goals, flexibility, and ability to make sense of their environments. These legacies may or may not align with future needs, but regardless of alignment, they may restrict viable pathways forward. Infrastructure ‘lock-in’ has not been sufficiently confronted in infrastructure systems. Lock-in can loosely be interpreted as internal and external pressures that constrain a system, and it encourages self-reinforcing feedback where the system becomes resistant to change. By acknowledging and recognizing that lock-in exists at small and large scales, perpetuated by individuals, organizations, and institutions, infrastructure managers can critically reflect upon biases, assumptions, and decision-making approaches. This article describes six distinct domains of lock-in: technological, social, economic, individual, institutional, and epistemic. Following this description, strategies for unlocking lock-in, broadly and by domain, are explored before being contextualized to infrastructure systems. Ultimately, infrastructure managers must make a decision between a locked in and faltering but familiar system or a changing and responsive but unfamiliar system, where both are, inevitably, accepting higher levels of risk than typically accustomed.
The following article is
Open access
Feasibility of contrail avoidance in a commercial flight planning system: an operational analysis
A Martin Frias
et al
2024
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
015013
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, Feasibility of contrail avoidance in a commercial flight planning system: an operational analysis
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, Feasibility of contrail avoidance in a commercial flight planning system: an operational analysis
Aircraft condensation trails, also known as contrails, contribute a substantial portion of aviation’s overall climate footprint. Contrail impacts can be reduced through smart flight planning that avoids contrail-forming regions of the atmosphere. While previous studies have explored the operational impacts of contrail avoidance in simulated environments, this paper aims to characterize the feasibility and cost of contrail avoidance precisely within a commercial flight planning system. This study leverages the commercial Flightkeys 5D algorithm, developed by Flightkeys GmbH, with a prototypical contrail forecast model based on the Contrail Cirrus Prediction (CoCiP) model to simulate contrail avoidance on 49 411 flights during the first two weeks of June 2023, and 35 429 flights during the first two weeks of January 2024. The utilization of a commercial flight planning system enables high-accuracy estimates of additional cost and fuel investments by operators to achieve estimated reductions in contrail-energy forcing and overall flight global warming potential. The results show that navigational contrail avoidance will require minimal additional cost (0.08%) and fuel (0.11%) investments to achieve notable reductions in contrail climate forcing (−73.0%). This simulation provides evidence that contrail mitigation entails very low operational risks, even regarding fuel. This study aims to serve as an incentive for operators and air traffic controllers to initiate contrail mitigation testing as soon as possible and begin reducing aviation’s non-
emissions.
The following article is
Open access
Greenhouse gas emissions of global construction material production
Seth Kane
et al
2025
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
015020
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, Greenhouse gas emissions of global construction material production
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, Greenhouse gas emissions of global construction material production
Global production of building materials is a primary contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the production of these materials is necessary for modern infrastructure and society. Understanding the GHG emissions from building materials production in the context of their function is critical to decarbonizing this important sector. In this work, we present estimates of global production, approximate ranges of GHG emissions, and ranges of material properties of 12 critical building material classes to provide a unified dataset across material types. This dataset drew from industry analyses of production and emissions, ranges of emission factors within a material type, and broad reporting of thermal and mechanical properties to compare both within and between material types. Globally, in 2019, we estimate 42.8 Gt of these 12 materials were produced, with 38.6 Gt used in the building and construction industry. As a result of this production, 9.3 Gt of CO
was emitted, or 25% of global fossil GHG emissions, with 5.8 Gt CO
(16% of global GHG emissions) due to materials used in construction applications. Both construction material production and emissions are primarily driven by structural materials, such as concrete and steel. Material selection can play a key role in reducing emissions in the context of the function, with variation in emissions of structural materials per unit strength between 0.001–0.1 kg CO
/kg/MPa and in insulation materials per
-value/thickness of 0.018–0.14 kg CO
/kg/(K⋅m
−1
))). The developed dataset can play a key role in supporting decision-making in materials by providing a unified source for examining emissions, material properties, and quantity of material produced.
The following article is
Open access
Processing debris from destroyed and damaged buildings in Gaza: carbon emissions, time frames, and implications for rebuilding
Samer Abdelnour and Nicholas Roy 2025
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
035002
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, Processing debris from destroyed and damaged buildings in Gaza: carbon emissions, time frames, and implications for rebuilding
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, Processing debris from destroyed and damaged buildings in Gaza: carbon emissions, time frames, and implications for rebuilding
Debris from destroyed buildings and infrastructure is a material representation of the human, environmental, and infrastructural devastation resulting from the destruction of Gaza. Clearing and processing debris will require a tremendous effort, calling for fleets of heavy machinery such as dump trucks and industrial jaw crushers. We estimate the carbon emissions arising from transporting debris from destroyed and damaged buildings to proposed disposal sites, and from crushing uncontaminated concrete rubble into aggregates for reuse in building blocks, roadway repair, and shoreline protection. Using open-source spatial data, we first identify the location of over 36.8 million metric tonnes of debris from buildings destroyed and damaged over the 14-month period between 7 October 2023 and 1 December 2024. Based on truck capacity and fuel consumption, we estimate that moving this debris to disposal sites for sorting and processing would require over 2.1 million dump truck loads and 29.5 million kilometres driven, which is equivalent to about 736.5 times the Earth’s circumference, generating around 65 642.40 tonnes of C0
e. The carbon emissions resulting from crushing uncontaminated concrete rubble and time frames required to undertake this work are highly sensitive to the type of crushers available. Assuming that 80% of the debris is viable for crushing, a fleet of 50 high-capacity industrial jaw crushers, which as far as we know are currently unavailable in Gaza, would take just over 6 months and generate around 2975.91 tonnes of C0
e. With a fleet of 50 smaller crushers of the primary type used in Gaza, processing the same amount of rubble would take more than 37 years and generate around 25 148.76 tonnes of C0
e. Our findings contribute to debates about the climate impacts of war and provide important insight into the time, effort and equipment required to process the immense volume of debris in preparation for the rebuilding of Gaza.
The following article is
Open access
Centralization and decentralization for resilient infrastructure and complexity
Alysha Helmrich
et al
2021
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
021001
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, Centralization and decentralization for resilient infrastructure and complexity
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, Centralization and decentralization for resilient infrastructure and complexity
The capacities of our infrastructure systems to respond to volatile, uncertain, and increasingly complex environments are increasingly recognized as vital for resilience. Pervasive across infrastructure literature and discourse are the concepts of centralized, decentralized, and distributed systems, and there appears to be growing interest in how these configurations support or hinder adaptive and transformative capacities towards resilience. There does not appear to be a concerted effort to align how these concepts are used, and what different configurations mean for infrastructure systems. This is problematic because how infrastructure are structured and governed directly affects their capabilities to respond to increasing complexity. We review framings of centralization, decentralization, and distributed (referred to collectively as de/centralization) across infrastructure sectors, revealing incommensurate usage leading to polysemous framings. De/centralized networks are often characterized by proximity to resources, capacity of distribution, volume of product, and number of connections. De/centralization of governance within infrastructure sectors is characterized by the number of actors who hold decision-making power. Notably, governance structures are often overlooked in infrastructure de/centralization literature. Next, we describe how de/centralization concepts are applied to emerging resilient infrastructure theory, identifying conditions under which they support resilience principles. While centralized systems are dominant in practice and decentralized systems are promoted in resilience literature, all three configurations—centralized, decentralized, and distributed—were found to align with resilience capacities in various contexts of stability and instability. Going forward, we recommend a multi-dimensional framing of de/centralization through a network-governance perspective where capabilities to shift between stability and instability are paramount and information is a critical mediator.
The following article is
Open access
Greenhouse gas accounting in urban digital twins
Kimmo Lylykangas
et al
2026
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025006
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, Greenhouse gas accounting in urban digital twins
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, Greenhouse gas accounting in urban digital twins
As current efforts remain insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, increasing expectations are placed on emerging technologies such as urban and national digital twins (DTs). Their number and spatial coverage are rapidly expanding, alongside a growing diversity of exploratory use cases. While the literature highlights their potential across multiple domains, a knowledge gap persists regarding their methodological application to subnational spatial greenhouse gas accounting, a key evidence base for local climate action. This study applies a multi-method approach to examine how frontrunner cities utilise DTs in greenhouse gas inventories and to assess their potential for spatial subnational greenhouse gas accounting. Interview findings indicate that greenhouse gas inventories and urban DT initiatives are largely pursued as disconnected efforts within cities. Five case studies demonstrate significant untapped potential beyond current inventory practices. DTs can help address limitations and biases in existing approaches by providing complementary insights into local emission patterns across regions, cities, and rural municipalities. Realising this potential requires systematic metadata attribution to distinguish between various emissions allocation principles, enabling georeferenced, disaggregated calculations and spatiotemporal representation of results. These methodological advances substantially enhance the interpretability, transparency, and policy relevance of subnational greenhouse gas inventories.
The following article is
Open access
Decarbonization pathways of infrastructure material systems in the urban agglomeration on the west side of Taiwan straits
Lihong Zhao
et al
2026
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025005
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, Decarbonization pathways of infrastructure material systems in the urban agglomeration on the west side of Taiwan straits
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, Decarbonization pathways of infrastructure material systems in the urban agglomeration on the west side of Taiwan straits
Rapid urbanization along the west side of Taiwan straits (WSS) has driven extensive infrastructure expansion and massive consumption of construction materials, raising urgent concerns over their environmental impacts and long-term sustainability. Yet, the carbon reduction potential embedded in infrastructure material metabolism at the urban agglomeration scale remains poorly quantified. This study applies the IMAGINE materials model to quantify the life-cycle stocks, flows, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of seven bulk materials across nine cities in the urban agglomeration on the WSS from 2000 to 2060. Results show that total material stocks increased from 44.2 Mt in 2000–228.7 Mt in 2020, dominated by sand (∼60.2%), gravel (∼31.6%) and cement (∼6.3%). Logistic modeling reveals a clear saturation relationship between per capita infrastructure stocks and built-up area, with most cities expected to reach stock saturation between 2030 and 2045. Material demand is projected to peak at 287.8 Mt in 2036 before declining to 235.4 Mt by 2060. Scenario analysis shows that cumulative GHG emissions under the frozen progress scenario reach 30.4 Mt CO
e by 2060, whereas the circular economy (CE) scenario can reduce emissions by 5.5 Mt CO
e (∼18%). Among the three CE strategies, intensive use (∼12.2%) offered significantly greater cumulative mitigation potential from 2021 to 2060 than improved scrap recovery (∼0.9%) and lifetime extension (∼5.0%). These findings reveal a regional transition from infrastructure expansion to stock optimization and highlight that deep decarbonization depends on demand-side circularity rather than end-of-life recycling. The study provides quantitative evidence and policy insights for formulating differentiated CE strategies to advance China’s carbon neutrality goals in rapidly urbanizing regions.
The following article is
Open access
Techno-economics of low-carbon freight rail transportation in California
Narayan Gopinathan 2026
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025004
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, Techno-economics of low-carbon freight rail transportation in California
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, Techno-economics of low-carbon freight rail transportation in California
This study assesses options for operating low-carbon freight rail systems in the United States, considering a specified rail corridor in Southern California (between the Port of Los Angeles and Barstow, California) as a case study. It considers the net present value (NPV) of rail freight operation over the course of a 20–30 year locomotive lifespan using five propulsion technologies: diesel, biodiesel, hydrogen, batteries, and catenary. It considers three scopes of analysis for calculating NPV: private NPV without the impact of climate change mitigation policies, termed private scope; private NPV after considering the impact of low-carbon fuel standard credits and tax credits for batteries, biofuels, and hydrogen production, termed credit scope; and the social NPV considering the positive spillovers from rail freight into the economy, and the cost of GHG emissions and criteria pollution, termed social scope. For the private scope of calculation, it finds a competitive NPV for electrification with catenary and batteries compared to diesel, hydrogen, or biodiesel operation. For the credit and social scopes of calculation, it finds that electric operation with either catenary or batteries are cost-competitive with operation with diesel. It finds a low or negative abatement cost of GHG emissions for rail electrification with batteries or catenary, respectively. This study discusses the reasons that US railroads remain opposed to electrification, how this barrier can be overcome, and proposes policy solutions.
The following article is
Open access
Resource-sensitive and community-inclusive urban archetypes to enhance the applicability of urban metabolism frameworks by design practitioners
Daniel Otero Peña and Daniela Perrotti 2026
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025003
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, Resource-sensitive and community-inclusive urban archetypes to enhance the applicability of urban metabolism frameworks by design practitioners
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, Resource-sensitive and community-inclusive urban archetypes to enhance the applicability of urban metabolism frameworks by design practitioners
Recent studies demonstrate the value of applying urban metabolism (UM) frameworks in urban design across various scales. However, the development of actionable design tools and guidelines based on these approaches remains limited, particularly for first-hand use by design practitioners, i.e. urban planners and designers, architects, researchers and activists, among others. This study aims to bridge this gap by introducing nine resource-sensitive and community-inclusive urban archetypes, supported by a UM analytical framework. These urban archetypes are based on the spatial characteristics of an inventory of 104 alternative resource governance systems in both the Latin America and Europe. The versatility of these urban archetypes is evident in their adaptability to diverse sites, geographical settings, and socio-economic contexts, as demonstrated by the selected projects. Furthermore, identifying the design tools used in these projects offers practitioners a tangible set of options that can be customized to meet the specific spatial and programmatic needs of future small-scale infrastructure developments focused on resource efficiency and community involvement. The testing of three urban archetypes in a case study in Caracas, Venezuela, showcases their capacity for resource harvesting and their flexibility in creating functional meeting and working spaces within a real-world setting. This also highlights the potential spatial qualities that can be achieved by applying different configurations in response to specific architectural programs or site conditions. The results of this study contribute to the ever-growing interest in the spatial dimension of UM and its practical application in the design of publicly accessible spaces, which can enhance resource management efficiency while strengthening community involvement.
The following article is
Open access
Life cycle cost comparison of design for disassembly and conventional prefab concrete buildings
Tommi Partanen
et al
2026
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025002
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, Life cycle cost comparison of design for disassembly and conventional prefab concrete buildings
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, Life cycle cost comparison of design for disassembly and conventional prefab concrete buildings
This study explores the impact of design for disassembly (DfD) design solutions on the life cycle costs of a precast concrete building, comparing these costs with those of conventional design solutions. The computational study consisted of subsets for the construction, maintenance and deconstruction and demolition costs, and the generation of values for the reusable concrete components of the frame at the deconstruction stage. Life cycle costs were assessed for an apartment building with four different scenarios. The deconstruction of a DfD building is proven to be significantly more efficient than that of a conventional building built-as-usual (BAU). However, the DfD solution was found to incur higher life cycle costs than the conventional design and crushing demolition. This is due to additional costs in the early stages of construction. Discounting in the life cycle calculation makes the upfront costs seem higher, so the future benefits of reuse appear to be negligible, from a financial point of view. Hence, the results suggest that DfD solutions should not be significantly more expensive than BAU solutions in terms of construction costs. Whilst it is challenging to demonstrate the economic viability of DfD in the absence of financial incentives, it should be noted that, according to the extant literature, DfD solutions have the potential to achieve a significantly lower climate impact throughout the building’s entire life cycle when compared to the BAU alternative.
The following article is
Open access
Building climate resiliency in offshore wind energy expansion plans
Bergen L Kane
et al
2025
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
032003
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, Building climate resiliency in offshore wind energy expansion plans
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, Building climate resiliency in offshore wind energy expansion plans
The offshore wind energy (OWE) sector is experiencing rapid global growth, with ambitious plans to scale up renewable energy capacity significantly. While this expansion is vital for mitigating climate change, ensuring the resilience of OWE infrastructure in the face of extreme weather and climatic events exacerbated by climate change remains a critical yet often overlooked aspect of the current literature. The main objective of this topical review is twofold. First, we provide a critical synthesis of related literature to outline how key aspects of climate change, such as rising ocean temperatures, shifting wind patterns, and intensifying storms, may affect the performance, maintenance needs, and structural integrity of OWE infrastructure. Second, we perform a global spatial analysis that overlays projections of climate hazards under the shared socioeconomic pathways with datasets of current and planned OWE installations. This approach allows us to identify geographic hotspots where climate-related stressors intersect with major OWE development zones, highlighting areas that require targeted resilience strategies. This understanding is essential for developing proactive strategies to ensure the long-term viability and resiliency of current and future OWE infrastructure.
The following article is
Open access
Critical review, meta-analysis and harmonization of life cycle assessment of mass timber construction: reducing variability in environmental impact estimates
Muzan Williams Ijeoma
et al
2025
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
032002
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, Critical review, meta-analysis and harmonization of life cycle assessment of mass timber construction: reducing variability in environmental impact estimates
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, Critical review, meta-analysis and harmonization of life cycle assessment of mass timber construction: reducing variability in environmental impact estimates
Mass timber construction (MTC) is gaining global popularity as it aims to increase carbon storage in buildings, thereby reducing their carbon footprint. However, inconsistencies in system boundaries and biogenic carbon accounting create significant variability in reported carbon footprint and energy demand. To address this, we conduct a critical literature review, meta-analysis, and the first-ever harmonization of MTC life cycle assessment (LCA), addressing disparities in carbon emission and energy demand estimates. A key finding is the systematic difference between modeled (LCAs using hypothetical buildings) and constructed (LCAs using built buildings), with modeled studies often underestimating carbon emissions and energy demand. After harmonization to a consistent system boundary excluding biogenic carbon and other key parameter values, modeled life cycle carbon emissions (LCCEs) shifted from a median of 281 kgCO
eq m
−2
to 288 kgCO
eq m
−2
(increased by 2.4%) while constructed estimates decreased from 714 kgCO
eq m
−2
to 688 kgCO
eq m
−2
(decreased by 3.6%). The harmonization significantly reduced the variability, improving comparability across studies. These findings highlight the importance of standardized methodologies in MTC environmental impact assessment. Finally, we assert that new process-based MTC LCAs are more likely to align with existing literature, given the extensive range of LCCE estimates and narrow median values after harmonization. Future research should expand impact categories beyond carbon and energy for a more holistic environmental assessment. Additionally, accurately incorporating wood biogenic carbon will provide deeper insights into the long-term benefits of MTC and offer new insights for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders dedicated to reducing the environmental footprint of building construction.
The following article is
Open access
Review on the potential to circulate wood-based materials in the building sector
Sironen Susanna
et al
2025
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
032001
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, Review on the potential to circulate wood-based materials in the building sector
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, Review on the potential to circulate wood-based materials in the building sector
The construction industry is considered a resource-intensive industry. Buildings and infrastructure account for half of all extracted materials, almost half of the final energy consumption, as well as about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and waste flows at the European Union level and worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to move towards a circular model of material use. This study focuses on wood as one of the key resources with numerous reuse and recycling opportunities along its value chain. The aim of the study is to analyse existing literature and determine the reuse opportunities for recycled wood-based materials from the construction sector. In this literature review, we analysed 137 academic articles published between 2010 and 2023 on the potential to recycle and reuse wood-based materials in the construction industry, the environmental and economic benefits, as well as drivers and barriers of this model. Firstly, the results show a growth of papers with a more holistic perspective on the subject throughout the studied period, indicating a growing emphasis on resource efficiency and circular practices. Secondly, results also indicate the gradual change in the recycling and reuse of wood-based materials practices over time, from energy generation to more value-adding and long-lasting products. However, the literature lacks more precise information on the targeted reuse of recycled materials and the economic benefits, indicating that further research is needed in this area.
The following article is
Open access
Bridging theory and practice in peer-to-peer energy trading: market mechanisms and technological innovations
Pravesh Raghoo and Kalim Shah 2025
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
012001
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, Bridging theory and practice in peer-to-peer energy trading: market mechanisms and technological innovations
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, Bridging theory and practice in peer-to-peer energy trading: market mechanisms and technological innovations
The article provides a synthesis of the literature on the peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading paradigm. P2P energy trading is a prosumer business model and a transformative concept that allows prosumers to sell surplus generation to other prosumers and consumers within an energy community or microgrid. P2P energy trading is a novel concept to promote decentralization, decarbonization, democratization, digitalization, and enhancing energy resilience of the energy sector. The article covers different facets of P2P energy trading, including market designs, changing actor roles, pricing mechanisms, enabling technologies, and challenges. The article thus addresses emerging and complementary aspects not covered in prior literature reviews. As such, three market designs are discussed: centralized, decentralized, and distributed, and four pricing mechanisms, which are optimization, game theory, auction-based, and reinforcement learning. Enabling technologies discussed are Energy Internet, Internet of Things, Artificial intelligence, Blockchain, Communication networks, and battery flexibility. The paper discusses the challenges that the development and commercialization of the P2P energy trading faces—especially focusing on the social ontology of the concept—and provides research directions to amplify the scaling up of the technology.
The following article is
Open access
Technology first, sustainability later: a systematic review on the literature on the policy development of China’s smart city strategy
Ke Ge
et al
2024
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
042003
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, Technology first, sustainability later: a systematic review on the literature on the policy development of China’s smart city strategy
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, Technology first, sustainability later: a systematic review on the literature on the policy development of China’s smart city strategy
In China, like in other countries, smart cities have been proposed to make cities more efficient and, ideally, also more sustainable and low-carbon. Unlike other countries, China pursued a smart city strategy since 2008 with substantial funding and intermediate goals, resulting in high data and computational-intensive digital infrastructures in some cities. However, there is a lack of systematic understanding of how Chinese smart city policies and practices evolved. It is also unclear if and how smart cities achieve sustainability goals. Here, we fill these gaps by conducting a systematic literature review on the timeline of China’s smart city policies during the past three Five-Year Plans. The literature review, based on screening 7995 papers, and analyzing 364 relevant articles, shows that priority research topics are smart city systems and governance, including surveillance, with a more limited focus on policy. China’s net-zero carbon strategy is far less developed than its smart city strategy. The funding and development of large-scale data and AI technology is exemplified in Hangzhou’s ‘Urban Brain’. While sustainability goals are often associated with smart cities, we find few applications with demonstrated sustainability benefits. We suggest that mutual learning is possible by combining the net zero strategy and sustainable city strategy of cities like Copenhagen, Nairobi, Singapore and Toronto with the urban brain strategy of cities like Hangzhou.
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Open access
Envisioning sustainable urban areas through integrative physical systems and governance frameworks
Stillwell et al
View accepted manuscript
, Envisioning sustainable urban areas through integrative physical systems and governance frameworks
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, Envisioning sustainable urban areas through integrative physical systems and governance frameworks
Cities and urban areas present important opportunities for advancing toward sustainability and resilience goals. From a systems perspective, various targets and indicators of key outcomes reflect sustainability of urban areas, motivating consideration of local and regional context. We explore four key themes for creating sustainable urban areas: 1) urban areas are complex systems linked with diverse rural areas across the urban-rural gradient, 2) data and modeling of physical and non-physical systems can aid decision making for sustainability, 3) creating sustainable urban-rural systems requires collaboration with partner communities, and 4) change requires adaptive and transformative governance frameworks. These themes guide sustainability innovations through co-production of knowledge among communities, authorities, managers, and researchers. The sustainability of urban areas strongly depends on urban-rural connectivity regarding both physical systems and governance frameworks.
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Open access
A light in the dark: detectability of mini-grid electrification with remote sensing in Sub-Saharan Africa
Lyons-Galante et al
View accepted manuscript
, A light in the dark: detectability of mini-grid electrification with remote sensing in Sub-Saharan Africa
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, A light in the dark: detectability of mini-grid electrification with remote sensing in Sub-Saharan Africa
Background: Satellite imagery is increasingly used to measure electrification rates and track progress toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. However, its reliability in remote rural areas remains unclear due to sparse populations with far lower electricity consumption than urban areas. Objective: This study examines the detectability of electricity mini-grid installations through changes in nighttime brightness. Methods: We employed a Difference-in-Differences model adapted for staggered treatments on a dataset encompassing over 700 mini-grids built between 2014 and 2023 across 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.Results:The findings indicate that mini-grids do not significantly alter the nighttime light signature immediately following installation, suggesting that traditional electricity access mapping techniques may underestimate electrification rates in rural areas. The analysis also uncovers a consistent and temporally varying background signal in VIIRS DNB nightlights that complicates the detection of brightness changes. Finally, two recent remote-sensing-based energy access maps are evaluated at known mini-grid sites: one identifies just 9% as electrified and the other 37%, consistent with our finding that mini-grid electrification is not fully detectable with current nightlight-based approaches.Conclusion:This study highlights the need for improved remote-sensing-based electricity access mapping techniques and, in lieu of that, bias correction for underestimations in rural areas.
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Open access
Inconsistencies emerge between regional and local-scale water security metrics at military installations
Birnbaum et al
View accepted manuscript
, Inconsistencies emerge between regional and local-scale water security metrics at military installations
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, Inconsistencies emerge between regional and local-scale water security metrics at military installations
Recent United States federal policy for military installations has emphasized the importance of developing a standardized approach for water security assessment to monitor changes in water resources and the ability for an installation to meet both its civilian and mission needs. For military installations in the United States, these assessments must consider demands both inside and outside the installation’s fence line, as regional resources are required to meet mission readiness. Focusing on physical water scarcity, this study compares four water security metrics with unique formulations and spatial resolutions, including an installation-scale metric and multiple regional metrics defined for either baseline conditions or the future. We evaluate these metrics across thirty United States Air Force installations and find little congruency. Notably, the two future metrics we consider both include indicators for seasonal variability and interannual variability, however there is no correlation in these indicators between the two metrics. Using three Air Force installations as case studies, we evaluate how variability across water security metrics can lead to inconsistent representations of water security, causing ambiguity for decision-makers who rely on these assessments. We emphasize the importance of incorporating both site-specific and regional indicators of water security rather than relying upon a single, aggregate metric of water security.
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Open access
A multi-criteria assessment of decarbonization pathways for heavy-duty trucks
Şahin et al
View accepted manuscript
, A multi-criteria assessment of decarbonization pathways for heavy-duty trucks
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, A multi-criteria assessment of decarbonization pathways for heavy-duty trucks
Purpose Despite growing interest in alternative heavy-duty truck (HDT) powertrains, limited research has evaluated their techno-economic competitiveness across major freight markets while explicitly considering logistics and transportation cost structures. This study examines whether diesel‚ BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), and FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) are market-competitive for freight trucks in the US‚ EU‚ and China by assessing the competitiveness of these powertrains‚ taking into account logistics and transport costs such as vehicle purchase price‚ maintenance and insurance costs‚ payload‚ infrastructure investment and operation costs and policy-related cost exemptions․ Methodology To ease the relative competitiveness assessment of alternative HDT powertrains‚ a three-stage multi criteria decision making method approach is proposed․ In the first stage of the framework‚ the key techno-economic evaluation criteria are identified and their relative weights are computed using the Criterion Impact Loss (CILOS) method․ Second‚ the diesel‚ BEV and FCEV alternatives are ranked by applying the weighted criteria using two ranking techniques: namely‚ the Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution (MARCOS) and the Combined Compromise Solution (COCOSO) approaches․ Finally‚ a robustness analysis is performed using the Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) approach․ Findings The results indicate that diesel trucks are the most cost-competitive in the United States and the EU‚ due to lower cost volatility and established logistics infrastructure․ BEVs are also cost-competitive in certain regional and methodological settings‚ particularly in the EU․ In China, the relative competitiveness of powertrain technologies varies across methods, with no single technology consistently dominating. FCEVs generally rank as the least competitive option across regions. Implications Infrastructure readiness, energy pricing, regulatory incentives, and logistics cost structures strongly influence HDT powertrain competitiveness. Incorporating logistics cost considerations into techno-economic assessments provides more realistic insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders when designing freight transport decarbonization strategies and investment priorities.
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Open access
Analysis of the Li-ion battery industry in light of the global transition to electric passenger light duty vehicles until 2050
Lorenzo Usai
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
011002
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, Analysis of the Li-ion battery industry in light of the global transition to electric passenger light duty vehicles until 2050
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, Analysis of the Li-ion battery industry in light of the global transition to electric passenger light duty vehicles until 2050
The decarbonization of the transport sector requires a rapid expansion of global battery production and an adequate supply with raw materials currently produced in small volumes. We investigate whether battery production can be a bottleneck in the expansion of electric vehicles and specify the investment in capital and skills required to manage the transition. This may require a battery production rate in the range of 4–12 TWh/year, which entails the use of 19–50 Mt/year of materials. Strengthening the battery value chain requires a global effort in many sectors of the economy that will need to grow according to the battery demand, to avoid bottlenecks along the supply chains. Significant investment for the establishment of production facilities (150–300 billion USD in the next 30 years) and the employment of a large global workforce (400k–1 million) with specific knowledge and skillset are essential. However, the employment and investment required are uncertain given the relatively early development stage of the sector, the continuous advancements in the technology and the wide range of possible future demand. Finally, the deployment of novel battery technologies that are still in the development stage could reduce the demand for critical raw materials and require the partial or total redesign of production and recycling facilities affecting the investment needed for each factory.
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Open access
Building material stock analysis is critical for effective circular economy strategies: a comprehensive review
Rezvan Mohammadiziazi and Melissa M Bilec 2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
032001
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, Building material stock analysis is critical for effective circular economy strategies: a comprehensive review
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, Building material stock analysis is critical for effective circular economy strategies: a comprehensive review
Buildings account for the largest share of accumulated materials and waste globally. Tracking the material composition, quantity and location of these materials, known as building material stock analysis (MSA), is a first step in enabling the reuse or repurposing of materials, key strategies of the circular economy. While the number of building MSAs is growing, there is a need to coalesce methods, data and scope. Therefore, in this work, we reviewed and evaluated 62 journal and conference articles on MSA of buildings from different angles including scope, boundaries, archetype classification, material intensity determination, approaches (i.e. bottom-up, top-down, remote sensing) and quantity of materials to identify barriers, gaps and opportunities in this area along with its implications for decision-making, policy and regulations. We cataloged the three major approaches of MSAs and discuss their advantages and shortcomings. We also created a comprehensive directory of building archetypes, references and materials for future researchers. As expected, most of the studies estimated that concrete had the largest mass compared with other materials; however, mass-based distribution of materials showed significant variations in different building stocks across the world. Also, embedded plastics and their types remain under-represented in current studies. A major barrier to MSA is related to a lack of information on physical attributes and geographic information system, design and construction data. Policy makers can play a role in mitigating data barriers through instituting regulations that enforce the reporting of building-related data during the permitting process. Furthermore, outcomes of building MSA can help policy makers when considering incentives for design and construction that utilize these abundant building materials.
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Open access
Public fast charging infrastructure for battery electric trucks—a model-based network for Germany
Daniel Speth
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025004
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, Public fast charging infrastructure for battery electric trucks—a model-based network for Germany
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, Public fast charging infrastructure for battery electric trucks—a model-based network for Germany
Globally, road freight accounts for 40% of the CO
emissions in the transport sector, mainly from heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). All the major truck markets have introduced fuel efficiency regulations for HDV, and the more ambitious regulations require the introduction of zero-emission HDV, for which battery electric trucks (BEVs) are a promising candidate. However, frequent long-distance trips require a dense public high-power charging network if BEV are to meet today's operating schedules in logistics. Here, we develop a model for public BEV high-power fast-charging that uses widely available traffic count data as input and combines this with on-site queueing models. We apply the model to Germany and obtain a fast-charging network where average waiting times do not exceed 5 min. For 15% BEV in the truck stock and 50% public charging, the model shows 267 charging locations, each with 2–8 charging points per location, for a dense network with 50 km distance between charging locations. We calculated 142 charging locations with 2–13 charging points for a wider network with 100 km distance between locations. Our results help to design future charging infrastructure for electric road freight transport.
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Open access
Reducing oil and gas well leakage: a review of leakage drivers, methane detection and repair options
Khalil El Hachem and Mary Kang 2023
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
012002
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, Reducing oil and gas well leakage: a review of leakage drivers, methane detection and repair options
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, Reducing oil and gas well leakage: a review of leakage drivers, methane detection and repair options
Oil and gas wells (OGWs) with integrity failures can be a conduit for methane and contaminant leakage to groundwater aquifers, surface water bodies and the atmosphere. While there have been numerous reviews addressing OGW leakage, there is a gap in the literature regarding an examination of OGW leakage that encompasses both abandoned and active wells, as well as factors that impact leakage, methane emission measurements, and options for repairing leaks. Here, we review the literature to evaluate factors and policies affecting leakage of active and abandoned OGWs, studies quantifying OGW methane emissions, and leakage repair and emission reduction options. Furthermore, our review places a greater emphasis on abandoned oil and gas wells and does not focus on one well type, such as unconventional wells. Of the 38 factors in published literature reviewed here, studies find that 15 (39%) factors, including geographic location, well deviation, casing quality and plugging status consistently affect OGW leakage. For 15 (39%) factors, including surface casing depth, well elevation and land cover, one or two studies show that they do not affect OGW leakage. For the remaining eight (21%) factors, including well age, studies show conflicting results. Although increased frequency of well monitoring and repair can lead to reduced OGW leakage, several studies indicate that monitoring and repair requirements are not always enforced. Moreover, we find 13 studies quantifying OGW methane emissions to the atmosphere at the oil and gas wellhead scale across Canada and the United States with major gaps in the geographical distribution of the collected data. Moreover, although studies measuring abandoned wells include measurements from orphaned wells, available measurements do not differentiate between orphaned and abandoned OGWs, which is important for policy makers aiming to quantify methane emission reductions of plugging hundreds of thousands of orphaned wells. To repair OGW leakage, we find that most studies focus on well cement and casing repair. There are alternatives to cement and casing repair that only reduce methane emissions, such as soil methane oxidation, but their widespread applicability requires further study. Overall, our review of factors affecting OGW leakage can be used to identify OGWs with high leakage potential and guide OGW leakage monitoring and repair policies, thereby reducing climate and environmental impacts.
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Open access
Social and economic impact analysis of solar mini-grids in rural Africa: a cohort study from Kenya and Nigeria
A T Carabajal
et al
2024
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025005
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, Social and economic impact analysis of solar mini-grids in rural Africa: a cohort study from Kenya and Nigeria
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, Social and economic impact analysis of solar mini-grids in rural Africa: a cohort study from Kenya and Nigeria
This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of the social and economic effects of solar mini-grids in rural African settings, specifically in Kenya and Nigeria. A group of 2658 household heads and business owners connected to mini-grids over the last five years were interviewed both before and one year after their connection. These interviews focused on changes in gender equality, productivity, health, safety, and economic activity. The results show notable improvements in all areas. Economic activities and productivity increased significantly among the connected households and businesses. The median income of rural Kenyan community members quadrupled. Gender equality also improved, with women gaining more opportunities in decision making and business. Health and safety enhancements were linked to reduced use of hazardous energy sources like kerosene lamps. The introduction of solar mini-grids not only transformed the energy landscape but also led to broad socioeconomic benefits in these rural areas. The research highlights the substantial impact of decentralized renewable energy on the social and economic development of rural African communities. Its findings are crucial for policymakers, development agencies, and stakeholders focused on promoting sustainable energy and development in Africa.
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Open access
An open-source tool to assess the carbon footprint of research
Jérôme Mariette
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
035008
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, An open-source tool to assess the carbon footprint of research
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, An open-source tool to assess the carbon footprint of research
The scrutiny over the carbon footprint of research and higher education has increased rapidly in the last few years. This has resulted in a series of publications providing various estimates of the carbon footprint of one or several research activities, principally at the scale of a university or a research center or, more recently, a field of research. The variety of tools or methodologies on which these estimates rely unfortunately prevents any aggregation or direct comparison. This is because carbon footprint assessments are very sensitive to key parameters (e.g., emission factors) or hypotheses (e.g., scopes). Hence, it is impossible to address fundamental questions such as: is the carbon footprint of research structurally different between disciplines? Are plane trips a major source of carbon emissions in academic research? Massive collection and curation of carbon footprint data, across a large array of research situations and disciplines, is hence an important, timely and necessary challenge to answer these questions. This paper presents a framework to collect and analyse large amounts of homogeneous research carbon emission data in a network of research entities at the national scale. It relies on an open-source web application,
GES 1point5
, designed to estimate the carbon footprint of a department, research lab or team in any country of the world. Importantly,
GES 1point5
is also designed to aggregate all input data and corresponding GHG emissions estimates into a comprehensive database.
GES 1point5
therefore enables (i) the identification of robust local or national determinants of the carbon footprint of research and (ii) the estimation of the carbon footprint of the entire research sector at national scale. A preliminary analysis of the carbon footprint of more than one hundred laboratories in France is presented to illustrate the potential of the framework. It shows that the average emissions are 479 t CO
e for a research lab and 3.6 t CO
e for an average lab member (respectively 404 and 3.1 t CO
e without accounting for the indirect radiative effects of aviation), with the current scope of
GES 1point5
. Availability and implementation:
GES 1point5
is available online at
1point5
and its source code can be downloaded from the GitLab platform at
labos1point5/l1p5-vuejs
The following article is
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Smart flood resilience: harnessing community-scale big data for predictive flood risk monitoring, rapid impact assessment, and situational awareness
Faxi Yuan
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
025006
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, Smart flood resilience: harnessing community-scale big data for predictive flood risk monitoring, rapid impact assessment, and situational awareness
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, Smart flood resilience: harnessing community-scale big data for predictive flood risk monitoring, rapid impact assessment, and situational awareness
Smart resilience is the beneficial result of the collision course of the fields of data science and urban resilience to flooding. The objective of this study is to propose and demonstrate a smart flood resilience framework that leverages heterogeneous community-scale big data and infrastructure sensor data to enhance predictive risk monitoring and situational awareness. The smart flood resilience framework focuses on four core capabilities that could be augmented by the use of heterogeneous community-scale big data and analytics techniques: (1) predictive flood risk mapping; (2) automated rapid impact assessment; (3) predictive infrastructure failure prediction and monitoring; and (4) smart situational awareness capabilities. We demonstrate the components of these core capabilities of the smart flood resilience framework in the context of the 2017 Hurricane Harvey in Harris County, Texas. First, we present the use of flood sensors for the prediction of floodwater overflow in channel networks and inundation of co-located road networks. Second, we discuss the use of social media and machine learning techniques for assessing the impacts of floods on communities and sensing emotion signals to examine societal impacts. Third, we describe the use of high-resolution traffic data in network-theoretic models for nowcasting of flood propagation on road networks and the disrupted access to critical facilities, such as hospitals. Fourth, we introduce how location-based and credit card transaction data were used in spatial analyses to proactively evaluate the recovery of communities and the impacts of floods on businesses. These analyses show that the significance of core capabilities of the smart flood resilience framework in helping emergency managers, city planners, public officials, responders, and volunteers to better cope with the impacts of catastrophic flooding events.
The following article is
Open access
‘What is infrastructure? What does it do?’: anthropological perspectives on the workings of infrastructure(s)
Lav Kanoi
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
012002
View article
, ‘What is infrastructure? What does it do?’: anthropological perspectives on the workings of infrastructure(s)
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, ‘What is infrastructure? What does it do?’: anthropological perspectives on the workings of infrastructure(s)
Infrastructure is often thought of in big material terms: dams, buildings, roads, and so on. This study, instead, draws on literatures in anthropology and the social sciences to analyse infrastructures in relation to society and environment, and so cast current conceptions of infrastructure in a new light. Situating the analysis in context of President Biden’s recent infrastructure bill, the paper expands what is meant by and included in discussions of infrastructure. The study examines what it means for different kinds of material infrastructures to function (and for whom) or not, and considers how the immaterial infrastructure of human relations are manifested in, for example, labour, as well as how infrastructures may create intended or unintended consequences in enabling or disabling social processes. Further, in this study, we examine concepts embedded in thinking about infrastructure such as often presumed distinctions between the technical and the social, nature and culture, the human and the non-human, and the urban and the rural, and how all of these are actually implicated in thinking about infrastructure. Our analysis, thus, draws from a growing body of work on infrastructure in anthropology and the social sciences, enriches it with ethnographic insights from our own field research, and so extends what it means to study ‘infrastructures’ in the 21st century.
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Open access
Global Dam Watch: curated data and tools for management and decision making
Mark Mulligan
et al
2021
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
033003
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, Global Dam Watch: curated data and tools for management and decision making
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, Global Dam Watch: curated data and tools for management and decision making
Dams, reservoirs, and other water management infrastructure provide benefits, but can also have negative impacts. Dam construction and removal affects progress toward the UN sustainable development goals at local to global scales. Yet, globally-consistent information on the location and characteristics of these structures are lacking, with information often highly localised, fragmented, or inaccessible. A freely available, curated, consistent, and regularly updated global database of existing dams and other instream infrastructure is needed along with open access tools to support research, decision-making and management needs. Here we introduce the Global Dam Watch (GDW) initiative (
www.globaldamwatch.org
whose objectives are: (a) advancing recent efforts to develop a single, globally consistent dam and instream barrier data product for global-scale analyses (the GDW database); (b) bringing together the increasingly numerous global, regional and local dam and instream barrier datasets in a directory of databases (the GDW directory); (c) building tools for the visualisation of dam and instream barrier data and for analyses in support of policy and decision making (the GDW knowledge-base) and (d) advancing earth observation and geographical information system techniques to map a wider range of instream structures and their properties.
Our focus is on all types of anthropogenic instream barriers, though we have started by prioritizing major reservoir dams and run-of-river barriers, for which more information is available. Our goal is to facilitate national-scale, basin-scale and global-scale mapping, analyses and understanding of all instream barriers, their impacts and their role in sustainable development through the provision of publicly accessible information and tools. We invite input and partnerships across sectors to strengthen GDW’s utility and relevance for all, help define database content and knowledge-base tools, and generally expand the reach of GDW as a global hub of impartial academic expertise and policy information regarding dams and other instream barriers.
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Open access
OpenConcrete: a tool for estimating the environmental impacts from concrete production
Alyson Kim
et al
2022
Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.
041001
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, OpenConcrete: a tool for estimating the environmental impacts from concrete production
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, OpenConcrete: a tool for estimating the environmental impacts from concrete production
As the increasing global consumption of concrete drives notable environmental burdens from its production, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, interest in mitigation efforts is increasing. Yet current environmental impact quantification tools rely on user decision-making to select data for each concrete constituent, have inconsistent scopes and system boundaries, and often utilize third-party life cycle inventories. These factors limit customization or tracking of data and hinder the ability to draw robust comparisons among concrete mixtures to mitigate its environmental burdens. To address these issues, we introduce a cohesive, unified dataset of material, energy, and emission inventories to quantify the environmental impacts of concrete. In this work, we detail the synthesis of this open dataset and create an environmental impact assessment tool using this data. Models can be customized to be region specific, expanded to varying concrete mixtures, and support data visualization throughout each production stage. We perform a scenario analysis of impacts to produce a representative concrete mixture across the United States, with results ranging from 189 kg CO
-eq/m
of concrete (California) to 266 kg CO
-eq/m
of concrete (West Virginia). The largest driver of GHG, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, and volatile organic compound emissions as well as energy demand is cement production, but aggregate production is the largest driver of water consumption and particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM
2.5
) emissions.
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Journal information
2021-present
Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability
doi: 10.1088/issn.2634-4505
Online ISSN: 2634-4505