Tag Archives: reduce

Carbon-Sucking Technologies: Moving Forward Despite Controversy

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By Roberta Attanasio, IEAM Blog Editor

The 23rd conference of the was in full swing recently (6–17 November 2017). There, the countries that signed the discussed steps to keep the threat of climate change under control and—according to the Paris Agreement’s central aim—hold the rise in global temperatures to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by curbing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide. At the same time, scientists involved in the reported that total carbon dioxide emissions held stable from 2014 to 2016, at about 36 billion tons per year. They went on to clarify that this was a that will end in 2017, and that economic projections suggest the likelihood of further emissions growth in 2018.  Continue reading →

Circular Economy, Life Cycle Analysis, and Environmental Science unite at SETAC Brussels

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A guest post by Erica K. Brockmeier

The following post is one of a series generated from research presented at the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting in Brussels, Belgium (7-11 May 2017). Each post features the latest research findings from SETAC scientists on emerging topics of interest.

Circular economy, LCA, and the environment

Lifecycle_EPA

General materials life cycle. Credit: , accessed from: .

As we consumers become more aware of how the products we buy and use impact the health of the environment, companies are also looking for ways to make more sustainable products using materials with a more positive environmental impact. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is a way for environmental scientists to the environmental impacts of a material or product. A is a system of production and consumption that is powered by renewable energy. A clean circular economy also focuses on eliminating toxic chemicals and closing material loops through better design, maintenance, repair, reuse, refurbishing, and recycling. Continue reading →