Modelling socio-environmental sensitivities: how public responses to low carbon energy technologies could shape the UK energy system.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Moran Jay B
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3921941 | biostudies-other | 2014
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Similar Datasets
Project description:Renewable energy will potentially make an important contribution towards the dual aims of meeting carbon emission reduction targets and future energy demand. However, some technologies have considerable potential to impact on the biodiversity of the environments in which they are placed. In this study, an assessment was undertaken of the realistic deployment potential of a range of renewable energy technologies in the UK, considering constraints imposed by biodiversity conservation priorities. We focused on those energy sources that have the potential to make important energy contributions but which might conflict with biodiversity conservation objectives. These included field-scale solar, bioenergy crops, wind energy (both onshore and offshore), wave and tidal stream energy. The spatially-explicit analysis considered the potential opportunity available for each technology, at various levels of ecological risk. The resultant maps highlight the energy resource available, physical and policy constraints to deployment, and ecological sensitivity (based on the distribution of protected areas and sensitive species). If the technologies are restricted to areas which currently appear not to have significant ecological constraints, the total potential energy output from these energy sources was estimated to be in the region of 5,547 TWh/yr. This would be sufficient to meet projected energy demand in the UK, and help to achieve carbon reduction targets. However, we highlight two important caveats. First, further ecological monitoring and surveillance is required to improve understanding of wildlife distributions and therefore potential impacts of utilising these energy sources. This is likely to reduce the total energy available, especially at sea. Second, some of the technologies under investigation are currently not deployed commercially. Consequently this potential energy will only be available if continued effort is put into developing these energy sources/technologies, to enable realisation of their full potential.
| S-EPMC4880438 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Introduction:Reducing motorised transport is crucial for achieving public health goals, but cars will continue to be essential for many in the medium term. The role of emerging technologies in mitigating the public health disadvantages of this private car use has been under-examined to date. Telematics are increasingly used by novice drivers in the UK to reduce insurance premiums. An exploratory study of novice drivers' experiences of telematics identified implications for public health that warrant urgent further research. Methods:An exploratory qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews with 12 drivers aged 17-25 in three regions of the UK (Aberdeenshire, Hertfordshire and London). Results:Telematics were acceptable to young drivers, and reported to mitigate some negative health consequences of driving (injury risks, over-reliance on car transport), without reducing access to determinants of health such as employment or social life. However, there were suggestions that those at higher risk were less likely to adopt telematics. Conclusion:Market-based mechanisms such as telematics are potential alternatives to well-evaluated policy interventions such as Graduated Driver Licensing for reducing road injury risks for novice drivers, with a different mix of risks and benefits. However, claims to date from insurance companies about the contribution of telematics to public health outcomes should be evaluated carefully to account for biases in uptake.
| S-EPMC7197757 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundInnovation in healthcare technologies can result in more convenient and effective treatment that is less costly, but a persistent challenge to widespread adoption in health and social care is end user acceptability. The purpose of this study was to capture UK public opinions and attitudes to novel healthcare technologies (NHTs), and to better understand the factors that contribute to acceptance and future use.MethodsAn online survey was distributed to the UK public between April and May 2020. Respondents received brief information about four novel healthcare technologies (NHTs) in development: a laser-based tool for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis, a virtual reality tool to support diabetes self-management, a non-invasive continuous glucose monitor using microwave signals, a mobile app for patient reported monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis. They were queried on their general familiarity and attitudes to technology, and their willingness to accept each NHT in their future care. Responses were analysed using summary statistics and content analysis.ResultsKnowledge about NHTs was diverse, with respondents being more aware about the health applications of mobile apps (66%), followed by laser-based technology (63.8%), microwave signalling (28%), and virtual reality (18.3%). Increasing age and the presence of a self-reported medical condition favoured acceptability for some NHTs, whereas self-reported understanding of how the NHT works resulted in elevated acceptance scores across all NHTs presented. Common contributors to hesitancy were safety and risks from use. Respondents wanted more information and evidence to help inform their decisions, ideally provided verbally by a general practitioner or health professional. Other concerns, such as privacy, were NHT-specific but equally important in decision-making.ConclusionsEarly insight into the knowledge and preconceptions of the public about NHTs in development can assist their design and prospectively mitigate obstacles to acceptance and adoption.
| S-EPMC9944774 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Pharmaceuticals and their packaging have a significant negative impact on the environment providing a very strong argument for action on the part of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to engage with pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) in their workplaces. The aims of this research were therefore to investigate in hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, 1) factors affecting engagement with workplace PEBs, and 2) determine if legislated carbon reduction targets in the UK influenced workplace PEBs in the UK compared with Australia which does not have legislated carbon reduction targets. The environmentally responsible disposal of pharmaceutical waste was the PEB of interest in this study. A mixed methods research design was utilised and a conceptual model (key variables: environmental attitude, concern, and knowledge, and organisational factors) was developed to identify factors influencing workplace PEBs. Participants were from five hospitals in Queensland, Australia and five NHS hospitals in England, UK. There was no statistically significant difference in environmental attitude or concern between the two groups-most had a mid-environmental attitude score and low levels of environmental concern. Participants lacked knowledge of the issue and the link between the environment and public health. Both Australian and UK participants reported recycling packaging waste was not a priority in the hospital pharmacy workplace (even in hospitals with recycling capability) as hospitals focused on compliance with clinical (contaminated) and confidential waste streams. Environmental attitude, knowledge, and concern therefore appeared to be weak influences on intention to perform workplace PEBs with workplace social norms (compliance due to audits) appearing to be a significant mediator of action. The key difference between the cohorts was that UK pharmacists felt waste was not in the scope of their role, and therefore not their responsibility. This study identified that legislated carbon reduction targets did not influence hospital pharmacy workplace PEBs-neither cohort reported engaging significantly in workplace PEBs. UK Government and NHS sustainability policy did not appear to have disseminated to pharmacy department level of UK public hospitals to any great extent.
| S-EPMC8372918 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Throughout Earth's history, the oceans have played a dominant role in the climate system through the storage and transport of heat and the exchange of water and climate-relevant gases with the atmosphere. The ocean's heat capacity is approximately 1,000 times larger than that of the atmosphere, its content of reactive carbon more than 60 times larger. Through a variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes, the ocean acts as a driver of climate variability on time scales ranging from seasonal to interannual to decadal to glacial-interglacial. The same processes will also be involved in future responses of the ocean to global change. Here we assess the responses of the seawater carbonate system and of the ocean's physical and biological carbon pumps to (i) ocean warming and the associated changes in vertical mixing and overturning circulation, and (ii) ocean acidification and carbonation. Our analysis underscores that many of these responses have the potential for significant feedback to the climate system. Because several of the underlying processes are interlinked and nonlinear, the sign and magnitude of the ocean's carbon cycle feedback to climate change is yet unknown. Understanding these processes and their sensitivities to global change will be crucial to our ability to project future climate change.
| S-EPMC2791567 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Nanotechnology has unprecedentedly revolutionized human societies over the past decades and will continue to advance our broad societal goals in the coming decades. The research, development, and particularly the application of engineered nanomaterials have shifted the focus from "less efficient" single-component nanomaterials toward "superior-performance", next-generation multifunctional nanohybrids. Carbon nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene family nanomaterials, carbon dots, and graphitic carbon nitride) and metal/metal oxide nanoparticles (e.g., Ag, Au, CdS, Cu2O, MoS2, TiO2, and ZnO) combinations are the most commonly pursued nanohybrids (carbon-metal nanohybrids; CMNHs), which exhibit appealing properties and promising multifunctionalities for addressing multiple complex challenges faced by humanity at the critical energy-water-environment (EWE) nexus. In this frontier review, we first highlight the altered and newly emerging properties (e.g., electronic and optical attributes, particle size, shape, morphology, crystallinity, dimensionality, carbon/metal ratio, and hybridization mode) of CMNHs that are distinct from those of their parent component materials. We then illustrate how these important newly emerging properties and functions of CMNHs direct their performances at the EWE nexus including energy harvesting (e.g., H2O splitting and CO2 conversion), water treatment (e.g., contaminant removal and membrane technology), and environmental sensing and in situ nanoremediation. This review concludes with identifications of critical knowledge gaps and future research directions for maximizing the benefits of next-generation multifunctional CMNHs at the EWE nexus and beyond.
| S-EPMC7388031 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Decarbonization of electricity generation can support climate-change mitigation and presents an opportunity to address pollution resulting from fossil-fuel combustion. Generally, renewable technologies require higher initial investments in infrastructure than fossil-based power systems. To assess the tradeoffs of increased up-front emissions and reduced operational emissions, we present, to our knowledge, the first global, integrated life-cycle assessment (LCA) of long-term, wide-scale implementation of electricity generation from renewable sources (i.e., photovoltaic and solar thermal, wind, and hydropower) and of carbon dioxide capture and storage for fossil power generation. We compare emissions causing particulate matter exposure, freshwater ecotoxicity, freshwater eutrophication, and climate change for the climate-change-mitigation (BLUE Map) and business-as-usual (Baseline) scenarios of the International Energy Agency up to 2050. We use a vintage stock model to conduct an LCA of newly installed capacity year-by-year for each region, thus accounting for changes in the energy mix used to manufacture future power plants. Under the Baseline scenario, emissions of air and water pollutants more than double whereas the low-carbon technologies introduced in the BLUE Map scenario allow a doubling of electricity supply while stabilizing or even reducing pollution. Material requirements per unit generation for low-carbon technologies can be higher than for conventional fossil generation: 11-40 times more copper for photovoltaic systems and 6-14 times more iron for wind power plants. However, only two years of current global copper and one year of iron production will suffice to build a low-carbon energy system capable of supplying the world's electricity needs in 2050.
| S-EPMC4443343 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A global disaster, such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, affects every aspect of our lives and there is a need to investigate these highly complex phenomena if one aims to diminish their impact in the health of the population, as well as their socio-economic stability. In this paper we present an attempt to understand the role of the governmental authorities and the response of the rest of the population facing such emergencies. We present a mathematical model that takes into account the epidemiological features of the pandemic and also the actions of people responding to it, focusing only on three aspects of the system, namely, the fear of catching this serious disease, the impact on the economic activities and the compliance of the people to the mitigating measures adopted by the authorities. We apply the model to the specific case of Spain, since there are accurate data available about these three features. We focused on tourism as an example of the economic activity, since this sector of economy is one of the most likely to be affected by the restrictions imposed by the authorities, and because it represents an important part of Spanish economy. The results of numerical calculations agree with the empirical data in such a way that we can acquire a better insight of the different processes at play in such a complex situation, and also in other different circumstances.
| S-EPMC10774333 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The rapid diffusion of demand-side low-carbon innovations has been identified as a key strategy for maintaining average global temperature rise at or below 1.5 °C. Diffusion research tends to focus on a single sector, or single technology case study, and on a small scope of factors that influence innovation diffusion. This paper describes a novel methodology for identifying multiple demand-side innovations within a specific energy system context and for characterizing their impact on socio-technical energy systems. This research employs several theoretical frameworks that include the Energy Technology Innovation System (ETIS) framework to develop a sample of innovations; the Sustainability Transitions framework to code innovations for their potential to impact the socio-technical system; the energy justice framework to identify the potential of innovations to address aspects of justice; and how characteristics of innovations are relevant to Innovation Adoption. This coding and conceptualization creates the foundation for the future development of quantitative models to empirically assess and quantify the rate of low-carbon innovation diffusion as well as understanding the broader relationship between the diffusion of innovations and socio-technical system change. The three stages of research are:•Contextualization: surveys and desk research to identify low-carbon innovations across the ETIS;•Decontextualization: the development of a codebook of variables•Recontextualization: coding the innovations and analysis.
| S-EPMC8374245 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The digitalization of low-carbon energy technologies (LCET) provides important technical support for the transition to a greener energy system. Digitalization addresses the phenomenon of the growing application of information and communications technologies (ICT) across the economy, which is regarded as the technology convergence between ICT and other technologies. Scholars have revealed the signs that LCET and ICT are becoming increasingly interlinked, which raises the challenges for predicting and identifying the technology opportunities for innovations in the converged technology area. To address the challenges, this paper proposes a collaborative filtering approach to identify the digitalization technology opportunity of low-carbon energy technologies using patent classification and patent citation information. We applied the proposed collaborative filtering approach using a large LCET patent dataset derived from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The results indicate that the proposed method can effectively identify digitalization technology opportunities of LCET, and the current LCET digitalization technology opportunities identified based on this approach are mainly concentrated in the Energy storage field. The advantages of the proposed approach are that its underlying data are more readily available and its technical complexity is relatively lower, and thus, more replicable for other technology fields.
| S-EPMC11371251 | biostudies-literature