Eco-design in the framework of integrated product policy (PPI)

The constant increase of product consumption in Europe is creating global impacts on the environment that originate from the stages of its life cycle. For this reason, the European Union is trying to encourage eco-products, given that it has been detected that the main decisions on environmental effects are made in the design stage. The strategic document elaborated by the European Commission in order to favour this change is called The Green book on IPP, which aims to promote eco-design, buying green products and internalising environmental costs. The IPP will allow the policies on the improvement of environmental products to be harmonised as well as helping to put the concept of sustainable development into practise

El ecodiseño en el marco de la política de productos integrada (PPI)

El aumento constante del consumo de productos en Europa está generando impactos ambientales globales procedentes de las etapas de su ciclo de vida. Por este motivo la UE quiere favorecer los ecoproductos, ya que se ha detectado que las principales decisiones de los efectos ambientales se adoptan en la etapa del diseño. El documento estratégico de la Comisión Europea para favorecer este cambio es el Libro verde de la PPI, que pretendre promocionar el ecodiseño, la compra verde y la internalización de los costes ambientales. La PPI permitirá una armonización de las políticas sobre mejora ambiental de productos y ayudará a poner en práctica el concepto de desarrollo sostenible

An assessment of the changes in water chemistry and in the macroinvertebrate community produced during the creation of the new Llobregat river mouth (Barcelona, NE Spain)

In 1999, a set of coordinated projects and investments whose principal objective was to transform Barcelona into one of the main distribution points of southern Europe resulted in the relocation of the Llobregat River mouth. The mouth was relocated by draining the old river mouth and constructing a new one. The aim of this study was to characterise the physico-chemical properties and the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of the new river mouth and to monitor the changes experienced by the estuarine environment during its creation. A sampling point was established in the river 1.8 km upstream from its connection with the new mouth, and two sampling points were established in the new mouth. Samples of water and macroinvertebrates were collected every two months from May 2004 to June 2005, covering the periods before (from May to September 2004) and after (from September 2004 to June 2005) the new mouth was connected to the river and the sea. During the period before its connection to the river and the sea, the new mouth was functionally similar to a lagoon, with clear waters, presence of Chara and a rich invertebrate community. After the connection was completed, seawater penetrated the river mouth and extended to the connection point with the river (approximately 3.9 km upstream). An increase in conductivity from 4-6 mS cm-1 to 24-30 mS cm-1 caused important changes in the macroinvertebrate community of the new mouth. An initial defaunation was followed by a colonisation of the new mouth by brackish-water and marine invertebrate species. Due to its design (which allows the penetration of the sea) and the decreased discharge from the lower part of the Llobregat River, the new mouth has become an arm of the sea.En 1999 la desembocadura del Río Llobregat fue desviada como consecuencia de una acción coordinada de proyectos cuyo principal objetivo era el de transformar Barcelona en uno de los principales puntos de distribución de mercancías del sur de Europa. En el presente estudio se caracterizan las propiedades físico-químicas y la comunidad de macroinvertebrados acuáticos de la nueva desembocadura, y se monitorizan los cambios experimentados por el ecosistema durante su creación. Un punto de muestreo se situó en el Río Llobregat, 1.8 km aguas arriba de su conexión con la nueva desembocadura, y dos puntos de muestreo se situaron en la nueva desembocadura. Se recogieron muestras de agua y de macroinvertebrados cada dos meses desde Mayo de 2004 hasta Junio de 2005, período que incluyó el antes (desde Mayo hasta Septiembre de 2004) y el después (desde Septiembre de 2004 hasta Junio de 2005) de que la nueva desembocadura fuera conectada al río y al mar. Durante el período anterior a su conexión con el río y el mar la nueva desembocadura funcionaba como una laguna, presentando aguas claras, presencia de Chara y una comunidad de macroinvertebrados rica en especies. Después de ser conectada al río y el mar, el agua de mar penetró en la desembocadura hasta el punto de conexión con el río (aproximadamente unos 3.9 km aguas arriba). La conductividad de la desembocadura aumentó de 4-6 mS cm-1 a 24-30 mS cm-1, causando importantes cambios en la comunidad de macroinvertebrados acuáticos. Se registró una pérdida de fauna inicial seguida de una colonización de fauna marina y de aguas salobres. Debido a su diseño (que permite la entrada de grandes cantidades de agua de mar) y al escaso caudal del tramo bajo del Llobregat, la nueva desembocadura se ha convertido en un brazo de mar

Developing a novel approach to analyse the regimes of temporary streams and their controls on aquatic biota

Temporary streams are those water courses that undergo the recurrent cessation of flow or the complete drying of their channel. The biological communities in temporary stream reaches are strongly dependent on the temporal changes of the aquatic habitats determined by the hydrological conditions. The use of the aquatic fauna structural and functional characteristics to assess the ecological quality of a temporary stream reach can not therefore be made without taking into account the controls imposed by the hydrological regime. This paper develops some methods for analysing temporary streams' aquatic regimes, based on the definition of six aquatic states that summarize the sets of mesohabitats occurring on a given reach at a particular moment, depending on the hydrological conditions: flood, riffles, connected, pools, dry and arid. We used the water discharge records from gauging stations or simulations using rainfall-runoff models to infer the temporal patterns of occurrence of these states using the developed aquatic states frequency graph. The visual analysis of this graph is complemented by the development of two metrics based on the permanence of flow and the seasonal predictability of zero flow periods. Finally, a classification of the aquatic regimes of temporary streams in terms of their influence over the development of aquatic life is put forward, defining Permanent, Temporary-pools, Temporary-dry and Episodic regime types. All these methods were tested with data from eight temporary streams around the Mediterranean from MIRAGE project and its application was a precondition to assess the ecological quality of these streams using the current methods prescribed in the European Water Framework Directive for macroinvertebrate communities

Carbon dioxide emissions of Antarctic tourism

The increase of tourism to the Antarctic continent may entail not only local but also global environmental impacts. These latter impacts, which are mainly caused by transport, have been generally ignored. As a result, there is a lack of data on the global impacts of Antarctic tourism in terms of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. This paper presents and applies a methodology for quantifying CO2 emissions, both for the Antarctic vessel fleet as a whole and per passenger (both per trip and per day). The results indicate that the average tourist trip to Antarctica results in 5.44 t of CO2 emissions per passenger, or 0.49 t per passenger and day. Approximately 70% of these emissions are attributable to cruising and 30% to flying, which highlights the global environmental relevance of local transport for this type of touris

Avaluació ambiental de l'extracció del suro a Catalunya

Sense cap mena de dubte, el suro és un material natural i renovable. Tanmateix cal realitzar balanços materials i energètics per a determinar els impactes ambientals associats a l'extracció del material en els boscos. L'interès actual per a disposar de materials sostenibles o de baix impacte ambiental, és un motiu que justifica la realització d'estudis d'Anàlisi de Cicle de Vida (ACV) del suro per tal de disposar de dades que permetin la presa de decisions a tots els actors implicats en la cadena d'extracció. El Grup d'investigadors que ha fet aquesta anàlisi s'anomena Sostenipra i, dirigit pels professors Jesús Rives, Xavier Gabarrell i Joan Rieradevall, fa anys que es dedica a l'estudi, desenvolupament i aplicació d'eines per a la sostenibilitat i la prevenció ambiental. Dins el marc de l'Ecologia Industrial (EI), treballa en els àmbits de l'anàlisi de ACV, l'ecodisseny, l'eco-eficiència, l'anàlisi de fluxos materials i energètics, aplicat als sistemes industrials, urbans i agrícoles, ja sigui a escala de producte, procés, local, regional i nacional.Sin lugar a dudas, el corcho es un material natural y renovable. Sin embargo hay que realizar balances materiales y energéticos para determinar los impactos ambientales asociados a la extracción del material en los bosques. El interés actual por disponer de materiales sostenibles o de bajo impacto ambiental, es un motivo que justifica la realización de estudios de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) del corcho para disponer de datos que permitan la toma de decisiones a todos los actores implicados en la cadena de extracción. El Grupo de investigadores que ha hecho este análisis llamado Sostenipra y dirigido por los profesores Jesús Rives, Xavier Gabarrell y Joan Rieradevall, hace años que se dedica al estudio, desarrollo y aplicación de herramientas para la sostenibilidad y la prevención ambiental. En el marco de la Ecología Industrial (EI), trabaja en los ámbitos del análisis de ACV, el ecodiseño, la eco-eficiencia, el análisis de flujos materiales y energéticos, aplicado a los sistemas industriales, urbanos y agrícolas , ya sea a escala de producto, proceso, local, regional y nacional

Environmental performance of rainwater harvesting strategies in Mediterranean buildings

Purpose: The rapid urbanization and the constant expansion of urban areas during the last decades have locally led to increasing water shortage. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems have the potential to be an important contributor to urban water self-sufficiency. The goal of this study was to select an environmentally optimal RWH strategy in newly constructed residential buildings linked to rainwater demand for laundry under Mediterranean climatic conditions, without accounting for water from the mains. Methods: Different strategies were environmentally assessed for the design and use of RWH infrastructures in residential apartment blocks in Mediterranean climates. The harvested rainwater was used for laundry in all strategies. These strategies accounted for (i) tank location (i.e., tank distributed over the roof and underground tank), (ii) building height considering the number of stories (i.e., 6, 9, 12, and 15), and (iii) distribution strategy (i.e., shared laundry, supply to the nearest apartments, and distribution throughout the building). The RWH systems consisted of the catchment, storage, and distribution stages, and the structural and hydraulic calculations were based on Mediterranean conditions. The quantification of the environmental performance of each strategy (e.g., CO2eq. emissions) was performed in accordance with the life cycle assessment methodology. Results and discussion: According to the environmental assessment, the tank location and distribution strategy chosen were the most important variables in the optimization of RWH systems. Roof tank strategies present fewer impacts than their underground tank equivalents because they enhance energy and material savings, and their reinforcement requirements can be accounted for within the safety factors of the building structure without the tank. Among roof tanks and depending on the height, a distribution strategy that concentrates demand in a laundry room was the preferable option, resulting in reductions from 25 to 54 % in most of the selected impact categories compared to distribution throughout the building. Conclusions: These results may set new urban planning standards for the design and construction of buildings from the perspective of sustainable water management. In this sense, a behavioral change regarding demand should be promoted in compact, dense urban settlements.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft