Cutting-edge research identifying the types of products that cause the greatest environmental damage is the focus of a special issue of Yale's Journal of Industrial Ecology.
Seventy percent to 80% of the total environmental impact is from automobiles, air transport, food (meat and dairy, chief among them), and home and related energy use, including heating, cooling and energy-using appliances.
Contributors to the special issue, "Priorities for Environmental Product Policy," examined the impacts of products in Cardiff, Wales, as well as in Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and the European Union (EU) as a whole.
The most recent and influential studies on the relative impact of consumption activities are featured. All independently conducted, the studies conclude that a consistent and robust priority list of product groups can serve as a guide for environmental improvement programs undertaken by industry and government.
In many countries, environmental policy that is centered on production, use and disposal of products, rather than just pollution from smokestacks and drainpipes, is gaining acceptance. The EU and China are banning hazardous substances from electrical and electronic products, for example, and Japan is implementing a green purchasing law.
"The research findings reported in the special issue are important because they help pinpoint the most problematic types of consumption, which include activities that are now commonplace in our lives such as air transport," says Gus Speth, dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES). "That should lead to clearer priorities and better decisions."
Reid Lifset, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Industrial Ecology, says: "This special issue demonstrates the power of industrial ecology. Concepts and tools that lie at the core of this field, such as life-cycle assessment and input-output analysis, help us to gain a much better understanding of the relative importance of specific categories of consumption for the pressures on the environment."
The Journal of Industrial Ecology is a peer-reviewed international quarterly owned by Yale, published by MIT Press, and headquartered at F&ES. The special issue is based in part on research prepared for the EU-funded project Environmental Impacts of Products (EIPRO). The project was led by Dutch research organizations TNO and CML, and provides an important basis for the EU's Integrated Product Policy.
Arnold Tukker, manager of the Sustainable Innovation Program at TNO and manager of EIPRO, served as guest editor. The articles in the special issue are available in electronic form through www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/jiec/10/3.
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale expanding nanoscience, quantum engineering focus
New York Times editor to teach journalism course
Spinal cord research of special interest to veterans group
Law librarian took the words right out of their mouths
Yale research team identifies gene for Crohn's disease
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
Nicholas Barberis is named Schramm Professor of Finance at SOM
Christine Jolls is appointed the Gordon Bradford Tweedy Professor
Kenji Yoshino is designated . . . first Guido Calabresi Professor of Law
Two investigators win grants for research on women's health issues
Posters showcase work on women and gender
Conference exploring the impact of dams . . .
Journal's special issue focuses on most environmentally harmful products
Lectures will examine the reasons for humans' love of music
Scientists to discuss their work 'Panning for Gold
Seminar to focus on company's genome sequencing technology
Event will showcase cultural dances from around the world
Guitar festival will include performances and master classes
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home