Tracking Environmental Impacts of Consumption: Linking OECD and Developing Countries to Alleviate Negative Consequences
Annual Call for Projects 2006
Summary
Globalisation and the related growth in trade provoke socio-economic as well as environmental consequences. There currently exists a need to shed new light on international responsibilities relating to the environmental impacts of consumption and related trade patterns. The relationship between consumers in developed countries and affected citizens in developing countries merits careful examination. This is all the more urgent due to the emergence of new challenges such as:
- The increasing separation of the sites of production and consumption and the growing participation of developing countries in international trade;
- The need to improve current methodologies to account for the environmental impacts of consumption according to new production-consumption patterns (global production chains);
- The importance of atmospheric pollutants on daily life and the limited attention that this issue receives in international debates;
- The recognition that efforts to reduce negative environmental consequences should target both the scientific community and the general public.
This project, supported by the Geneva International Academic Network (GIAN), aims at going beyond traditional environmental assessments, e.g. the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) environmental assessments by analysing the links between current environmental degradation (air pollution and its impact) and the upstream leading causes (consumption and production systems) on a world basis. It will offer a systemic view of the regions particularly affected by trade patterns and facilitate identification of areas, sectors and products that would be appropriate for alleviation policies, e.g. allocation of foreign aid, development of fair trade.
It will also develop a feasibility study to extend the “DNA approach” utilised by the clothes manufacturer Switcher, which traces industrial goods by assessing the direct and indirect environmental impacts of the textile production-consumption chain. By providing new information, this will...
The grant provided by the GIAN for this project totals SFr 204,400
Project Team
Prof. Suren Erkman , Coordinator, Institute for Land Management Policy and the Human Environment (IPTEH) , Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environment (GSE) , University of Lausanne .
Prof. Gabrielle Antille-Gaillard , Principal Member, Laboratory of Applied Economy (LEA) , Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (SES) , University of Geneva (Unige) .
Mr Christophe Bellmann , Principal Member, International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) .
Dr. Hy Dao , Principal Member, Division of Early Warning and Assessment (GRID/DEWA/UNEP) , United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) .
Mr Damien Friot , Principal Member, Laboratory of Applied Economy (LEA) , Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (SES) , University of Geneva (Unige) .
Prof. Olivier Jolliet , Principal Member, Center for Risk Science and Communication , University of Michigan .
Mr Daniel Rüfenacht , Principal Member, Switcher SA .
Mr Stefan Schwarzer , Principal Member, Division of Early Warning and Assessment (GRID/DEWA/UNEP) , United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) .
Ms Shanna Shaked , Principal Member, University of Michigan .
Mr Michael Stanley-Jones , Principal Member, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) .
Dr. Julia Steinberger , Principal Member, Institute for Land Management Policy and the Human Environment (IPTEH) , Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environment (GSE) , University of Lausanne .
Mr Ramesh Ramaswamy , Associated Member, Resource Optimization Initiative (ROI) .
Related News
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The GIAN Approves Eleven Research Projects – 19.09.06
The Geneva International Academic Network (RUIG-GIAN) has approved, in the framework of its sixth annual tendering...
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Related Conferences
Tracking Environmental Impacts of Consumption: International Society for Industrial Ecology Conference – University of Toronto - 17-20 June 2007; 16th International Input-Output Conference – Istanbul Technical University – 2-6 July 2007; 3rd International Conference on Life Cycle Management – University of Zurich, 27-29 August 2007
Globalisation and the related growth in trade provoke socio-economic as well as environmental changes. There currently...
> more
Research Output
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Tracking Environmental Impacts of Consumption: Models
(available in English only) > more |