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The platform chemicals 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) and 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) are important raw materials for polyesters and biofuels. However, the biosynthesis of the compounds relies on massive consumption of glucose or glycerol, leading to the uneconomical production in industrial scale. In this work, we developed a new method for co-production of 1,3-PD and 2,3-BD from waste lard to reduce the cost in carbon source supply. A waste lard utilizing Pseudomonas alcaligenes PA-3 and a 1,3-PD producing Klebsiella pneumoniae AA405 were co-cultivated by using waste lard as the sole carbon source. In a shake flask, 1.05 g/L 1,3-PD and 0.35 g/L 2,3-BD were produced from waste lard within 24 h. The addition of nitrogen source significantly increased the relative ratio of K. pneumoniae AA405 in the medium, which further favored to the higher titers of the two products. In bioreactor, the co-cultivation system produced 5.98 g/L 1,3-PD and 4.29 g/L 2,3-BD from 100 g/L waste lard within 72 h, and the conversion rate of 1,3-PD and 2,3-BD from waste lard were 62.95% and 0.75%, respectively. In all, this is the first work on 1,3-PD and 2,3-BD production from waste triglyceride, which will favor the utilization of low-cost carbon source in industrial production of chemicals.

With the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the international community is forced to face the global health crisis again. Even though, throughout the course of history, the human race has seldom succeeded in getting rid of infectious diseases and global health inequalities completely. Faced with this tragic situation and extreme inequality, some philosophers have put forward some exciting plans, and it is undoubtedly regrettable that Rawls, one of the most outstanding contemporary political philosophers and ethicists, has not addressed this issue in his The Law of Peoples. However, if Rawls wants its philosophical blueprint for the future world – the law of peoples as a “realistic utopia” to be feasible, he has to face the challenges of global health and make a reasonable response. Otherwise, the magnificent building of this “realistic utopia” will collapse. Therefore, the author tries to develop Rawls’ international justice theory by introducing the idea of the right to health into the law of peoples, so as to hopefully provide a feasible philosophical plan to solve the global health problems.

Abstract China has developed a remarkable economic growth in the past 30 years by accompanying with undesirable outputs. The assumptions of weak and strong of undesirable outputs have become the focus discussion in data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. To have a comprehensive environmental efficiency measurement, this paper proposes three DEA models considering weak disposability, strong disposability and distinguishing weak and strong disposability of undesirable outputs, respectively. We further combine with the Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index to assess the environmental efficiency and the dynamic change trend of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2014. The results show that distinguishing technical features of undesirable outputs makes a significant difference to final environmental efficiency score at different regions. The environmental efficiency of the whole nation, however, does not show any increasing trend during the ten years. Enhancing environmental efficiency of central and west area is an urgent task for Chinese government. The change trend of Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index and technological change shows a similar shape. Technical progress is the main driving force to enhance the environmental efficiency. Relevant suggestions are presented for improving the regional environmental efficiency in China in the future.

Effective palliation of dysphagia is the goal in the majority of patients with oesophageal cancer. A number of methods have been developed to achieve this objective. The choice of method is determined mainly by the physical characteristics of the tumour causing the dysphagia. The low complication rate, ease of insertion as a result of small delivery systems, and the large stent diameters which are achieved with self-expanding metal stents, have made these an increasingly popular alternative compared to other methods.

Abstract Under the low-carbon environment of economy and society, the real decoupling between economic growth and high carbon emissions is the basis for realizing the sustainable and low-carbon transformation and development of Shandong Province. This paper uses energy consumption as an intermediate variable, according to EKC hypothesis theory and Tapio decoupling indicator theory, by constructing the multiple regression model and low-carbon decoupling model of carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth, this makes an empirical analysis of the interval elasticity relationship and the point-in-time elasticity relationship in 1994−2017. The decoupling situation is: there is an inverted "N" curve relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth in Shandong Province. The second theoretical turning point is in 2012, and the decoupling relationship will gradually appear in the future. To a great extent, Shandong Province's low-carbon decoupling indicator is affected by the energy conservation decoupling indicator, and the strong decoupling state of economic growth and carbon emissions has appeared continuously, but it is not stable enough. The ideal decoupling state between economic growth and carbon emission will occur only after carbon emission reaches the peak, so it is necessary to predict the peak year of carbon emission. Based on the scenario analysis and decoupling theory, a carbon emission model is constructed to analyze the carbon emission status and its possible peak years in different scenarios in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2030. On the whole, with the improvement of economic development level, the situation of low energy consumption and low emissions is gradually significant. The degree of decoupling is mainly affected by the macro-economic situation and the change of policy regulation. Therefore, the paper puts forward the scientific, feasible and effective policy measures with Shandong characteristics to promote the sustainable development of low-carbon economy.

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are currently being discussed as one of the most promising tools in environmental and sustainability governance. However, much criticism has been voiced against overly optimistic assumptions of PES’ management potential towards sustainability. Several contributions to the debate show that PES fail both in reducing poverty and strengthening social justice. Additionally, they neglect problems of deliberation in decision-making, as well as the legitimacy of the applied environmental practices. Our empirical investigation on participatory and deliberative structures in already existing PES initiated by non-state actors contributes to the latter body of research. Based on the assumption that playing an active part in scheme design facilitates the consideration of justice and fairness, our case studies from Germany and the UK. present interesting results on the involvement of conflicting interests and their argumentation in the design process. Summing up these findings, we conclude that paying for ES rarely contributes to sustainable development in and of itself, but deliberatively designed schemes provide a formal setting to take aspects of justice into account.

Abstract Background Residents of informal settlements in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) are vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change. Little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of inhabitants of informal settlements in SSA regarding climate change and its health impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate how inhabitants of an informal settlement in SSA experience climate change and its health impacts and assess related knowledge, attitudes and practices. The study was conducted in Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in September 2021 using a structured, semi-closed KAP questionnaire. Inclusion criteria were ≥ 18 years of age and living in one of the three main sections in Mukuru: Kwa Njenga, Kwa Reuben or Viwandani. By spinning a pen at the geographic centre of each section, a random direction was selected. Then, in every second household one individual was interviewed, creating a representative mix of ages and genders of the local community. To assess participant characteristics associated with climate change knowledge multivariable logistic regression was used. Thematic content analysis was performed for qualitative responses. Results Out of 402 study participants, 76.4% (n = 307) had heard of climate change before the interview, 90.8% (n = 365) reported that climate change was affecting their community, and 92.6% (n = 372) were concerned with the health-related impact of climate change. Having lived in Mukuru for more than 10 years and living in a dwelling close to the riverside were factors significantly associated with having heard of climate change before (aOR 3.1, 95%CI 1.7 – 5.8 and aOR 2.6, 95%CI 1.1 – 6.1, respectively) and experiencing a climate change related impact on the community (aOR 10.7, 95%CI 4.0 – 28.4 and aOR 7.7; 95%CI 1.7 – 34.0, respectively). Chronic respiratory conditions, vector-borne diseases, including infectious diarrhoea, malnutrition and cardiovascular diseases were identified by respondents as climate related health risks. Conclusions Most respondents were knowledgeable about climate change and were experiencing its (health-related) impact on their community. This study provides insights which may prove useful for policy makers, intervention planners and researchers to work on locally adapted mitigation and adaption strategies.

Covid-19 affects the personal lives of millions and led to an economic crisis. Changed behavioral patterns and a reduction of industrial activity result in a reduction in power demand, and thus Covid-19 impacts the power systems around the world. Bottom-up mapping of the effect of Covid-19 on the energy demand is challenging, if not impossible. In order to analyze the impact of the pandemic on power demand, we instead propose a simplified approach based on an econometric analysis that quantifies the country-wide load reduction of Covid-19, using the number of active cases as well as the specific lockdown period as proxies. The time span covered is from 1 January 2016 to 31 August 2020. This long time span allows us to investigate the effect of Covid-19 on the power demand. We find that in Germany (DE) and Great Britain (GB) the power demand is reduced by about 1–1.7 MW per case, while in France the demand increased by 1 MW per case during times outside of the lockdown. On the other hand, in France the lockdown itself has a much higher load reduction effect in France than in GB and DE. Based on the elasticity of power demand regarding Covid-19 cases, we calculate the impact of Covid-19 on the power prices through reduced loads. We find that Covid-19 reduced power prices by 3 to 6 EUR per MWh. The effect of Covid-19 on carbon emissions in the power sector is likely to be small. In Germany, the country with the highest absolute level, emissions in the power sector were reduced by approximately 2% (4 Mio. t CO2).