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Over-abstraction of water for lengthy sessions has prompted degrees to fall with resulting origin payment and structural harm as a result of consolidation of the underlying strata, as well as common deterioration of water caliber. Additional resources for Sustainability Science: The Emerging Paradigm and the Urban Environment. Forthcoming has focused on detailing the interactions wavy lines and exogenous flows from other coupled systems Fig.

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There has been an emerging consensus that the important elements of human subsystems are population, technology, governance, and economy Fig. Ideas and Practice 11 these four elements are still studied primarily as separate entities and usually introduced into models as external inputs or as scenarios.

The larger the population, the more net births, forming the reinforcing population growth feedback R1 and leading to exponential growth—as long as the fractional net birth rate is constant. However, every organism grows in the context of its carrying capacity. The unconnected silos of the food, water and energy system, production of food, sanitation and human health is least supported, resulting in least agricultural incomes and utilization of social values.

This leads to high food prices resulting in least affordability and low nutrition. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and transporting food are highest Musy et al. The second scenario Figure 4B shows medium complexity because of cross-scale interactions between drivers and interconnectedness among the systems of food, water and energy.

Food production, sanitation and human health are midway supported, resulting in medium agricultural incomes and utilization of social values. This leads to medium food prices resulting in midway affordability and nutrition. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and food transportation are also medium Satterthwaite et al.

Food production, sanitation and human health are most supported, resulting in highest agricultural incomes and utilization of social values. This leads to lowest food prices resulting in highest affordability and nutrition. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and transporting food are also lowest Meybeck and Gitz, These multi-cross scale and level interactions enhance social and cultural identities and interactions further enriching local communities and their social capital. They also inform transdisciplinary, systems, and culturally responsive teaching methods and practices, research and community engagement Gragg et al.

Figure 5A examines three causal chain and loop scenarios to further explain the complexity and differences of the driver response variables and their cross-scale interactions in the unconnected, connected, and nested sustainability scenarios. In Figure 5A , the output is the microclimate temperature changes affect the food system and impact crop yield and food production. Increasing temperatures causes increased evaporation of water and together with changes in heat spells affects water quantity that in turn affects the water system.

The changes in water quantity as well as the need for more energy required for cooling in the microclimate impacts energy production and systems e. In Figure 5B , the output is the integrated socio-ecological food-energy-water system.


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This scenario can be explained by taking a perspective from one system where the other two systems are users. For example, here by taking a water perspective, the food and energy systems are inputs or users of the water resource. Similarly, food as well as energy perspectives can be used.

Sustainability Science: The Emerging Paradigm and the Urban Environment - Google Книги

The chains run in circles known as feedback loops or causal loops. For example, the sustainability nested silos of FEW systems response can result in wastewater treatments, which in turn impacts the water quantity. The other responses can result in land management practices that impact irrigation and developing energy production from biomass Arnfield, ; Dimoudi et al. The movement toward a sustainability paradigm has brought into focus the centrality of food in our everyday lives, and its myriad social, economic and environmental connections Gragg et al.

Book Sustainability Science The Emerging Paradigm And The Urban Environment

This paper presents a conceptualization of the urban food and nutrition system based on the theory and practices of food as the foundation for healthy and sustainable communities Gragg et al. In Figure 6 , the first scenario exemplifies the least complexity because of no cross-scale interactions between the drivers and the unconnected silos of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Here the research on the food-water-energy nexus and decision-making are at these finer spatial scales too. While on the other hand the most complex third scenario with cross-scale interactions between drivers and nested food-energy-water and systems generally occur at slower timescales.

The urbanizing food energy water nexus factors and trends are discussed across various spatial and temporal scales Figure 7. Schematic examples of interactions across spatial, organizational, and temporal scales and levels at finer time scales days to decades are illustrated using a spatial and temporal scale diagram Figure 7. The interactions include socio-ecological phenomena the microclimate-related system represented as a solid line and the interaction of two human domains: In this case, gaps exist in the human systems across levels within domains, e.

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This diagram is based on figure by Cash et al. Unidirectional interactions from broader- to finer-scale drivers or explanatory variables Figure 8a ; bidirectional interactions between variables within a scale arrows in Figures 8b,c and cross-scale interactions and feedback loops are perhaps the three interaction types of most important scenarios Heffernan et al.

Variations in both temporal e. Initially, driver variables are grouped into appropriate scales and levels, and three scenarios of causal chains and feedback loops are identified see Figures 8a—c. Group one scenarios see Figure 8a have the least complexity and no cross-scale interactions occurring between driver variables from broader to finer scales and levels with minimal multidimensional effects.

Group two scenarios see Figure 8b have medium complexity, interactions, and dimensional effects; where driver variables interact across scales and levels; and more complex interactions occur; with the driver variable at different scales influencing the transition of the food-energy-water system in the urban space Figure 8b , interactions between driver and response variables. The multiple dimensions outside the columns e. The integration of the underlying multidimensional socioecological and biophysical influences and effects and the sustainability paradigm are distinguishing aspects and components of this conceptual model Cash et al.

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Thus, the urban socio-ecological infrastructural system influenced by these cross-scale interactions and feedbacks can be observed, assessed, operationalized and integrated by stakeholders. This approach is iterative. Interactions and feedbacks can be refined and new relationships added in subsequent model iterations. These include documenting uncertainties in the interactions and feedbacks. The following four case studies were selected because they were each unique in their social, economic, and environmental depiction of the transitioning urban agriculture and nutrition system and they are at the same time broadly representative as seen when associated with their corresponding United Nations Sustainable Development Goals see Table 1 created in-part to meet the grand challenges and opportunities of urbanization, population growth and food security Griggs et al.

Perhaps a useful case study could be found in urbanizing, southern Belize where Maya farmers from three villages shared their experiences with yields of corn types, the effects of climate change on the growing season and milpa productivity, and on socio-cultural impacts on farming. This case study example highlights work being accomplished to improve food security. Plans for sustainable water and energy practices will be addressed in the future. In many communities across the developing world, households continue to produce most of their own food Wilk, In these settings, improving food security depends upon increasing local agricultural productivity, while maintaining household access to productive land and avoiding environmental degradation Rosset, ; Perfecto et al.

The Maya milpa 1 study explored the drivers influencing the change in forest ecology, its effects on milpa production and practices and food security in three Mopan-Q'eqchi' Maya villages in the Toledo District of southern Belize: Santa Cruz, Aguacate and Jalacte author's fieldnotes, March, Some of the stated objectives of the project were to study soil fertility, water quality, weed ecology, farming practices, land use change and food insecurity.

Several focus groups were held with participants farmers from all three villages. They were asked three questions: What did they see as the drivers of forest change?


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  6. What factors are affecting the changes in milpa? And, how were these changes affecting household food security 2? Many of the responses highlighted the effects of climate change and weather patterns as affecting dry and wet seasons. This shortens the growing season, affects yields and promotes the invasion of grasses that reduces corn production.

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    That is, with increase impacts of urbanization and climate change, milpa yields are diminished and the communities' way of life become less sustainable. Examining the Causal Loop diagram, we understand the impact of the three villages coming together to share resources such as more adaptive seeds and planting techniques to address the impacts of climate change.

    Increasingly, cities around the world are enacting food and urban agricultural initiatives to increase food security among its vulnerable and marginalized populations, and stimulate local economic development. In the case of Mexico City, one of the world's mega-cities, Vertical Gardens act as air filters and reduce heat island effects in urban areas when implemented at massive urban scale. The water source is recycled and harvested rainwater is used for irrigating the gardens.

    In addition to growing food, the project will improve air quality, reduce traffic noise pollution, beautify the urban landscape, and reduce heat-island effects caused by air pollution and the effects of climate change. Along with those functions, the project has created jobs, uses an automated irrigation system for efficient water usage, and improves the emotional well-being of citizens. This project is an exemplar case of the nested scenario of the Social, Environmental and Economic states in an urbanized area within the Spider Web and Causal Loop diagrams.

    Due to the effects of the changing climate and urbanization, microclimates develop that create heat-islands. Referring to Figure 5C , as this project incorporates the nested scenarios, it is able to respond appropriately to the issue of the microclimate with the use of vertical gardens, the efficient use of water, and by also creating jobs for the local economy and improving social welfare by improving urban aesthetics.

    Once thriving mid-western cities in the United States are thinking creatively about ways to increase employment and putting abandoned property to productive use. Green City Growers, a subsidiary of Evergreen Cooperative in Cleveland, Ohio has been able to provide fresh, local food all-year round while providing employment to its worker-owners some of whom are immigrants and new Americans and returning citizens. Green Collar Foods GCF is building a franchise of small-scale, low-cost, and locally-owned controlled environmental agriculture production facilities in inner cities across the US and the UK.

    This social entrepreneurship model uniquely targets urban populations in the midst of multilevel and multiscale socioeconomic challenges such as food insecurity; health disparities; and low-wealth. This project resonates with the nested sustainability paradigm in the Figure 4C Spider Web. It incorporates social, economic and environmental components to address nutrition, income from food production, food prices, food production, and it limits GHG emissions by using aeroponics technology.

    AeroFarms, has built the world's largest vertical garden without soil, water or sunlight.

    Sustainability science : the emerging paradigm and the urban environment

    Growing crops this way produces no pollution from runoff and their use of L. This example embeds with our Spider Web diagram in Figure 4C. The company has employs, produces affordable food which improves food access, and GHG emissions are low due to no agricultural runoffs. This is the idea that food is not only the primary element in the formation of human settlements Mumford, ; Steel, , but also that food as a component of the water and energy cycle is vital for all life on our planet.

    Compared to other models our multidimensional sustainability paradigm iterative model is framed using a unified urban systems theory. This model presents a simplistic scenario with no cross-scale interactions between drivers and unconnected silos of food, energy and water. Therefore the decision-making process is not integrated across spatial and temporal scales as demonstrated in the Belize case study. However, in the most complex third scenario with cross-scale interactions between drivers in nested food, energy and water systems, integrated decision-making occurs due to multiple and highly complex interactions and feedbacks.

    This is demonstrated in varying degrees of complexity in the Detroit, New Jersey and Mexico City case studies. This conceptual model holds saliency for public decision-makers and policy analysts, urban planners, public health professionals, as well as community and non-profit organizations concerned with food access, social and environmental justice, land use and employment, and sustainable economic development.

    It can serve as an educational tool to inform the connections and interactions between economic, social and environmental sustainability and the food-energy-water nexus in a urbanizing world. It makes clear new ways of seeing, learning and understanding opportunities for policy solutions, resources and stakeholders to be brought to bear on the issues. The systems thinking approach utilized in this model provides an easy way to understand the integration of components, connections and interactions in the sustainability nexus.

    This decreases waste, builds resiliency and adaptive capacity while improving access, sanitation, nutrition, human and animal health.