Browsing by Author "Ali, Saleem H."
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Item Closing the Infrastructure Gap for Decarbonization: The Case for an Integrated Mineral Supply Agreement(Environmental Science and Technology, 2022-11-15) Ali, Saleem H.; Kalantzakos, Sophia; Eggert, Roderick; Gauss, Roland; Karayannopoulos, Constantine; Klinger, Julie; Pu, Xiaoyu; Vekasi, Kristin; Perrons, Robert K.Significant amounts of feedstock metals will be required to build the infrastructure for the green energy transition. It is currently estimated, however, that the world may be facing an “infrastructure gap” that could prevent us from meeting United Nations Sustainable Development Goal targets. Prior investigations have focused on the extractive aspects of the mining industry to meet these targets and on looming bottlenecks and regional challenges in these upstream market segments. Scant attention has been paid to the downstream processing segments of the raw materials value chain, which also has a high degree of market concentration. Growing international tensions and geopolitical events have resulted in a shift toward “reshoring” and “near-shoring” of mining processing capabilities as regional powers attempt to make metal supply chains more secure. While increasing resilience, these shifts can also dilute the overall effectiveness of the global mining supply network and subsequently hamper the world’s ability to close the green energy infrastructure gap. We argue that broadening the remit of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to include coordinating these mission-critical metal processing functions can mitigate these issues. The G20 is one potential forum for enabling an integrated mineral processing agreement under the auspices of IRENA.Item Editorial: Transboundary conservation(Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2024-01-24) Wang, Lin; Ali, Saleem H.; Thornton, Daniel H.; Farhadinia, Mohammad S.Transboundary areas often contain critical ecosystems that support rich biodiversity and play important roles in maintaining ecological connectivity. More than half of terrestrial vertebrate species have ranges spanning international borders. Many species may shift their distributions by crossing international borders in response to climate change or human disturbances. Yet species in transboundary regions are in increasing peril due to uncoordinated management among neighboring countries and artificial barriers, such as walls and fences along borders and cross-border roads that result in habitat fragmentation and the loss of ecological connectivity. Transboundary conservation can significantly contribute to ongoing efforts to reduce the risk of future extinctions by expanding protected areas and promoting collaborative management. Therefore, more attention to this topic is urgently needed. The Research Topic of Transboundary Conservation aims to enhance understanding of the potential, patterns, and effects of transboundary conservation by collecting studies that analyze transboundary conservation across different terrestrial and marine landscapes. Simultaneously, it aspires towards broader goals of international environmental governance and security.Item Mineral revolution for the wellbeing economy(Global Sustainability, 2022-08-12) Gloaguen, Richard; Ali, Saleem H.; Herrington, Richard; Ajjabou, Leila; Downey, Elizabeth; Stewart, Iain S.Non-technical summary. As we consider a transition to a low-carbon future, there is a need to examine the mineral needs for this transformation at a scale reminiscent of the Green Revolution. The efficiency gains of the agrarian transition came at ecological and social costs that should provide important lessons about future metal sourcing. We present three options for a Mineral Revolution: status quo, incremental adaption and revolutionary change. We argue that a sustainable Mineral Revolution requires a paradigm shift that considers wellbeing as a purpose and focuses on preserving natural capital. Technical summary. As we consider a transition to a low-carbon future, there is a need to examine the mineral needs for this transformation at a scale reminiscent of the Green Revolution. The efficiency gains of the agrarian transition came at ecological and social costs that can also provide important lessons about the Mineral Revolution. We lay out some of the key ways in which such a mineral revolution can be delineated over temporal scales in a paradigm shift that considers wellbeing as a purpose and focuses on preserving natural capital. These prospects are conceptually presented as three pathways that consider the status quo, incremental adaption and revolutionary change as a means of planning more effectively for a low-carbon transition. Social media summary. Sourcing metals sustainably will require to consider wellbeing as a purpose and to preserve natural capital.Item Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus and the SDGs in Central and South Asia(Springer, Cham, 2024-08-04) Akram, Humayoun Akram; Mohazzam, Sardar; Ali, Saleem H.The international research community has been attracted to the concept of a “water-energy-food” nexus as an approach for more integrated planning for global environmental change. The Sustainable Development Goals may well be approached using such a nexus approach for data gathering and for holistic policy implementation. This chapter considers how Central and South Asia might adopt this approach, particularly in the context of rapid development which is taking place across the region. We focus on energy efficiency and public-private partnerships as two key areas where robust metrics for such a nexus being realized hold promise. We also consider some of the criticism of the nexus approach in terms of research depth and policy implementation and the use of tools such as the Water Energy Food Nexus Index in the context of this region. Overall, we find the concept is appropriate for use in this region, particularly as a means of cross-border and regional development planning.