Browsing by Author "Tuomisto, Hanna"

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Bridge over troubled water: Managing compatibility and conflicts among thought collectives in sustainability science
(2022-01) Soininen, Niko; Raymond, Christopher; Tuomisto, Hanna; Ruotsalainen, Laura; Thorén, Henrik; Horcea-Milcu, Andra-Ioana; Stojanovic, Milutin; Lehtinen, Sanna; Mazac, Rachel; Lamuela Orta, Carlos; Korpelainen, Noora-Helena; Vainio, Annukka; Toivanen, Reetta; McPhearson, Timon; Nagatsu, Michiru
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Sustainability transformations call forth new forms and systems of knowledge across society. However, few tools and processes exist for promoting dialogue among different interests and normative stances in knowledge co-creation. In this article, we build on the notion of thought collectives to argue that understanding and moderating normative tensions are necessary if sustainability science is to provide successful solutions. Drawing on an analysis of the normative tensions between rival high-tech and low-tech thought collectives in the mobility and food production sectors, we discuss three strategic approaches: applying common evaluative frameworks, building contextual convergence and embracing complexity. We argue that these strategies indicate a need to distinguish different kinds of reflexivity in managing tensions among thought collectives. As a practical conclusion, we establish sets of reflexive questions to help sustainability scientists deploy the knowledge management strategies discussed.
Life cycle assessment of mammalian cell culture medium with alternative compositions.
(2023-01-23) Karinen, Heini
Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
Feasibility of the culture medium is one main factor affecting the industrial scalability and environmental impacts of cultivated meat. The commonly used culture medium includes ingredients that are expensive for mass production of cultivated meat, and especially use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) leads to ethical problems in addition to environmental impacts following from the beef cattle production. The main goal of the study was to compare the environmental impacts of the standard culture medium used in the mammalian cell culture to media with different variations on the composition and raw material sources. The first aim of the study was to assess the environmental impacts of protein hydrolysates used as a replacement of FBS in the culture medium. These include protein hydrolysates extracted from side-streams of livestock production (e.g., pork plasma and eggshell membranes) and plant-based protein hydrolysates, such as pea protein hydrolysate. Regarding the use of protein hydrolysates, consideration of cell growth (measured as DNA) during cell cultivation in the experiments conducted at Nofima was also included. Secondly, the environmental impacts of glucose production from alternative sources to maize and sugar cane (e.g., grains, straw, surplus grass, sawdust and forest chips) were assessed. Alternative raw material production was assumed to be located in Finland. The research was conducted following the ISO standard framework for life cycle assessment (LCA) using ReCiPe 2016 Hierarchist (H) midpoint method and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method. The system boundaries included the main processes from raw material extraction to ready-to-be-used culture medium. The functional unit of the study was one liter of culture medium. Product system was modelled with openLCA software. Agri-footprint 5.0 and Ecoinvent 3.7.1 databases were used for the LCA data. The data for the composition of the media were based on experiments carried out at Nofima. According to the results the environmental impacts can be significantly reduced within all of the assessed impact categories, if FBS is replaced with protein hydrolysates and serum substitute. The decrease was highest in fine particulate matter formation, global warming, marine eutrophication and terrestrial acidification impact categories – it was in the range of 68–95% with all assessed protein hydrolysate scenarios. The decrease in fossil resource scarcity and land use categories was in the range of 46–69%. Reduction in water consumption category was approximately 30% for all raw materials, except for eggshell membrane it was 13%. The lowest decrease was found within freshwater eutrophication category, with the range of 5–13%. Agricultural phase showed significant contribution to environmental impacts of FBS, protein hydrolysate and glucose production, thus the environmental impacts can also be reduced by considering the raw material production and the choice between different raw materials. From assessed protein hydrolysate raw materials, eggshell membrane and chicken carcass had highest contribution from agricultural phase to total CO2 eq emissions, 31% and 17%, respectively. Results showed that pork plasma, egg white and peas were best raw materials for protein hydrolysate production regarding the environmental impacts and protein hydrolysate yields. Protein hydrolysate produced from pork plasma was the best raw material to be used in cell cultivation, when environmental impact results and relative cell growth were assessed together. Sensitivity analyses conducted for protein hydrolysate scenarios indicated good reliability of the results. The best performing alternative glucose raw material options were sawdust and wood chips, and starch crops – wheat, potatoes and peas. The sensitivity analyses for glucose scenarios showed more variability in the results. The results can be interpreted as directional. Through technology and process optimization of the lignocellulosic glucose production process, the production of glucose from various biomasses can result to environmental benefits in future.
Life cycle assessment on vertical farming
(2019-01-28) Hallikainen, Eero
Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
Growing population, the effects of climate change, and dietary transition towards higher consumption of meat, fruits and vegetables are setting pressure to the current food production technology. The existing production efficiency should be increased significantly, and in addition, new technologies should be developed to support the existing agriculture and increase the total food production efficiency. Indoor vertical farming provides a technology to produce food crops extremely high-efficiently in terms of land use. The technology has been discussed as one of the megatrends of the 21st century. This thesis discusses vertical farming from the perspective of resource use efficiency and environmental impacts. Research shows that as a closed system, vertical farming consumes less water, CO2 and fertilizers compared to conventional cultivation systems. On the other hand, performing photosynthesis with artificial light increases the energy consumption. This study uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for achieving comparable results of the environmental impacts of vertical farming and conventional farming. LCA is a tool for understanding environmental impacts of a process or a product. It is an ISO-standardized procedure that is conducted according to the certain guideline. According to the results of this study, Global Warming Potential (GWP) of vertical farming depends highly on the source of the energy and slightly on the location. Vertical farming is significantly more energy-intensive compared to conventional horticulture but emissions can be mitigated by applying non-fossil energy. However, in a larger scale, higher energy consumption may hinder the global transition towards non-fossil energy. Water and CO2 consumption are highly linked to the rate of ventilation and thus the difference between a closed greenhouse and a vertical farm is relatively small. In the land use efficiency, vertical farming is outstanding.
Multispectral canopy reflectance improves spatial distribution models of Amazonian understory species
(2020-01-01) doninck, Jasper Van; Jones, Mirkka M.; Zuquim, Gabriela; Ruokolainen, Kalle; Moulatlet, Gabriel M.; Sirén, Anders; Cárdenas, Glenda; Lehtonen, Samuli; Tuomisto, Hanna
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Species distribution models are required for the research and management of biodiversity in the hyperdiverse tropical forests, but reliable and ecologically relevant digital environmental data layers are not always available. We here assess the usefulness of multispectral canopy reflectance (Landsat) relative to climate data in modelling understory plant species distributions in tropical rainforests. We used a large dataset of quantitative fern and lycophyte species inventories across lowland Amazonia as the basis for species distribution modelling (SDM). As predictors, we used CHELSA climatic variables and canopy reflectance values from a recent basin-wide composite of Landsat TM/ETM+ images both separately and in combination. We also investigated how species accumulate over sites when environmental distances were expressed in terms of climatic or surface reflectance variables. When species accumulation curves were constructed such that differences in Landsat reflectance among the selected plots were maximised, species accumulated faster than when climatic differences were maximised or plots were selected in a random order. Sixty-nine species were sufficiently frequent for species distribution modelling. For most of them, adequate SDMs were obtained whether the models were based on CHELSA data only, Landsat data only or both combined. Model performance was not influenced by species’ prevalence or abundance. Adding Landsat-based environmental data layers overall improved the discriminatory capacity of SDMs compared to climate-only models, especially for soil specialist species. Our results show that canopy surface reflectance obtained by multispectral sensors can provide studies of tropical ecology, as exemplified by SDMs, much higher thematic (taxonomic) detail than is generally assumed. Furthermore, multispectral datasets complement the traditionally used climatic layers in analyses requiring information on environmental site conditions. We demonstrate the utility of freely available, global remote sensing data for biogeographical studies that can aid conservation planning and biodiversity management.
Socioeconomic pathways toward sustainable food systems
(2024-05-08) Chrisendo, Daniel; Heikonen, Sara; Piipponen, Johannes; Banafa, Thomas; Deryng, Delphine; El Wali, Mohammad; Heino, Matias; Irz, Xavier; Jalava, Mika; Láng-Ritter, Josias; Mazac, Rachel; Niva, Venla; Pihlajamäki, Mia; Roitto, Marja; Tuomisto, Hanna; Kummu, Matti
A2 Katsausartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Recommended solutions and innovations to shape sustainable food systems need to be socioeconomically feasible to be implemented. The numerous publications and the nuance of the topic obfuscate the comprehension of the most crucial socioeconomic measures required for successful implementation and concrete policy formulation. Therefore, a clear and comprehensive overview of available evidence on sustainable food systems is needed, especially focusing on the socioeconomic feasibility, which has not been done before. To address this research gap, we systematically screened over 1700 articles and selected 349 for detailed review, investigating socioeconomic attributes corresponding to successful implementations of sustainable food system transformations. We found that sustainable food systems have various meanings across the scholarship and lack harmonized principles. Moreover, the socioeconomic effects on sustainability are often merely assumed instead of rigorously measured. According to the reviewed articles, different actors require different socioeconomic interventions to attain sustainable food systems: i) producers with strong social capital that induces trust among farmers, as well as economic incentives, have enhanced capabilities to promote sustainability, ii) consumers benefit from improved information provisioning and lower prices of sustainable food options, and iii) processors and distributors require better infrastructure to increase the availability of nutritious food and to reduce food loss and waste. Other actors, such as researchers, should disclose their findings widely, while governments should invest in collaborative policy-making and programs that push for sustainable food systems. The results provide a diverse range of efficient socioeconomic recommendations to increase sustainability in our food systems.