The story of phosphorus began with the search for the philosopher’s stone, and centuries later the critical role of phosphorus in soil fertility and crop growth was highlighted. Eventually, phosphorus was implicated in the global environmental challenge of eutrophication. Now, we are on the brink of yet another emerging chapter in the story: global phosphorus scarcity linked to food security. Through a transdisciplinary and systemic inquiry, this thesis has analyzed, reconceptualized and synthesized the physical and institutional dimensions of global phosphorus scarcity in the context of food security, leading to a new framing, ‘phosphorus security’ to guide future work towards a more sustainable and food secure pathway. In a world which will be home to nine billion people by the middle of this century, producing enough food and other vital resources is likely to be a substantial challenge for humanity. Phosphorus, together with nitrogen and potassium, is an essential plant nutrient. It is applied to agricultural soils in fertilizers to maintain high crop yields. Phosphorus has no substitute in food production. Therefore, securing the long-term availability and accessibility of phosphorus is crucial to global food security. However the major source of phosphorus today, phosphate rock, is a non-renewable resource and high quality reserves are becoming increasingly scarce. This thesis estimates peak phosphorus to occur before 2035, after which demand will exceed supply. Phosphorus scarcity is defined by more than just physical scarcity of phosphate rock and this thesis develops five important dimensions. For example, there is a scarcity of management of phosphorus throughout the entire food production and consumption system: the global phosphorus flows analysis found that only 20% of phosphorus in phosphate rock mined for food production actually reaches the food consumed by the global population due to substantial inefficiencies and losses from mine to field to fork. There is also an economic scarcity, where for example, while all the world’s farmers need access to sufficient fertilizers, only those with sufficient purchasing power can access fertilizer markets. Institutional scarcity, such as the lack of governance structures at the international level that explicitly aim to ensure long-term availability of and access to global phosphorus resources for food production that has led to ineffective and fragmented governance of phosphorus, including a lack of: overall coordination, monitoring and feedback, clear roles and responsibilities, long-term planning and equitable distribution. Finally, geopolitical scarcity arising from 90% of the world’s remaining high-grade phosphate rock reserves being controlled by just five countries (a majority of which are subject to geopolitical tensions) can limit the availability of phosphorus on the market and raises serious ethical questions. The long-term future scenarios presented in this thesis indicate that meeting future global food demand will likely require a substantial reduction in the global demand for phosphorus through not only improved efficient use of phosphorus in agriculture, but also through changing diets and increasing efficiency in the food chain. The unavoidable demand for phosphorus could then be met through a high recovery and reuse rate of all sources of phosphorus (crop residues, food waste, manure, excreta) and other sources including some phosphate rock. A ‘hard-landing’ situation could involve further fertilizer price spikes, increased waste and pollution (including eutrophication), increased energy consumption associated with the production and trade of phosphorus fertilizers, reduced farmer access to phosphorus, reduced global crop yields and increased food insecurity. A preferred ‘soft landing’ situation will however require substantial changes to physical and institutional infrastructure, including improved governance structures at the global, national and other levels, such as new policies, partnerships and roles to bring together the food, fertilizer, agriculture, sanitation and waste sectors for a coordinated response. Finally, this thesis proposes a new global goal – phosphorus security – to be integrated in the dominant research discourses and policy debates on global food security and global environmental change. Among other criteria, phosphorus security requires that phosphorus use is decoupled from environmental degradation and that farmers’ access to phosphorus is secured.

Mestrado em Arte Multimédia / Biografia e Autobiografia Universal: para um modelo de análise dos rituais de produção e consumo na arte multimédia trata do estudo e análise de formas alternativas que questionam o modo como criamos a nossa memória cultural colectiva por meio de objectos e rituais. O campo de investigação aqui exposto permanece distinto da História ou Crítica da arte. A abordagem aos rituais é realizada pelo do ponto de vista sócio-cultural, ambicionando reconhecer um modelo de profusão cultural. Inicialmente, é analisado o papel da memória na construção de conteúdos culturais. Com esse intuito, é discutida a validade de dispositivos externos, como a hermenêutica e os rituais nessa construção. Abordando temas gerais como a Memória, Cultura e Linguagem estabelecem-se dicotomias entre Hermenêutica e Rituais, Texto e Imagem, de modo a perceber uma evolução dos rituais tradicionais para rituais contemporâneos em actividades artísticas. É questionado, nos rituais contemporâneos, o seu potencial de, como manifestações performativas, que se centram no indivíduo, constituírem o formato privilegiado para uma linguagem transversal, independente de religiões, nacionalidade, ou grupo. Sendo a investigação desenvolvida no âmbito do Mestrado em Arte Multimédia, avançou-se por uma análise de propostas artísticas que discutem a amplitude dos conceitos de multimédia e performance. A presença do subtítulo Para um modelo de análise dos rituais de produção e consumo na arte multimédia representa um enquadramento da dinâmica presente nos rituais contemporâneos em manifestações de trabalho artístico de tendência biográfica e autobiográfica. A reflexão sobre o modelo de interpretação e análise é realizada perante o corpo de trabalho das artistas: Tracey Emin, Mona Hatoum e Morgan O Hara, procurando indagar se os seus trabalhos têm a capacidade de se caracterizarem como dispositivos de memória. / Universal Biography and Autobiography: for a model of analysis of the rituals of production and consumption in multimedia art regards the study and analysis of alternative forms of questioning how we create our collective cultural memory through objects and rituals. The field of investigation here shown stands apart from areas of History or Art criticism. The approach to rituals is made from the Socio-cultural view point, aspiring to recognize a model of cultural profusion. Foremost, the role of memory in the construction of cultural content is here analyzed. With that intent, the validity between external devices, such as hermeneutics and rituals, is discussed on that construction. Approaching broad themes such as Memory, Culture, Language, dichotomies between Hermeneutics and Rituals, Text and Image are established to understand an evolution from traditional rituals to contemporary ones in artistic activity. It is questioned and suggested that contemporary rituals, with their potential of being performative manifestations that centre on the individual, constitute a privileged format for a transverse language, independent of religion, nationality or group. Being the investigation developed in the scope of the Master in Multimedia Art, an analysis of artistic proposals was followed, that discusses the breadth of the multimedia and performance concepts. The presence of the sub-heading For a model of analysis of the rituals of production and consumption in multimedia art , represents a framing of the dynamic which is present on contemporary rituals in biographical and autobiographical artistic work. Pondering about the model of interpretation and analyses is made in the presence of the body of work of the artist: Tracey Emin, Mona Hatoum and Morgan O Hara, seeking to inquest if their work can be characterized as a memory agent.

Public spending of many states makes a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of countries, which are the main consumers of the national economies. For this reason, the purchasing power is an opportunity to influence the market by promoting production and consumption of sustainable and friendly goods to the environment.In this sense, this article discusses the system of Sustainable Public Procurements as a way to promote Sustainable Consumption and Production patterns and, thus, reach sustainable development for a green economy. / El gasto público de muchos Estados contribuye de manera significativa en el Producto Bruto Interno de los países, siendo normalmente los principales consumidores de las economías nacionales; razón por la que dicho poder de adquisición constituye una oportunidad para influir en el mercado, fomentando la producción y el consumo de bienes sostenibles y amigables con el ambiente. En ese sentido, el artículo aborda el mecanismo de las Compras Públicas Sostenibles como una herramienta para promover patrones de Consumo y Producción Sostenibles y, consecuentemente, lograr el desarrollo sostenible en el marco del concepto de una economía verde.