Sara Sousa

Coimbra Business School|ISCAC

Nos últimos anos, o papel da mulher na sociedade tem vindo a afirmar-se cada vez mais. Contudo, apesar dos avanços observados, ainda há muito por alcançar para que haja igualdade de géneros. De facto, a mulher continua a ser alvo de discriminação e desigualdade, muitas vezes de forma discreta e oculta, como, por exemplo, através da aplicação de uma...

Although consumption is the cornerstone of economic growth, it is unquestionably one of the main reasons for the current degradation of the planet. Hence, it is necessary to understand consumers’ different perceptions and behaviors regarding sustainable goods, as the solution will inevitably involve changing behaviors and promoting more sustainable...

Introdução: Iniciativas voltadas para o desenvolvimento sustentável dos recursos marítimos têm surgido por toda a União Europeia. Porém, Portugal, com a sua posição geoestratégica privilegiada e profunda ligação histórica ao Mar, pode assumir uma posição de maior destaque. Neste contexto, este artigo apresenta uma proposta de digitalização da infor...

This paper examines the concept of the "blue economy" in the context of the European Union (EU) and Portugal, exploring the economic importance of the sea and its resources. First, it provides an overview of the EU blue economy and its contribution to the overall EU economy over the last decade. Data from the European Commission shows that coastal...

Sustainable development is a very broad and rich concept that refers to a global development model that presupposes the satisfaction of humanity's current needs without compromising its future. With the growing globalization, there has been a greater concern with promoting sustainable economic activities internally and in supply chains. Aligned wit...

This paper aims to review one of the least used, but no less important, approaches in the assessment of the environmental implications of electricity generation: the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA). This methodology is a top-down approach intertwined with the environmental satellite accounts provided by the national statistica...

This study aims to explore whether consumers’ attention to companies’ green marketing communication influences their green purchase behaviour. It also analyses the importance of consumers’ characteristics, namely gender, education, and green attitudes, in their attention to companies’ green marketing communication. An online survey was carried out...

Currently, the Eco-Schools program plays a key role in the application of the concepts of environmental education and management in the daily life of schools. This program is considered the largest environmental education program for schools of different levels in the world and continues to grow with the constant and ambitious mission to improve li...

In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the environmental impacts of consumers’ behaviour. As this environmental awareness increases, consumers tend to focus more on green products and how purchasing these products represents an effective way to protect the environment. Through the application of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB...

This study aims to explore whether consumers` attention to companies` green communication influences their green purchase behavior. It also proposes to analyse the importance of consumers` characteristics, namely gender, education, and green attitudes in their attention to companies` green marketing communication. An online survey was carried out o...

Purpose: The objective of this study is to know the state of Portuguese organizations in relation to the transition to circular economy (CE), identifying the main CE practices adopted, barriers and motivations to CE implementation. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted for the period 2006 to 2021 and included aca...

Forest biomass use for energy production is not only an increasingly popular renewable source of energy, but has also been proposed as a tool for forest management, which can help reduce the incidence of forest fires. Similarly, an adequate management of biomass is a cornerstone of a more circular economy. Acknowledging this triple advantage of usi...

Purpose Through the application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study aims to explore the main determinants of higher education students’ pro-environmental behavior. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted among the students of a public higher education institution (HEI) in Portugal, from March to May of 2020. The...

The public perception of renewable energy sources is generally positive, due to their role in air pollution and CO2 emission mitigation policies. However, there are local environmental detrimental effects, and empirical evidence is not consistent as to the support of local communities. In the present paper, we analyse the antecedents of public gene...

Environmental taxation represents a key tool in a country’s sustainable development strategy, being an important factor of conciliation between environmental protection and economic growth. As a result of high population growth, intense industrialization and fossil fuels’ overuse, the world deals with serious environmental problems, namely unaccept...

The main purpose of this research study is to explore higher education students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire was conducted among the students of a public higher education institution (HEI) in Portugal. Our findings result from 371 valid responses and allow us to conclude that most students...

O tema desenvolvido e a respectiva apresentação foram distinguidos com a atribuição do prémio: “Best Paper Award”

The construction of hydropower plants, particularly of large ones, is far from being a consensual decision: advocates defend their construction based on the unquestionable benefits hydropower provides, while critics argue that these facilities are far from harmless and cause adverse impacts on the environment, being not only against the constructio...

Despite the often mentioned environmental benefits associated with transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, their use for electricity production has non-negligible negative environmental impacts. The most commonly mentioned in surveys concern different types of landscape impacts, impacts on the fauna and flora, and noise. These imp...

Sousa, S. (2018), Economic Valuation of Environmental Impacts Generated by Electricity Production through Renewable Energies in Portugal – Poster presented in the Conference APREN 2018: Portugal Renewable Summit, Fundação Oriente, Lisboa, Portugal.

Finalist of the APREN Award with the research study: “Economic Valuation of Environmental Impacts Generated by Electricity Production through Renewable Energies in Portugal”

Finalist of the Green Project Awards (GPA) in the category of Research and Development

Renewable energy sources for electricity generation are unequivocally more environmentally friendly than the traditional sources, but are not impact-free. Given the potential for solar photovoltaic energy to contribute to the energy mix in some countries, it is timely to carefully consider the potential environmental costs of operation of photovolt...

The production of electricity from hydropower results in several environmental impacts that, in only some instances, have been analysed from an economic valuation approach. Moreover, as environmental impacts largely depend on the specific characteristics of the case study, benefit transfer techniques are inadequate for valuation. The present paper...

Demanding EU targets for renewables create challenges for governmental decisions regarding energy sources and plant sitting. In this study we explore perceptions of the Portuguese general population regarding renewable energy power plants. In particular we study how these are affected by dimensions such as home distance to the power plant and its v...

As a renewable energy source, the use of forest biomass for electricity generation is advantageous in comparison with fossil fuels; however, the activity of forest biomass power plants causes adverse impacts, affecting particularly neighbouring communities. The main objective of this study is to estimate the effects of the activity of forest biomas...

Sustainability is frequently defined by its three pillars: environmental, economic and social. Consequently the evaluation of the sustainability of a decision, public or private, requires information on these three dimensions. This paper focuses on social sustainability. In the context of renewable energy sources, the consideration of social sustai...

Sustainability is frequently defined by its three pillars: economically viable, socially equitable, and environmentally bearable. Consequently the evaluation of the sustainability of any decision, public or private, requires information on these three dimensions. This paper focuses on social sustainability. In the context of renewable energy source...

Photovoltaic energy for electricity generation has developed considerably in recent years. In countries with high solar radiation indices, as in the case of Portugal, this energy source can be expected to play a significant role in the electricity production mix. The benefits of using this renewable energy source are undeniable, in particular in it...

The construction of dams, particularly large dams, has been highly controversial and the debate over it has become more heated during recent years. Despite their well-known benefits, the activity of dams in the electricity generation process is far from being environmentally harmless. Biodiversity limitation, impacts on fauna and flora, flooding of...

Over the last few decades, the number of wind farms installed in Portugal has grown considerably, which has stimulate an intense debate on the environmental impacts associated with wind energy. The use of wind power for electricity generation presents several environmental benefits, but it also presents adverse impacts. Some of the most important b...

Despite their well-known benefits in electricity production, dams are also responsible for some adverse environmental impacts affecting particularly the wellbeing of residents of the local communities. These environmental damages have not been included in the cost-benefit analysis of hydropower developments mainly because of the difficulty to deter...

Portugal is a country with a high potential for producing electricity using forest biomass, due to its considerable forest area. By using a renewable energy source (RES), forest biomass power plants (FBPP) present several clear advantages over other energy sources, however it does not necessarily mean they are environmentally impact-free. There are...

High demand for energy is a feature of the modern world which is however constrained by scarce and costly energy sources. High pollution levels and the political commitment to comply with the Kyoto protocol and subsequent international agreements have encouraged the use of renewable energy sources (RES). Among the technologies exploring RES, photov...

Siting decisions of wind farms are guided by a number of factors that may be grouped into two categories, namely maximizing the ratio between installed capacity and electricity production and minimizing the negative effects of the installation of the plant - both of which significantly depend on the location or siting choice. This paper focus on th...

Despite the well-known benefits for water and energy supply, flood management and irrigation, dams in Portugal are responsible for some adverse impacts on the natural and social environments of the local communities, including biodiversity limitation, impacts on fauna and flora, eventual flooding of large areas of cultivable land, water quality deg...

Energy production using traditional fossil fuel sources is the major culprit for man-made global climate changes, through emission of greenhouse gases and global warming of the planet. Moreover, in the particular case of Portugal, its scarcity in fossil resources leads to a considerable external energy dependency which, besides being a heavy burden...

The use of forest biomass in modern energy production has increased considerably over the last decade. As a renewable energy source, the use of forest biomass for electricity generation presents several advantages, particularly compared with the use of fossil fuel. However, the activity of forest biomass power plants is responsible for causing some...

Dams’ environmental impacts are receiving increasing attention by researchers. Despite being important for water and energy supply, flood management and irrigation, dams are also responsible for causing several adverse environmental impacts to the local communities who often do not receive any compensation for these impacts despite being affected b...

Over the last decades, a major emphasis has been given to renewable energy sources, with a significant development of different sources of power supply based on available domestic natural resources. Regarding forest biomass, Portugal is a country with a high potential for using this type of fuel, due to its considerable forest area. Being a renewab...

The environmental benefits of electricity production from renewable energy sources are well recognized and accepted, however the environmental costs are less known. Regarding wind farms, these are responsible for causing several adverse environmental impacts, namely noise, landscape changes, fauna and flora impacts, electromagnetic interferences an...

Despite their well-known benefits, dams are also responsible for some adverse environmental impacts affecting particularly the wellbeing of the local communities’ residents. These environmental damages have not been included in the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of hydropower developments mainly because of the difficulty to determine their value. The...

The production of electricity worldwide has increasingly relied on renewable energy sources, which in contrast to conventional energy sources are seen as “environmentally friendly”, however this does not mean that they are environmentally impact-free. The literature on the environmental impacts of the use of renewable energy sources in the producti...

The production of electricity worldwide has increasingly relied on renewable energy sources, which in contrast to conventional energy sources are seen as “environmentally friendly”, however this does not mean that they are environmentally impact-free. The literature on the environmental impacts of the use of renewable energy sources in the producti...

Abstract Renewable energy sources have gained increasing importance in the production of electricity worldwide. In contrast to conventional energy sources, renewable energy sources are seen as “environmentally benign”, but this does not mean that they are environmentally impact-free. The environmental impacts (EI) of renewable energy sources in ele...

ABSTRACT Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) present individuals with choices between scenarios described in terms of attributes and associated levels. Despite its significant potential in the analysis of individual preferences, the application of this method raises some important issues, namely whether the elicited preferences behave in accordance...

Abstract The small and medium enterprises assume great importance in the productive structure of many countries, including in Portugal, becoming necessary, face to the challenges of the competitive environment where they develop its activity, to bet in factors that allow them to get competitive advantages. The quality is assumed currently as one of...