Actioning the Global Goals for Local Impact Towards Sustainability Science, Policy, Education and Practice: Towards Sustainability Science, Policy, Education and Practice
Abstract
This book highlights the value of sustainability science in newly emerging and innovative approaches to research, education, capacity building and practice in order to transform rhetoric into impact sustainability. Presenting case studies from various industries, sectors and geographical contexts targeting the seventeen (Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the 2030 Agenda, it provides insightful recommendations to create sustainable impact while at the same time achieving the global goals.
The book addresses the fundamental question of how sustainability rehtoric can be transformed into impact sustainability research, education and capacity building and as a result, how existing approaches in science, curricula and practice are mitigating the demands emerging from addressing global sustainable development in an impactful and innovative manner. Providing recommendations for impact sustainability in science, curriculum on how to address pressing sustainability issues and contribute toward achieving the SDGs, this book is an essential reference for both academics and professionals.
... MDG vs SDG targets are shown in Table 1. The MDGs were a symbol of solidarity with the poorest and the helpless, whereas the SDGs were holistic and broad (Cano et al. 2020). ...
... This is also a measure of poverty reduction (SDG 1) since it strengthens community capacity, thereby reducing livelihood vulnerabilities. Hence, both the SDGs and their targets are multifaceted and interconnected (Cano et al. 2020). ...
... MDG vs SDG targets are shown in Table 1. The MDGs were a symbol of solidarity with the poorest and the helpless, whereas the SDGs were holistic and broad (Cano et al. 2020). ...
... This is also a measure of poverty reduction (SDG 1) since it strengthens community capacity, thereby reducing livelihood vulnerabilities. Hence, both the SDGs and their targets are multifaceted and interconnected (Cano et al. 2020). ...
... uccessfully tap into this type of knowledge through encouraging scientific research and supporting internal and external research networks in communities. Such practice will generate quality research teams, mentoring programmes and University-industry for community development or community partnerships and community engagement knowledge generation.Franco et al., (2019) affirm that, know-who knowledge facilitates creativity and research culture innovation as it fosters collaboration and networking of people with diverse knowledge, skills and experiences. By and large, there are four types of knowledge under the KBE, and different approaches and channels are used for mastering these four different types ...
... uccessfully tap into this type of knowledge through encouraging scientific research and supporting internal and external research networks in communities. Such practice will generate quality research teams, mentoring programmes and University-industry for community development or community partnerships and community engagement knowledge generation.Franco et al., (2019) affirm that, know-who knowledge facilitates creativity and research culture innovation as it fosters collaboration and networking of people with diverse knowledge, skills and experiences. By and large, there are four types of knowledge under the KBE, and different approaches and channels are used for mastering these four different types ...
This research is meant to discover the paradox public university is encountering in the process of developing research culture in Uganda. It is going to unpack and underpin all the eventualities.
... It was found that "nature/topography" also plays an important role in Tosa Town. In Japan, several studies are being conducted to investigate the relationship between natural resources and SDGs, such as forest management policies [23]. SDG 11 aims to eliminate slum-like situations, provide affordable public transport, reduce urban sprawl, strengthen urban governance engagement, improve the protection of cultural assets, address urban resilience and climate change issues, improve urban management (pollution and waste management), and ensure access for all to safe public places. ...
... Equality does not mean that women and men are equal but that the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of women and men do not depend on their sex or gender [31]. Success in this area depends mainly on the collaboration of multiple stakeholders, i.e., governments, corporations, higher education institutions, and civil society organizations [32]. Furthermore, if there are human resources to promote this new approach, they are undoubtedly in the universities [30]. ...
Universities are a key element in preventing any form of discrimination. Therefore, the United Nations 2030 Agenda recognizes their role through goal 4 regarding the quality of education. The 2030 agenda also includes goals 5 and 10, regarding gender equity and reducing inequalities as cross-cutting elements to boost social inclusion. The purpose of this research is to carry out a multivariate and dynamic analysis of the most outstanding universities in the global list of the THE Impact Rankings, which is the only tool that classifies these institutions in terms of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to study how they are positioned in the indicators related to inequality. We also examine its evolution in the last three years and the relationship between goals 4, 5, and 10. The results show that less than half of the leading universities in sustainability carry out an active social inclusion policy. Additionally, most of them underwent significant changes in their trajectories to approach the indicator of gender equity. The research suggests there is still a long way to go to achieve social justice.
... Europe's urban population is predicted to rise to just over 80% by 2050. As a result, sustainable cities, towns and suburbs are vital for their residents' well-being and quality of life (Eurostat 2021). Another critical fact that should be stated is, while occupying only 3% of the Earth's territory, cities account for 60-80% of global energy consumption and 75% of global carbon emissions (United Nations 2021). ...
Describes 34 emerging technologies and reviews their application toward achieving the UN SDGs
Draws on reviews of the business models of 650 companies
Offers a theoretical background in innovation
... Europe's urban population is predicted to rise to just over 80% by 2050. As a result, sustainable cities, towns and suburbs are vital for their residents' well-being and quality of life (Eurostat 2021). Another critical fact that should be stated is, while occupying only 3% of the Earth's territory, cities account for 60-80% of global energy consumption and 75% of global carbon emissions (United Nations 2021). ...
City governance is vital for sustainable development goals and resource management and allocation as well as urban climate-related initiatives, as it is estimated that more people will reside in the urban areas in further years. As more people migrate to cities, the world steadily becomes more urbanised. The population of the cities accounts for 55% of the total population, and cities generate 85% of global gross domestic product and emit 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. SDG-11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, aims to ensure inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable urban and human settlements by providing inexpensive transit solutions, decreasing urban sprawl, enhancing urban governance involvement, improving the protection of cultural assets and addressing urban resilience and climate change issues. This chapter presents the business models of 50 companies and use cases that employ emerging technologies and create value in SDG-11. We should highlight that one use case can be related to more than one SDG and it can make use of multiple emerging technologies.KeywordsSustainable development goals
Business models
Sustainable cities and communities
Sustainability
... Europe's urban population is predicted to rise to just over 80% by 2050. As a result, sustainable cities, towns and suburbs are vital for their residents' well-being and quality of life (Eurostat 2021). Another critical fact that should be stated is, while occupying only 3% of the Earth's territory, cities account for 60-80% of global energy consumption and 75% of global carbon emissions (United Nations 2021). ...
... This calls for the global concern about the health of our society, ecological unit and sustainable future development [1][2][3][4]. Besides, the United Nations General Assembly (2015) in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 7 "Affordable and Clean Energy" emphases on evolving in solar, wind and thermal power aiming at safeguarding and improving energy efficiency for all through expanding infrastructure and upgrading technology so as to afford clean and efficient energy in all countries which will reassure the development and help the environments [5]. The further investigation on the expansion and scale up of the sustainable clean energy sources and their associated technologies is of paramount. ...
Cooked chicken bone waste (CCBW) has been traditionally used as the source of food for some animals like dogs in developing countries, all the same, it has never been reported as an energy storage material. In this study, CCBW has been successfully converted into carbon materials (activated carbon) through a simple and cost-effective activation process for supercapacitor applications. The influence of potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an activating agent/CCBW ratio was established by different characterization techniques and electrochemical investigation. The synthesized activated carbon with the optimal KOH to CCBW presented a high specific capacitance with the specific surface area of 2235.8 m²/g. The fabricated symmetric device presented a maximum specific energy and power of 17.1 Wh kg⁻¹ and 425 W kg⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹. Besides, at high specific current of 10 A g⁻¹ the device was able to maintain a specific energy and power of 11.3 Wh kg⁻¹ and 8500 W kg⁻¹, respectively. The device established a remarkable columbic efficiency of 99.8% and capacitance retention of 90.1% after 20,000 cycling at 5 A g⁻¹. An outstanding improvement in specific capacitance from 127.6 F g⁻¹ to 329.41 F g⁻¹ after the device was subjected to floating time of 300 h was noted, with corresponding specific energy and power of 33.1 Wh kg⁻¹ and 4250 W kg⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹. The results attained offers a possible process of transforming low-cost distinguished biomass source into highly porous nanostructured constituents for energy-storage applications.
... This calls for the global concern about the health of our society, ecological unit and sustainable future development [1][2][3][4]. Besides, the United Nations General Assembly (2015) in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 7 "Affordable and Clean Energy" emphases on evolving in solar, wind and thermal power aiming at safeguarding and improving energy efficiency for all through expanding infrastructure and upgrading technology so as to afford clean and efficient energy in all countries which will reassure the development and help the environments [5]. The further investigation on the expansion and scale up of the sustainable clean energy sources and their associated technologies is of paramount. ...
... Hence, our approach can contribute to achieve sustainable development goals (e.g. SDG 11 -Sustainable cities and communities) in the Agenda 2030 and other political objectives (UN, 2015 andFranco et al., 2020). ...
Surface characteristics play a vital role in simulations for urban bioclimatic conditions. Changing relationships and distribution patterns of sealed and vegetated surfaces as well as building geometry across different scales in urban environments influence surface temperatures. Cities comprise different urban forms, which, depending on their surface characteristics, enhance the heating process, increasing the emergence of urban heat islands (UHIs). Detecting priority areas to introduce multi-beneficial climate change adaptation measures is set to be a key task for the cities long-term strategies to improve climatic conditions across different urban structures and scales. We introduce a simple and fast spatial modelling approach to carry out fine-scale simulations for land surface temperature (LST), mean radiant temperature (MRT) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in a 2D environment. Capabilities of our modelling approach are demonstrated in evaluating urban thermal comfort in the alpine city of Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol in western Austria. Results show a major contrast between sealed and vegetated surfaces reflected in the distributional patterns and values of LST, MRT and UTCI, correlating with the appearance and frequency of specific surface classes. We found the Sky View Factor to have a substantial impact on calculations for bioclimatic conditions and see high-albedo surfaces decrease LST but increase the apparent temperature (MRT and UTCI values) effecting human thermal comfort. Furthermore, MRT and UTCI are more sensitive to changes in emissivity values, whereas LST is more sensitive to changes in Bowen Ratio values. Application of our modelling approach can be used to identify priority areas and maximise multi-functionality of climate change adaptation measures, to support urban planning processes for heat mitigation and the implementation of policy suggestions to achieve sustainable development goals and other political objectives.
... Some of the most comprehensive reviews on CSP focus on systemic change (Clarke & Crane, 2018), on research and development (R&D) activities between industry and universities (Cunningham & Link, 2015), on CSP outcomes and impacts (Clarke & MacDonald, 2019;Van Tulder et al., 2016), and their impact on the SDGs (Franco et al., 2020). ...
The launch of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has established a new paradigm in sustainable development, where cross-sector partnerships (CSP) take a central role with SDG 17 on partnerships for the goals. At the same time, the SDGs have recognized the essential role of the main social actors such as businesses, government, civil society, and universities working together to reach a sustainable development. However, the literature related to Industry-University collaboration remains underdeveloped. Moreover, Industry-University CSP in developing countries exhibits unique complexities. This paper proposes a quantitative methodology to identify the key dynamic determinants of the implementation of CSP between industry and university in the context of a developing country. The methodology involves non-parametric association and inferential statistical analysis to obtain the main determinants that lead to the implementation of these programs. A case study in a developing country was created and surveys of companies were collected and analyzed. The proposed methodology is transferable to different types of partnerships and other geographical contexts.
While the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have emerged as the preeminent sustainability framework across various spatial scopes, the reporting and assessment of new urban developments and regeneration projects often remain tethered to sustainability frameworks that lack direct alignment with SDG targets. This paper proposes a framework to integrate SDG reporting within urban regeneration initiatives. This approach leverages existing resources, such as the Joint Research Center’s (JRC) European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Report (VLR) and UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF), to report potential contributions towards SDG progress. The framework is validated through the case study of Madrid Nuevo Norte (MNN), one of the largest urban regeneration projects currently developed in Europe, located in the northern district of the Spanish capital and encompasses the regeneration of a 3.2 million square meter area. The methodology evaluates MNN potential contributions through a set of indicators based on input–output/outcome–impact framework to track the causal pathways arising from MNN activities. This paper presents an analysis of the methodological framework developed for the MNN SDG report during the project-planning phase, with a focus on evaluating the framework’s capacity to accurately estimate the project’s contributions to the SDGs.
Background
Post-apartheid, the education system shifted its focus from a segregated education system to an inclusive education system, which resulted in greater consideration of the role and function of special needs schools. In 2014 the National Department of Basic Education developed and implemented an inclusive approach and policies to provide guidelines on the running of special needs schools (SNS). The study was conducted in six SNS in Ekurhuleni South District, South Africa.
Objectives
The study explored the experiences of teachers and healthcare workers when implementing policies in SNS in the study area.
Method
This exploratory qualitative study used purposive sampling to select 13 teachers and healthcare workers for in-depth interviews. Collected data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis and ATLAS-ti version 23.
Results
Teachers and healthcare workers had different working experiences and understandings about inclusive education and policies, as well as their role in implementing these policies. Experienced challenges included lack of training, limited resources, lack of parental support, issues with differentiated curriculum, an unacceptable teaching environment; and poor referral systems. These challenges evoked strategies such as improvising, collaborating, and referring. Participants indicated that they required further training, resources, and support to successfully implement inclusive policies.
Conclusion
Both teachers and healthcare workers agreed that resources were lacking at all SNS represented. Staff training was urgently needed as the current curricula at SNS were differentiated for learners with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Contribution
Findings may inform policy implementation and change in SNS.
The concept of sustainable development appeared as a response to the attempt to improve the quality of human life, simultaneously with the preservation of the environment. For this reason, two of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are dedicated to life below water (SDG14) and on land (SDG15). In the course of this research, comprehensive information on the extent of degradation in Romania’s primary ecosystems was furnished, along with an exploration of the key factors precipitating this phenomenon. This investigation delves into the perspectives of 42 counties, scrutinizing the level of degradation in forest ecosystems, grasslands, lakes and rivers. The analysis commences with a presentation of descriptive statistics pertaining to each scrutinized system, followed by an elucidation of the primary causes contributing to its degradation. Subsequently, a cluster analysis is conducted on the counties of the country. One of these causes is the presence of intense industrial activity in certain areas, so it is even more important to accelerate the transition to a green economy in order to help the environment regenerate.
INTRODUCTION: Energy is the foundation of all human endeavors and is intertwined with human progress. The access to sustainable energy services is a fundamental requirement for sustainable development, encompassing poverty eradication, food security, health, well-being, and education quality. Affordable and clean energy is explicitly recognized as one of the 17 sustainable development goals.
OBJECTIVE: to analyse research trends and the knowledge structure in the field of affordable and clean energy.
METHODS: This study was based on a descriptive bibliometric analysis of SDGs 7 "Affordable and Clean Energy". The Scopus database was used as a source of information, between 2012 and 2021.
RESULTS: The trend of documents on Affordable and Clean Energy reveals a steady increase in the number of published papers related to this topic, indicating a growing interest and activity in researching and disseminating information about sustainable energy. It is observed that international collaboration accounts for 21.8% of the analyzed documents, indicating a significant involvement of researchers from different countries. Engineering emerges as the leading subject area with 591,146 scholarly outputs, indicating a strong focus on technological advancements and innovation.
CONCLUSIONS: Scientific production in the field of affordable and clean energy has experienced steady growth, reflecting an increasing interest in research and development of sustainable energy solutions. However, it is important to recognize that this increase in the number of published papers has not translated into greater impact and recognition in the scientific community. Although more knowledge is being generated, its influence seems to be diminishing. Countries that participate in joint research obtain a higher number of citations, indicating the importance of establishing international linkages to maximize the visibility and impact of research.
Hainan Island in southern China has strong ecological systems and natural resources relevant to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The island has been focusing on economic development and building a national park and a free trade port to improve the economy and people’s lives. However, current research on Hainan’s SDGs has mainly focused on urban-related indicators (SDG11), resulting in an incomplete evaluation across SDGs. It is necessary to establish a comprehensive assessment framework that incorporates a greater number of indicators for Sustainable Development Goals in Hainan. Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Assessment System and the current situation in Hainan, a localized study has been conducted on indicators for Sustainable Development Goals 1–4 and 6–11. Our analysis of target scores, SDG scores, and SDG index scores shows the following: (1) The sustainable development of Hainan Island has significantly improved since 2015, with SDGs 1, 3, and 10 showing the largest improvement; (2) most cities and counties have increased their SDG index scores, with Sanya City replacing Haikou City as the top scorer in 2021; and (3) the sustainable development levels are unevenly distributed, with high levels in the north and south, stable levels in the east, and low levels in the central and western regions. Policies, such as the “Haicheng Wending” comprehensive economic circle, are promoting integration between cities and counties. The study provides a localized evaluation framework and methodology for SDGs assessment at the regional level that can serve as a reference for similar work on sustainable development in similar regions and tropical islands worldwide.
Today’s challenges to sustainability are explored through a complex combination of interdisciplinary topics that explore various interactions between economic, social, and environmental systems that further contribute to existing uncertainties. Solving complex/dynamic sustainability constraints does not demand exclusively technical and practical methods, as it is equally important to have a profound conceptual understanding of the origins of such challenges. The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges to the sustainable development process from the perspective of the philosophy of grey systems theory (GST). GST considers inherent defects and shortcomings in human understanding/knowledge and identifies the roots of uncertainty. The study concentrates on the sustainable development process, highlighting the ways in which GST explains the causes and sources of uncertainty in this process. It is emphasized that sustainability cannot be achieved without intentional human intervention, and that international collaboration is vital in solving sustainability problems. Uncertainty and challenges to sustainable development stem from human grey understanding and knowledge. This problem makes it difficult for humans to understand and model dynamicity, to strike a balance between different spheres of science, and to have an objective view of reality due to the dependence of knowledge on thinking paradigms and values. These shortcomings ultimately bring about value conflicts, different understandings of risks, and impediments to international collaboration and agreement. Finally, the study explains that uncertainty arises from incomplete understanding and grey knowledge, and that uncertainty undermines the prediction of outcomes. Furthermore, delays inherent in interactions and the impacts of diverse systems on the world increase uncertainty and complicate decision- and policymaking in improvement projects. In their efforts to implement their decisions and policies, humans also encounter various limitations in terms of their capacities, resources, and facilities. The application of GST-based approaches to the operational area is also discussed.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) lay the foundations for supporting global health yet the rate of meeting the SDGs is slow and complex. In order to meet these transactional and multidisciplinary challenges a paradigm shift from operating in silos is needed, to include a more interdisciplinary approach (top down as well as bottom up approaches). This paper reports top down and bottom up approaches that were used to address health and wellbeing in a middle-eastern multi-cultural city. In this retrospective roadmap, we highlight the key pillars that appear to have assisted in progress in achieving SDG3, Good Health and Well-being. The roadmap includes the development of the key pillars: 1) a common agenda, 2) shared measurement system, 3) mutually reinforcing activities, 4) continuous communication and 5) backbone support. Highlighting condition 4, continuous communication, of the model, we discuss the creation, use and importance of a “communication tool” used for Healthy Urban Planning. This tool developed cooperatively with relevant municipality departments, national government, and multidisciplinary community shareholders, led to organizational changes and the creation of the Sustainability Department of the municipality. This retrospective roadmap appears to reflect the collective impact framework appropriate for solving complex challenges such as achieving SDGs.
Currently, the particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micron (PM 2.5 ) pollutant has gained more concerned as can be seen from the WHO revised the air quality guideline value. The 24-hour average concentration has been strengthened from 25 µg m ⁻³ to 15 µg m ⁻³ . However, the continuous PM 2.5 monitoring system provides data on an hourly basis, which can be averaged at a 24-hour value compare with the WHO air quality guidelines. The value given by the moving average technique can be stored at the leftmost, center or rightmost hour. Three moving average PM 2.5 time series would differ from the hourly observed PM 2.5 data. Similarity testing by cross-correlation and Euclidean distance was performed to present a suitable 24-hour moving average time series for hourly data. The 24-hour moving average time series recorded at center is more suitable than the leftmost and rightmost 24-hour moving average time series in terms of shape and distance. It has less time lag and distance to the hourly PM 2.5 time series. Comparing the 24-hour moving average time series to the WHO interim targets and the guideline value reveals PM 2.5 concentration level lower than the guideline value (15 µg m ⁻³ ) about 40% during the nighttime, whereas the proportion during daytime is around 28%. Also, the NAAQS of Thailand for 24-hour PM 2.5 was changed from 50 µg m ⁻³ to 37.5 µg m ⁻³ corresponding to the interim targets 3 and 2, respectively. From this study, concentrations higher than the NAAQs level will increase from 10 to about 22%. The increase in the number of exceedances based on the same data means the state of air quality is similar. Therefore, residents may misunderstand and know the air quality becomes more severe. The government should spend more effort to reduce emissions and ambient air concentrations than earlier endeavors.
Stakeholder engagement is a central tenet for understanding and solving sustainability challenges. Given the existing stakeholder knowledge base and the fact that practitioners mostly focus on the engagement of high-power and salience stakeholders, the interests of low-power and vulnerable stakeholders are often manipulated. Therefore, this research is devoted to the engagement of low-power and vulnerable stakeholders. Grounded in the stakeholder theory and the results of two illustrations, we demonstrate how the physical proximity of vulnerable stakeholders influences salience patterns in a multi-stakeholder engagement context. The contribution of the study is the conceptualisation of proximity as a stakeholder attribute, in addition to power, legitimacy, and urgency, to help managers identify and appropriately engage with vulnerable stakeholders. Thus, we extend stakeholder typologies by incorporating proximity into the existing attribute model. The proposed model addresses the paradoxical nature of stakeholder salience and engagement theories and furthers the sustainability agenda.
Women's empowerment is one of the main topics discussed as a means of closing the gender gap and achieving equality and inclusion for women in relation to their health, education, and economic status (i.e., all aspects of their lives) and to realise their human rights as one of the United Nations Goals 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This research investigates the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the progress and achievement of the UN 2030 Goal 5. It reports on actions taken by some governments over the world to combat the effects of the pandemic especially in relation to women empowerment and gender equality. Research sheds light on both negative and positive outcomes resulting from COVID-19 and provides recommendations for policy makers in various fields to work collaboratively to take further measures on the road of achieving the required outcomes for UN 2030 Goal 5.
Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULCC) are occurring rapidly around the globe, particularly in developing island nations. We use the lens of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to determine potential policies to address LULCC due to increasing population, suburbia, and rubber plantations in Semarang, Indonesia between 2006 and 2015. Using remote sensing, overlay analysis, optimized hot spot analysis, expert validation, and Continuous Change Detection and Classification, we found that there was a spread of urban landscapes towards the southern and western portions of Semarang that had previously been occupied by forests, plantations, agriculture, and aquaculture. We also witnessed a transition in farming from agriculture to rubber plantations, a cash crop. The implications of this study show that these geospatial analyses and big data can be used to characterize the SDGs, the complex interplay of these goals, and potentially alleviate some of the conflicts between disparate SDGs. We recommend certain policies that can assist in preserving the terrestrial ecosystem of Semarang (SDG 15) while creating a sustainable city (SDG 11, SDG 9) and providing sufficient work for individuals (SDG 1) in a growing economy (SDG 8) while simultaneously maintaining a sufficient food supply (SDG 2).
Global systems and processes that assure the supply of rainwater, drinking water and oxygen are regulated by oceanic temperature chemistry, currents and life. Pollution, diminished fisheries and the loss of coastal habitats all have negative impacts on the ocean’s sustainability. Such activities have severely impacted around 40% of the world’s oceans. SDG-14, Life Below Water, aims to conserve marine ecosystems by establishing regulations for removing pollutants from the sea, decreasing sea acidification and regulating the fishing sector to ensure sustainable fishing. As a result, the major incentive for this goal is to protect and utilise marine ecosystem services sustainably. This chapter presents the business models of 36 companies and use cases that employ emerging technologies and create value in SDG-14. We should highlight that one use case can be related to more than one SDG and it can make use of multiple emerging technologies.KeywordsSustainable development goals
Business models
Life below water
Sustainability.
The global goals proclaimed by world leaders contain three main problems to be solved, namely poverty, inequality and the environment which are translated into 17 sustainable development goals. These seventeen programs can only be realized if people at the local level can actively participate in utilizing their potential. One small step at the local level that can be implemented is a training program on maggot cultivation as an alternative to fish feed by involving women. Maggot which is the larvae of the BSF fly has many benefits for both the economic sector and the environment. There are at least four global goals programs that are very relevant to this community service activity, namely eradicating poverty, reducing hunger, gender equality and responsible consumption and production. Maggot cultivation can be an alternative business activity for the community which is very profitable. Maggot as a quality feed for livestock indirectly contributes to food production so that it can inhibit the rate of hunger in the community. Not only men, women can also be involved in this activity, so that gender equality can be realized. In addition, maggot is also a responsible link in the production and consumption process because it is in line with environmental sustainability, namely breaking down waste to produce various kinds of organic products. Thus, maggot cultivation can be a productive alternative for the community
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a unique disruptive moment of unprecedented proportions in world history affecting all spheres of life. Theological education in Malawi, Sub-Saharan Africa, has not been spared in experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study argues that the effectiveness of theological education in Africa contributes towards the future of Christianity on the continent, because it serves as a foundation for a vibrant missional church. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities for creativity and innovation which could ensure the survival and sustainability of theological education in Africa. It is therefore crucial to critically reflect on how the provision of theological education in Malawi in particular, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, in general, can be sustained during the uncertain and challenging times when the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the African continent and the entire world. This article investigated the challenges and opportunities for theological education in Malawi in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In view of this, the following five objectives emerged: (1) to evaluate the Malawi government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) to discuss the history and importance of theological education in Africa; (3) to examine the challenges of theological
education in Malawi in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; and (4) to assess the
prospects of theological education in Malawi in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
A qualitative research methodology was used, namely a literature review and interviews with members of the faculty of theological institutions in Malawi. Six main findings were established: First, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented both challenges and opportunities for theological education in Africa. Second, the effectiveness of theological education in Africa has contributed towards the future of Christianity on the continent. Third, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the dominant models of theological education in Africa. This entails a shift from face-to-face teaching to online teaching and learning. Fourth, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities for the sustainability of theological education in Africa. Fifth, theological education has encountered misleading theologies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixth, theological education has the opportunity of constructing life-giving theologies in Africa. This study has two implications: (1) navigating the changing terrain of theological education in Malawi; and (2) theological education’s employment of digital technologies during and post the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out to improve the quality of life of people in developed, emerging, and developing countries by covering social and economic aspects, with a focus on environmental sustainability. At the same time, data-driven technologies influence our lives in all areas and have caused fundamental economical and societal changes. This study presents a comprehensive literature review on how data-driven approaches have enabled or inhibited the successful achievement of the 17 SDGs to date. Our findings show that data-driven analytics and tools contribute to achieving the 17 SDGs, e.g., by making information more reliable, supporting better-informed decision-making, implementing data-based policies, prioritizing actions, and optimizing the allocation of resources. Based on a qualitative content analysis, results were aggregated into a conceptual framework, including the following categories: (1) uses of data-driven methods (e.g., monitoring, measurement, mapping or modeling, forecasting, risk assessment, and planning purposes), (2) resulting positive effects, (3) arising challenges, and (4) recommendations for action to overcome these challenges. Despite positive effects and versatile applications, problems such as data gaps, data biases, high energy consumption of computational resources, ethical concerns, privacy, ownership, and security issues stand in the way of achieving the 17 SDGs.
Universal access to energy is a global challenge for sustainable development that requires granting last-mile access to energy services to rural and isolated communities. However, achieving access is not sufficient: it must be done affordably, reliably and with an adequate quality. Universal access to energy goes beyond the mere selection of a technical solution or infrastructure; it demands being able to design management models for projects aiming to guarantee that households may access energy services in a sustainable way. This study analyzes the main elements (i.e., governance, technological and business models) of management models in universal access to energy projects and their impact on the different dimensions of sustainability (i.e., social, environmental, and economic). The study then presents three case studies of rural electrification projects having different configurations of the management model, with special focus on the differences in the business model, and it analyzes their outcomes from a sustainability perspective. The analysis of the three case studies suggests that the choice of the business model is key to ensuring sustainability, with fee-for-service models giving the best results. The analysis also highlights the importance of collaboration and involvement of the communities in projects engaging multiple agents with different roles.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been an articulated practice for over 7 decades. Still, most corporations lack an integrated framework to develop a strategic, balanced, and effective approach to achieving excellence in CSR. Considering the world’s critical situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, such a framework is even more crucial now. We suggest subsuming CRS categories under Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) be used and that they subsume CSR categories since SDGs are a comprehensive agenda designed for the whole planet. This study presents a new CSR drivers model and a novel comprehensive CSR model. Then, it highlights the advantages of integrating CSR and SDGs in a new framework. The proposed framework benefits from both CSR and SDGs, addresses current and future needs, and offers a better roadmap with more measurable outcomes.
Neighbourhood safety represents an important topic of study to illustrate the reasons behind the increases in crime and mitigate its effects in neighbourhoods. This study examines how the social and environmental features of neighbourhoods may influence the social sustainability of residents based on the assumption that the perception of safety and social cohesion mediates the effects of neighbourhood environment on social sustainability. A quantitative method was employed to collect data from residents in a low-rise residential area in Penang, Malaysia. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated the positive and significant effect of neighbourhood accessibility on perceived disorder, whilst the effect of accessibility on social cohesion was negative. Disorders may comprise social and physical disorders, and may have a negative effect on perception of safety, but not on social cohesion. The relationship between disorders and social sustainability is serially mediated by the perception of safety and social cohesion. This implies that those who perceived high disorderliness in a neighbourhood environment reported a lower level of perception of safety, social cohesion and lower levels of social sustainability. Attempts need to be made to reduce neighbourhood disorderliness to pave the way for 2030 Agenda goals implementation.
Food processing is among the greatest water‐consuming industries with a significant role in the implementation of sustainable development goals. Water‐consuming industries such as food processing have become a threat to limited freshwater resources, and numerous attempts are being carried out in order to develop and apply novel approaches for water management in these industries. Studies have shown the positive impact of the new methods of process integration (e.g., water pinch, mathematical optimization, etc.) in maximizing water reuse and recycle. Applying these methods in food processing industries not only significantly supported water consumption minimization but also contributed to environmental protection by reducing wastewater generation. The methods can also increase the productivity of these industries and direct them to sustainable production. This interconnection led to a new subcategory in nexus studies known as water‐food‐environment nexus. The nexus assures sustainable food production with minimum freshwater consumption and minimizes the environmental destructions caused by untreated wastewater discharge. The aim of this study was to provide a thorough review of water‐food‐environment nexus application in food processing industries and explore the nexus from different aspects. The current study explored the process of food industries in different sectors regarding water consumption and wastewater generation, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The most recent wastewater treatment methods carried out in different food processing sectors were also reviewed. This review provided a comprehensive literature for choosing the optimum scenario of water and wastewater management in food processing industries.
The theme of the environmental upgrades and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations is "Better Environment, Better tomorrow." This study uses regulatory quality (RgQ) and energy consumption per capita (EC) as explanatory variables and foreign direct investment (FDI) as an integrating variable with RgQ and EC and examines their impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2001 to 2018 in panel Asian economies. The findings indicate that EC negatively impacts GHG emissions, while RgQ positively promotes the reduction of GHG emissions in Asia. In addition, FDI has an integrating role, as sufficient FDI inflows significantly enhance clean energy use and EC efficiency. Such inflows also support and improve Asia's regulation quality by upgrading standardization investments and technology deployment to enhance institutional quality and achieve SDGs. FDI inflows have thus been vital in environment upgrading in Asia and regional sustainable environmental development.
This journal article explores Corporate Purpose as an approach to action the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It achieves this objective by presenting a review of existing literature on Corporate Purpose and SDGs from the disciplines of business ethics, management studies, economics and psychology. The review showcases contributions exploring whether and how Corporate Purpose-led strategy facilitates the operationalization of the SDGs and proposes an emerging research agenda. This article employed an inductive approach methodology through grounded theory to develop a critical analysis of scientific evidence-based work for theory construction on Corporate Purpose. One of the major findings of this review is that to achieve the SDGs companies need to shift found from the “business as usual” approach, which perceives sustainability as an externality, to incorporating sustainability factors in the company’s underlying purpose. The article also (1) identifies trends in research outputs and reveals five major antecedents of the phenomenon (drivers to purpose), (2) identifies key gaps within the existing literature, (3) distinguishes three current approaches to Corporate Purpose and (4) elaborates on current theories of Corporate Purpose and SDGs linkages to identify opportunities and aid future research. In summary, this article unpacks Corporate Purpose mechanisms to action the SDGs and stimulates academic discussion of business transformational approaches to long-standing sustainability challenges.
In this investigation, we formulated the Ecosystem’s Health Provision Spectrum and its centrality indicators, based on the identification of the Ecosystem Health Potentials and Opportunities on the trails of Santo Sepulcro and Riacho do Meio in the Araripe UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG), establishing a baseline for the promotion of green exercise and geotourism in the territory. Based on the network methodology for complex systems, we analyzed the closeness and strength of biotic, abiotic variables, nature phenomena, infrastructure, and sensory experiences in order to determine the configuration of these associations. In the Santo Sepulcro, regarding the association, two negative relations and two positive relations among the variables were highlighted; as for closeness and strength, Aquatic Diversity with the Scientific Values of Geodiversity stood out. In Riacho do Meio, we highlight three positive associations among the variables; as for connectivity, Biodiversity and Meteorological and Climate Exposure presented the highest values and, as for strength, the variables Biodiversity, Route Classification, and Aquatic Diversity were the most prominent. We conclude, based on the presented configuration, that the variables with greater connectivity act as hubs; if these variables are optimized, the network will present an acceptable theoretical configuration. However, neglecting central strength variables can cause the network to collapse.
United in Science" is the recent slogan of the United Nations climate summit in 2020. A collective effort of institutional governance, energy resources utilization, foreign inclusion, and regional collaboration is required for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) of achieving a clean environment. In reaching this objective, this study investigates the sustainably of Regulatory Quality (RQ), Energy Consumption per capita (ECpc), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and their interaction in reducing the Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) Emissions. This study considered 27 Asian economies , covering the more extensively undertaken regional investigation, in the time period from 2001 to 2018. The results of the two-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) show that RQ has a strong positive significant impact on GHGs emissions reduction. It further indicates that FDI inflows support the institutions to enhance their institutional capacities. Simultaneously, ECpc has negative impacts on GHGs emissions. Furthermore, RQ interaction with ECpc and FDI also have a strong significant positive impact on GHGs emissions reduction in Asia. The study concludes that the Asia region has been implementing aggressive and prudent policies towards environmental up-gradation to achieve sustainability. However, FDI inflows should be more allocated to environmental quality and energy efficacy to clean the climate and promote regional collaboration.
The growth in population and economic activities has direct implications on the deterioration of the natural capital, especially when referring to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. However, improvement is possible by empowering sustainable consumption and production patterns. Through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations call for a mix of economic development, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. The agenda also provides the instruments needed to track progress, as each Sustainable Development Goal has a set of indicators meant to assess various dimensions of sustainability. Energy productivity is only one of many, but still special because it reflects sustainable consumption behaviors and production patterns. The 2030 Climate Target Plan elaborated by the European Commission consolidates and brings its contribution to the aims of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by adding weight to the importance of the greenhouse gas emissions target. The objective of this research was to study the relationship between energy productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, biowaste recycling and nominal GDP in the EU in order to highlight the key of a smooth transition towards sustainable consumption behaviors and production patterns. The results show that recycling, greening the economy and energy productivity are the vectors of this transition.
Software engineering is a competitive field in education and practice. Software projects are key elements of software engineering courses. Software projects feature a fusion of process and product. The process reflects the methodology of performing the overall software engineering practice. The software product is the final product produced by applying the process. Like any other academic domain, an early evaluation of the software product being developed is vital to identify the at-risk teams for sustainable education in software engineering. Guidance and instructor attention can help overcome the confusion and difficulties of low performing teams. This study proposed a hybrid approach of information gain feature selection with a J48 decision tree to predict the earliest possible phase for final performance prediction. The proposed technique was compared with the state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) classifiers, naïve Bayes (NB), artificial neural network (ANN), logistic regression (LR), simple logistic regression (SLR), repeated incremental pruning to produce error reduction (RIPPER), and sequential minimal optimization (SMO). The goal of this process is to predict the teams expected to obtain a below-average grade in software product development. The proposed technique outperforms others in the prediction of low performing teams at an early assessment stage. The proposed J48-based technique outperforms others by making 89% correct predictions.
Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of the natural origins and early evolution of this famous plant, highlighting its historic role in the development of human societies. Cannabis has long been prized for the strong and durable fiber in its stalks, its edible and oil-rich seeds, and the psychoactive and medicinal compounds produced by its female flowers. The culturally valuable and often irreplaceable goods derived from cannabis deeply influenced the commercial, medical, ritual, and religious practices of cultures throughout the ages, and human desire for these commodities directed the evolution of the plant toward its contemporary varieties. As interest in cannabis grows and public debate over its many uses rises, this book will help us understand why humanity continues to rely on this plant and adapts it to suit our needs.
This study provides empirical evidence of the gender gap in retirement savings trajectories using a large longitudinal Australian database. The persistent trend of retirement income policy over recent decades has been to place responsibility for retirement savings accumulation with the individual employee. These plans are fundamentally linked to employment conditions and individual choices, which shape retirement savings trajectories and outcomes. Australia has a mature compulsory system and thus provides insight for countries embarking on similar paths. This study shows that the gender gap in retirement savings is observable from early on in an individual’s paid working life and persists over time, providing evidence that women are disadvantaged early in their careers, with few signs of improvement. Men, in contrast, are overrepresented in the upper quartile of growth in retirement savings. This study provides important empirical evidence for policymakers concerned with gender differences in retirement outcomes.
Higher education for sustainable development (HEfSD) is being significantly shaped by the global sustainability agenda. Many higher education institutions, responsible for equipping the next generation of sustainability leaders with knowledge and essential skills, proactively try to action the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in HEfSD policy, curriculum and practice through scattered and isolated initiatives. Yet, these attempts are not strategically supported by a governing approach to HEfSD or coordinated effectively to tackle social and environmental sustainability. These predicaments not only widen the gap between HEfSD policy, curriculum and practice but also exacerbate the complexities between human and environmental interactions compromising overall sustainability. However, these efforts represent a potential for actioning the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. Based on a qualitative research strategy, theory building methodology and various methodological techniques (surveys, policy and literature review, group and individual interviews), this research suggests that the advancement of HEfSD in policy, curriculum and practice depends largely on a better understanding of existing gaps, target areas, commonalities and differences across regional HEfSD agendas. This will hopefully provide higher education institutions and their stakeholders across regions with some conceptual and practical tools to consider strategically how HEfSD can successfully be integrated into policy, curriculum and practice in alignment with SDGs and with the overall mandate of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Purpose
Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to assess freshwater-related impacts according to a new water footprint framework formalized in the ISO 14046 standard. To date, no consensus-based approach exists for applying this standard and results are not always comparable when different scarcity or stress indicators are used for characterization of impacts. This paper presents the outcome of a 2-year consensus building process by the Water Use in Life Cycle Assessment (WULCA), a working group of the UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, on a water scarcity midpoint method for use in LCA and for water scarcity footprint assessments.
Methods
In the previous work, the question to be answered was identified and different expert workshops around the world led to three different proposals. After eliminating one proposal showing low relevance for the question to be answered, the remaining two were evaluated against four criteria: stakeholder acceptance, robustness with closed basins, main normative choice, and physical meaning.
Results and discussion
The recommended method, AWARE, is based on the quantification of the relative available water remaining per area once the demand of humans and aquatic ecosystems has been met, answering the question “What is the potential to deprive another user (human or ecosystem) when consuming water in this area?” The resulting characterization factor (CF) ranges between 0.1 and 100 and can be used to calculate water scarcity footprints as defined in the ISO standard.
Conclusions
After 8 years of development on water use impact assessment methods, and 2 years of consensus building, this method represents the state of the art of the current knowledge on how to assess potential impacts from water use in LCA, assessing both human and ecosystem users’ potential deprivation, at the midpoint level, and provides a consensus-based methodology for the calculation of a water scarcity footprint as per ISO 14046.
Sustainability is an objective that refers to the environment and economic and social issues of any culture. Cotton farming systems are diverse and the issues associated with cotton cultivation vary owing to environmental, agro-ecological, climatic, socioeconomic and political situations. The role of biotechnology in cotton farming is important in producing durable hybrids and reducing the amount of insecticides and fertilizers. Global standards have been instituted to cultivate organic crops and voluntary sustainability initiatives assess many sustainability issues in cotton production. The cotton industry reaches out to all involved, from small poverty-stricken farmers to chic fashion stores in different parts of the globe. There is a call for a mass-market transformation in which sustainable cotton is the norm and for a change in global perspectives and the emergence of sustainable strategies to improve the livelihood of 250 million families involved in producing this valuable crop.
What is education for climate change? How does the Australian Curriculum engage young people in education around climate change? These and other questions frame this article, which is based on a review of the Australian Curriculum version 7.5. The article will discuss the need for a more holistic and integrated approach to teaching and learning in all year levels, and one that embraces the use of the Australian Curriculum general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities when designing and implementing educational resources or learning programs about our changing climate.
The need for a more sustainable world was unanimously acknowledged by United Nations members in September 2015, when 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were set, positioning education at the heart of the strategy to promote sustainable development. This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of adopting an interdisciplinary approach to education for sustainable development, and to illustrate how to advance it, acknowledging different perspectives of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of diversity. It examines the broad agenda of the SDGs, which requires the participation of multiple disciplines and sectors to be delivered. Considering the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), the paper reviews the literature regarding interdisciplinarity and its application in education for sustainable development, including practices and barriers to enhance it. A case study is provided to illustrate how to advance interdisciplinary education for sustainable development amongst postgraduate MBA students from different backgrounds, in a course where sustainable development concepts are already embedded across disciplines. The case illustrates the application of the Six Principles of PRME and explains how a sustainability and CSR module can encourage students to combine knowledge from all disciplines in order to advance their understanding and action on sustainable development issues.
This study aims to explore how to reduce printing at elementary schools through strengthening
both the effective use of ICT and pro-environmental values. Literature review is presented in
themes – ICT barriers (fears, knowledge, skills and time), demographic, printing behavior and
sustainable values (egoistic, hedonic, prosocial & biospheric). A quantitative method is applied in
this study, data is obtained from 108 teachers from seven elementary schools at three different
regions in Northwest Friesland, The Netherlands by using a questionnaire. The value scale by
De Groot and Steg (2008) is applied for sustainable values while for ICT barriers and printing
behavior, questions are developed by the author and validated by Cronbach. The main findings
illustrate that lower ICT fears and higher biospheric values have a positive effect on the proenvironmental
printing behavior. To minimize teachers’ ICT fears and printing, directors of the
schools should train teachers in the use of ICT and enhance their biospheric values. This study
is one of the first to explore ICT barriers with the combination of pro-environmental values
orientation contributing pragmatic evidence to reducing financial and environmental costs.
Purpose
This paper focuses on visual representation of women leaders and how women leaders’ bodies and sexualities are rendered visible in particular ways.
Design/methodology/approach
The arguments are based on a reading of the Danish television drama series, Borgen. The authors interpret the meaning of this text and consider what audiences might gain from watching it.
Findings
The analysis of Borgen highlights the role of popular culture in resisting patriarchal values and enabling women to reclaim leadership.
Originality/value
The metaphor of the spectacle enables explanation of the representation of women leaders in popular culture as passive, fetishised objects of the masculine gaze. These pervasive representational practices place considerable pressure on women leaders to manage their bodies and sexualities in particular ways. However, popular culture also provides alternative representations of women leaders as embodied and agentic. The notion of the metapicture offers a means of destabilising confining notions of female leadership within popular culture and opening up alternatives.
The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of business education in Disaster Risk Management (DRM). This paper aims to evaluate the awareness level of the Master in Business Administration's (MBA) students regarding the importance disaster risk management (DRM) plays. This paper develops a literature review concerning the concept of disasters, Disaster Risk Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, and the role of MBA programs. Furthermore, a survey at Universidad EAFIT (Medellin, Colombia) was designed and implemented as primary source information with the purpose of showing the DRM awareness level of MBA's students. Finally, a case study connecting DRM with entrepreneurship formation is described. This paper identified a limited formal education in DRM Latin American MBA programs, and specifically at Universidad EAFIT. Additionally, a lack of awareness in MBA's students about the importance of DRM was identified. In this sense, the paper proposes a DRM education model that uses a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and entrepreneurial formation in business education. This study aims to show the importance of the inclusion of disaster risk reduction and management knowledge as part of the courses in: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship content in Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programs.
Multi-stakeholder roundtables offering certification programs are promising voluntary governance mechanisms to address sustainability issues associated with international agricultural supply chains. Yet, little is known about whether roundtable certifications confer additionality, the benefits of certification beyond what would be expected from policies and practices currently in place. Here, we examine the potential additionality of the Round table on Responsible Soybeans (RTRS) and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in mitigating conversion of native vegetation to cropland. We develop a metric of additionality based on business as usual land cover change dynamics and roundtable standard stringency relative to existing policies. We apply this metric to all countries with RTRS ( n = 8) and RSPO ( n = 12) certified production in 2013–2014, as well as countries that have no certified production but are among the top ten global producers in terms of soy ( n = 2) and oil palm ( n = 2). We find RSPO and RTRS both have substantially higher levels of stringency than existing national policies except in Brazil and Uruguay. In regions where these certification standards are adopted, the mean estimated rate of tree cover conversion to the target crop is similar for both standards. RTRS has higher mean relative stringency than the RSPO, yet RSPO countries have slightly higher enforcement levels. Therefore, mean potential additionality of RTRS and RSPO is similar across regions. Notably, countries with the highest levels of additionality have some adoption. However, with extremely low adoption rates (0.41% of 2014 global harvested area), RTRS likely has lower impact than RSPO (14%). Like most certification programs, neither roundtable is effectively targeting smallholder producers. To improve natural ecosystem protection, roundtables could target adoption to regions with low levels of environmental governance and high rates of forest-to-cropland conversion.
Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hypersensitivity to inter-strand crosslinks (ICLs). FANCD2, a central factor of the FA pathway, is essential for the repair of double strand breaks (DSBs) generated during fork collapse at ICLs. While lesions different from ICLs can also trigger fork collapse, the contribution of FANCD2 to the resolution of replication-coupled DSBs generated independently from ICLs is unknown. Intriguingly, FANCD2 is readily activated after UV irradiation, a DNA-damaging agent that generates predominantly intra-strand crosslinks but not ICLs. Hence, UV irradiation is an ideal tool to explore the contribution of FANCD2 to the DNA damage response triggered by DNA lesions other than ICL repair. Here we show that, in contrast to ICL-causing agents, UV radiation compromises cell survival independently from FANCD2. In agreement, FANCD2 depletion does not increase the amount of DSBs generated during the replication of UV-damaged DNA and is dispensable for UV-induced checkpoint activation. Remarkably however, FANCD2 protects UV-dependent, replication-coupled DSBs from aberrant processing by non-homologous end joining, preventing the accumulation of micronuclei and chromatid aberrations including non-homologous chromatid exchanges. Hence, while dispensable for cell survival, FANCD2 selectively safeguards chromosomal stability after UV-triggered replication stress.
The management of operating costs is essential to the efficiency and economic sustainability of mining operations and nevertheless, most cost management systems in the minerals industry are designed only and exclusively to meet financial accounting and reporting needs and lack of focus on decision taking and continuous improvement. This paper describes the result of a research program aiming to develop an innovative cost management methodology that applies Activity-Based Costing (ABC) and PDCA's Deming cycle tools to develop a cost management system for continuous improvement of operational efficiency and cost reduction. The implementation of this methodology in a mining operation would imply a breakthrough in the corporate approach to operations managements, from the conventional top-down approach to budgeting and control to a bottom-up integration of cost management and accountability. In this regard, the methodology was tested in the Andina underground mine III Panel sector of Corporation del Cobre (CODELCO), in Chile. The results of this test and its potential are also discussed.
Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, asserts that education is one of the most effective instruments that society can employ in the effort to adopt sustainable development. This paper is a first effort to explore the degree to which Canadian institutions of higher education, including colleges and universities, have embraced this assertion. It includes the first census of the existing environment/sustainability policies and/or plans of Canadian postsecondary institutions (n = 220), and an examination of the relationships between the existence of an environment/sustainability policy/plan and the presence of other sustainability initiatives on campus. The focus on policies and plans is timely because in public institutions like colleges and universities, actions and practices are determined by policy. The results reveal a number of patterns and insights, including, for example, the influence of provincial legislation on the uptake of policies.
Final Monitoring and Evaluation report of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Can be downloaded from:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002301/230171e.pdf
Although the gender gap in incomes has been extensively researched, scant attention has been paid to the gender wealth gap. This paper compares the gender wealth gap in Australia with that of Switzerland. Using data from the 2010 Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) and the 2012 Swiss Household Panel (SHP), this study attributes the gender wealth gap to differences in permanent income and education. Furthermore, the gender wealth gap is much larger in Switzerland than in Australia. The study links this finding to the type of wealth held by individuals in these two countries. Differences in wealth accumulation among women in Switzerland and Australia are likely to be linked to the housing market and to family policies for (single) mothers.
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/jn3TvGgyxIGj6db8f5J8/full
This article empirically appraises the geographical distribution of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (KIE) in the settings of an emerging economy. We start from the typical agglomeration approach and then introduce a set of variables related to local market conditions, distance from the economic hub, and knowledge & innovation system to explain KIE location and density on the basis of city-level data in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Findings indicate KIE concentration in and around a few urban areas, providing support to agglomeration economies concepts. There is strong evidence that the local presence of research-oriented universities, access to capital, and business concentration are correlated to KIE emergence and density. Results also indicate the moderating effect of agglomeration diseconomies mainly related to factors of rapid and anarchic expansion of urban centers and the consequences of extreme inequalities in income distribution. This challenges the usability of concepts of entrepreneurial ecosystems from advanced economies if not adapted to the realities of developing countries.
The article presents the model used by the Icelandic ocean cluster to organize the extraction of fish products and subsequent processing into various consumer goods.
The Collected Works of Ed Diener, in 3 volumes, present the major works of the leading research scientist studying happiness and well-being. Professor Diener has studied subjective well-being, people’s life satisfaction and positive emotions, for over a quarter of a century, and has published 200 works on the topic, many more than any other scholar. He has studied hundreds of thousands of people in over 140 nations of the world, and the Collected Works present the major findings from those studies. Diener has made many of the major discoveries about well-being, which are outlined in the chapters.
The first volume presents the major theory and review papers of Ed Diener. These publications give a broad overview of findings in the field, and the theories of well-being. As such, the first volume is an absolute must for beginning scholars in this area, and offers a clear tutorial to the history of the field and major findings. The second volume focuses on culture. This volume is most unique, and could sell on its own, as it should appeal to cultural psychologists and anthropologists. The findings in the culture area are mostly all derived from the Diener laboratory and his students. Thus, the papers in this volume represent most of the major publications on culture and well-being. Furthermore, this is the area that is least well-known by most scholars. The third volume on measurement is the most applied and practical one because it discusses all the measures used, and presents new measures. Even for those who do not want to study well-being per se, but want to use some well-being measures in their research, this volume will be of enormous help.
Volume 1: Gives a broad overview of findings and theories on subjective well-being.
Volume 2: Presents most of the major papers on well-being and culture, and the international differences in well-being
Volume 3: Presents discussions of measures of well-being and new measures of well-being, and is thus of great value to those who want to select measurement scales for their research
Endorsements
Over the past several decades Professor Diener has contributed more than any other psychologist to the rigorous research of subjective well-being. The collection of this work in this series is going to be of invaluable help to anyone interested in the study of happiness, life-satisfaction, and the emerging discipline of positive psychology. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of Psychology And Management, Claremont Graduate University
Ed Diener, the Jedi Master of the world's happiness researchers, has inspired and informed all of us who have studied and written about happiness. His life's work epitomizes a humanly significant psychological science. How wonderful to have his pioneering writings collected and preserved for future students of human well-being, and for practitioners and social policy makers who are working to promote human flourishing. David G. Myers, Hope College, and author, The Pursuit of Happiness.
Ed Diener's work on life satisfaction -- theory and research -- has been ground-breaking. Having his collected works available will be a great boon to psychologists and policy-makers alike. Christopher Peterson, Professor of Psychology, Univ. of Michigan
By looking at happiness and well-being in many different cultures and societies, from East to West, from New York City to Calcutta slums, and beyond, Ed Diener has forever transformed the field of culture in psychology. Filled with bold theoretical insights and rigorous and, yet, imaginative empirical studies, this volume will be absolutely indispensable for all social and behavioral scientists interested in transformative power of culture on human psychology. Shinobu Kitayama, Professor and Director of the Culture and Cognition Program, Univ. of Michigan
Ed Diener is one of the most productive psychologists in the world working in the field of perceived quality of life or, as he prefers, subjective wellbeing. He has served the profession as a researcher, writer, teacher, officer in professional organizations, editor of leading journals, a member of the editorial board of still more journals as well as a member of the board of the Social Indicators Research Book Series. As an admirer of his work and a good friend, I have learned a lot from him, from his students, his relatives and collaborators. The idea of producing a collection of his works came to me as a result of spending a great deal of time trying to keep up with his work. What a wonderful public and professional service it would be, I thought, as well as a time-saver for me, if we could get a substantial number of his works assembled in one collection. In these three volumes we have not only a fine selection of past works but a good number of new ones as well. So, it is with considerable delight that I write these lines to thank Ed and to lend my support to this important publication. Alex C. Michalos, Ph.D., F.R.S.C., Chancellor, Director, Institute for Social Research and Evaluation, Professor Emeritus, Political Science, Univ. of Northern British Columbia
Urgent sustainability problems call for accelerated and transformational change. Disasters can provide opportunities for accelerating such change towards sustainability by eliminating the impediments of "normal times," but only if a new breed of change agents is able to seize these opportunities. However, current educational programs in sustainability and disaster risk management insufficiently prepare change agents for this challenging task. Recent reforms of curricula, institutional innovations, and actual experience from such change agents could be used to help design curricula that train students in seeing and seizing post-disaster opportunities for change towards sustainability. Linking sustainability education and disaster risk management education might be a co-benefit in the future.
Gradual depletion of the atmospheric ozone layer during the past few years has increased the incidence of solar UV radiation specifically the UV-C on earth’s surface is one of the major environmental concerns because of the harmful effects of this radiation in all forms of life. The solar UV radiation including the harmful wavelength range of UV-B (280–320 nm) represents a significant climatic stress for both animals and plants, causing damage to the fundamental biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids, thus activating genotoxic stress and induces genome instability. When DNA absorbs UV-B light, energy from the photon causes covalent linkages to form between adjacent pyrimidine bases, creating photoproducts, primarily cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-6,4-pyrimidinone photoproduct (6,4PPs). Pyrimidine dimers create distortions in the DNA strands and therefore can inhibit DNA replication as well transcription. Lack of efficient repair of UV-induced DNA damage may induce the formation of DNA double stand breaks (DSBs), one of the serious forms of damage in DNA double helix, as well as oxidative damage. Unrepaired DSBs in the actively dividing somatic cells severely affect cell growth and development, finally results in loss of cell viability and development of various diseases, such as cancer in man. This chapter mainly highlights the incidence of solar UV-radiation on earth’s surface along with the formation of major types of UV-induced DNA damage and the associated repair mechanisms as well as methods of detecting DNA damage and finally our present understanding on the impact on solar UV radiation on human health.
This article argues that global trends are creating unprecedented opportunities for civic action at local, national and international levels. Three interconnected trends are identified: economic and cultural globalization, and the inequality and insecurity they breed; the increasing complexity of humanitarian action in response to ethnic conflict and intrastate violence; and the reform of international co-operation to deal with the problems these trends create. In response, new forms of solidarity are emerging between citizens and authorities at different levels of the world system. It is these new relationships—expressed through partnerships, alliances and other forms of co-operation—that provide the framework for NGO interventions, but they also require major changes in NGOs themselves. Chief among these changes are a move from ‘development-as-delivery’ to ‘development-as-leverage’; new relationships with corporations, elements of states, the military, international institutions and other groups in civil society; and new skills and capacities to mediate these linkages. These developments call for major changes in NGO roles, relationships, capacities and accountabilities. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article analyzes the relative effectiveness and limitations of companies’ voluntarily produced transparency reports in promoting change in firm and government behavior. Such reports are published by telecommunications companies and disclose how often and on what grounds government agencies compel customer data from these companies. These reports expose corporate behaviors while lifting the veil of governmental secrecy surrounding these kinds of compulsions. Fung, Graham, and Weil’s “targeted transparency” model is used to evaluate the extent to which these reports affect behavior. From the analysis, it is evident that telecommunications companies’ transparency reports are only partially effective; while firms may modify their reports to present more information, these reports do not necessarily induce government to more broadly reveal its own activities. The article ultimately suggests that voluntarily produced transparency reports may become more comparable with one another as a result of either corporate reports evolving in consultation with external stakeholders or following a crisis that prompts government or industry to adopt a given standard. Such standards may positively influence the effectiveness of reports while concealing as much about firm behaviors as they purport to reveal.
Conventional textile production is one of the most polluting industries on earth. The textile industries are responsible for as much as 20% of pollution of our rivers and lands. The use of toxic chemicals in production and packaging, the generation of a considerable amount of waste, the use and pollution of a huge quantity of water, the high consumption of energy in production and transport with the consequent release of greenhouse gases are responsible for the nonsustainability of the textile industry. Improvement in the sustainability of textile production is important for all of us. The chapter discusses greener textile materials including organic fibres, the use of eco-friendly dyes and chemicals, and enzymatic and other eco-friendly processing. Adaptation of improved processes with strict process controls and waterless dyeing are some ways in which sustainability can be improved.
Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the environment and aware that the planet and people cannot be exploited if we wish to continue to prosper. Even the highly changing field of fashion has an environmental conscience. Man-made fibres dominate the textile market. Hence, the environmental impact of these synthetic fibres has become highly significant. The conventional method of producing synthetic fibres is far from green because they are derived from petrochemicals, which are not renewable; they are energy intensive, do not biodegrade and are not easy to recycle. This chapter outlines the environmental impact of important synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon and carbon and the possibilities and future of biopolymer methods of production on sustainability. Bio-based monomers and the methods used to produce sustainable synthetic fibres are elaborated upon in this chapter. Potential applications of enzymes producing sustainable synthetic fibres are also discussed.
The textile industry is the backbone of many developing economies and it leaves one of the largest water footprints on the planet. The industry is heavily reliant on water. Water is becoming a scarce resource in relation to demand, and water supply and effluent disposal costs have risen and will continue to rise in coming years. Therefore, moving towards more sustainable water use is becoming a priority for organizations across all sectors of life. The textile industry is one of the largest users of water for its production system and uses vast amounts of water throughout all processing operations. Because the global demand for water is increasing every day, it is necessary to look into the sustainable aspects of textile chemical processing. The industry's challenge is to adopt more water-friendly technologies for pretreatments, dyeing, printing and finishing operations. New production methods that use no water or a lesser quantity of water such as plasma processing, supercritical carbon dioxide dyeing and ultrasound dyeing have been much research; these technologies show positive signs for the environmentally friendly processing of textiles. In this chapter, we look into some of these promising low water-consuming technologies for textile processing as well as general technical measures to reduce water consumption in processing industries.
This paper presents an analysis of student perspectives in a public college of management, signatory of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and demonstrates how these students are able to promote the 2030 Agenda of the Sustainable Development through their student organizations. Student organizations may be considered Communities of Practice (CoPs) since they are dynamic, interactive and not controlled by the institution. Thus, an exchange of knowledge and participants’ engagement occurs naturally through shared values and practices. The proposed research question is “What are the values and practices shared in student organizations that are interpreted as CoPs in a public college of management that has concrete actions and potential to promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?” A questionnaire was sent to all of the members of the nine student organizations, and it contained six open-ended questions as well as profile questions. The answers to the open-ended questions were submitted to qualitative and quantitative content analysis. The results show that there is evidence that student organizations connect people by their beliefs, passions and shared values to achieve several goals, acting as CoPs, and have concrete actions and potential to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While Australia’s superannuation scheme is a fundamental part of supporting and sustaining Australia’s increasingly aging and retiring population, young Australians demonstrate consistently poor knowledge of, and behaviour and attitudes towards, superannuation. This study is the first large-scale study of superannuation knowledge, behaviour and attitudes among a representative sample of the general young adult population in Australia. The picture that emerges is generally worse than other studies to date. Young people generally lack a basic understanding of how superannuation operates, do not engage much with their superannuation funds and have poor or uncertain expectations about their prospects for retirement and superannuation’s place within an overall retirement plan. The article presents the results and analysis from our survey and considers what those findings suggest about improvements in the provision of information and advice about superannuation.
- This paper describes the process of inducting theory using case studies from specifying the research questions to reaching closure. Some features of the process, such as problem definition and construct validation, are similar to hypothesis-testing research. Others, such as within-case analysis and replication logic, are unique to the inductive, case-oriented process. Overall, the process described here is highly iterative and tightly linked to data. This research approach is especially appropriate in new topic areas. The resultant theory is often novel, testable, and empirically valid. Finally, framebreaking insights, the tests of good theory (e.g., parsimony, logical coherence), and convincing grounding in the evidence are the key criteria for evaluating this type of research.
The major challenge that companies face when engaging in sustainable livelihood transformations is related to the tiers of governance dynamics in which companies are immersed. The implementation of social responsibility agendas in poorly governed regions rarely delivers sustainable legacies for communities. This article posits the idea that the lack of regional connectivity in governance and conflict prevents companies from playing a stronger role in forging sustainable livelihoods. In this context, this article equips us with a broader understanding of the contribution of the private sector in delivering development outcomes. It does this through a comparative case study analysis of Risaralda and Antioquia, two resource regions in Colombia with differing governance nexus with private enterprise.
Higher Education Institutions play an important role in the promotion of sustainability and an increasing number of stakeholders expect them to be sustainable organizations. However, this can only be achieved when barriers are faced and challenges overcome.
Washing clothes made from synthetic materials has been identified as a potentially important source of microscopic fibres to the environment. This study examined the release of fibres from polyester, polyester-cotton blend and acrylic fabrics. These fabrics were laundered under various conditions of temperature, detergent and conditioner. Fibres from waste effluent were examined and the mass, abundance and fibre size compared between treatments. Average fibre size ranged between 11.9 and 17.7 μm in diameter, and 5.0 and 7.8 mm in length. Polyester-cotton fabric consistently shed significantly fewer fibres than either polyester or acrylic. However, fibre release varied according to wash treatment with various complex interactions. We estimate over 700,000 fibres could be released from an average 6 kg wash load of acrylic fabric. As fibres have been reported in effluent from sewage treatment plants, our data indicates fibres released by washing of clothing could be an important source of microplastics to aquatic habitats.
The implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is crucial for the legitimacy of an organization in today’s globalized economy. This study aims to enrich our knowledge of the implementation of the largest voluntary CSR initiative—the UN Global Compact (UNGC). Drawing on insights from stakeholder, network, and institutional theory, I derive a positive impact of UNGC participation duration on the implementation level of the UNGC principles, despite potential weaknesses in the initiative’s accountability structure. Moreover, I scrutinize the validity of the newly introduced UNGC “Differentiation Programme” before applying this framework in the empirical analysis. Results from ordinal, linear, and instrumental variable regression models suggest that, contrary to claims made by UNGC critics, the duration of UNGC participation does affect the level of UNGC implementation. However, this effect appears to be much smaller than previous practitioner studies have suggested. Moreover, strong local UNGC networks affect the implementation level of the UNGC positively. Their hypothesized moderating role between UNGC participation duration and UNGC implementation level, however, is only significant in networks with activities of high quality rather than high quantity.
Part-time employment has become increasingly attractive to a growing number of workers. Part-time jobs tend to have more family-friendly working hours, better working conditions and less stress. Students, mothers and older workers, those who might otherwise not have been able to enter the labor market, seem happy with these trade-offs. One reason is that national tax and benefit systems reduce incentives to take up a fuji-time job. Quality part-time employment could be a boon to ageing societies in OECD countries, since it opens the labor force to people who might otherwise be shut out from it. They should also watch out for employment policies that might discriminate against part-time workers. Governments need to make certain that those who do want to work full-time are helped to do so through support from employment services. Part-time work should not lead to a dead end.
The debate on growth and development that has been going on over the last decades has clearly highlighted a number of flaws and contradictions that the theory, as well as the practice, of International Development Cooperation (IDC) has failed to address in a convincing and effective way. IDC, once the prime tool for promoting a change in the livelihoods of the poorest and most vulnerable, is increasingly under scrutiny and does not seem to have provided an effective response to the current crisis. Buen Vivir (good life), Latin America’s new concept for collective well-being, which has emerged over recent years from the traditional cosmovisions of Andean indigenous peoples and translated into political and institutional practice, offers elements of reflection on economy, environment and social life that are useful for reframing the way ‘well-being’ is conceived within the current development setting: a fresh perspective on the most urgent global concerns is particularly useful as the debate regarding the successors to the Millennium Development Goals post-2015 starts to heat up. The new approach to IDC developed in Ecuador in recent years represents an attempt to put some of these elements into practice. However, beyond the experiences in Latin America, that can claim a closer link, albeit not without tensions, with the indigenous peoples with which the Buen Vivir culture has its roots, these suggestions can show an interesting convergence with alternative views on development emerging from the reflections and practices of Western social movements.
Significance
Pathways that promote DNA replication across replication barriers are central for cell survival. Herein, we report that in UV-irradiated cells lacking the Rad51 recombinase (Rad51), the DNA replication choreography is profoundly altered. We detected excessive degradation of nascent DNA followed by dysregulated elongation of DNA across UV barriers. PrimPol, a DNA polymerase with primase activity, promoted excessive elongation of nascent DNA, thus suggesting the accumulation of discontinuous replication tracks in Rad51-depleted cells. The altered DNA replication choreography in Rad51-knockdown samples resulted in the accumulation of replication stress markers and cell death. Hence, Rad51 promotes multiple, biologically relevant events at ongoing forks that encounter UV-damaged replication templates.
Companies that have joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) are required to submit a Communication on Progress (COP), which is an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report, to the UNGC every year. If they fail to do so, they are marked and listed as non-communicating on the UNGC website. Using the event study methodology, this study shows that a company that fails to report to the UNGC is penalized in the financial markets with an average cumulative abnormal return of −1.6% over a period of 5 trading days around the event. Although a major critique against the UNGC is that the initiative’s voluntary nature and its lack of external monitoring and sanction mechanisms render it ineffective in terms of the business participants’ implementation of the UNGC principles into their operations, this result suggests that investors may be able to pressure UNGC business participants to increase their compliance with the UNGC requirements and to “walk the talk.”
The demonstration of DNA damage excision and repair replication by Setlow, Howard-Flanders, Hanawalt and their colleagues in the early 1960s, constituted the discovery of the ubiquitous pathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER). The serial steps in NER are similar in organisms from unicellular bacteria to complex mammals and plants, and involve recognition of lesions, adducts or structures that disrupt the DNA double helix, removal of a short oligonucleotide containing the offending lesion, synthesis of a repair patch copying the opposite undamaged strand, and ligation, to restore the DNA to its original form. The transcription-coupled repair (TCR) subpathway of NER, discovered nearly two decades later, is dedicated to the removal of lesions from the template DNA strands of actively transcribed genes. In this review I will outline the essential factors and complexes involved in NER in humans, and will comment on additional factors and metabolic processes that affect the efficiency of this important process.
This paper contributes to a growing body of literature that critically examines how mining companies are embracing community development challenges in developing countries, drawing on experiences from Ghana. Despite receiving considerable praise from the donor and industry communities, the actions being taken by Ghana's major mining companies to foster community development are facilitating few improvements in the rural regions where activities take place. Companies are generally implementing community development programmes that are incapable of alleviating rural hardship and are coordinating destructive displacement exercises. The analysis serves as a stark reminder that mining companies are not charities and engage with African countries strictly for commercial purposes.