Showing papers on "Sustainability published in 2022"

European Green Deal

Abstract: This article aims to present the main objectives and characteristics of the European Green Deal, which is a kind of roadmap for achieving the sustainability of the EU economy by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities in all policy areas, through a just and inclusive transition for all. The implementation of this roadmap provides for actions to use resources efficiently by moving to a circular economy, reducing biodiversity loss and diminishing pollution. The roadmap also sets out the necessary investments and financial instruments and the need to ensure a just and inclusive transition. Transforming the economy of the European Union (EU) into a resource-efficient economy in which economic growth is not directly linked to the use of resources, based on the cessation of net emissions by 2050. The European Green Deal outlines a plan for this transformative change.

Post-pandemic health and its sustainability

Abstract: Current experiences at a global level are an inspiration for research in the academic field. There is much to learn, and society must carefully reflect on the moments lived in two years that for many have meant two centuries. Many difficulties remain to be resolved and a wide field to discover the unknown by medicine. With the difficulties that have arisen on a global scale because of COVID-19, health has been affected at the societal level; In addition to the consequences derived from the effects of the virus, the mental health of people was impacted with high repercussions at the social and family level, as well as the teaching processes at the different levels of education where many students abandoned their studies.

Solar-Driven Hydrogen Production: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Abstract: : Solar H 2 production is considered as a potentially promising way to utilize solar energy and tackle climate change stemming from the combustion of fossil fuels. Photocatalytic, photoelectrochemical, photovoltaic − electrochemical, solar thermochemical, photothermal catalytic, and photobiological technologies are the most intensively studied routes for solar H 2 production. In this Focus Review, we provide a comprehensive review of these technologies. After a brief introduction of the principles and mechanisms of these technologies, the recent achievements in solar H 2 production are summarized, with a particular focus on the high solar-to-H 2 (STH) conversion e ffi ciency achieved by each route. We then comparatively analyze and evaluate these technologies based on the metrics of STH e ffi ciency, durability, economic viability, and environmental sustainability, aiming to assess the commercial feasibility of these solar technologies compared with current industrial H 2 production processes. Finally, the challenges and prospects of future research on solar H 2 production technologies are presented.

Mitigating Emissions in India: Accounting for the Role of Real Income, Renewable Energy Consumption and Investment in Energy

Abstract: Accomplishing environmental sustainability has become a global initiative whilst addressing climate change and its effects. Thus, there is a necessity for innovation on part of economies as they seek energy for sustainable development. Thus, we explore the case of India a highly industrialized and heavy emitter of carbon emission. To this end, this study explores the effect of renewable energy, non-renewable, economic growth, and investment in the energy sector on CO2 emission in the Indian economy. Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR), Fully Modified Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Least Squares (DOLS) were used to access the long-run elasticity of the variables as well as Granger Causality analysis to detect the direction of causality relationship among the highlighted variables. Empirical regression shows a negative relation between CO2 emission and renewable energy. Thus, suggesting that renewable energy serves as a panacea for sustainable development in the face of economic growth trajectory. However, there was a positive relationship between CO2 emission and both non-renewable and real GDP growth. On the Granger analysis, we observe a one-way causality among renewable energy consumption and CO2 emission, economic development, and energy investment. These outcomes have far-reaching policy direction of environmental sustainability target in Indian economy.

Assessment of the pre-combustion carbon capture contribution into sustainable development goals SDGs using novel indicators

Abstract: The rapid progress in the global population and technical advances have resulted in exponential growth in the use of fossil fuels. These are not only limited in resources but also have a severe environmental impact. The accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs), more specifically carbon emissions, in the environment has resulted in severe health issues and climate changes. The Paris Climate Agreement calls for restricting global warming to only 1.5 °C by 2050 relative to the pre-industrial era. This requires reducing global GHGs emissions as soon and as much as possible. Massive efforts are being put into minimizing GHG emissions, such as using renewable energy resources and/or using carbon capture technologies (CCT). In this study, different CCTs were introduced, focusing on the pre-combustion as a promising CCT approach. In this work, the role of CCT in realizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was thoroughly analyzed and discussed. A total of 87 indicators were developed to measure and analyze the contribution of CCT to achieving the different SDGs. The focus given to the role of the pre-combustion CCT in achieving SDGs is being elaborated. The indicators and analysis covered the economic, environmental, and social pillars of sustainable development. It was found that CCT contributes well to all 17 SDGs, with core and substantial contributions to SDG-7 of "Affordable and clean energy", and ultimately SDG-13 of "Climate action". The developed indicators would work as a guideline for the different players to ensure that CCT is fully adhering the SDGs principles. The proposed indicators have nine main benefits, i.e., assist in the achievement of the SDGs, providing information for the decision-makers, enhance and benchmark sustainability performance, improve risk management, enhance data management and reporting practices, improve resource allocation and reduce the expenses, improve environmental performance, reduce social impact, and improve communications with stakeholder. Moreover, the different barriers facing the CCT were presented.

The Ten Principles of Green Sample Preparation

Abstract: The ten principles of GSP are presented with the aim of establishing a road map toward the development of overall greener analytical methodologies. Paramount aspects for greening sample preparation and their interconnections are identified and discussed. These include the use of safe solvents/reagents and materials that are renewable, recycled and reusable, minimizing waste generation and energy demand, and enabling high sample throughput, miniaturization, procedure simplification/automation, and operator's safety. Further, the importance of applying green metrics for assessing the greenness of sample preparation methods is highlighted, next to the contribution of GSP in achieving the broader goal of sustainability. Green sample preparation is sample preparation. It is not a new subdiscipline of sample preparation but a guiding principle that promotes sustainable development through the adoption of environmentally benign sample preparation procedures. • The ten principles of green sample preparation are presented. • Sustainability issues on solvents, reagents and materials are considered. • Fast, miniaturized, automated, in situ and low-energy methods are preferred. • Post-sample preparation configuration for analysis is considered. • Green metrics and the impact on sustainable development are discussed.

A review of the global climate change impacts, adaptation, and sustainable mitigation measures

Abstract: Climate change is a long-lasting change in the weather arrays across tropics to polls. It is a global threat that has embarked on to put stress on various sectors. This study is aimed to conceptually engineer how climate variability is deteriorating the sustainability of diverse sectors worldwide. Specifically, the agricultural sector’s vulnerability is a globally concerning scenario, as sufficient production and food supplies are threatened due to irreversible weather fluctuations. In turn, it is challenging the global feeding patterns, particularly in countries with agriculture as an integral part of their economy and total productivity. Climate change has also put the integrity and survival of many species at stake due to shifts in optimum temperature ranges, thereby accelerating biodiversity loss by progressively changing the ecosystem structures. Climate variations increase the likelihood of particular food and waterborne and vector-borne diseases, and a recent example is a coronavirus pandemic. Climate change also accelerates the enigma of antimicrobial resistance, another threat to human health due to the increasing incidence of resistant pathogenic infections. Besides, the global tourism industry is devastated as climate change impacts unfavorable tourism spots. The methodology investigates hypothetical scenarios of climate variability and attempts to describe the quality of evidence to facilitate readers’ careful, critical engagement. Secondary data is used to identify sustainability issues such as environmental, social, and economic viability. To better understand the problem, gathered the information in this report from various media outlets, research agencies, policy papers, newspapers, and other sources. This review is a sectorial assessment of climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches worldwide in the aforementioned sectors and the associated economic costs. According to the findings, government involvement is necessary for the country’s long-term development through strict accountability of resources and regulations implemented in the past to generate cutting-edge climate policy. Therefore, mitigating the impacts of climate change must be of the utmost importance, and hence, this global threat requires global commitment to address its dreadful implications to ensure global sustenance.

Do renewable and nuclear energy enhance environmental quality in France? A new EKC approach with the load capacity factor

Abstract: In this study, we test the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for France from 1977 to 2017. In this context, we analyze the effects of nuclear and renewable energy on the ecological footprint, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and load capacity factor using co-integration and causality tests with Fourier transforms. In addition to the traditional indicators of environmental degradation, we make an important contribution to the literature by testing for the first time the impact of nuclear energy on the load capacity factor. The results of our empirical analysis suggest that there is no inverted U-shaped relationship between CO2 emissions and income, but rather the EKC hypothesis for the load capacity factor. While nuclear energy reduces CO2 emissions and increases the load capacity factor, in other words, improves environmental quality, renewable energy has no long-term impact on environmental conditions. The findings point to the importance of nuclear energy in green sustainability.

Green recovery in the mature manufacturing industry: The role of the green-circular premium and sustainability certification in innovative efforts

Abstract: Sustainability is an essential goal for companies to pursue alongside their efforts to cope with a period of economic crisis and uncertainty. Technologically mature manufacturing sectors need to preserve their competitiveness, and process and product innovation may no longer be sufficient to stimulate demand. Strategic innovation is one possible option to address this challenge. However, methods to implement this new paradigm are still underexplored. This paper analyzes the Italian and Spanish ceramic tile industries as a prime example of process digitalization and environmental practices in the European manufacturing context. Through the application of multi-criteria analysis, this study aims to investigate the possibilities provided by strategic innovation to companies in this sector, in order to be able to compete with producers in emerging countries who use price strategies as the only lever of their competitiveness. To this end, dimensions relating to operations, market, economy, society and the environment are considered herein. Our results show that the multidimensionality of industrial organizations should stimulate manufacturing firms not only to look at customer needs from a price point of view, but to commit to including social and environmental attributes in their products, such as the green-circular premium and sustainability certification. These two practices represent strategic innovation. This presents a complex challenge involving widespread change that concerns entrepreneurship, management and industrial policies. • Industrial districts enrich socially industrial organization. • Sustainability is an enabler of competitive advantage in manufacturing. • Competitive advantage requires recognition a green-circular premium. • Recognition is based on a sustainability certification by performance classes. • Differential product taxation is a policy to be implemented.

The role of sustainability assessment tools in realizing bioenergy and bioproduct systems

Abstract: The pressing global challenges, including global warming and climate change, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Covid-19 pandemic, all are indicative of the necessity of a transition from fossil-based systems toward bioenergy and bioproduct to ensure our plans for sustainable development. Such a transition, however, should be thoroughly engineered, considering the sustainability of the different elements of these systems. Advanced sustainability tools are instrumental in realizing this important objective. The present work critically reviews these tools, including techno-economic, life cycle assessment, emergy, energy, and exergy analyses, within the context of the bioenergy and bioproduct systems. The principles behind these methods are briefly explained, and then their pros and cons in designing, analyzing, and optimizing bioenergy and bioproduct systems are highlighted. Overall, it can be concluded that despite the promises held by these tools, they cannot be regarded as perfect solutions to address all the issues involved in realizing bioenergy and bioproduct systems, and integration of these tools can provide more reliable and accurate results than single approaches.

Supply chain disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recognizing potential disruption management strategies

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has made a significant impact on various supply chains (SCs). All around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic affects different dimensions of SCs, including but not limited to finance, lead time, demand changes, and production performance. There is an urgent need to respond to this grand challenge. The catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted scholars to develop innovative SC disruption management strategies and disseminate them via numerous scientific articles. However, there is still a lack of systematic literature survey studies that aim to identify promising SC disruption management strategies through the bibliometric, network, and thematic analyses. In order to address this drawback, this study presents a set of up-to-date bibliometric, network, and thematic analyses to identify the influential contributors, main research streams, and disruption management strategies related to the SC performance under the COVID-19 settings. The conducted analyses reveal that resilience and sustainability are the primary SC topics. Furthermore, the major research themes are found to be food, health-related SCs, and technology-aided tools (e.g., artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and blockchains). Various disruption management strategies focusing on resilience and sustainability themes are extracted from the most influential studies that were identified as a part of this work. In addition, we draw some managerial insights to ensure a resilient and sustainable supply of critical products in the event of a pandemic, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and vaccines.

Global maize production, consumption and trade: trends and R&D implications

Abstract: Abstract Since its domestication some 9,000 years ago, maize ( Zea mays L.; corn) has played an increasing and diverse role in global agri-food systems. Global maize production has surged in the past few decades, propelled by rising demand and a combination of technological advances, yield increases and area expansion. Maize is already the leading cereal in terms of production volume and is set to become the most widely grown and traded crop in the coming decade. It is a versatile multi-purpose crop, primarily used as a feed globally, but also is important as a food crop, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, besides other non-food uses. This paper reviews maize production, consumption, and international trade to examine the changing trends in global supply and demand conditions over the past quarter century and the implications for research and development (R&D), particularly in the Global South. The inclusiveness and sustainability of the ongoing transformation of agri-food systems in the Global South merit particular attention. There is a need for further investments in R&D, particularly to enhance maize’s food and livelihood security roles and to sustainably intensify maize production while staying within the planetary boundaries.

Sustainability in the Circular Economy: Insights and Dynamics of Designing Circular Business Models

Abstract: The integration of sustainability in the circular economy is an emerging paradigm that can offer a long term vision to achieve environmental and social sustainability targets in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Developing scalable and sustainable impacts in circular economy business models (CEBMs) has many challenges. While many advanced technology manufacturing firms start as small enterprises, remarkably little is known about how material reuse firms in sociotechnical systems transition towards circular business models. Research into CEBMs integrating sustainability and environmental conservation is still in its early stages. There has been increased interest in sustainability and circular economy research, but current research is fragmented. The innovation surrounding CEBMs eludes some firms with relatively limited evidence of the transitional perspective necessary to integrate aspects of sustainability. This lack of evidence is especially applicable to the context of circular economy practices in small and medium enterprises in the United States regarding capabilities, operations obstacles, and elements of success in designing circular business models. Based on a qualitative, interview-based inductive study of a material reuse firm, our research develops a conceptual model of the critical success factors and obstacles that are part of implementing circular economy practices. Firms must first manage strategic enablers and monitor tactical enablers to achieve sustainability goals. In this study, we identify the underlying enablers of how these capabilities affect the transition to a CEBM that integrates sustainability. The framework emerging from our findings highlights the interplay of CEBM, innovation success factors, and obstacles at a micro-level. The investigation of a material reuse firm serves as the foundation for developing a framework for how managers can alter a company and revise the business model to transition towards a more innovative circular economy.

Ten facts about land systems for sustainability

Abstract: Land use is central to addressing sustainability issues, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable energy. In this paper, we synthesize knowledge accumulated in land system science, the integrated study of terrestrial social-ecological systems, into 10 hard truths that have strong, general, empirical support. These facts help to explain the challenges of achieving sustainability in land use and thus also point toward solutions. The 10 facts are as follows: 1) Meanings and values of land are socially constructed and contested; 2) land systems exhibit complex behaviors with abrupt, hard-to-predict changes; 3) irreversible changes and path dependence are common features of land systems; 4) some land uses have a small footprint but very large impacts; 5) drivers and impacts of land-use change are globally interconnected and spill over to distant locations; 6) humanity lives on a used planet where all land provides benefits to societies; 7) land-use change usually entails trade-offs between different benefits—"win–wins" are thus rare; 8) land tenure and land-use claims are often unclear, overlapping, and contested; 9) the benefits and burdens from land are unequally distributed; and 10) land users have multiple, sometimes conflicting, ideas of what social and environmental justice entails. The facts have implications for governance, but do not provide fixed answers. Instead they constitute a set of core principles which can guide scientists, policy makers, and practitioners toward meeting sustainability challenges in land use.

The Metaverse as a Virtual Form of Smart Cities: Opportunities and Challenges for Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability in Urban Futures

Abstract: Data infrastructures, economic processes, and governance models of digital platforms are increasingly pervading urban sectors and spheres of urban life. This phenomenon is known as platformization, which has in turn given rise to the phenomena of platform society, where platforms have permeated the core of urban societies. A recent manifestation of platformization is the Metaverse, a global platform project launched by Meta (formerly Facebook) as a globally operating platform company. The Metaverse represents an idea of a hypothetical “parallel virtual world” that incarnate ways of living and working in virtual cities as an alternative to smart cities of the future. Indeed, with emerging innovative technologies—such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, the IoT, and Digital Twins—providing rich datasets and advanced computational understandings of human behavior, the Metaverse has the potential to redefine city designing activities and service provisioning towards increasing urban efficiencies, accountabilities, and quality performance. However, there still remain ethical, human, social, and cultural concerns as to the Metaverse’s influence upon the quality of human social interactions and its prospective scope in reconstructing the quality of urban life. This paper undertakes an upper-level literature review of the area of the Metaverse from a broader perspective. Further, it maps the emerging products and services of the Metaverse, and explores their potential contributions to smart cities with respect to their virtual incarnation, with a particular focus on the environmental, economic, and social goals of sustainability. This study may help urban policy makers to better understand the opportunities and implications of the Metaverse upon tech-mediated practices and applied urban agendas, as well as assess the positives and negatives of this techno-urban vision. This paper also offers thoughts regarding the argument that the Metaverse has disruptive and substantive effects on forms of reconstructing reality in an increasingly platformized urban society. This will hopefully stimulate prospective research and further critical perspectives on the topic.

Sustainability of biodegradable plastics: New problem or solution to solve the global plastic pollution?

Abstract: Plastic usage is increasing the number of pollutants in the environment. Plastic particles and other plastic-based pollutants are found in our environment and food chain, posing a threat to human health. From this perspective, the biodegradable plastics material focuses on creating a more sustainable and greener world with a smaller environmental imprint. This assessment should consider the entire life cycle assessment of the objectives and priorities for producing a wide range of biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics can also have properties similar to traditional plastics while also delivering additional benefits due to their minimised impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide, as long as appropriate waste management includes such as composting, are contained. The demand for cost-effective, eco-friendly materials increases to reduce waste management and pollution issues. This study seeks to comprehensively understand biodegradable plastics production and applications research, product prospects, sustainability, sourcing and ecological imprint. Academic and industry interest in biodegradable plastics for sustainability has exploded in recent years. Researchers used the triple bottom line to analyse the sustainability of biodegradable plastics (economic profit, social responsibility, and environmental protection). The research also discusses the variables that influence the adoption of biodegradable plastics and a sustainable framework for improving biodegradable plastics' long-term viability. This study provides a thorough yet simple theoretical design of biodegradable plastics. The research findings and future research endeavours provide a new avenue for further research and contribution to the area.