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.

Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities

Abstract: We submit that the safe operating space of the planetary boundary of novel entities is exceeded since annual production and releases are increasing at a pace that outstrips the global capacity for assessment and monitoring. The novel entities boundary in the planetary boundaries framework refers to entities that are novel in a geological sense and that could have large-scale impacts that threaten the integrity of Earth system processes. We review the scientific literature relevant to quantifying the boundary for novel entities and highlight plastic pollution as a particular aspect of high concern. An impact pathway from production of novel entities to impacts on Earth system processes is presented. We define and apply three criteria for assessment of the suitability of control variables for the boundary: feasibility, relevance, and comprehensiveness. We propose several complementary control variables to capture the complexity of this boundary, while acknowledging major data limitations. We conclude that humanity is currently operating outside the planetary boundary based on the weight-of-evidence for several of these control variables. The increasing rate of production and releases of larger volumes and higher numbers of novel entities with diverse risk potentials exceed societies’ ability to conduct safety related assessments and monitoring. We recommend taking urgent action to reduce the harm associated with exceeding the boundary by reducing the production and releases of novel entities, noting that even so, the persistence of many novel entities and/or their associated effects will continue to pose a threat.

antimicrobial

Abstract: Actinomycosis, is a slowly progressive infection that may mimic malignancy due to the invasive- ness of tissues and the ability to form sinus tracts. Infective Endocarditis (IE) is a rare disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Interestingly, even though there are scarce data of IE by Actinomyces spp. in the literature, a review adequately summarizing all available evidence on the topic in a systematic way is lacking. The aim of this study was to systematically review all cases of IE by Actinomyces spp. in the literature and describe the epidemiology, microbiology, clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of this infection. A systematic review of PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane library (through 19 August 2021) for studies providing epidemio- logical, clinical, microbiological as well as treatment data and outcomes of IE by Actinomyces spp. was performed. A total of 31 studies providing data for 31 patients were included. A prosthetic valve was present in 12.9%, while the most common microorganism was A. meyeri . Aortic valve was the most commonly infected intracardiac site, followed by the mitral valve. Diagnosis was most commonly performed with transesophageal echocardiography, while the diagnosis was made at autopsy in 16.1%. Penicillin, cephalosporins and aminopenicillins were the most commonly used antimicrobials. Clinical cure was noted in 80.6%, while mortality was 19.4%. Development of heart failure was associated with mortality by IE. This systematic review thor- oughly describes IE by Actinomyces and provides information on epidemiology, clinical presentation, treatment and outcomes.

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.

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.

Agricultural waste management strategies for environmental sustainability

Abstract: Globally, abundant agricultural wastes (AWs) are being generated each day to fulfil the increasing demands of the fast-growing population. The limited and/or improper management of the same has created an urgent need to devise strategies for their timely utilization and valorisation, for agricultural sustainability and human-food and health security. The AWs are generated from different sources including crop residue, agro-industries, livestock, and aquaculture. The main component of the crop residue and agro-industrial waste is cellulose, (the most abundant biopolymer), followed by lignin and hemicellulose (lignocellulosic biomass). The AWs and their processing are a global issue since its vast majority is currently burned or buried in soil, causing pollution of air, water and global warming. Traditionally, some crop residues have been used in combustion, animal fodder, roof thatching, composting, soil mulching, matchsticks and paper production. But, lignocellulosic biomass can also serve as a sustainable source of biofuel (biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, biohydrogen) and bioenergy in order to mitigate the fossil fuel shortage and climate change issues. Thus, valorisation of lignocellulosic residues has the potential to influence the bioeconomy by producing value-added products including biofertilizers, bio-bricks, bio-coal, bio-plastics, paper, biofuels, industrial enzymes, organic acids etc. This review encompasses circular bioeconomy based various AW management strategies, which involve 'reduction', 'reusing' and 'recycling' of AWs to boost sustainable agriculture and minimise environmental pollution.

The role of interaction effect between renewable energy consumption and real income in carbon emissions: Evidence from low-income countries

Abstract: Even though the existing studies have extensively investigated the impacts of renewable energy and real income on carbon emissions, the literature overlooks the role of their interaction effect in the level of emissions. In addition, the studies have usually chosen high-income and middle-income countries as focused group. To fill these gaps in the existing body of energy-environment literature, this study investigates the impacts of real income, renewable energy consumption and their interaction effect on carbon emissions in low-income countries by employing empirical estimations that control different econometric and economic issues such as heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence. The results reveal that renewable energy mitigates emissions; however, the interaction effect stays positive. The marginal effect of renewable energy on emissions varies with the levels of real income. Policymakers in these economies should implement policies and regulations to promote the adoption and use of renewable energy to mitigate carbon emissions. Besides, this study emphasizes that the levels of renewable energy and real income are not the only panacea to abating pollution, but the interaction effect should be considered in ensuring environmental 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.

A large but transient carbon sink from urbanization and rural depopulation in China

Abstract: China has experienced unprecedented urbanization and associated rural depopulation during recent decades alongside a massive increase in the total population. By using satellite and demographical datasets, we here test the hypothesis that urbanization and carbon neutrality are not mutually exclusive and that sustainably managed urbanization may even be an integral part of the pathway to reduce atmospheric CO2. We show that, although urban expansion caused an initial aboveground carbon loss of −0.02 PgC during 2002–2010, urban greening compensates these original losses with an overall balance of +0.03 PgC in urban areas during 2002–2019. We further show that a maximum increase in aboveground carbon stocks was observed at intermediate distances to rural settlements (2–4 km), reflecting the decreased pressure on natural resources. Consequently, rural areas experiencing depopulation (−14 million people yr−1) coincided with an extensive aboveground carbon sink of 0.28 ± 0.05 PgC yr−1 during 2002–2019, while at the same time only a slight decline in cropland areas (4%) was observed. However, tree cover growth saturation limits the carbon removal capacity of forests and only a decrease in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning will make the aim of carbon neutrality achievable. China has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 but policies favouring urbanization could slow down progress. This study tests the hypothesis that urbanization and carbon neutrality are not mutually exclusive and that sustainably managed urbanization could increase carbon sequestration, especially in rural areas.