Global Transitions最新文献

Competing agendas are common within the sustainability field, given its complex and diverse social, economic, and environmental priorities. They can cause less effective policy results, where multiple goals can result in trade-offs and policy compromises. This paper proposes a conceptual framework: CompeSA – Assessing Competing Sustainability Agendas in Carbon Neutrality Policy Pathways. This framework enables the exploration of competing sustainability agendas arising from the simultaneous implementation of climate change, energy transitions, and energy poverty agendas. CompeSA is built on three key steps, 1) The WHAT, aiming to define the scope, 2) The WHERE, to understand the scales at which corresponding policy impacts apply; and 3) the WHO, for deep characterization and analysis of the key stakeholder groups.

We base the development and application of the framework in Portugal, a test case strongly engaged with the carbon neutrality agenda, to illustrate important dilemmas over policy mixes and unpack emerging synergies and barriers. Identified synergies include the linked concepts of economic recovery and employment opportunities, mainly through renewable energy expansion, enhanced economic competitiveness, and skilled job creation. Improvements in air quality and the built environment contribute to health benefits. The most significant barriers are inequitable benefit allocation and power imbalances between the energy-poor and agenda-setting actors. Our demonstration shows CompeSA to be a helpful support tool for structured analysis of competing sustainability agendas and pinpoints key critical points that determine the effectiveness of sustainability policies.

To secure an inclusive and development-oriented society where nations can create, access, and utilize a scalable and sustainable infrastructure and resources, an equitable and effective investment in education and human capital development, including science, technology, and innovation (STI) has proven to be inevitable. There have been speculations on how disproportionate the global government investments and expenditures may be in achieving those goals across the regions. This study conducts a comparative analysis of data about global government investment in relation to education, STI and researchers/human capital development. We applied a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multiple comparisons (Post Hoc Tukey) tests to determine the association between the different types of regions and the level of Educational and STI investment as per percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) and full-time equivalent (FTE) of researchers between 2015 and 2020, respectively. Three categories of data from The UNESCO's Institute for Statistics (UIS) on sustainable development goals (SDGs) were used for the investigations. The analyzed dataset consisted of information about Education as per GDP (n = 190), STI as per GDP (n = 155), and STI as per Researcher FTE (n = 155). The results show that there were differences in the global government investments in the above constructs between the low- and middle-income vs high-income regions. In turn, the study empirically discussed and shed light on the leading factors by considering their implications, and how those can be used to support decision-making and infrastructural investment policies by the various governments, policymakers, financial investors, and educators towards a global/sustainable practice.

As the Philippines pursues its mission of decarbonization in the energy sector by 2030, a target which aims to achieve a 35% share of renewable energy (RE) in the country's power generation mix, the broad participation of merchant plant developers and banks is crucial. Developers of merchant plants can generate supply of renewable energy, while banks can provide the financing. Nonetheless, banks traditionally do not lend to fully merchant plants, particularly by small proponents who have no implicit guarantor. In recent years, as more banks embed sustainability principles in their corporate philosophy, the question arises on whether this trend has also impacted the bank lending logics, especially with respect to how banks evaluate the risk-return profiles of RE projects, including pure merchant plants by small developers. Using qualitative research methods, we collected data through interviews and desk research from six banks in the Philippines (private and government-controlled, as well as universal and rural). To unpack the lending logics of banks, we presented ten credit enhancement options for the banks to appraise. We found that government-controlled banks, partly due to their mandate in supporting national development, have more appetite towards small merchant plants, unlike private banks, despite the latter's aggressive pursuit of sustainability targets. In the end, a fundamental gap between private banks and merchant plants remains. Since addressing it is crucial for the Philippines to achieve its mission of energy decarbonization, we end with some recommendations on how this gap may be bridged.

Social innovation (SI) in local energy transitions is gaining focus in current times but energy transitions have not yet been explicitly analysed in the context of SI. Our objective is to characterize SI in co-created local energy transitions processes through the study of three distinct cases based on energy transitions in localities in Sweden (Skåne and Dalsland) and Denmark (Hjørring). In these localities, municipality actors (MA) are engaged in increasing the adoption of solar PV systems, uptake of EV and biogas cars, and phasing out oil-burners, respectively. We analyse the three cases by following the work of the MAs and through the frame of Transformative Social Innovation (TSI), which consists of four shades; social innovation, system innovation, game-changers, and narratives of change. Subsequently, we use causal loop diagrams to characterize the SI in the oil-burner phase-out case. We see shades of SI and system innovation but there are no ‘game changers’ or ‘narratives of change’ yet in any of the cases.

Methane (CH₄) is a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 28 times that of dioxide of carbon (CO₂) and Africa alone contributes more than 1/3 of global methane emissions. Considering the fact that Africa has the second largest hydro-forest basin in the world after the Amazon and is highly dependent on agriculture, this study examines the effects of economic growth on environmental quality in an Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework. It empirically tests the relationship between CH₄ emissions and GDP per capita (GDPC) for six countries of Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) over the period 1980 to 2018. Using the Driscoll-Kraay standard errors technique as well as panel Granger non-causality test, the results point out cointegration between CH₄ emissions and GDPC, show that there is bidirectional causality between the two variables and support evidence of EKC hypothesis. Policymakers should strengthen sustainable strategies for growth and environment.

With the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in March 2020, a long and strict lockdown was implemented in Argentina, as a means of avoiding health services collapse. Measures were taken early in order to strengthen the health system before the potential spread of the virus. Mandatory isolation measures impacted on the energy system: they modified energy demand and production patterns, and caused reasons for uncertainty among investors and project stakeholders. Nevertheless, profound changes caused by the pandemic, pave the way for the adoption of sustainable solutions with the potential to improve people’s quality of life. This paper aims to explore the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the Argentinian energy sector and on the course of the transition. By means of secondary sources, such as public reports and national statistics, and semi-structured interviews, changes in the energy sector are analysed as well as local-scale alternatives for the post-pandemic. Community-led energy initiatives and the possibility of implementing sustainable practices, could contribute to reducing uncertainty and valorizing local resources and capabilities.

The demand of online remote working from home significantly increased in 2020/21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This unforeseen situation has forced individuals and organisations to rapidly train employees and adopt the use of on-line working styles, seeking to maintain the same level of productivity as working from the office. The paper outlines a survey conducted amongst people working from home to identify the challenges and opportunities this change in workstyle offers. At the beginning of the pandemic, many employees faced difficulties adapting to using online tools and combining their working hours with daily routines and family commitments. However, the results show that within a short period of time the respondents had managed to develop the necessary experience and knowledge for digital working utilising tools such as collaboration platforms and video conferencing. A large proportion of respondents recognised the advantage of eliminating travelling time when working remotely from home which also has a positive impact on the environment and CO2 emissions. However, some drawbacks have been identified such as the lack of face-to-face discussion and informal meetings during working days. The Self-Determination Theory is discussed within the context of this paper and it has been found that the theory could provide an explanation of the efficient and rapid adaptation of the technology be employees.

COVID-19 has caused considerable upheaval, necessitating a rethinking of higher education. Distance education has emerged as a major parallel issue that is changing the educational landscape. The lockdowns brought to light the challenges that women confront in academia. This study examines the impact of distance education on women's research activity at Mediterranean institutions, focusing on the additional constraints women faced as a result of e-learning. During the first lockdown (March to May 2020) there was a growing volume of media coverage, but fewer articles investigated how the pandemic's lockdown had affected women and men which increased fast in 2021. According to the findings, while the Mediterranean countries utilized different approaches to combat the epidemic, the impacts are surprisingly similar and must be recognized to avoid long-term consequences for women in higher education, science, and research. Lockdowns put added family responsibilities on female researchers, who were faced with more childcare and homework, resulting in less time to be part of a cohort creating new knowledge. Traditional cultural gender preconceptions were also uncovered, indicating the need for structural changes and repositioning. To meet UN SDG 4: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education,” we must emerge from this pandemic more equal and robust to establish viable and inclusive universities that should implement policies and interventions to capitalize on female contributions to science, research, and innovation.

This article considers the role of product standards in the acceleration of the Indian energy transition. It argues that standard-setting plays a crucial role in shaping interactions between national regulators and stakeholders of the off-grid solar sector. Thirty-three expert interviews were scrutinised in a narrative analysis. Product standards are assessed in the context of an emerging Indian off-grid solar sector. The study found that there are two different frameworks for product standards, that standard adherence played a significant role in accessing government programmes, and that the establishment of product standards in the off-grid solar sector was driven by international stakeholders. By applying a narrative analysis, two central narratives on the governance of the Indian off-grid solar sector have been found. The paper concludes that diverging product standards frameworks due to increasing politicisation of energy access governance impact the acceleration of the Indian energy transition.