Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100306
Sanna Pasanen , Karin Alvåsen , Mattias Eriksson , Jonas Christensen , Ingrid Strid
Animal-based food production places significant strain on environmental resources, yet much of its mitigation potential remains untapped. Sweden's Environmental Code (1999) mandates resource efficiency and waste minimization, but its application to reduce on-farm losses in agriculture has not been fully explored. This study examines the potential environmental impact of targeting animal losses through the enforcement of the Environmental Code on Swedish cattle farms.
Using data from 4222 dairy cattle farms, we demonstrate that reducing losses on farms exceeding the median loss rate could lead to 2800 t of additional meat reaching the food supply chain annually (34 % reduction in losses), decrease the CO2e associated with meat losses by 52,000 t, and recover €15 million in revenue losses. While these reductions represent a small fraction of Sweden's total agricultural emissions, the study suggests the potential could be even greater if applied to all livestock farms nationwide.
Importantly, Sweden's Environmental Code aligns with EU legislation, making these findings highly relevant not only for Sweden but also for other EU countries with similar regulatory frameworks.
{"title":"Potential environmental benefits of enforcing best available technology in the Swedish dairy cattle systems","authors":"Sanna Pasanen , Karin Alvåsen , Mattias Eriksson , Jonas Christensen , Ingrid Strid","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animal-based food production places significant strain on environmental resources, yet much of its mitigation potential remains untapped. Sweden's Environmental Code (1999) mandates resource efficiency and waste minimization, but its application to reduce on-farm losses in agriculture has not been fully explored. This study examines the potential environmental impact of targeting animal losses through the enforcement of the Environmental Code on Swedish cattle farms.</div><div>Using data from 4222 dairy cattle farms, we demonstrate that reducing losses on farms exceeding the median loss rate could lead to 2800 t of additional meat reaching the food supply chain annually (34 % reduction in losses), decrease the CO<sub>2</sub>e associated with meat losses by 52,000 t, and recover €15 million in revenue losses. While these reductions represent a small fraction of Sweden's total agricultural emissions, the study suggests the potential could be even greater if applied to all livestock farms nationwide.</div><div>Importantly, Sweden's Environmental Code aligns with EU legislation, making these findings highly relevant not only for Sweden but also for other EU countries with similar regulatory frameworks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100306"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Institutions are human-designed systems facilitating structured interactions to achieve specific objectives. The Institutional Analysis and Development Framework (IAD), introduced by Elinor Ostrom, is a valuable tool for analyzing these systems. This study formulates a mathematical representation of the IAD within an operational context related to water demand and supply services. It demonstrates that structuring institutional (sub)systems entails a cost driven by external factors and interactions. Such a cost functions as an outcome within the scope of the IAD. This outcome can be mathematically expressed based on the components of the action arena and exogenous variables within a given context and over a distinct timeframe. This concept provides a theoretical basis for computationally evaluating and comparing different system states across varying (sub)system structures.
{"title":"The institutional analysis and development framework: A mathematical representation in water arena","authors":"Peyman Arjomandi A. , Seyedalireza Seyedi , Nadejda Komendantova , Masoud Yazdanpanah , Matteo Mannocchi","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Institutions are human-designed systems facilitating structured interactions to achieve specific objectives. The Institutional Analysis and Development Framework (IAD), introduced by Elinor Ostrom, is a valuable tool for analyzing these systems. This study formulates a mathematical representation of the IAD within an operational context related to water demand and supply services. It demonstrates that structuring institutional (sub)systems entails a cost driven by external factors and interactions. Such a cost functions as an outcome within the scope of the IAD. This outcome can be mathematically expressed based on the components of the action arena and exogenous variables within a given context and over a distinct timeframe. This concept provides a theoretical basis for computationally evaluating and comparing different system states across varying (sub)system structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100307"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100300
Gabriela De La Rosa , David Ludwig , Abigail Nieves , Charbel Niño El-Hani
The aim of this article is to address the tension between aspirations of transdisciplinary projects to overcome inequalities through more inclusive forms of knowledge co-creation and risks of reproducing these inequalities through power dynamics among transdisciplinary collaborators. We examine how different layers - related to race, class, gender, ethnicity, rurality, and geography, among others - structure the positions of such collaborators. Inspired by Nego Bispo's concept of "confluence," which emphasizes the coexistence of diverse knowledge systems without losing their unique identities, this article proposes an approach that is reflective of prevailing inequalities in transdisciplinarity without giving up on the goal of co-creation. Based on a case study in Siribinha, an artisanal fishing village on the northern coast of Bahia, Brazil, we examine how power dynamics shape the interactions between community members, local policy makers, and researchers. Over the past nine years, our research team has employed participant observation, semi-structured interviews, design research methods, and arts-based methods in collaborative work in and with this community. The findings reveal that power imbalances, rooted in historical marginalization, influence who participates in decision-making processes and whose voices are heard. The community's sense of disenfranchisement is linked to the dominance of external actors in local decision making. Based on these findings, this study calls for an understanding that confluences of knowledge can flourish in transdisciplinary efforts despite their inherent embedment in inevitable power dynamics.
{"title":"Between confluence and disenfranchisement: The role of power dynamics in transdisciplinary research","authors":"Gabriela De La Rosa , David Ludwig , Abigail Nieves , Charbel Niño El-Hani","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100300","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100300","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this article is to address the tension between aspirations of transdisciplinary projects to overcome inequalities through more inclusive forms of knowledge co-creation and risks of reproducing these inequalities through power dynamics among transdisciplinary collaborators. We examine how different layers - related to race, class, gender, ethnicity, rurality, and geography, among others - structure the positions of such collaborators. Inspired by Nego Bispo's concept of \"confluence,\" which emphasizes the coexistence of diverse knowledge systems without losing their unique identities, this article proposes an approach that is reflective of prevailing inequalities in transdisciplinarity without giving up on the goal of co-creation. Based on a case study in Siribinha, an artisanal fishing village on the northern coast of Bahia, Brazil, we examine how power dynamics shape the interactions between community members, local policy makers, and researchers. Over the past nine years, our research team has employed participant observation, semi-structured interviews, design research methods, and arts-based methods in collaborative work in and with this community. The findings reveal that power imbalances, rooted in historical marginalization, influence who participates in decision-making processes and whose voices are heard. The community's sense of disenfranchisement is linked to the dominance of external actors in local decision making. Based on these findings, this study calls for an understanding that confluences of knowledge can flourish in transdisciplinary efforts despite their inherent embedment in inevitable power dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100300"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144757514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100302
Tibebe Weldesemaet Yitbarek , John R.U. Wilson , Adrian Evans , Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz
Tree planting schemes in Africa are increasingly promoted for their potential to address environmental degradation, enhance biodiversity, and support socioeconomic development. Yet, complex and interrelated macro-environmental factors constrain the achievement of these targets. While past studies have assessed local-level technical, ecological, and governance challenges influencing the success of tree planting schemes, they have often overlooked the influence of broader macro-environmental factors. In this study, we analysed the influence of these macro-environmental factors by reviewing 143 publications, interviewing 19 key informants, and participating in 8 related events across four African countries (Algeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and South Africa). We employed the macroenvironment analysis framework called PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Ecological, and Legal) to analyse the influence of these factors supplemented by polycentric governance and socio-technical transition theories. Our findings revealed that while PESTEL factors dominate the discourse, historical legacies, institutional instability, and emergent cross-sectoral factors also play critical roles. Accordingly, we expanded the PESTEL framework to HPESTELI+, incorporating Historical (H), Institutional (I), and a flexible ‘+’ dimension to capture context-specific influences. The HPESTELI+ framework offers a comprehensive diagnostic tool for policymakers and practitioners to identify cross-cutting and context-specific factors that support sustainable tree planting. We argue that a holistic understanding of these macro-environmental factors is crucial for enhancing governance and the long-term sustainability of tree planting schemes in Africa and beyond.
{"title":"An analysis of macro-environment factors influencing the governance of tree planting schemes in Africa","authors":"Tibebe Weldesemaet Yitbarek , John R.U. Wilson , Adrian Evans , Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100302","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100302","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tree planting schemes in Africa are increasingly promoted for their potential to address environmental degradation, enhance biodiversity, and support socioeconomic development. Yet, complex and interrelated macro-environmental factors constrain the achievement of these targets. While past studies have assessed local-level technical, ecological, and governance challenges influencing the success of tree planting schemes, they have often overlooked the influence of broader macro-environmental factors. In this study, we analysed the influence of these macro-environmental factors by reviewing 143 publications, interviewing 19 key informants, and participating in 8 related events across four African countries (Algeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and South Africa). We employed the macroenvironment analysis framework called PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Ecological, and Legal) to analyse the influence of these factors supplemented by polycentric governance and socio-technical transition theories. Our findings revealed that while PESTEL factors dominate the discourse, historical legacies, institutional instability, and emergent cross-sectoral factors also play critical roles. Accordingly, we expanded the PESTEL framework to HPESTELI+, incorporating Historical (H), Institutional (I), and a flexible ‘+’ dimension to capture context-specific influences. The HPESTELI+ framework offers a comprehensive diagnostic tool for policymakers and practitioners to identify cross-cutting and context-specific factors that support sustainable tree planting. We argue that a holistic understanding of these macro-environmental factors is crucial for enhancing governance and the long-term sustainability of tree planting schemes in Africa and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100302"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100319
Mohammad Zaher Serdar , Fatima-Zahra Lahlou , Sarah Namany , Bilal M. Ayyub , Sami G. Al-Ghamdi , Tareq Al-Ansari
Climate change and its impacts pose significant challenges and risks to humanity and sustainable development efforts. Recent unprecedented disasters attributed to climate change, compounded by the aftermath of COVID-19 and increasing geopolitical conflicts, have highlighted the need to re-envision development plans to ensure resilience and security while striving for sustainability. This paper presents a generic, quantitative, and holistic framework to evaluate the performance across the Resilience, Sustainability, and Security (RSS) Triad for different system scales under climate change hazards. The framework provides a detailed calculation process to quantify performance and derive indices for each aspect. Moreover, it accommodates climate change hazards, whether shocks or stresses. The framework also facilitates the incorporation of decision-makers' preferences through weighting factors, which can also support sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, it enables designers and planners to evaluate development options and allows decision-makers to make informed decisions and design more efficient and feasible development strategies that can withstand a changing climate.
{"title":"Assessing sustainability, resilience, and security triad of urban systems under climate change risks: A wholistic perspective","authors":"Mohammad Zaher Serdar , Fatima-Zahra Lahlou , Sarah Namany , Bilal M. Ayyub , Sami G. Al-Ghamdi , Tareq Al-Ansari","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100319","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change and its impacts pose significant challenges and risks to humanity and sustainable development efforts. Recent unprecedented disasters attributed to climate change, compounded by the aftermath of COVID-19 and increasing geopolitical conflicts, have highlighted the need to re-envision development plans to ensure resilience and security while striving for sustainability. This paper presents a generic, quantitative, and holistic framework to evaluate the performance across the Resilience, Sustainability, and Security (RSS) Triad for different system scales under climate change hazards. The framework provides a detailed calculation process to quantify performance and derive indices for each aspect. Moreover, it accommodates climate change hazards, whether shocks or stresses. The framework also facilitates the incorporation of decision-makers' preferences through weighting factors, which can also support sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, it enables designers and planners to evaluate development options and allows decision-makers to make informed decisions and design more efficient and feasible development strategies that can withstand a changing climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100319"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145568590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100308
Unai Villalba-Eguiluz , César Carranza-Barona
We examine Buen Vivir (BV) as a comprehensive proposal based on a distinctive onto-epistemic framework that can offer alternative pathways towards sustainability. We identify three key principles of BV for sustainability reinterpretations: Transcendence of human-nature divide from a biocentric/ecocentric standpoint; Relational perspectives of coexistence in harmony, regarding the intertwiness of all forms of life; Recognition of onto-epistemic diversity including indigenous/local worldviews. These principles could be enacted for sustainability purposes via two strategies: establishing Rights of Nature, and territorial/communitarian practices with autonomy. While acknowledging limitations in global applicability, we emphasize BV's potential for inter-epistemic dialogue and alignment with transformative social movements already present around the globe, like degrowth, food sovereignty, social and solidarity economy or ecofeminisms. Our analysis critiques the coloniality of knowledge inherent in mainstream sustainability discourses like those implicit behind the sustainable development goals or planetary limits, advocating for decolonization and valuing diverse worldviews towards the pluriverse.
{"title":"Sustainability as Buen Vivir within a community-territory and the Rights of Nature: biocentric standpoints, relational perspectives and onto-epistemic diversity","authors":"Unai Villalba-Eguiluz , César Carranza-Barona","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100308","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100308","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We examine Buen Vivir (BV) as a comprehensive proposal based on a distinctive onto-epistemic framework that can offer alternative pathways towards sustainability. We identify three key principles of BV for sustainability reinterpretations: Transcendence of human-nature divide from a biocentric/ecocentric standpoint; Relational perspectives of coexistence in harmony, regarding the intertwiness of all forms of life; Recognition of onto-epistemic diversity including indigenous/local worldviews. These principles could be enacted for sustainability purposes via two strategies: establishing Rights of Nature, and territorial/communitarian practices with autonomy. While acknowledging limitations in global applicability, we emphasize BV's potential for inter-epistemic dialogue and alignment with transformative social movements already present around the globe, like degrowth, food sovereignty, social and solidarity economy or ecofeminisms. Our analysis critiques the coloniality of knowledge inherent in mainstream sustainability discourses like those implicit behind the sustainable development goals or planetary limits, advocating for decolonization and valuing diverse worldviews towards the pluriverse.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100308"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100310
Shahram Raeisipour Sarbijan , Mohammad Reza Zare Mehrjerdi , Abbas Mirzaei , Hossein Mehrabi Boshrabadi , Hamid Reza Mirzaei Khalilabad
The Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) nexus is a framework that plays a crucial role in addressing concerns related to sustainable agricultural development and food security. Therefore, evaluating and revising policies and management approaches from the perspective of achieving WEFE nexus goals can operationalize sustainable agricultural development. Despite the highlighted importance of this connection, there is no comprehensive framework and method for its implementation considering various environmental criteria along with the evaluation of water resource management policies. This study aims to first extract the optimal sustainable solution by considering all Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus goals combined with environmental objectives such as minimizing the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and CO2 emissions, and maximizing wetland conservation scores using the NSGA-II method. Then, it estimates the effects of water resource management policies, including policies for reducing available water resources (P1), improving irrigation efficiency (P2), and crop pattern modification (P3), using the PMP model and evaluates them by calculating the Distance-to-Optimal Solution Index (DOSI). For this purpose, the Jiroft plain in Kerman province, Iran, was selected as the study area. The results showed that the optimal sustainable cropping pattern, with a reduction of 3988 ha from the current cultivated area, significantly improves environmental criteria such as reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides, CO2 emissions, and increasing the conservation of the Jazmourian wetland. Additionally, it was found that the DOSI for the current pattern is −2.70, and for the patterns with the implementation of policies P1, P2, and P3, it is −2.89, −3.22, and − 1.19, respectively. Therefore, the policy of modifying the cropping pattern towards crops with lower water requirements (P3) can improve the sustainability of the region's agriculture. In contrast, policies for reducing available water resources (P1) and improving irrigation efficiency (P2) not only do not improve the sustainability compared to the current conditions but also worsen it. Overall, the framework used to identify the best water resource management policies by leveraging the comprehensive WEFE nexus approach will be a strategy to ensure sustainable agricultural development.
{"title":"Evaluation of water resource management policies for achieving sustainable agricultural development using the distance-to-optimal solution index: Application of the WEFE Nexus and NSGA-II method","authors":"Shahram Raeisipour Sarbijan , Mohammad Reza Zare Mehrjerdi , Abbas Mirzaei , Hossein Mehrabi Boshrabadi , Hamid Reza Mirzaei Khalilabad","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100310","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100310","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) nexus is a framework that plays a crucial role in addressing concerns related to sustainable agricultural development and food security. Therefore, evaluating and revising policies and management approaches from the perspective of achieving WEFE nexus goals can operationalize sustainable agricultural development. Despite the highlighted importance of this connection, there is no comprehensive framework and method for its implementation considering various environmental criteria along with the evaluation of water resource management policies. This study aims to first extract the optimal sustainable solution by considering all Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus goals combined with environmental objectives such as minimizing the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and CO2 emissions, and maximizing wetland conservation scores using the NSGA-II method. Then, it estimates the effects of water resource management policies, including policies for reducing available water resources (P1), improving irrigation efficiency (P2), and crop pattern modification (P3), using the PMP model and evaluates them by calculating the Distance-to-Optimal Solution Index (DOSI). For this purpose, the Jiroft plain in Kerman province, Iran, was selected as the study area. The results showed that the optimal sustainable cropping pattern, with a reduction of 3988 ha from the current cultivated area, significantly improves environmental criteria such as reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides, CO2 emissions, and increasing the conservation of the Jazmourian wetland. Additionally, it was found that the DOSI for the current pattern is −2.70, and for the patterns with the implementation of policies P1, P2, and P3, it is −2.89, −3.22, and − 1.19, respectively. Therefore, the policy of modifying the cropping pattern towards crops with lower water requirements (P3) can improve the sustainability of the region's agriculture. In contrast, policies for reducing available water resources (P1) and improving irrigation efficiency (P2) not only do not improve the sustainability compared to the current conditions but also worsen it. Overall, the framework used to identify the best water resource management policies by leveraging the comprehensive WEFE nexus approach will be a strategy to ensure sustainable agricultural development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100310"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100318
Martina Garcia de Cezar , Severine Tomas , Bruno Cheviron , François Liron , Laurent Aprin
Understanding microclimatic processes at the street-canyon scale is essential for advancing physical knowledge of urban heat and supporting effective adaptation strategies. This research investigates the influence of irrigated planters, containing climbing and shrub plants, on the microclimate of an experimental street canyon in Montpellier, France, monitored with a dense sensor network. The analysis focused on two heatwave days in August 2023, representative of the Mediterranean climate. Results show that under low wind speeds (<1 m s−1), air temperature variability was mainly controlled by the distribution and intensity of solar radiation. Vegetation had a buffer and retardation effect on the warming of the nearby air regions, with mean air temperature difference between the vegetated and non-vegetated reference zones ranging from −0.17 to 0.44 °C. Comparisons between plant types indicated slightly higher air temperatures (−0.15 to 0.62 °C) and relative humidity increases (1.73 to 1.99 %) near climbing plants compared to shrubs. Irrigation produced no detectable short-term effect on air temperature, while only marginally increasing relative humidity. Thermal comfort assessment using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) confirmed that vegetation and irrigation altered microclimatic dynamics but did not substantially reduce heat stress levels for pedestrians. Instead, radiative effects of vegetation and the morphology of the canyon—through shading and surface temperature reduction—were the dominant drivers of thermal comfort modulation in the canyon.
{"title":"Microclimatic analysis of the impact of irrigated vegetation in an experimental street canyon","authors":"Martina Garcia de Cezar , Severine Tomas , Bruno Cheviron , François Liron , Laurent Aprin","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding microclimatic processes at the street-canyon scale is essential for advancing physical knowledge of urban heat and supporting effective adaptation strategies. This research investigates the influence of irrigated planters, containing climbing and shrub plants, on the microclimate of an experimental street canyon in Montpellier, France, monitored with a dense sensor network. The analysis focused on two heatwave days in August 2023, representative of the Mediterranean climate. Results show that under low wind speeds (<1 m s<sup>−1</sup>), air temperature variability was mainly controlled by the distribution and intensity of solar radiation. Vegetation had a buffer and retardation effect on the warming of the nearby air regions, with mean air temperature difference between the vegetated and non-vegetated reference zones ranging from −0.17 to 0.44 °C. Comparisons between plant types indicated slightly higher air temperatures (−0.15 to 0.62 °C) and relative humidity increases (1.73 to 1.99 %) near climbing plants compared to shrubs. Irrigation produced no detectable short-term effect on air temperature, while only marginally increasing relative humidity. Thermal comfort assessment using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) confirmed that vegetation and irrigation altered microclimatic dynamics but did not substantially reduce heat stress levels for pedestrians. Instead, radiative effects of vegetation and the morphology of the canyon—through shading and surface temperature reduction—were the dominant drivers of thermal comfort modulation in the canyon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100318"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) is gaining traction as an inclusive and democratic funding model that shifts decision-making power to those directly affected by funding outcomes. In parallel, research and practice in disaster resilience increasingly highlight the importance of moving beyond top-down models toward approaches that foster local leadership, strengthen participatory governance, and build adaptive capacity. While PGM aligns with these shifts, most documented examples focus on philanthropic or social justice contexts. There is limited empirical research on how community-led PGM functions in disaster recovery settings or how it contributes to long-term community resilience. This article contributes both theoretical and practical insights by examining a community-led grantmaking initiative established in response to the 2019–20 bushfires in Cobargo, New South Wales, Australia. Through a co-produced case study of the Cobargo Community Bushfire Recovery Fund (CCBRF), we explore how PGM can serve not only as a funding mechanism but also as a relational and resilience-building practice. We identify factors that enabled or constrained implementation and show how community-led PGM helped strengthen key resilience capacities, including local leadership, collaborative decision-making, and social and economic capital. In doing so, the article responds to calls from communities, governments, disaster management agencies, and scholars for place-based investment models that support self-determination and local capability. We conclude that community-led grantmaking offers a scalable and context-responsive framework for operationalising resilience – when grounded in local practice and structurally supported by inclusive policy and institutional settings.
{"title":"Participatory Grantmaking builds community resilience: Lessons and insights from the Cobargo Community Bushfire Recovery Fund","authors":"Jana-Axinja Paschen , Elise Park , Caroline Spencer , Zena Armstrong , Deborah Gough , Debra Summers , Lara Werbeloff , Briony Rogers","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100321","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100321","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) is gaining traction as an inclusive and democratic funding model that shifts decision-making power to those directly affected by funding outcomes. In parallel, research and practice in disaster resilience increasingly highlight the importance of moving beyond top-down models toward approaches that foster local leadership, strengthen participatory governance, and build adaptive capacity. While PGM aligns with these shifts, most documented examples focus on philanthropic or social justice contexts. There is limited empirical research on how community-led PGM functions in disaster recovery settings or how it contributes to long-term community resilience. This article contributes both theoretical and practical insights by examining a community-led grantmaking initiative established in response to the 2019–20 bushfires in Cobargo, New South Wales, Australia. Through a co-produced case study of the Cobargo Community Bushfire Recovery Fund (CCBRF), we explore how PGM can serve not only as a funding mechanism but also as a relational and resilience-building practice. We identify factors that enabled or constrained implementation and show how community-led PGM helped strengthen key resilience capacities, including local leadership, collaborative decision-making, and social and economic capital. In doing so, the article responds to calls from communities, governments, disaster management agencies, and scholars for place-based investment models that support self-determination and local capability. We conclude that community-led grantmaking offers a scalable and context-responsive framework for operationalising resilience – when grounded in local practice and structurally supported by inclusive policy and institutional settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100321"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100325
Juan Telleria
Sustainable development is a central concept of most influential global strategies. It strongly influences the way global issues are understood in theory and tackled in practice. This article reflects on the success of this concept by analysing the discursive characteristics of sustainability and development. Drawing on the work of Jacques Derrida and Ernesto Laclau, the study shows that these concepts enable the construction of discourses with two important characteristics. First, they reproduce positivist assumptions and present a complex, multi-layered and contingent reality as an objective, quantifiable and manageable realm. Second, they enable the construction of hegemonic political coalitions that monopolise theoretical and practical debates and foreclose the emergence of alternative proposals. The article makes explicit the constructed and contingent character of these discourses to open up the possibility of constructing alternative discourses that could motivate and inspire the articulation of alternative coalitions and different practices. Overall, the study in this article shows that the allegedly technical concepts of sustainability and development are political tools that reproduce, rather than transform, the existing power structures.
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