Environment, Development and Sustainability最新文献

Biomass represents 9% of the installed electricity generation capacity in Brazil. If only sugarcane bagasse is considered, it represents 7.5% of the country’s electricity supply. Thus, seeking a broader economic vision, the main objective of this research is to analyze the behavior of electricity consumption generated through sugarcane bagasse in Brazil, from 2013 to 2021. To do this, it used a model in dynamic panel using as independent variables the price of electricity, per capita income, sugarcane production, price of ethanol (competing product), total electricity consumption in each state and the level of rainfall. The analysis sought to capture differences in bioelectricity consumption between states considered richer and poorer. After confirming the indication of the absence of a unit root in bioelectricity consumption, the model was estimated using the generalized first difference moment method (FD GMM), which was more robust to the data. The results suggest that the consumption of sugar-energy electricity has been decreasing, on average, 0.82% per year in the period analyzed. However, the research also showed that the increase in electricity prices had a positive effect on the consumption of sugar-alcohol bioelectricity, offsetting the effect of the downward trend in recent years. From a regional point of view, the research also showed a downward trend in consumption for the states considered more developed and a slight upward trend for the poorest regions. This implies that price and income, analyzed together, point to the existence of a systematic effect between income levels on the price elasticity of demand for electricity from sugarcane. The finding is important for those responsible for conducting energy policy as it indicates that different income levels between regions must be taken into account when proposing public policies to contain or encourage electricity consumption from renewable sources.

This study conducts a comprehensive systematic review of agroforestry, a practice that combines crops with perennial woody plants, emphasizing its potential contribution to food security and socioeconomic development, especially in the context of the impacts of climate change in Latin America. The research focuses on understanding why agroforestry systems represent a significant opportunity to strengthen the food security of small-scale producers in the region. The review involved a meticulous search in electronic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, prioritizing books, scientific articles, and reports from international congresses published between 2011 and 2022. Initially, 136 sources related to agroforestry and food security were identified, but after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 49 relevant documents were selected. The attention is directed towards critical aspects, such as the impact on biodiversity, the relationship to climate change, and the importance of traditional knowledge. Ecological services, agroecological practices, and land use planning are explored. The study highlights the dynamic nature of agroforestry in the Latin American landscape and the conclusion suggests an opportunity to address pressing challenges through concrete strategies, recognizing the transformative potential of agroecological practices. A call to action is issued, emphasizing the need to translate ideas into tangible actions, with recommendations to implement specific policies harnessing agroforestry. This call is based on the evidence from the systematic review, and it seeks to drive a significant change in addressing critical issues in Latin America, aiming to promote environmental sustainability, food security, and resilience to climate change.

The revolutionary impact of Blockchain Technology is undeniable, transforming industries globally with its ability to reduce costs, shorten processing times, and eliminate intermediaries. It is reshaping industries by establishing trust and transparency through its immutable and traceable nature, leading to a paradigm shift in supply chain management operations. So, driven by the need to eliminate inefficiencies, this technology is gaining strong traction in the agricultural and food industries to streamline its operation. However, a comprehensive understanding of the factors enabling Blockchain Technology is essential for its effective implementation in this industry. The prime focus of the present work is to identify and prioritize Blockchain Technology enablers that can mitigate the challenges associated with the agriculture and food industries. In this regard, this study presents a novel Intuitionistic Fuzzy Grey Relational Analysis (IF-GRA) method for assessing the enablers of Blockchain Technology. The study identified Traceability as the most vital factor with a grey relational grade value of 0.987, followed by Smart Contracts (0.9302), Transparency (0.9238), and Real-Time Connectivity (0.8037). Further, this research also provides essential insights for agricultural and food industries contemplating the integration of Blockchain Technology.

The present study proposes a novel hyperbolic cosine distance-dependent dispersion model and is implemented in a mobile-immobile (MIM) model. Dual-porosity media is also termed MIM (mobile-immobile) regions. The pollutants are intended to drift through two adjacent homogeneous zones. An advective–dispersive equation governs mobile regions of the porous media. However, immobile regions are controlled by diffusive flux. The dispersivity as a measure of location determines the dispersion coefficient’s scale dependence. Though linear and exponential dispersivity functions were devised and implemented a few decades ago, in which the exponential distance-dependent dispersion model could provide comparatively satisfactory results, that, too, could not make a stronger correlation with the laboratory results. The linear and exponential dispersion models showed over-predicted data with insignificant skewness and tailing effects. Therefore, the present study further explores the distance-reliant dispersion model by introducing a novel hyperbolic cosine distance-reliant dispersion formulation. The transport model is discretized using a substantially implicit finite-difference-based Crank–Nicolson technique, and Thomas’ approach is applied to solve the output set of simultaneous algebraic problems. The present model is verified with the experimental data, and sensitivity analyses have been performed to look into how model parameters affect the model’s output. The present study reveals that contaminants move faster when using a scale-dependent dispersion model. Sensitivity analyses have revealed that an increase in the mobile regions and distribution of contaminants with the soil matrices reduces the breakthrough profiles. The reduced breakthrough profiles culminate retarded transport of contaminants in the soil media.

Countries are experiencing rapid social development under globalization, and it is a challenge to increase water efficiency and improve the ecological environment. This paper investigates the spatial and temporal changes of water efficiency in production-living-ecological function, which can help to improve the ecological environment and realize sustainable development. In this paper, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to select evaluation indicators. The spatial directional distribution was analyzed using Standard Deviation Ellipse (SDE). The trend of spatial directional distribution was explored by choosing BP neural network model. The results show that: (1) There is a “stock-flow” link in the ecological structure of water resources. (2) The overall water efficiency of the production-living-ecological function indicates an oversupply. The main form is the exchange between ecological and production function. (3) Projections show that water used decreases from northeast to southwest and water efficiency increases from northeast to southwest. The production function occupies a large amount of water use. This paper establishes the theoretical framework of ecological structure of water efficiency and excavates the complex relationship and changing characteristics of production-life-ecological function and water efficiency. It provides a new perspective for the sustainable development of global water resources.

Livelihood recovery, a well-researched issue while a natural disaster, has often been overlooked in the case of other man-made disasters, such as displacement and resettlement caused by urban development projects. Although government institutions/organizations initiated various interventions to combat the externalities of such projects and make the affected people more resilient, a holistic approach is lacking. This study attempts to identify livelihood recovery interventions (LRIs) based on different mechanisms of livelihood resilience for the people affected by urban development projects. Following a literature review and field visit, an initial list of seventy-three LRIs under fifteen mechanisms was prepared. Then, a panel of experts from India was invited to participate in a Delphi technique to check the interventions’ applicability and determine additional context-specific interventions to attain livelihood resilience in the Indian context. The results show that maximum interventions related to (i) empowering the people in rural areas, especially for their active participation in the implementation of the development project; (ii) additional facilities to reduce outmigration; (iii) long-term strategies by the government to achieve sustainability are the most relevant, as gained the consensus with aggregate preference 90%, in three rounds of Delphi. These results highlight the directions for policy-makers and planners in designing and managing livelihood recovering activities to achieve livelihood resilience.

This study explores the impact that QR codes may play in individual’s sustainable apparel consumption. Data from 250 on-line surveys provided valuable information regarding consumers’ use of QR codes and more sustainable purchases. Results indicate that QR codes are currently under-utilized in the apparel industry but have the potential to generate more environmentally conscious purchases. Also, that while the cost of the item is the most influential factor in purchasing sustainable garments, other factors such as how, where, and what it is made of are in the middle, along with the company’s story/inspiration for creation have an impact. Participants indicated that they believe the use of QR codes would make them more informed and empowered consumers, and they would be more likely to make purchases that are better for the environment. Participants’ qualitative responses provide useful incentives that could increase their future sustainable purchases. Role of QR Codes in Environmental Consciousness of Apparel Consumption.

ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) is a crucial initiative for achieving the long-term objectives of the second century. It is a vital requirement for advancing sustainable development and achieving the dual-carbon objective. Additionally, ESG serves as a significant catalyst for transforming and upgrading the economic structure, as well as promoting the development of the national economy. This study utilizes data from 14,873 enterprises listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares between 2017 and 2022 to uncover the role of ESG on corporate value. The analysis employs a double fixed-effects model with a specific focus on the corporate value perspective. The findings indicate that the performance of ESG factors can enhance the overall value of a corporation and multiple rigorous tests have been conducted to validate this discovery. Enhancing ESG performance improves the value of a company by fostering innovation in both ecological and sustainable practices. Moreover, dual green innovation mediates relationship between ESG and firm value, with exploratory green innovation playing a more prominent role. Firms in decline have the greatest ESG influence in terms of the heterogeneity in ESG’s ability to increase firm value. During the decline phase, green innovation pioneering plays a crucial role, while exploitative innovation during the maturity phase has the most substantial effect on these companies.

In recent years, losses associated with disasters have increased considerably. Cities are hubs of economic growth, fueling their national economies. The resilience of this growth is at risk, however, from unplanned-for shocks and ongoing stresses, facing increasing environmental, social, and economic challenges. Various literature reviews have revealed the importance of urban resilience, but most have failed to address cost-effective methods for implementing resilience in urban conflicts. Finding new innovative approaches, that are the cheapest and the easiest to implement, to overcome the challenges, are limited. Investors are struggling with a range of obstacles when it comes to investing in resilience. To help in closing the implementation gap, a comprehensive framework of sustainable approaches emphasizing the notion of circular economy is developed across a range of spatial scales throughout its phases of emergency and risk management cycle. The main aim is to enable adaptation and the development of cost-effective solutions in response to future challenges and thus encourage investments in resilient cities. A cost benefit analysis, applied to a hypothetical city, is developed for each innovative approach at different spatial levels. The proposed analysis has proven that innovative approaches are cost effective, as their net economic benefit exceeds their upfront cost. Besides that, they tend to reduce a variety of disaster losses and emphasize the notion of circular economy. In overall, the framework analysis has revealed its ability to act as a protective dome to govern, manage, and finance sustainable low-cost approaches in any new urban formation.

This research delves into the inter-relations between urbanization, industrialization, energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂) in SAARC countries, and emphasizes their impacts on the sustainable development goals (SDGs). As the regional importance grows because of the fast urban and industrial development accompanied by the high energy consumption, such analysis becomes of great significance in the of environment and policy planning for the SAARC region. Technically, the study uses advanced econometric approaches, including the Cross-Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model, and if it is necessary, second-generation unit roots and cointegration tests may be used as well. The process is what helps you have a good look at the long-term relationships and dynamics among the variables in mind. The main results demonstrate that CO₂ emissions from urbanization and industrialization are much higher, so there is a compelling reason to look for ways to make our urban and industrial policies more sustainable. Inversely, power consumption, especially from fossil fuels, becomes a major emissions contributor, implied by the fact of transitioning to renewable energy sources. Among the effects of population growth, natural resource rent, and electrification on emissions mitigation, several policy intervention domains seem promising. To achieve sustainable development goals for SAARC countries, the member nations must collaborate on sustainable practices in urban planning, energy consumption, and industrial activities. The research is focused on renewable energy integration and sustainable urban planning; therefore, the research provides essential knowledge for policymakers to design strategies that are supposed to minimize negative impacts on the environment but also bring economic growth. Such findings and recommendations are the keys that are going to help in shaping the environmental policy and the strategic growth of the SAARC region while ensuring harmony between environmental and economic development.