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Some Challenges to Sustainability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bruce R. Conard
Full Text Available The word "sustainability" is often used in business in the belief that the current ways of doing things will be able to be continued with only minor changes to balance economic development with related environmental and social issues. There are, however, immense challenges that threaten the very sustainability of our global society, let alone individual businesses or developments. A few of the most important of these challenges—population growth, clean energy supply, fresh water availability, and global climate change—are discussed. As humanity forms its collective response to these threats, it is concluded that all intelligent people, but especially scientists, have important roles to play, not only in technical innovation, but also in catalyzing political action.
Sustainable Consumption: Research Challenges
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Reisch, Lucia A.; Cohen, Maurie J.; Thøgersen, John
The Board of the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra) decided in October 2015 that a proposal for a funding application call in the research area of "sustainable consumption" should be drawn up. According to the statutes of Mistra, research funded by the foundation...... for achieving industrial applications shall be taken advantage of." The funding application call to be developed by Mistra is to be based on an analysis of the current state of the art of research and of society's knowledge needs regarding sustainable consumption. Mistra commissioned a committee of four...... the orientation of a new research program to be used as draft text for the call for funding applications. The aim of this background report is hence to shed light on future research topics within sustainable consumption from a Swedish perspective. The research pro- moted should help to develop Sweden...
Sustainability challenges and trends
Ridder, M. de
In the coming decades, increases in population, income and health will put additional pressures on our planet's biosphere. To meet the needs of future generations, we need to adapt our ways of living and definitions of economic development. A transition to a more sustainable world is imperative if
Sustainability research: Organizational challenge for intermediary research institutes
Spoelstra, S.F.
The agricultural sustainability challenge is often formulated in terms of meeting the increasing demand for food of a growing and wealthier world population while simultaneously reducing environmental impacts. Strategies to meet this challenge include increasing agricultural yields, saving land and
Challenges in Sustaining Public Health Interventions
Altman, David G.
Sustainability remains a key challenge in public health. The perspective article by Fagen and Flay adds to our understanding of technical factors associated with sustaining health interventions in schools. In this commentary, the Fagen and Flay article (2009) is considered within the broader literature on sustainability. By taking a broad view,…
Sustainable Materials Management Challenge Data
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change...
Fourth annual student sustainability challenge slideshow
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Moore, Brenna C [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Gurule, Angelica V [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Bradley, Miranda [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Organized by the Environmental Protection Division, the Fourth Annual Student Sustainability Challenge was developed to encourage students to take an active role in contributing to LANL's environmental responsibility, raise awareness of critical environmental issues, and to inspire innovation and ingenuity for better and more sustainable science and technology.
Sustainable Development: The Challenge for Community Development.
Gamble, Dorothy N.; Weil, Marie O.
Five areas of inquiry shape the sustainable development movement: environmental movement, women's movement, overpopulation concerns, critique of development models, and new indicators of social progress. Community development workers are challenged to prepare local development projects within a sustainable development framework. (SK)
Sustainability in organizations: advantages and challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fábio Josende Paz
Full Text Available Organizations are currently seeking to adopt sustainable policies and practices, causing a greater search for and use of sustainable models. This article therefore aims to evaluate the advantages of using sustainability principles in organizations, as well as to detect the main difficulties in implementing a sustainable model, identifying the existence of the principles described by Oliveira et al. (2012 and other authors. Bibliographic research was used to understand the "state of the art" in relation to sustainability in organizations, and the data was collected from articles published in journals in the last eight years. The importance of sustainability to organizations, better financial performance, stimulus for innovation, better management and the involvement of stakeholders in their processes were all evident as advantages of using this methodology. Finally, the following challenges were identified: the need for an investigation into the organization's maturity in the use of sustainable methods and preparation of human resources for organizational change.
Sustainable agriculture: a challenge in Bangladesh
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M.A.A. Faroque
Full Text Available The sustainability of conventional agriculture in Bangladesh is under threat from the continuous degradation of land and water resources, and from declining yields due to indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals. Government is pursuing efforts to promote sustainable agriculture with emphasis on better use of on-farm resources and the reduction of external inputs. This paper presents four dimensions of agricultural sustainability as productivity, environmental stability, economical profitability, and social and economic equity. Six characters were selected to evaluate sustainability. Significant differences were found between the two systems (conventional and sustainable agriculture in crop diversification, soil fertility management, pests and diseases management, use of agro-chemicals and environmental issues. However, no significant variations were found in other indicators such as land-use pattern, crop yield and stability, risk and uncertainties, and food security. Although crop yield and financial return were found to be slightly higher in the conventional system, the economic return and value addition per unit of land did not show any difference. It can be suggested that sustainable agriculture has a tendency towards becoming environmental, economically and socially more sound than conventional agriculture, as it requires considerably less agro-chemicals, adds more organic matter to the soil, provides balanced food, and requires higher local inputs without markedly compromising output and financial benefits. Broad-policy measures, including the creation of mass awareness of adverse health effects of agrochemical-based products, are outlined for the promotion of sustainable agriculture.
Sustainable Biomaterials: Current Trends, Challenges and Applications
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Girish Kumar Gupta
Full Text Available Biomaterials and sustainable resources are two complementary terms supporting the development of new sustainable emerging processes. In this context, many interdisciplinary approaches including biomass waste valorization and proper usage of green technologies, etc., were brought forward to tackle future challenges pertaining to declining fossil resources, energy conservation, and related environmental issues. The implementation of these approaches impels its potential effect on the economy of particular countries and also reduces unnecessary overburden on the environment. This contribution aims to provide an overview of some of the most recent trends, challenges, and applications in the field of biomaterials derived from sustainable resources.
Sustainable Biomaterials: Current Trends, Challenges and Applications.
Kumar Gupta, Girish; De, Sudipta; Franco, Ana; Balu, Alina Mariana; Luque, Rafael
Biomaterials and sustainable resources are two complementary terms supporting the development of new sustainable emerging processes. In this context, many interdisciplinary approaches including biomass waste valorization and proper usage of green technologies, etc., were brought forward to tackle future challenges pertaining to declining fossil resources, energy conservation, and related environmental issues. The implementation of these approaches impels its potential effect on the economy of particular countries and also reduces unnecessary overburden on the environment. This contribution aims to provide an overview of some of the most recent trends, challenges, and applications in the field of biomaterials derived from sustainable resources.
The Seven Challenges of Sustainable Cities
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hoffmann, Birgitte; Elle, Morten; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev
The departing point for this paper is that we do not know what a sustainable city is. The present situation is characterised be small demonstration projects and strategies for urban sustainable development that are not coherent. The modern city can be viewed as a complex technological system....... The urban infrastructure, the buildings and their users interact in numerous and increasingly complex ways. The paper analyses some of the challenges cities meet in their quest for sustainability: Lack of awareness and ethics; Lack of tools for decision making; Lack of models for sustainable urban...
Sustainable Tourism: Progress Challenges and Opportunities
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Budeanu, Adriana; Miller, Graham; Moscardo, Gianna
are organised into four thematic areas of research: community stakeholders' perspectives and business approaches to sustainability in tourism, cultural responses, and methodological challenges related to sustainability. The articles shine a light on issues of importance within sustainable tourism, and in so......The term sustainable tourism emerged in the late 1980s and has become firmly established in both tourism policies and strategies and tourism research (Hall, 2011). After more than 25 years of attention it is timely to consider the state of research and practice in sustainable tourism. This special...... volume was established with exactly that goal in mind and this introduction seeks to set the context for this critical examination and reflection on sustainable tourism. Another objective of this introduction was to briefly describe the range of contributions selected for this SV. The articles...
Applicability and methodology of determining sustainable yield in groundwater systems
Kalf, Frans R. P.; Woolley, Donald R.
There is currently a need for a review of the definition and methodology of determining sustainable yield. The reasons are: (1) current definitions and concepts are ambiguous and non-physically based so cannot be used for quantitative application, (2) there is a need to eliminate varying interpretations and misinterpretations and provide a sound basis for application, (3) the notion that all groundwater systems either are or can be made to be sustainable is invalid, (4) often there are an excessive number of factors bound up in the definition that are not easily quantifiable, (5) there is often confusion between production facility optimal yield and basin sustainable yield, (6) in many semi-arid and arid environments groundwater systems cannot be sensibly developed using a sustained yield policy particularly where ecological constraints are applied. Derivation of sustainable yield using conservation of mass principles leads to expressions for basin sustainable, partial (non-sustainable) mining and total (non-sustainable) mining yields that can be readily determined using numerical modelling methods and selected on the basis of applied constraints. For some cases there has to be recognition that the groundwater resource is not renewable and its use cannot therefore be sustainable. In these cases, its destiny should be the best equitable use. definiciones actuales son ambiguos y sin base física de modo que no pueden usarse para aplicación cuantitativa, (2) existe necesidad de eliminar interpretaciones variables y mal interpretaciones y aportar bases sanas para aplicación, (3) la noción de que todos los sistemas de aguas subterráneas son o pueden ser sostenibles no esvalida, (4) frecuentemente existen un numero excesivo de factores ligados a la definición de producción sostenible los cuales no son fácil de cuantificar, (5) frecuentemente existe confusión entre la producción optima de un establecimiento y la producción sostenible de unacuenca, (6) en muchos
Sustainable manufacturing challenges, solutions and implementation perspectives
Seliger, Günther; Bonvoisin, Jérémy
Sustainability imposes an unprecedented challenge on society and has become the driving force of an urgent search for innovative solutions in all branches of economy. Manufacturing plays a key role in many areas of human living, and it is both part of the problem and of the solution. This book offers an overview of the broad field of research on sustainability in manufacturing with a particular focus on manufacturing technology and management. It summarizes the current challenges, describes best in class methods for development of sustainable manufacturing solutions and offers implementation perspectives. This volume covers areas of research such as production processes, product development, business model and corporate development, macro economy and education. The target audience primarily comprises research experts and practitioners in the field of manufacturing, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students. .
Challenges in Building a Sustainable Biobased Economy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mussatto, Solange I.
Moving to a more sustainable economy, where renewable biomass such as crop residues and dedicated energy crops are used for the production of fuels, chemicals, energy and materials, is one of the main challenges faced by the society nowadays. The transition from the current fossil-based to a biob......Moving to a more sustainable economy, where renewable biomass such as crop residues and dedicated energy crops are used for the production of fuels, chemicals, energy and materials, is one of the main challenges faced by the society nowadays. The transition from the current fossil...... for the production of fuels, chemicals, energy and materials is therefore recognized as a need by numerous industries and policy makers in countries around the world. In addition, a biobased economy has the potential to generate new jobs and even new industries, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurship...
Closing Yield Gaps: How Sustainable Can We Be?
Pradhan, Prajal; Fischer, Günther; van Velthuizen, Harrij; Reusser, Dominik E; Kropp, Juergen P
Global food production needs to be increased by 60-110% between 2005 and 2050 to meet growing food and feed demand. Intensification and/or expansion of agriculture are the two main options available to meet the growing crop demands. Land conversion to expand cultivated land increases GHG emissions and impacts biodiversity and ecosystem services. Closing yield gaps to attain potential yields may be a viable option to increase the global crop production. Traditional methods of agricultural intensification often have negative externalities. Therefore, there is a need to explore location-specific methods of sustainable agricultural intensification. We identified regions where the achievement of potential crop calorie production on currently cultivated land will meet the present and future food demand based on scenario analyses considering population growth and changes in dietary habits. By closing yield gaps in the current irrigated and rain-fed cultivated land, about 24% and 80% more crop calories can respectively be produced compared to 2000. Most countries will reach food self-sufficiency or improve their current food self-sufficiency levels if potential crop production levels are achieved. As a novel approach, we defined specific input and agricultural management strategies required to achieve the potential production by overcoming biophysical and socioeconomic constraints causing yield gaps. The management strategies include: fertilizers, pesticides, advanced soil management, land improvement, management strategies coping with weather induced yield variability, and improving market accessibility. Finally, we estimated the required fertilizers (N, P2O5, and K2O) to attain the potential yields. Globally, N-fertilizer application needs to increase by 45-73%, P2O5-fertilizer by 22-46%, and K2O-fertilizer by 2-3 times compared to the year 2010 to attain potential crop production. The sustainability of such agricultural intensification largely depends on the way
Closing Yield Gaps: How Sustainable Can We Be?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Prajal Pradhan
Full Text Available Global food production needs to be increased by 60-110% between 2005 and 2050 to meet growing food and feed demand. Intensification and/or expansion of agriculture are the two main options available to meet the growing crop demands. Land conversion to expand cultivated land increases GHG emissions and impacts biodiversity and ecosystem services. Closing yield gaps to attain potential yields may be a viable option to increase the global crop production. Traditional methods of agricultural intensification often have negative externalities. Therefore, there is a need to explore location-specific methods of sustainable agricultural intensification. We identified regions where the achievement of potential crop calorie production on currently cultivated land will meet the present and future food demand based on scenario analyses considering population growth and changes in dietary habits. By closing yield gaps in the current irrigated and rain-fed cultivated land, about 24% and 80% more crop calories can respectively be produced compared to 2000. Most countries will reach food self-sufficiency or improve their current food self-sufficiency levels if potential crop production levels are achieved. As a novel approach, we defined specific input and agricultural management strategies required to achieve the potential production by overcoming biophysical and socioeconomic constraints causing yield gaps. The management strategies include: fertilizers, pesticides, advanced soil management, land improvement, management strategies coping with weather induced yield variability, and improving market accessibility. Finally, we estimated the required fertilizers (N, P2O5, and K2O to attain the potential yields. Globally, N-fertilizer application needs to increase by 45-73%, P2O5-fertilizer by 22-46%, and K2O-fertilizer by 2-3 times compared to the year 2010 to attain potential crop production. The sustainability of such agricultural intensification largely depends
Mining, institutions and sustainability: disagreements and challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anthony J. Bebbington
Full Text Available Global consumption continues to generate growth in mining. In lesserdeveloped economies, this growth offers the potential to generate newresources for development, but also creates challenges to sustainabilityin the regions in which extraction occurs. This context leads todebate on the institutional arrangements most likely to build synergiesbetween mining, livelihoods, and development, and on the socio-politicalconditions under which such institutions can emerge. Buildingfrom a multiyear, three country program of research projects, Peru, aglobal center of mining expansion, serves as an exemplar for analyzingthe effects of extractive industry on livelihoods and the conditionsunder which arrangements favoring local sustainability might emerge.This program is guided by three emergent hypotheses in human environmentalsciences regarding the relationships among institutions,knowledge, learning, and sustainability. The research combines indepthand comparative case study analysis, and uses mapping andspatial analysis, surveys, in-depth interviews, participant observation,and our own direct participation in public debates on the regulation ofmining for development. The findings demonstrate the pressures thatmining expansion has placed on water resources, livelihood assets,and social relationships. These pressures are a result of institutionalconditions that separate the governance of mineral expansion, waterresources, and local development, and of relationships of power thatprioritize large scale investment over livelihood and environment. Afurther problem is the poor communication between mining sectorknowledge systems and those of local populations. These results areconsistent with themes recently elaborated in sustainability science.
Sustained yield forestry in Sweden and Russia: how does it correspond to sustainable forest management policy?
Elbakidze, Marine; Andersson, Kjell; Angelstam, Per; Armstrong, Glen W; Axelsson, Robert; Doyon, Frederik; Hermansson, Martin; Jacobsson, Jonas; Pautov, Yurij
This paper analyzes how sustained yield (SY) forestry is defined and implemented in Sweden and Russia, two countries with different forest-industrial regimes. We first compare definitions of SY forestry in national legislation and policies. Then we study forest management planning in two large forest management units with respect to: delivered forest products and values, how the harvest level of timber is defined, where the harvest takes place, and what treatments are used to sustain desired forest products and values. In Sweden SY forestry is maximum yield based on high-input forest management, and in Russia it is forestry based on natural regeneration with minimum investments in silviculture. We conclude that how SY forestry contributes to SFM depends on the context. Finally, we discuss the consequences of SY forestry as performed in Sweden and Russia related to its ability to support diverse forest functions, as envisioned in sustainable forest management policy.
Setting maximum sustainable yield targets when yield of one species affects that of other species
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rindorf, Anna; Reid, David; Mackinson, Steve
not only relevant but also consistent with ecosystem, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability and that they will gain a wide acceptance with scientists, the fishing industry, managers, and other stakeholders? Here, we present results of a MYFISH workshop bringing together a total of 70 scientists......, industry, managers, and NGO representatives. The workshop was designed to identify variants of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) which account for the necessary trade‐offs and estimate the preferences of the workshop participants for each of these variants across five regional groups: the Baltic Sea......, Mediterranean, North Sea, western European waters, and widely ranging pelagic stocks in European waters. During a well‐prepared process designed in this workshop, the participants contributed with a broad variety of knowledge and perceptions, and in our view allowed an understanding of MSY in a much broader...
36 CFR 223.117 - Administration of cooperative or Federal sustained yield units.
... or Federal sustained yield units. 223.117 Section 223.117 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST... Contracts Contract Administration § 223.117 Administration of cooperative or Federal sustained yield units. With respect to sustained yield units established pursuant to the provisions of the Act of March 29...
The sustainable company: new challenges and strategies for more sustainability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Victor DANCIU
Full Text Available The sustainability becomes a model of development only if countries, industries, businesses and citizens become sustainable. The contribution of the business to a promising future should come from a fully integrated sustainability in its DNA and strategies.This paper focuses on the needed sustainable strategies for scaling up the contribution of the companies to sustainable development in the future. At the beginning, we analyze the main theoretical points of view on sustainability. Then, we explain how companies could achieve the sustainability by following the steps of a difficult process and the present performances in sustainability of large companies around the world. Finally, we suggest four strategies that businesses could design and implement in order to scaling up their sustainability in the future.The research has two important conclusions on sustainability in business. One is that the sustainability pays off if it is integrated in the DNA of the companies. The other conclusion says that the companies will succeed to make the needed transformation for achieving a better sustainability in the future only if they design and perform strategies focused on improving sustainability.
Challenges for Marketers in Sustainable Production and Consumption
Oates, C.; Alevizou, P.; McDonald, S.
As one of the biggest issues facing today's global society, sustainability cuts across all areas of production and consumption and presents challenges for marketers who attempt to understand and incorporate sustainability in their everyday practices [1–3]. [...
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Federal Green Challenge (FGC) Data
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The Federal Green Challenge (FGC) is a national effort under EPA's Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Program, challenging EPA and other federal agencies...
Nanotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture: Recent Developments, Challenges, and Perspectives.
Prasad, Ram; Bhattacharyya, Atanu; Nguyen, Quang D
Nanotechnology monitors a leading agricultural controlling process, especially by its miniature dimension. Additionally, many potential benefits such as enhancement of food quality and safety, reduction of agricultural inputs, enrichment of absorbing nanoscale nutrients from the soil, etc. allow the application of nanotechnology to be resonant encumbrance. Agriculture, food, and natural resources are a part of those challenges like sustainability, susceptibility, human health, and healthy life. The ambition of nanomaterials in agriculture is to reduce the amount of spread chemicals, minimize nutrient losses in fertilization and increased yield through pest and nutrient management. Nanotechnology has the prospective to improve the agriculture and food industry with novel nanotools for the controlling of rapid disease diagnostic, enhancing the capacity of plants to absorb nutrients among others. The significant interests of using nanotechnology in agriculture includes specific applications like nanofertilizers and nanopesticides to trail products and nutrients levels to increase the productivity without decontamination of soils, waters, and protection against several insect pest and microbial diseases. Nanotechnology may act as sensors for monitoring soil quality of agricultural field and thus it maintain the health of agricultural plants. This review covers the current challenges of sustainability, food security and climate change that are exploring by the researchers in the area of nanotechnology in the improvement of agriculture.
Nanotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture: Recent Developments, Challenges, and Perspectives
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ram Prasad
Full Text Available Nanotechnology monitors a leading agricultural controlling process, especially by its miniature dimension. Additionally, many potential benefits such as enhancement of food quality and safety, reduction of agricultural inputs, enrichment of absorbing nanoscale nutrients from the soil, etc. allow the application of nanotechnology to be resonant encumbrance. Agriculture, food, and natural resources are a part of those challenges like sustainability, susceptibility, human health, and healthy life. The ambition of nanomaterials in agriculture is to reduce the amount of spread chemicals, minimize nutrient losses in fertilization and increased yield through pest and nutrient management. Nanotechnology has the prospective to improve the agriculture and food industry with novel nanotools for the controlling of rapid disease diagnostic, enhancing the capacity of plants to absorb nutrients among others. The significant interests of using nanotechnology in agriculture includes specific applications like nanofertilizers and nanopesticides to trail products and nutrients levels to increase the productivity without decontamination of soils, waters, and protection against several insect pest and microbial diseases. Nanotechnology may act as sensors for monitoring soil quality of agricultural field and thus it maintain the health of agricultural plants. This review covers the current challenges of sustainability, food security and climate change that are exploring by the researchers in the area of nanotechnology in the improvement of agriculture.
Achieving maximum sustainable yield in mixed fisheries: a management approach for the North Sea demersal fisheries
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ulrich, Clara; Vermard, Youen; Dolder, Paul J.
Achieving single species maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in complex and dynamic fisheries targeting multiple species (mixed fisheries) is challenging because achieving the objective for one species may mean missing the objective for another. The North Sea mixed fisheries are a representative....... An objective method is suggested that provides an optimal set of fishing mortality within the range, minimizing the risk of total allowable catch mismatches among stocks captured within mixed fisheries, and addressing explicitly the trade-offs between the most and least productive stocks....
Sustainability of organic food production: challenges and innovations.
Niggli, Urs
The greatest challenge for agriculture is to reduce the trade-offs between productivity and long-term sustainability. Therefore, it is interesting to analyse organic agriculture which is a given set of farm practices that emphasise ecological sustainability. Organic agriculture can be characterised as being less driven by off-farm inputs and being better embedded in ecosystem functions. The literature on public goods and non-commodity outputs of organic farms is overwhelming. Most publications address the positive effects of organic farming on soil fertility, biodiversity maintenance and protection of the natural resources of soil, water and air. As a consequence of focusing on public goods, organic agriculture is less productive. Meta-analyses show that organic agriculture yields range between 0·75 and 0·8 of conventional agriculture. Best practice examples from disadvantaged sites and climate conditions show equal or, in the case of subsistence farming in Sub-Saharan Africa, higher productivity of organic agriculture. Hence, organic agriculture is likely to be a good model for productive and sustainable food production. Underfunding in R&D addressing specific bottlenecks of organic agriculture are the main cause for both crop and livestock yield gaps. Therefore, the potential for improving the performance of organic agriculture through agricultural research is huge. Although organic farming is a niche in most countries, it is at the verge of becoming mainstream in leading European countries. Consumer demand has grown over the past two decades and does not seem to be a limiting factor for the future development of organic agriculture.
Challenges in higher education for sustainability
Filho, Walter
This book presents the latest advances on the incorporation of sustainability in higher education. Different aspects such as the environmental, economic and social are here discussed. Several examples illustrating how sustainability in higher education is being pursued in different countries can be found in this book. Case studies include institutions from Kosovo, Brazil, Portugal, UK, Canada and USA.
Sustainability Reporting at Schools: Challenges and Benefits
Carbach, Eva; Fischer, Daniel
Despite advances made there is still an implementation gap with regard to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in formal educational systems at the school level. The present paper focuses on sustainability reporting as a recently emerging practice in the school sector. It presents the approach and findings of an exploratory interview study…
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge Data
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — On September 22, 2012, EPA launched the SMM Electronics Challenge. The Challenge encourages electronics manufacturers, brand owners and retailers to strive to send...
Contemporary Approaches and Challenges of Tourism Sustainability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nicolae Lupu
Full Text Available According to the objectives which have been set on a local level and to the European Council's recommendations in 2008, "The National strategy for sustainable development " was approved in Romania and it has its effect until 2030. In 2013, the goal was to "Incorporate the organic principles and practices of the sustainable development with all the Romanian programs and governmental policies which state that Romania is a full member of the European Union". Given all this, the implementation of the specific organic principles and practices seems to be late. Sometimes, in the tourism area, the sustainable methods of development are in strong connection with those non-sustainable – this may include even the local community alienation from time to time. In what concerns the sustainable tourism, the most interesting one of this category is the ecotourism. To support this statement, in 2009, the Romanian acting Tourism Ministry adopted "The National strategy of ecotourism development in Romania", which has been brought up to date in 2015.
Sustainable Logistics Responses to a Global Challenge
Bretzke, Wolf-Rüdiger
Currently the notion of "sustainability" is used in an inflationary manner. Therefore the authors start with a definition which is stable to serve as an anchor for further research as well as for discussions among scientists, managers and politicians, ideally across different disciplines. The character of this book is purely conceptual. The argumentation is based on comparison of new and demanding requisites with existing models (process and network architectures in the field of logistics). Formerly neglected impacts on the environment will be included. Main features of a new approach will be developed which are capable to avoid these impacts and to align logistics with the requirements of sustainability. In order to make logistics sustainable large parts will have to be reinvented. The focus needs to be on decoupling transportation activities from economic growth rates.
The Challenge of A Sustainability Change
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Winkel, Thomas Dyrmann; Poulsen, Søren Bolvig; Rosenstand, Claus Andreas Foss
Changing a company's role and position in its context towards a more ambitious profile centred on waste minimisation can be challenging due to external factors such as regulations and economic logics, but also internal challenges of transforming visions into supporting activities can hinder the r...
Sustainable development in a developing economy: Challenges ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Sustainable development implies development which ensures maximization of human well being for today's generation which does not lead to declines in future well being. Attaining this path requires eliminating those negative externalities that are responsible for natural resource depletion and environmental degradation.
Challenges for measuring progress towards the Sustainable ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
With the adoption, in September 2015, of the Sustainable Development Goals with a time horizon of 2030, there is a dire need to exploit avenues for the monitoring of progress towards meeting the targets pertaining to sexual and reproductive health, whether at global, regional, national or grassroots level. The current ...
Sustainable development in a developing economy: Challenges ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Aug 21, 2013 ... Key words: Environment, degradation, sustainable, development, paradigms, pollution, recycling. ... E-mail: email@example.com. ..... Waste generators in this category include mechanic workshops, restaurants, small scale manufacturers, filling stations, retail and wholesale shops, government offices, ...
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) Data
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — As part of EPA's Food Recovery Challenge (FRC), organizations pledge to improve their sustainable food management practices and report their results. The FRC is part...
Challenges for Marketers in Sustainable Production and Consumption
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Caroline Oates
Full Text Available As one of the biggest issues facing today's global society, sustainability cuts across all areas of production and consumption and presents challenges for marketers who attempt to understand and incorporate sustainability in their everyday practices [1–3]. [...
Barriers to Sustainable MVA Supply in Ghana: Challenges for the ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Multiple studies have demonstrated that manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is ideal for surgical uterine evacuation in low-resource settings such as Ghana, but developing a sustainable supply to MVA has been challenging. In 2007 a situational analysis was conducted in Ghana to identify barriers to sustainable MVA supply.
Corruption and Challenges of Sustainable Inclusive Growth in Nigeria
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The paper examines Corruption and Challenges of Sustainable Inclusive Growth in Nigeria. The paper adopts the theory of two publics as its framework of analysis. The theory explains the prevalence of corruption between and among public servants in Nigeria, which affects the attainment of sustainable inclusive growth.
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge
Learn how the SMM Electronics Challenge encourage electronic manufacturers to strive to send 100 percent of the used electronics they collect from the public and retailers to certified electronics refurbishers and recyclers.
Case study: The Challenge of sustainability
Kennell, James
Tourism can be a challenging subject for students because it is both dynamic and susceptible to economic turbulence and shifts in trends. Tourism: A Modern Synthesis is an essential textbook for tourism students looking for a clear and comprehensive introduction to their studies which helps overcome these challenges. The authors apply a strong business approach to the subject reflecting developments in the teaching and content of modern courses and the text covers both key principles and cont...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marius Cristian Miloş
Full Text Available The quality of public finance (QPF is a multidimensional concept. It may be regarded asrepresenting all the arrangements and operations regarding the financial politics that sustainthe macroeconomic objectives, particularly the long-term economic growth. Financialpolicies at European level highlight the fact that a concentration of the public expenses inareas that stimulate the economic growth and a more efficient use of the public resourcesare key methods for sustaining the economic growth. The empirical proofs seem to supportthe assumption according to which certain types of public expenses can supply incentivesand other can negatively influence the economic growth. The role of governments shouldalso be related to social security sustainability and also to public pensions sustainability.There is a growing literature which supports the pension reform as a solution for the latestdemographic trends. Some recent analyses though, outlined the negative influence of thefinancial crisis on the promised returns of private pension funds. The authors make apersonal analysis, taking into consideration both point of views.
Nanomanufacturing and sustainability: opportunities and challenges
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Busnaina, Ahmed A., E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [Northeastern University, NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (United States); Mead, Joey [University of Massachusetts Lowell (United States); Isaacs, Jacqueline; Somu, Sivasubramanian [Northeastern University, NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (United States)
New nanomanufacturing technologies, although still in research labs, present a great opportunity to drastically reduce the cost of making nanostructures on a large scale and at high-rates. Such new bottom-up directed assembly-based approaches involve adding materials selectively thereby both reducing waste and the number of required processes. Directed assembly-based processes are conducted at room pressure and temperatures which significantly reduces the cost of nanomanufacturing equipment and tools, ensuring long-term sustainability by reducing energy, consumables, and waste costs. This paradigm shift in nanomanufacturing will unleash not only a wave of creativity in sustainable nanomanufacturing but lessons learnt along the way can be used in various other sectors. Along with the exquisite technological promise that nanotechnology holds, nano-enabled products are heralded as a means for energy and resource reduction, resulting in potential manufacturing cost reductions and further, for potential improvements to environmental remediation. Sustainable nanomanufacturing will, by dramatically lowering current nanomanufacturing barriers, spur innovation, and the creation of entirely new industries by leveling the playing and ultimately leading to the democratization of nanomanufacturing.
Nanomanufacturing and sustainability: opportunities and challenges
Busnaina, Ahmed A.; Mead, Joey; Isaacs, Jacqueline; Somu, Sivasubramanian
New nanomanufacturing technologies, although still in research labs, present a great opportunity to drastically reduce the cost of making nanostructures on a large scale and at high-rates. Such new bottom-up directed assembly-based approaches involve adding materials selectively thereby both reducing waste and the number of required processes. Directed assembly-based processes are conducted at room pressure and temperatures which significantly reduces the cost of nanomanufacturing equipment and tools, ensuring long-term sustainability by reducing energy, consumables, and waste costs. This paradigm shift in nanomanufacturing will unleash not only a wave of creativity in sustainable nanomanufacturing but lessons learnt along the way can be used in various other sectors. Along with the exquisite technological promise that nanotechnology holds, nano-enabled products are heralded as a means for energy and resource reduction, resulting in potential manufacturing cost reductions and further, for potential improvements to environmental remediation. Sustainable nanomanufacturing will, by dramatically lowering current nanomanufacturing barriers, spur innovation, and the creation of entirely new industries by leveling the playing and ultimately leading to the democratization of nanomanufacturing.
Ergonomics and sustainability – challenges from global supply chains
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hasle, Peter; Jensen, Per Langaa
chains especially related to the social aspects of sustainability: (1) criteria for social sustainability, (2) the role of key performance indicators in the management of supply chains, (3) the constant changes in supply chains, (4) the challenge in establishing participation, and (5) the development......The development of globalised supply chains is a major challenge for sustainability. For several years, there has been discussion within the profession whether and how ergonomics and human factors can play a role. Based on our research, we have identified five major challenges from global supply...... of agency and regulatory mechanisms. There are obviously no clear and simple solutions to these challenges. One possible avenue for progress might lie in acquiring a greater understanding of the challenges from global supply chains and developing a strategy which combines social and long-term business...
Strategies for Sustainability: Institutional and Organisational Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paul Burger
Full Text Available Sustainable Development (SD is a global role model that claims to function as a general orientation for shaping societal processes, i.e., local, regional, national and international development. This is in line with the Brundtland and justice-oriented understanding of the term. It is understood as a role model and sometimes also interpreted as a regulative ideal. However, it does not state how exactly "sustainable" societies will or should look. It does not give us a step-by-step pattern to follow, but something like a frame of what ought to be done in order to transform today's societies, including their economies. [...
Capability challenges of facility management (FM) personnel toward sustainability agenda
Halim, Ahmad Ilyas Ahmad; Sarpin, Norliana; Kasim, Narimah Binti; Zainal, Rozlin Binti
The industries business play a significant role to contribute toward economic growth in develop and developing country. However, they always face serious problems such as time overrun, waste generation, and cost overrun during their operation and maintenance. Traditional practice is found unable to control that situation. These challenges accent the need for practitioners to rethink and improve their process management. This show that industries business has major potential when applying sustainable development by focusing on three pillars (economic, environment, and social). By adopting sustainability, it can reduce energy consumption and waste, while increasing productivity, financial return and corporate standing in community. FM personnel are most suitable position to lead organizations toward sustainability implementation. However, lack of skill and capability among FM personnel to achieve sustainable goal had become barrier that need to overcome. This paper focus to identify capability challenges of FM personnel toward sustainability. A multiple researches were conducted and data were gathered through literature review from previous studies.
Comparative assessment of smallholder sustainability using an agricultural sustainability framework and a yield based index insurance: A case study
Moshtaghi, Mehrdad; Adla, Soham; Pande, Saket; Disse, Markus; Savenije, Hubert
The concept of sustainability is central to smallholder agriculture as subsistence farming is constantly impacted by livelihood insecurity and is constrained by access to capital, water technology and alternative employment opportunities. This study compares two approaches which aim at quantifying smallholder sustainability but differ in their underlying principles, methodologies for assessment and reporting, and applications. The yield index based insurance can protect the smallholder agriculture and help it to more economic sustainability because the income of smallholder depends on selling crops and this insurance scheme is based on crop yields. In this research, the trigger of this insurance sets on the basis of yields in previous years. The crop yields are calculated every year through socio-hydrology modeling and smallholder can get indemnity when crop yields are lower than average of previous five years (a crop failure). The FAO Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture (SAFA) is an inclusive and comprehensive framework for sustainability assessment in the food and agricultural sector. It follows the UN definition of the 4 dimensions of sustainability (good governance, environmental integrity, economic resilience and social well-being) and includes 21 themes and 58 sub-themes with a multi-indicator approach. The direct sustainability corresponding to the FAO SAFA economic resilience dimension is compared with the indirect notion of sustainability derived from the yield based index insurance. A semi-synthetic comparison is conducted to understand the differences in the underlying principles, methodologies and application of the two approaches. Both approaches are applied to data from smallholder regions of Marathwada in Maharashtra (India) which experienced a severe rise in farmer suicides in the 2000s which has been attributed to a combination of socio-hydrological factors.
Challenging the sustainability of micro products development
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
De Grave, Arnaud; Olsen, Stig Irving
regarding the impact of size for recycling or environment. Indeed micro production is often seen as environmental friendly thanks to the small amount of material used. Such a statement can be misleading. In this article EcoDesign or Design for Environment (DFE) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA......Environmental aspects are one of the biggest concerns regarding the future of manufacturing and product development sustainability. Furthermore, micro products and micro technologies are often seen as the next big thing in terms of possible mass market trend and boom. Many questions are raised...... and the intermediate parts which can be in-process created. Possible future trends for micro products development scheme involving environmental concerns are given....
Challenges to sustainable Arctic tourist lodging
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Qu, Jing; Villumsen, Arne; Villumsen, Ole
The beauty of nature in Greenland and the selling point of Greenlandic tourism Our ice is melting, yet it is still here' have been attracting more tourists in recent years. Therefore, demand for tourist accommodation is expected to grow in the future. Staying overnight in small huts...... is a traditional way for nomadic Greenlanders and for tourists. However, the austere condition of the existing huts cannot meet requirements nowadays. Meanwhile, climate change is causing retreat of ice, so tourist attractions might change in the future. Therefore the contradiction of improved lodging...... waste water management. The cabin can be disassembled into pieces and transported to new areas by trucks, snow scooters, boats or dog-sledges with almost no disturbance to the environment of the original location. In addition, cultural sustainability is also taken into account....
Assessment of Sustainable Yield and Optimum Fishing Effort for the ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Likewise, since the estimated MSY of441.6 t/year for the period after the reduction would be obtained at an F-factor of 1.0, it was concluded that the current level of fishing effort of 696 gillnets/day can be maintained as fopt for sustainable exploitation of the stock. Keywords: Stock assessment, MSY, Optimum fishing effort, ...
Geoelectrical parameter-based multivariate regression borehole yield model for predicting aquifer yield in managing groundwater resource sustainability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kehinde Anthony Mogaji
Full Text Available This study developed a GIS-based multivariate regression (MVR yield rate prediction model of groundwater resource sustainability in the hard-rock geology terrain of southwestern Nigeria. This model can economically manage the aquifer yield rate potential predictions that are often overlooked in groundwater resources development. The proposed model relates the borehole yield rate inventory of the area to geoelectrically derived parameters. Three sets of borehole yield rate conditioning geoelectrically derived parameters—aquifer unit resistivity (ρ, aquifer unit thickness (D and coefficient of anisotropy (λ—were determined from the acquired and interpreted geophysical data. The extracted borehole yield rate values and the geoelectrically derived parameter values were regressed to develop the MVR relationship model by applying linear regression and GIS techniques. The sensitivity analysis results of the MVR model evaluated at P ⩽ 0.05 for the predictors ρ, D and λ provided values of 2.68 × 10−05, 2 × 10−02 and 2.09 × 10−06, respectively. The accuracy and predictive power tests conducted on the MVR model using the Theil inequality coefficient measurement approach, coupled with the sensitivity analysis results, confirmed the model yield rate estimation and prediction capability. The MVR borehole yield prediction model estimates were processed in a GIS environment to model an aquifer yield potential prediction map of the area. The information on the prediction map can serve as a scientific basis for predicting aquifer yield potential rates relevant in groundwater resources sustainability management. The developed MVR borehole yield rate prediction mode provides a good alternative to other methods used for this purpose.
Biofuels and Sustainable Development: An Executive Session on the Grand Challenges of the Sustainability Transition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lee, Henry [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Clark, William C. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Devereaux, Charan [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
This report is the result of the second in a series of intense workshops and study sessions on Grand Challenges of the Sustainability Transition, organized by the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University, hosted by Venice International University, and supported by the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea.
Global climate change: the quantifiable sustainability challenge.
Princiotta, Frank T; Loughlin, Daniel H
Population growth and the pressures spawned by increasing demands for energy and resource-intensive goods, foods, and services are driving unsustainable growth in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Recent GHG emission trends are consistent with worst-case scenarios of the previous decade. Dramatic and near-term emission reductions likely will be needed to ameliorate the potential deleterious impacts of climate change. To achieve such reductions, fundamental changes are required in the way that energy is generated and used. New technologies must be developed and deployed at a rapid rate. Advances in carbon capture and storage, renewable, nuclear and transportation technologies are particularly important; however, global research and development efforts related to these technologies currently appear to fall short relative to needs. Even with a proactive and international mitigation effort, humanity will need to adapt to climate change, but the adaptation needs and damages will be far greater if mitigation activities are not pursued in earnest. In this review, research is highlighted that indicates increasing global and regional temperatures and ties climate changes to increasing GHG emissions. GHG mitigation targets necessary for limiting future global temperature increases are discussed, including how factors such as population growth and the growing energy intensity of the developing world will make these reduction targets more challenging. Potential technological pathways for meeting emission reduction targets are examined, barriers are discussed, and global and US. modeling results are presented that suggest that the necessary pathways will require radically transformed electric and mobile sectors. While geoengineering options have been proposed to allow more time for serious emission reductions, these measures are at the conceptual stage with many unanswered cost, environmental, and political issues. Implications: This paper lays out the case that mitigating the
Food and Sustainability Challenges Under Climate Changes.
Moustafa, Khaled
Plants are permanently impacted by their environments, and their abilities to tolerate multiple fluctuating environmental conditions vary as a function of several genetic and natural factors. Over the past decades, scientific innovations and applications of the knowledge derived from biotechnological investigations to agriculture caused a substantial increase of the yields of many crops. However, due to exacerbating effects of climate change and a growing human population, a crisis of malnutrition may arise in the upcoming decades in some places in the world. So, effective, ethical and managerial regulations and fair policies should be set up and applied at the local and global levels so that Earth may fairly provide the food and living accommodation needed by its inhabitants. To save some energy consumption, electric devices (for e.g., smartphones, laptops, street lights, traffic lights, etc.) should be manufactured to work with solar energy, whenever available, particularly in sunny countries where sun is available most of the time. Such characteristic will save energy and make solar energy-based smartphones and laptops less cumbersome in terms of chargers and plugging issues.
Navigating disciplinary challenges to global sustainability science: an archaeological model
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mark J Hudson
Full Text Available Current threats posed by anthropogenic climate change, biodiversity loss, the degradation of ecosystem services, and other related impacts of human activity require a concerted res- ponse through a global science of sustainability. The threats faced by humanity are so extensive that all academic disciplines are affected in some way and all have a role to play in developing potential responses. Given that few academic disciplines have traditionally focused on issues of ecology or sustainability, however, major challenges remain with respect to how we might build a global science of sustainability that can support concrete policy and interventions. This paper proposes a developmental model with five levels of research and practice required for an effective global sustainability science and examines some of the challenges faced by archaeology in moving up these levels.
The challenge of learning for sustainability: A prolegomenon to theory
Henry, A.D.
Metadata only record Recognizing that learning to manage complex problems in sustainability science is a vital and challenging process, this article critically evaluates the current paradigm for learning in the development and sustainability science context. It is argued that current approaches are too narrowly focused on mechanisms and information. Thus, the article sets forth an initial framework for restructuring how we think about the learning process. This includes internal belief sys...
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) Data
As part of EPA's Food Recovery Challenge (FRC), organizations pledge to improve their sustainable food management practices and report their results. The FRC is part of EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Program (SMM). SMM seeks to reduce the environmental impact of materials through their entire life cycle. This includes how they are extracted, manufactured, distributed, used, reused, recycled, and disposed. Organizations are encouraged to follow the Food Recovery Hierarchy (https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy) to prioritize their actions to prevent and divert wasted food. Each tier of the Food Recovery Hierarchy focuses on different management strategies for your wasted food. The program started in 2011 and the first data were made available in 2012. The FRC is part of EPA's larger SMM program (https://www.epa.gov/smm). Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's entire lifecycle we can find new opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs. There are multiple challenge programs available as part of the SMM program, including the Food Recovery Challenge, the Electronics Challenge, the Federal Green Challenge, and the WasteWise program.
Opportunities and challenges of sustainable agricultural development in China.
Zhao, Jingzhu; Luo, Qishan; Deng, Hongbing; Yan, Yan
This paper introduces the concepts and aims of sustainable agriculture in China. Sustainable agricultural development comprises sustainability of agricultural production, sustainability of the rural economy, ecological and environmental sustainability within agricultural systems and sustainability of rural society. China's prime aim is to ensure current and future food security. Based on projections of China's population, its economy, societal factors and agricultural resources and inputs between 2000 and 2050, total grain supply and demand has been predicted and the state of food security analysed. Total and per capita demand for grain will increase continuously. Total demand will reach 648 Mt in 2020 and 700 Mt in 2050, while total grain yield of cultivated land will reach 470 Mt in 2010, 585 Mt in 2030 and 656 Mt in 2050. The per capita grain production will be around 360kg in the period 2000-2030 and reach 470kg in 2050. When productivities of cultivated land and other agricultural resources are all taken into consideration, China's food self-sufficiency ratio will increase from 94.4% in 2000 to 101.3% in 2030, suggesting that China will meet its future demand for food and need for food security. Despite this positive assessment, the country's sustainable agricultural development has encountered many obstacles. These include: agricultural water-use shortage; cultivated land loss; inappropriate usage of fertilizers and pesticides, and environmental degradation.
Learning challenges and sustainable development: A methodological perspective.
Seppänen, Laura
Sustainable development requires learning, but the contents of learning are often complex and ambiguous. This requires new integrated approaches from research. It is argued that investigation of people's learning challenges in every-day work is beneficial for research on sustainable development. The aim of the paper is to describe a research method for examining learning challenges in promoting sustainable development. This method is illustrated with a case example from organic vegetable farming in Finland. The method, based on Activity Theory, combines historical analysis with qualitative analysis of need expressions in discourse data. The method linking local and subjective need expressions with general historical analysis is a promising way to overcome the gap between the individual and society, so much needed in research for sustainable development. Dialectically informed historical frameworks have practical value as tools in collaborative negotiations and participatory designs for sustainable development. The simultaneous use of systemic and subjective perspectives allows researchers to manage the complexity of practical work activities and to avoid too simplistic presumptions about sustainable development.
Sustainable management of Nigeria's oil wealth: legal challenges ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The unsustainable management of Nigeria's oil wealth, rather than the availability of oil itself, remains the real cause of the challenges confronting the economic performance of the country. This article contributes to the debate on how Nigeria can develop more coherent and sustainable practices in the management of its oil ...
The challenges of rapid urbanization on sustainable development of ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The study examines the challenges of rapid urbanization on the sustainable development of Nyanya, Abuja. An interesting finding of the study is that the primary factor for the rapid urbanization of Nyanya within a short period of time is migration. The consequence of this rapid urbanization and population rise within a short ...
Challenges and Sustainability Practices of Frontier Schools in Montana
Morton, Claudette; Harmon, Hobart L.
This article reports the findings of a study commissioned by the Montana Small Schools Alliance to explore the challenges and sustainability practices of frontier schools. A Montana frontier school is defined as a school district with 200 or fewer students with its attendant community located in a county with five or fewer people per square mile.…
The challenge of sustainable mobility in urban planning and development
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Xue, Jin; Næss, Petter; Yao, Yinmei
The theme of this article is how the challenge of sustainable mobility has been dealt with in urban planning and urban development in the metropolitan areas of Copenhagen (Denmark) and Hangzhou (China). The two metropolises have followed different trajectories in their land use and transport...
Contemporary Challenges for Sustainable Tourism – a Regional Perspective
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dorin Paul Bac
Full Text Available Sustainable tourism has become a new method of practicing tourism. It has emerged in the last part of the 20th century, from the efforts of academia as a response to the increasing negative effects of mass tourism, noticeable all over the world. At the same time, sustainable tourism is considered by some a utopia, a narrow niche of the tourism market, with limited perspectives. From a theoretical standpoint, it is highly debated with no consensus regarding its definition, features and principles. In recent years, although significant steps have been taken especially by international organizations, like UNEP (The United Nations Environment Programme and UNWTO (The World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism still faces numerous challenges. In the present paper, we have collected information from several authors and organizations and have presented some contemporary challenges for sustainable tourism. For our research, we have tried to identify several common challenges for six selected countries in Central and Eastern Europe – The Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania, and also go into a more detailed look in the case of Romania. Finally, we consider that if we can identify specific regional challenges, we might find regional solutions and answers. Considering the numerous similarities between the six countries, there might be common solutions for the benefit of the entire region.
Education for sustainable development (ESD) : exploring theoretical and practical challenges
dr. Frans Meijers; Helen Kopnina
Purpose: This article aims to explore the challenges posed by the conceptual framework and diversity of practice of education for sustainable development (ESD). The implications of plurality of ESD perspectives and methodological approaches as well variations in ESD practice will be addressed.
Themes and challenges in making supply chains socially sustainable
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Abbasi, Maisam
Purpose Purpose of this paper is to explore and classify pattern of the currently discussed themes and challenges in making supply chains socially sustainable. Design/methodology/approach The methodology was based on a systematic review of the existing literature in order to explore what major...... holistic view of the pattern of currently discussed themes and challenges may be beneficial in increasing the absorptive capacity of industrial and business practitioners when they design and operationalize innovative strategies in developing sustainable supply chains. Originality/value This paper may...... increase awareness about the social responsibilities of supply chains actors and stakeholders. It may also guide managers, decision makers, and practitioners to better understand the difficulties, obstacles, or dilemmas that can hinder sustainable development of supply chains. The discussion section...
Opportunities and challenges for multicriteria assessment of food system sustainability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hugo F. Alrøe
Full Text Available The focus of the Special Feature on "Multicriteria assessment of food system sustainability" is on the complex challenges of making and communicating overall assessments of food systems sustainability based on multiple and varied criteria. Four papers concern the choice and development of appropriate tools for making multicriteria sustainability assessments that handle built-in methodological conflicts and trade-offs between different assessment objectives. They underscore the value of linking diverse methods and tools, or nesting and stepping their deployment, to help build resilience and sustainability. They conclude that there is no one tool, one framework, or one indicator set that is appropriate for the different purposes and contexts of sustainability assessment. The process of creating the assessment framework also emerges as important: if the key stakeholders are not given a responsible and full role in the development of any assessment tool, it is less likely to be fit for their purpose and they are unlikely to take ownership or have confidence in it. Six other papers reflect on more fundamental considerations of how assessments are based in different scientific perspectives and on the role of values, motivation, and trust in relation to assessments in the development of more sustainable food systems. They recommend a radical break with the tradition of conducting multicriteria assessment from one hegemonic perspective to considering multiple perspectives. Collectively the contributions to this Special Feature identify three main challenges for improved multicriteria assessment of food system sustainability: (i how to balance different types of knowledge to avoid that the most well-known, precise, or easiest to measure dimensions of sustainability gets the most weight; (ii how to expose the values in assessment tools and choices to allow evaluation of how they relate to the ethical principles of sustainable food systems, to societal
Tackling the dual challenge of sustainable consumption and economic growth
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sedlacko, Michal; Antunes, Paula; Asara, Viviana
to ecosystem services have spurred parts of the academic and policy communities into identification of problems and solutions. Some of the most fundamental debates, led by researchers from various disciplines, centre around economic growth and sustainable consumption. However, there is often a lack...... research questions that link the challenges of sustainable consumption with economic growth debates and critiques. The research questions have been identified through an extensive participatory process involving leading researchers and policy makers responsible for sustainability policies throughout...... the whole EU and cover five areas (food, housing, mobility, information and communication technology, finance). The aim of the research questions is to orient researchers towards important research priorities as well as guide policy makers and public authorities in funding of research and use of sound...
Sustainable energy policy in Honduras: Diagnosis and challenges
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Flores, Wilfredo C. [National Directorate of Energy, Tegucigalpa (MDC) (Honduras); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC) (Honduras); Ojeda, Osvaldo A. [Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (Argentina); Flores, Marco A.; Rivas, Francisco R. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC) (Honduras)
In view of having a still unexploited potential of natural resources available for clean energy and the possibility of using the regional electricity market in Central America, Honduras has several potential energy sources. The growing dependence on oil and the imminent increase in international prices of fossil fuels, coupled with the necessity of changing the energy sector arrangement, the State of Honduras has taken the lead for the development of a long-term sustainable energy policy. This energy policy must be able to develop various energy sources and guide both, the government and the private sector, to the planning and development of alternative energy sources and sustainable growth of the Honduran economy. In this paper, the various energy diagnoses and the potential for changing the Honduran energy mix are presented, as well as the investment required for sustainable management of the energy sector. Furthermore, the objectives of the energy policy and plan up to the year 2030 are presented, outlining the investment possibilities for the energy sector development, showing their costs and timeframes. - Research Highlights: {yields} This paper shows the development of a long-term energy policy for Honduras. {yields} The various diagnoses of the energy sector in Honduras are shown, considering the use of wood, biomass, biofuels, electricity, transportation, hydrocarbons and rural electrification. {yields} The most relevant results of the analysis of energy forecasting are shown, for which the LEAP software was used. {yields} The objectives of the energy policy and plan up to the year 2030 are presented, outlining the investment possibilities for the energy sector development, showing their costs and timeframes.
Sustainability in Textiles and Fashion – The Current Challenge
Hann, M
This paper is concerned with sustainability in textiles and fashion and identifies the problems and challenges faced by the international textile and fashion industry. Traditional product end uses as well as novel applications associated with the minority natural fibres such as jute, ramie and hemp are identified, and the potential advantages of focusing on developing the applicability of such in fashion applications is assessed. A series of strategic proposals, aimed at gaining attention in ...
Challenges in Sustaining Employees in Call Centers, Hyderabad
Gollapalli, Sai Sarvani
The purpose of this work is to investigate the challenges faced by human resource managers in Hyderabad call centres in sustaining their employee pool"s. Business Process Outsourcing organizations face the highest attrition rates in the world. This research not only plays a crucial exploratory to discover the causes of attrition and the strategies required to reverse the current situation but also addresses the core factors inhibiting the industry to overcome losses worth millions of dollars....
Recent Advances and Challenges towards Sustainable Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kourmentza, Constantina; Plácido, Jersson; Venetsaneas, Nikolaos
Sustainable biofuels, biomaterials, and fine chemicals production is a critical matter that research teams around the globe are focusing on nowadays. Polyhydroxyalkanoates represent one of the biomaterials of the future due to their physicochemical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility....... Designing efficient and economic bioprocesses, combined with the respective social and environmental benefits, has brought together scientists from different backgrounds highlighting the multidisciplinary character of such a venture. In the current review, challenges and opportunities regarding...
Nanotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture: Recent Developments, Challenges, and Perspectives
Ram Prasad; Atanu Bhattacharyya; Quang D. Nguyen
Nanotechnology monitors a leading agricultural controlling process, especially by its miniature dimension. Additionally, many potential benefits such as enhancement of food quality and safety, reduction of agricultural inputs, enrichment of absorbing nanoscale nutrients from the soil, etc. allow the application of nanotechnology to be resonant encumbrance. Agriculture, food, and natural resources are a part of those challenges like sustainability, susceptibility, human health, and healthy lif...
Challenges Towards Sustainable Tourism for Regional Development of Vlore Region
Aleks Prifti; Engjellushe Zenelaj
Vlora has great potential for regional development. Tourism can be as a catalyst for theeconomic growth but still have many challenges for sustainable tourism regionaldevelopment. Regional development is one ofthe most important dimensions and key ofEU policy, which is designedto: ensure convergence between the different member statesand regions; ensure regional competitiveness and employment;ensure territorialcooperation. Vlora has all the potential to bean attractive tourismdestination. Res...
[Challenges, knowledge, decisions in the context of sustainable development].
Benachenhou, A
This work explores challenges to sustainable development, identifies various currents of thought in the social sciences that are of potential relevance in the search for strategies to achieve sustainable development, and offers some reflections on the decision processes involved in selecting development strategies. 4 major challenges to sustainable development are identified. In the 1st place, the fundamental equilibrium of the exosphere is menaced by the expansion of industrial activity, with major ecological problem that of nonrecyclable waste which pollute the ecosystem. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 1 example. The irreversibility of some effects of human activity is becoming clearer with time. A 2nd challenge is the arising from the intrinsic risks of scientific and technological development. The examples of nuclear energy and genetic manipulation demonstrate the dangers and ethical problems of allowing technological progress to occur without adequate societal control. A 3rd challenge is that of mastery of the organization and use of knowledge so that technological progress can be marshalled to reduce poverty and inequality. The 4th challenge is that of demographic growth, which accentuates poverty and inequality and aggravates pressure on resources. 3 recent currents of thought in the social sciences, all stressing interdisciplinarity, may contribute to understanding the long term modifications needed for achieving sustainable development. Among systemic approached, the thermodynamic theory of economic processes attempts to take into account the irreversible character of expenditures of energy and raw materials, while other theories examine the complexity of system interactions and the limitations of a purely quantitative approach. Decision theory may become an essential component of reflection on technological choices because of its demonstration that the criteria of rational choice differ in the cases of risk and of uncertainty
Financial Markets and the Challenges of Sustainable Growth
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Janicka Małgorzata
Full Text Available Sustainable growth and responsibility for the economy and the environment are postulates rarely associated with the term "financial market". Financial markets are identified with the ruthless maximisation of profit at acceptable risk, rather than with socially responsible conduct. However, in the global economy businesses modify their priorities and become aware of not just the need to grow in financial terms but also to improve their quality performance. International financial markets have become part of this trend and are increasingly often adopting environmentally friendly attitudes and embracing the challenges posed by the concept of sustainable growth. Ideas such as CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility – and SRI – Socially Responsible Investment are gaining in importance. While sustainable growth of the economy as perceived from the point of view of the manufacturing or service sectors is widely discussed, the sustainable growth of financial markets is a relatively new concept and the available literature on "green" financial markets is quite scarce. This paper is intended to fill in this gap and examine the changes that have taken place on financial markets in the context of the idea of sustainable growth, with particular attention paid to the European Union markets.
25 CFR 163.11 - Forest management planning and sustained yield management.
... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Forest management planning and sustained yield management... GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.11 Forest management planning and... forest management plan shall be prepared and revised as needed for all Indian forest lands. Such...
Are federal sustained yield units equitable? A case study of the Grays Harbor unit.
Con H Schallau; Wilbur R. Maki
The Grays Harbor Federal Sustained Yield Unit (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service) was established in 1949 to enhance the economic stability of the forest products industry and dependent communities in Grays Harbor County, Washington. Provisions of the unit's charter require that all logs harvested from the Quinault Ranger District of the Olympic...
Developing robust crop plants for sustaining growth and yield under adverse climatic changes
Agricultural production and quality are expected to suffer from adverse changes in climatic conditions, including global warming, and this will affect worldwide human and animal food security. Global warming has been shown to negatively impact crop yield and therefore will affect sustainability of a...
Urban Big Data and Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and Opportunities
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ali Kharrazi
Full Text Available Cities are perhaps one of the most challenging and yet enabling arenas for sustainable development goals. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs emphasize the need to monitor each goal through objective targets and indicators based on common denominators in the ability of countries to collect and maintain relevant standardized data. While this approach is aimed at harmonizing the SDGs at the national level, it presents unique challenges and opportunities for the development of innovative urban-level metrics through big data innovations. In this article, we make the case for advancing more innovative targets and indicators relevant to the SDGs through the emergence of urban big data. We believe that urban policy-makers are faced with unique opportunities to develop, experiment, and advance big data practices relevant to sustainable development. This can be achieved by situating the application of big data innovations through developing mayoral institutions for the governance of urban big data, advancing the culture and common skill sets for applying urban big data, and investing in specialized research and education programs.
Institutional challenges for mining and sustainability in Peru.
Bebbington, Anthony J; Bury, Jeffrey T
Global consumption continues to generate growth in mining. In lesser developed economies, this growth offers the potential to generate new resources for development, but also creates challenges to sustainability in the regions in which extraction occurs. This context leads to debate on the institutional arrangements most likely to build synergies between mining, livelihoods, and development, and on the socio-political conditions under which such institutions can emerge. Building from a multiyear, three-country program of research projects, Peru, a global center of mining expansion, serves as an exemplar for analyzing the effects of extractive industry on livelihoods and the conditions under which arrangements favoring local sustainability might emerge. This program is guided by three emergent hypotheses in human-environmental sciences regarding the relationships among institutions, knowledge, learning, and sustainability. The research combines in-depth and comparative case study analysis, and uses mapping and spatial analysis, surveys, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and our own direct participation in public debates on the regulation of mining for development. The findings demonstrate the pressures that mining expansion has placed on water resources, livelihood assets, and social relationships. These pressures are a result of institutional conditions that separate the governance of mineral expansion, water resources, and local development, and of relationships of power that prioritize large scale investment over livelihood and environment. A further problem is the poor communication between mining sector knowledge systems and those of local populations. These results are consistent with themes recently elaborated in sustainability science.
Characteristics, emerging needs, and challenges of transdisciplinary sustainability science
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ruppert-Winkel, Chantal; Arlinghaus, Robert; Deppisch, Sonja
and to outline the needs and challenges for early career scientists in TSS. To that end, we compiled 10 key characteristics of TSS based on a literature survey. We then analyzed research groups with 81 early career scientists against these characteristics. All of these research groups are funded by an ongoing...... achievements of societal and scientific impact, acknowledging that focusing on the time-consuming former aspect is difficult to integrate into a scientific career path; and (3) although generalist researchers are increasingly becoming involved in such TSS research projects, supporting the integration of social......Transdisciplinary sustainability science (TSS) is a prominent way of scientifically contributing to the solution of sustainability problems. Little is known, however, about the practice of scientists in TSS, especially those early in their career. Our objectives were to identify these practices...
Forest Management Challenges for Sustaining Water Resources in the Anthropocene
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ge Sun
Full Text Available The Earth has entered the Anthropocene epoch that is dominated by humans who demand unprecedented quantities of goods and services from forests. The science of forest hydrology and watershed management generated during the past century provides a basic understanding of relationships among forests and water and offers management principles that maximize the benefits of forests for people while sustaining watershed ecosystems. However, the rapid pace of changes in climate, disturbance regimes, invasive species, human population growth, and land use expected in the 21st century is likely to create substantial challenges for watershed management that may require new approaches, models, and best management practices. These challenges are likely to be complex and large scale, involving a combination of direct and indirect biophysical watershed responses, as well as socioeconomic impacts and feedbacks. We discuss the complex relationships between forests and water in a rapidly changing environment, examine the trade-offs and conflicts between water and other resources, and propose new management approaches for sustaining water resources in the Anthropocene.
Education for Sustainability-Challenges and Opportunities: The Case of RCEs (Regional Centres of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development)
Wade, Ros
This article will focus on the challenges of leadership and management of a key initiative of the 20052014 UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), namely the Regional Centres of Expertise in Education for Sustainability (RCEs). It will argue that in order to achieve sustainability, there is a need to move away from outdated…
Challenges for Sustainable Land Management through Climate-Smart Agriculture
Dougill, Andrew; Stringer, Lindsay
There are increasing pushes for agricultural land management to be both sustainable and climate-smart (in terms of increasing productivity, building resilience to climate change and enhancing carbon storage). Climate-smart agriculture initiatives include conservation agriculture, based on minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop rotation, and agroforestry. Such efforts address key international goals of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but as yet have not seen widespread uptake. Based on analyses of different project interventions from across a range of southern African countries, we outline the inter-related challenges that are preventing adoption of climate-smart agriculture initiatives. We then identify routes to building multi-stakeholder partnerships and empowering communities through participatory monitoring with the aim of increasing uptake of such sustainable land management practices. Good practice examples remain largely restricted to local-level project interventions with significant donor (or private-sector) support, aligned to short-term community priorities relating to access to inputs or reduced labour requirements. Scaling-up to district- and national-level initiatives is yet to be widely successful due to problems of: limited policy coherence; a lack of communication between stakeholders at different levels; and limited understanding of long-term benefits associated with changes in agricultural practices. We outline opportunities associated with improved communication of climate information, empowerment of district-level adaptation planning and diversification of agricultural livelihood strategies as key routes to guide farmers towards more sustainable, and climate-smart, land management practices. Recent experiences in Malawi, which has experienced significant floods and an El Niño drought year in the last two years, are used to
Developing countries challenges in applying sustainable urban development: An application on Egypt
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sherine El Sakka
Full Text Available Sustainable urban development (SUD is influenced by social, cultural, economic and environmental sustainability (ES of developing and developed countries. Our paper will focus on the challenges confront the developing countries in sustainable urban development an application will be on Egypt, which will clarify current situation and future challenge will assess the impact of sustainable development on developing country to propose some possible directions for the future .A new solution of improving sustainability of developing cities (SDC should be found.
Sustainable management in crop monocultures: the impact of retaining forest on oil palm yield.
Edwards, Felicity A; Edwards, David P; Sloan, Sean; Hamer, Keith C
Tropical agriculture is expanding rapidly at the expense of forest, driving a global extinction crisis. How to create agricultural landscapes that minimise the clearance of forest and maximise sustainability is thus a key issue. One possibility is protecting natural forest within or adjacent to crop monocultures to harness important ecosystem services provided by biodiversity spill-over that may facilitate production. Yet this contrasts with the conflicting potential that the retention of forest exports dis-services, such as agricultural pests. We focus on oil palm and obtained yields from 499 plantation parcels spanning a total of ≈23,000 ha of oil palm plantation in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We investigate the relationship between the extent and proximity of both contiguous and fragmented dipterocarp forest cover and oil palm yield, controlling for variation in oil palm age and for environmental heterogeneity by incorporating proximity to non-native forestry plantations, other oil palm plantations, and large rivers, elevation and soil type in our models. The extent of forest cover and proximity to dipterocarp forest were not significant predictors of oil palm yield. Similarly, proximity to large rivers and other oil palm plantations, as well as soil type had no significant effect. Instead, lower elevation and closer proximity to forestry plantations had significant positive impacts on oil palm yield. These findings suggest that if dipterocarp forests are exporting ecosystem service benefits or ecosystem dis-services, that the net effect on yield is neutral. There is thus no evidence to support arguments that forest should be retained within or adjacent to oil palm monocultures for the provision of ecosystem services that benefit yield. We urge for more nuanced assessments of the impacts of forest and biodiversity on yields in crop monocultures to better understand their role in sustainable agriculture.
Sustainable management in crop monocultures: the impact of retaining forest on oil palm yield.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Felicity A Edwards
Full Text Available Tropical agriculture is expanding rapidly at the expense of forest, driving a global extinction crisis. How to create agricultural landscapes that minimise the clearance of forest and maximise sustainability is thus a key issue. One possibility is protecting natural forest within or adjacent to crop monocultures to harness important ecosystem services provided by biodiversity spill-over that may facilitate production. Yet this contrasts with the conflicting potential that the retention of forest exports dis-services, such as agricultural pests. We focus on oil palm and obtained yields from 499 plantation parcels spanning a total of ≈23,000 ha of oil palm plantation in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We investigate the relationship between the extent and proximity of both contiguous and fragmented dipterocarp forest cover and oil palm yield, controlling for variation in oil palm age and for environmental heterogeneity by incorporating proximity to non-native forestry plantations, other oil palm plantations, and large rivers, elevation and soil type in our models. The extent of forest cover and proximity to dipterocarp forest were not significant predictors of oil palm yield. Similarly, proximity to large rivers and other oil palm plantations, as well as soil type had no significant effect. Instead, lower elevation and closer proximity to forestry plantations had significant positive impacts on oil palm yield. These findings suggest that if dipterocarp forests are exporting ecosystem service benefits or ecosystem dis-services, that the net effect on yield is neutral. There is thus no evidence to support arguments that forest should be retained within or adjacent to oil palm monocultures for the provision of ecosystem services that benefit yield. We urge for more nuanced assessments of the impacts of forest and biodiversity on yields in crop monocultures to better understand their role in sustainable agriculture.
Sustainable ground transportation – review of technologies, challenges and opportunities
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Agarwal, Ramesh K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States)
Currently there are nearly 750 million ground vehicles in service worldwide. They are responsible for 50% of petroleum (oil) consumption and 60% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. The number of vehicles is forecasted to double by 2050. Therefore the environmental issues such as noise, emissions and fuel burn have become important for energy and environmental sustainability. This paper provides an overview of specific energy and environmental issues related to ground transportation. The technologies related to reduction in energy requirements such as reducing the vehicle mass by using the high strength low weight materials and reducing the viscous drag by active flow control and smoothing the operational profile, and reducing the contact friction by special tire materials are discussed along with the portable energy sources for reducing the GHG emissions such as low carbon fuels (biofuels), Lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and stability, and fuel cells. The technological challenges and opportunities for innovations are discussed.
Major ecosystems in China: dynamics and challenges for sustainable management.
Lü, Yihe; Fu, Bojie; Wei, Wei; Yu, Xiubo; Sun, Ranhao
Ecosystems, though impacted by global environmental change, can also contribute to the adaptation and mitigation of such large scale changes. Therefore, sustainable ecosystem management is crucial in reaching a sustainable future for the biosphere. Based on the published literature and publicly accessible data, this paper discussed the status and trends of forest, grassland, and wetland ecosystems in China that play important roles in the ecological integrity and human welfare of the nation. Ecological degradation has been observed in these ecosystems at various levels and geographic locations. Biophysical (e.g., climate change) and socioeconomic factors (e.g., intensive human use) are the main reasons for ecosystem degradation with the latter factors serving as the dominant driving forces. The three broad categories of ecosystems in China have partially recovered from degradation thanks to large scale ecological restoration projects implemented in the last few decades. China, as the largest and most populated developing nation, still faces huge challenges regarding ecosystem management in a changing and globalizing world. To further improve ecosystem management in China, four recommendations were proposed, including: (1) advance ecosystem management towards an application-oriented, multidisciplinary science; (2) establish a well-functioning national ecological monitoring and data sharing mechanism; (3) develop impact and effectiveness assessment approaches for policies, plans, and ecological restoration projects; and (4) promote legal and institutional innovations to balance the intrinsic needs of ecological and socioeconomic systems. Any change in China's ecosystem management approach towards a more sustainable one will benefit the whole world. Therefore, international collaborations on ecological and environmental issues need to be expanded.
Resilience assessment: a useful approach to navigate urban sustainability challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
My M. Sellberg
Full Text Available Cities and towns have become increasingly interested in building resilience to cope with surprises, however, how to do this is often unclear. We evaluated the ability of the Resilience Assessment Workbook to help urban areas incorporate resilience thinking into their planning practice by exploring how a resilience assessment process complemented existing planning in the local government of Eskilstuna, Sweden. We conducted this evaluation using participant observation, semistructured interviews, and a survey of the participants. Our findings show that the resilience assessment contributed to ongoing planning practices by addressing sustainability challenges that were not being addressed within the normal municipal planning or operations, such as local food security. It bridged longer term sustainable development and shorter term crisis management, allowing these two sectors to develop common strategies. Our study also highlighted that the Resilience Assessment Workbook could be made more useful by providing more guidance on how to practically deal with thresholds and trade-offs across scales, as well as on how to manage transdisciplinary learning processes. This is the first in-depth study of a resilience assessment process, and it demonstrates that the Resilience Assessment Workbook is useful for planning and that it merits further research and development.
Sustainability versus yield in agricultural soils under various crop production practices - a microbial perspective
Pereg, Lily; Aldorri, Sind; McMillan, Mary
Wheat and cotton are important food and cash crops often grown in rotation on black, grey and red clay soil, in Australia. The common practice of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers have been solely in the form of agrochemicals, however, a few growers have incorporated manure or composted plant material into the soil before planting. While the cotton yield in studied farms was comparable, we found that the use of such organic amendments significantly enhanced the pool of nitrogen cycling genes, suggesting increased potential of soil microbial function as well as increased microbial metabolic diversity and abundance. Therefore, the regular use of organic amendments contributed to improved soil sustainability.
Enhancing energy security in Malayia: the challenges towards sustainable environment
Sahid, E. J. M.; Siang, C. Ch; Peng, L. Y.
Energy is known as one of the essential ingredients for economic development and security of energy supply is crucial in ensuring continuous economic development of a country. Malaysia's proven domestic oil reserves are estimated to last for another 25 years, while that of gas for another 39 years as of 2011. Despite the depleting indigenous energy resources, the primary energy demand has continued to grow robustly, at an annual rate of 6.3 percent per year from 1990 to 2010, while the primary energy import has grown 7.2% per year and the primary energy export has grown at a slower rate of 1.9% per year. This worrying trend is further compounded by the faster rate of primary oil import averaging 10.5% per year while the primary energy export has shrink at a rate of 1.4% per year. This paper has identified two main concerns namely overdependence on fossil fuel and increasing energy import dependency in creating a precarious position towards energy self-sufficiency. The study will analyse the energy security of the country and explore possible options and challenges in enhancing the energy supply security toward sustainable environment.
Sustainability benefits and challenges of inter-organizational collaboration in bio-based business
Nuhoff-Isakhanyan, Gohar; Wubben, Emiel F.M.; Omta, S.W.F.
Bio-based businesses are often considered to be sustainable. However, they are also linked to sustainability challenges such as deforestation and soil erosion. Encouraged to exploit innovative solutions and enhance sustainability, organizations engaged in bio-based activities extensively explore
Sustainable Digital Environments: What Major Challenges Is Humankind Facing?
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Roland W. Scholz
Full Text Available This paper identifies and discusses the benefits, threats, and vulnerabilities related to the digital revolution. It aims to motivate research and its funding regarding digital threats and vulnerabilities related, in particular, to anticipating unintended, undesirable rebound effects, tipping points, critically fast evolutionary change rates, trade-offs, etc. A brief analysis of the history of the mind and technology reveals slow technological development over tens of thousands of years (including the invention of a place-value digital number system. Then, a small series of groundbreaking ideas (e.g., binary logic, Shannon's symbolic analysis of relay and switching circuits, architectures of computing enabled the industry-driven invention of programmable computing machines. Ultimately, the mastery of electron and semiconductor physics allowed for economical and seemingly unlimited storage capacity that made digital tools available to all domains of society. Based on the historical analysis, a coupled human-environment systems perspective (that includes a hierarchy assumption ranging from the human cell to the human species enables the identification of several potential challenges to society and science. First, digital nano-engineering promotes genetic modifications (i.e., directed evolution, and synthetic biology enables a new level of the appropriation of nature. The understanding of cell-based biocomputers may call for new forms of logic. These and other challenges require thorough sustainability research in order to anticipate major changes on all levels of human systems. Second, the human individual is exposed to new forms of vulnerability. In particular, the potential epigenetic effects resulting from the excessive use of digital information of historically unknown speed, density, and contents and the loss of (the Western common-law right to privacy resulting from big data (whose ownership is often unknown should become subjects of
Sustainable Product Indexing: Navigating the Challenge of Ecolabeling
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jay S. Golden
Full Text Available There is growing scientific evidence that improving the sustainability of consumer products can lead to significant gains in global sustainability. Historically, environmental policy has been managed by bureaucracies and institutions in a mechanistic manner; this had led to many early successes. However, we believe that if policy concerning product sustainability is also managed in this way, negative unintended consequences are likely to occur. Thus, we propose a social-ecological systems approach to policy making concerning product sustainability that will lead to more rapid and meaningful progress toward improving the environmental and social impacts of consumer products.
Increasing production, the sustained yield method, and reserve structure of agrisilvicultural ecosystems in the moist tropics
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bruenig, E.F.
While substantial improvements first of all require a profound change of political attitudes and the replacement of irrational ideological creeds, improvements of the food situation in addition needs the application of ecologically adapted and economically sound land use techniques. This in turn requires scientific knowledge of the interrelationships between site factors and the structure and functions of crop types. The principles of the structural design of tropical virgin forest ecosystems can be usefully adapted for the development of agroforestry crop types. Such crop types should be capable of producing a sustained yield of food, timber, fuel, medicinal substances, spices and other useful products and, in addition, produce favourable, stabilizing effects on the local, regional and finally global biosphere.
Transdisciplinary Learning and Teaching as Answers to Urban Sustainability Challenges
Biberhofer, Petra; Rammel, Christian
Purpose: This paper aims to explain the relevance of science-society interfaces and their potential for higher education institutions to engage stakeholders in supporting sustainable change in cities, via the transdisciplinary learning and teaching approach of the Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development Vienna.…
Advancing urban sustainability theory and action: Challenges and opportunities
Daniel L. Childers; Steward T.A. Pickett; J. Morgan Grove; Laura Ogden; Alison. Whitmer
Urban ecology and its theories are increasingly poised to contribute to urban sustainability, through both basic understanding and action. We present a conceptual framework that expands the Industrial → Sanitary → Sustainable City transition to include non-sanitary cities, "new cities", and various permutations of transition options for...
Sustainability rating as internal challenge for the financial sector
Zoeteman, Bastiaan; Kopp, H.E.
Sustainability rating is rapidly maturing to a level where even the complex concept of sustainable development—including the ecological, sociocultural, and economic pillars and their components, as well as governance aspects such as attitudes—can be objectively described and quantitatively analyzed.
Food security: the challenge of increasing wheat yield and the importance of not compromising food safety.
Curtis, T; Halford, N G
Current wheat yield and consumption is considered in the context of the historical development of wheat, from early domestication through to modern plant breeding, the Green Revolution and wheat's place as one of the world's most productive and important crops in the 21st Century. The need for further improvement in the yield potential of wheat in order to meet current and impending challenges is discussed, including rising consumption and the demand for grain for fuel as well as food. Research on the complex genetics underlying wheat yield is described, including the identification of quantitative trait loci and individual genes, and the prospects of biotechnology playing a role in wheat improvement in the future are discussed. The challenge of preparing wheat to meet the problems of drought, high temperature and increasing carbon dioxide concentration that are anticipated to come about as a result of climate change is also reviewed. Wheat yield must be increased while not compromising food safety, and the emerging problem of processing contaminants is reviewed, focussing in particular on acrylamide, a contaminant that forms from free asparagine and reducing sugars during high temperature cooking and processing. Wheat breeders are strongly encouraged to consider the contaminant issue when breeding for yield.
Sustainability Management in Agribusiness: Challenges, Concepts, Responsibilities and Performance
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nina Friedrich
Full Text Available The idea of sustainable management has recently gained growing attention in the agribusiness sector. This is mainly due to a widespread discontent with the industrialization of agricultural production and food processing and growing public pressure on agribusiness firms to implement more sustainable management practices. In this paper we present the results of an explorative empirical study of sustainability management in German agribusiness firms. The study shows that agribusiness firms have developed a broad understanding of sustainability management and perceive a multi-facetted spectrum of societal demands they have to meet. The most important arguments for implementing more sustainable management practices are that companies have to make sure that they are trusted by society in the long run and that the perception of a company by external stakeholders has become more and more important. The companies surveyed know quite a number of sustainability programmes and standards, but the number of companies that actually participate in these initiatives is much smaller. Nonetheless, the majority of the respondents feels that their company is more successful with regard to sustainability management than industry average.
From rainfed agriculture to stress-avoidance irrigation: II. Sustainability, crop yield, and profitability
Vico, Giulia; Porporato, Amilcare
The optimality of irrigation strategies may be sought with respect to a number of criteria, including water requirements, crop yield, and profitability. To explore the suitability of different demand-based irrigation strategies, we link the probabilistic description of irrigation requirements under stochastic hydro-climatic conditions, provided in a companion paper [Vico G, Porporato A. From rainfed agriculture to stress-avoidance irrigation: I. A generalized irrigation scheme with stochastic soil moisture. Adv Water Resour 2011;34(2):263-71], to crop-yield and economic analyses. Water requirements, application efficiency, and investment costs of different irrigation methods, such as surface, sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, are described via a unified conceptual and theoretical approach, which includes rainfed agriculture and stress-avoidance irrigation as extreme cases. This allows us to analyze irrigation strategies with respect to sustainability, productivity, and economic return, using the same framework, and quantify them as a function of climate, crop, and soil parameters. We apply our results to corn ( Zea mays), a food staple and biofuel source, which is currently mainly irrigated through surface systems. As our analysis shows, micro-irrigation maximizes water productivity, but more traditional solutions may be more profitable at least in some contexts.
Strengthening requirement specification in sustainable procurement - an investigation of challenges
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Eriksen, Marlene Stenberg Hagen; Bjarløv, Søren Peter; Rode, Carsten
To reap the benefits of sustainability in the construction sector, it is crucial that the stakeholders involved can implement it in practice. Investigations have shown that choices made in the early phases of the building process are of very great importance for the outcome and the initiatives...... found imply that a sustainable approach in procurement is not fully implemented in a Danish context. This suggests that there is a need for guidance in the area, if the practitioners are to move from good intentions to making more specific requirements for sustainability in procurement....
Perspective: The challenge of ecologically sustainable water management
CSIR Research Space (South Africa)
Bernhardt, E
Full Text Available Sustainable water resource management is constrained by three pervasive myths; that societal and environmental water demands always compete with one another; that technological solutions can solve all water resource management problems...
Meeting the Sustainability Challenge in Research and Education
Erlijn Eweg; Ivo Opstelten; Nadia Verdeyen
HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (HU) initiated a sustainability program in 2010. A compelling vision, collaboration with external partners, interdisciplinary research and interweavement of research and education are important elements in this program. The scope of this paper is
Sustainable shrimp farming in India - Prospects and challenges
Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)
Achuthankutty, C.T.
Shrimp farming has grown into a multi-crore industry in India. It has vast potential for further expansion. However, this growing industry needs to develop appropriate indigenous technologies in specific areas to make it a sustainable and profitable...
Is current irrigation sustainable in the United States? An integrated assessment of climate change impact on water resources and irrigated crop yields.
Blanc, Elodie; Caron, Justin; Fant, Charles; Monier, Erwan
While climate change impacts on crop yields has been extensively studied, estimating the impact of water shortages on irrigated crop yields is challenging because the water resources management system is complex. To investigate this issue, we integrate a crop yield reduction module and a water resources model into the MIT Integrated Global System Modeling framework, an integrated assessment model linking a global economic model to an Earth system model. We assess the effects of climate and socioeconomic changes on water availability for irrigation in the U.S. as well as subsequent impacts on crop yields by 2050, while accounting for climate change projection uncertainty. We find that climate and socioeconomic changes will increase water shortages and strongly reduce irrigated yields for specific crops (i.e., cotton and forage), or in specific regions (i.e., the Southwest) where irrigation is not sustainable. Crop modeling studies that do not represent changes in irrigation availability can thus be misleading. Yet, since the most water-stressed basins represent a relatively small share of U.S. irrigated areas, the overall reduction in U.S. crop yields is small. The response of crop yields to climate change and water stress also suggests that some level of adaptation will be feasible, like relocating croplands to regions with sustainable irrigation or switching to less irrigation intensive crops. Finally, additional simulations show that greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation can alleviate the effect of water stress on irrigated crop yields, enough to offset the reduced CO 2 fertilization effect compared to an unconstrained GHG emission scenario.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anifowose M. O. Atolagbe
Full Text Available The poor quality of the Nigerian urban environment has been attributed partly to the inadequate%2C misuse and mis- management of the urban open spaces. This%2C according to various researchers%2C has exerted a major strain on the physical outlook of the environment and a negative effect on the welfare and productivity of the residents. This has called for the need to identify and analyze the open spaces in the urban environment and assess the implications of their landscape planning on the status of the city and the development of a healthy and sustainable environment. This study therefore discusses the concept of sustainability%2C particularly within the built environment. It looks into the principles and indicators for sustainability of the environment and the resulting problems. Furthermore%2C a case study of Akure urban core was carried out to assess the uses and landscape status of the open spaces. The results when statistically analysed showed the inadequacies in the provision and management of the open spaces in the study area. It therefore recommends attainable policies for the effective sustainability of the environment. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : urban environment%2C sustainability%2C landscaping.
Ecosystem services for meeting sustainable development goals: Challenges and pathways
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Huq Nazmul
Full Text Available The paper summarizes four presentations of the session "Environment and Wellbeing: The Role of Ecosystems for Sustainable Development" at the international conference "Sustainability in the Water- Energy-Food Nexus" held on 19-20th May 2014 in Bonn, Germany. The aim of the session was to present current stresses on ecosystem services imposed by global development trajectory, potential impacts on future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs and pathways to achieve SDGs. All four presentations agreed that global ecosystem services are under increasing pressure from degradation and may not be able to meet the growing Water-Energy-Food (WEF demands especially for the developing world. Three examples from Tanzania, Cambodia and Niger made attempt to understand how government policies attributed to natural resource depletion such as forestry and common grazing. The examples showed that institutional policies favoring economic development contributing heavily to clearing up natural resource bases. As a result, there were increasing conflicts among different resource user groups. Two other presentations introduce conceptual pathways to achieve the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs under current resource stressed regime. The pathways suggested global technologies, decentralized solutions and consumption changes as the major means of achieving global sustainability and poverty eradication without any major trade-offs.
Ecosystem services for meeting sustainable development goals: Challenges and pathways
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Huq Nazmul
Full Text Available The paper summarizes four presentations of the session "Environment and Wellbeing: The Role of Ecosystems for Sustainable Development" at the international conference "Sustainability in the Water- Energy-Food Nexus" held on 19-20th May 2014 in Bonn, Germany. The aim of the session was to present current stresses on ecosystem services imposed by global development trajectory, potential impacts on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs and pathways to achieve SDGs. All four presentations agreed that global ecosystem services are under increasing pressure from degradation and may not be able to meet the growing Water-Energy- Food (WEF demands especially for the developing world. Three examples from Tanzania, Cambodia and Niger made attempt to understand how governance policies attributed to natural resource depletion such as forestry and common grazing. The examples showed that governance policies favoring economic development are heavily contributing to clearing up natural resource bases. As a result, there were increasing conflicts among different resource user groups. Two other presentations introduce conceptual pathways to achieve the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs under current resource stressed regime. The pathways suggested global technologies, decentralized solutions and consumption changes as the major means of achieving global sustainability and poverty eradication without any major trade-offs.
E-waste: A Challenge for Sustainable Development
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Md. Sahadat Hossain
Conclusions. Sustainability is being prioritized for all development activities by integrating societal, economic, environmental, technological, cultural, and gender perspectives. Considering the adverse potential eco-toxicological impacts and diverse health effects of e-waste, an urgent global multilateral agreement is needed addressing its management (i.e., handling, storage, transportation, recycling, and final disposal, whether by land filling or incineration. Due to the global nature of the issue and the difficulty of establishing sustainable and environmentally sound processing of e-waste in low-income countries, multinational negotiation and collaboration is the only realistic solution. Furthermore, comprehensive global e-waste management and policies could help to off-set the hazards of e-waste and are the best approach for achieving sustainable development.
Oil Rich Countries and Sustainable Mobility: Challenges in Tabriz
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Shakibaei, Shahin; Alpkokin, Pelin; Gunduz, Umut
... challenges are ahead. The very low level of fuel prices coupled with the insufficient public transport has brought about road based transportation patterns particularly encouraging the private veh...
Hypocritical transitions? The challenge of urban sustainable mobility transition
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Vogel, Nina
This paper addresses the issue of sustainable urban mobility and the still persisting problems of implementing this objective, illuminated by current planning practice in the municipality of Fredericia in the so called Triangle Region of southern Denmark. The core questions are whether any imprints...... of a sustainable mobility discourse can be traced in the policy documents, how mobility is framed, and which arguments are used to legitimate or envision strategies and planning practices. Is Fredericia performing a transition towards low-carbon mobility? The paper will draw on concepts from transition theory...
Sustainable energy systems: Limitations and challenges based on exergy analysis
Woudstra, N.
General There is a general understanding that the so-called "developed countries" have to change their way of life including their energy supply into a more sustainable way. But even in the case of unanimity with regard to the direction, there are still many opinions about the way to follow. This thesis discusses problems and possibilities of more sustainable energy systems first of all for the energy supply of the Netherlands. The "trias energetica" is used to distinguish the steps that have...
Workplace Charging Challenge Progress Update 2016: A New Sustainable Commute
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
None, None
In the 2016 Workplace Charging Challenge annual survey, partners shared for the how their efforts were making an impact in their communities and helped identify best practices for workplace charging. The Workplace Charging Challenge Progress Update highlights the findings from this survey and recognizes leading employers for their workplace charging efforts.
Challenges for sustainable food systems in metropolitan landscapes
Carsjens, G.J.
Metropolitan landscapes are facing the challenge to find a balance between urban development on the one hand and the preservation of farmland and natural resources on the other. Conventional land use planning approaches are often not up to this complex challenge and many regions are in need for
Challenges and opportunities in supporting sustainable agriculture and food security
The 2014 IUPAC International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry (San Francisco, August, 2014) included a symposium on "Challenges Associated with Global Adoption of Agricultural Biotechnology" to review current obstacles in promoting GM crops. Challenges identified by symposium presenters included i) ...
Sustainable and responsible supply chain governance: challenges and opportunities
Boström, M.; Jönsson, A.M.; Lockie, S.; Mol, A.P.J.; Oosterveer, P.J.M.
This paper introduces the Special Volume on sustainable and responsible supply chain governance. As globalized supply chains cross multiple regulatory borders, the firms involved in these chains come under increasing pressure from consumers, NGOs and governments to accept responsibility for social
Sustainable bio-based materials: opportunities and challenges
van der Meer, Yvonne
Research in the area of bio-based materials aims to achieve breakthroughs in bio-based materials development. A novel way is presented to organise bio-based materials research with a value chain approach in which sustainability research is integrated in the research program. This research approach
Challenges to the implementation of fiscal sustainability measures
Ehrenhard, Michel Léon; Muntslag, Dennis R.; Wilderom, Celeste P.M.
Purpose: Fiscal sustainability is high on the global political agenda. Yet, implementing the needed performance-orientation throughout public-sector organizations remains problematic. Such implementation seems to run counter to deep-seated social structures. In this paper the aim is to shed light
The Challenge of Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
AJRH Managing Editor
Nations of the world met in September 2015 at the. UN in New York and adopted the Sustainable. Development Goals1, the successor framework to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were agreed by governments in 2000 and which came to an end in 2015. The MDGs concentrated largely, though not ...
Education for Sustainability in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities for Change
Higgins, Blanche; Thomas, Ian
Education for sustainability (EfS) is widely supported and researched; however, the broad and deep implementation of EfS in universities that is needed lags behind the goals of change agents. This article reviews literature on change procedures; in particular, curriculum change in universities. Our aim was to develop insights into strategies…
Challenges to Sustainability: Applying the Problem Tree Analysis ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
... the ADPs through deduction of state and federal governments counter-part funds for the ADPs from source i.e. the federation account and formation of an Agricultural Development Tax Fund (ADTF) fashioned not in line with the Education Tax Fund (ETF) to provide additional and sustainable source of funds for agricultural ...
Sustainable energy systems : Limitations and challenges based on exergy analysis
Verkooijen, A.H.M.; Woudstra, N.
General There is a general understanding that the so-called "developed countries" have to change their way of life including their energy supply into a more sustainable way. But even in the case of unanimity with regard to the direction, there are still many opinions about the way to follow. This
Economic Analysis on Key Challenges for Sustainable Aquaculture Development
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Gedefaw Abate, Tenaw
environmental externalities. A sustainable supply of high-quality live feeds at reasonable prices is absolutely essential for aquaculture hatcheries because many commercially produced high-value marine fish larval species, such as flounder, grouper, halibut, tuna and turbot, require live feed for their early...
Sustainable tourism development on Curacao - the implementation challenge
Dinica, V.; Brebbia, C.A; Pineda, F.D.
In 1997, a comprehensive policy program for sustainable tourism was adopted by the Netherlands Antilles government. This paper is empirically-oriented and analyses the implementation of two measures of this policy on one of the five islands, Curaçao, for the period 1998-2005. It investigates the
Challenges of sustainable rural tourism development in KwaZulu ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The findings, however, indicated that local people are not aware of these resources hence the lack of participation in tourism development. Various strategies were suggested for raising social awareness and the promotion of cultural and heritage resources in the rural area. Keywords: Tourism, rural tourism, sustainable ...
Challenges for sustainability of home based economic activities in ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Factors accountable for successful and sustainable home based economic activities were determined. Impacts of home based economic activities were found to be significant in the education of the children, income security and social welfare of families. The study emphasized home economic entrepreneurial education, ...
Sustainable energy systems : Limitations and challenges based on exergy analysis
Woudstra, N.
General There is a general understanding that the so-called "developed countries" have to change their way of life including their energy supply into a more sustainable way. But even in the case of unanimity with regard to the direction, there are still many opinions about the way to follow. This
Sustainable sludge management : what are the challenges for the future?
Rulkens, W.H.
Sewage sludge is a serious problem due to the high treatment costs and the risks to environment and human health. Future sludge treatment will be progressively focused on an improved efficiency and environmental sustainability of the process. In this context a survey is given of the most relevant
Negative global phosphorus budgets challenge sustainable intensification of grasslands
Sattari, S.Z.; Bouwman, A.F.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/090428048; Rodríquez, R. Martinez; Beusen, A.H.W.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/109357302; van Ittersum, M.K.
Grasslands provide grass and fodder to sustain the growing need for ruminant meat and milk. Soil nutrients in grasslands are removed through withdrawal in these livestock products and through animal manure that originates from grasslands and is spread in croplands. This leads to loss of soil
Negative global phosphorus budgets challenge sustainable intensification of grasslands
Sattari, S.Z.; Bouwman, A.F.; Martinez Rodríguez, R.; Beusen, A.H.W.; Ittersum, Van M.K.
Grasslands provide grass and fodder to sustain the growing need for ruminant meat and milk. Soil nutrients in grasslands are removed through withdrawal in these livestock products and through animal manure that originates from grasslands and is spread in croplands. This leads to loss of soil
The role of sustainable HORECA for sustainable lifestyles - identification of challenges and future work
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Strassner, Carola; Bügel, Susanne Gjedsted; Hertwig, Jostein
Internationally there is increasing interest in short food supply chains and local and organic food as part of a wider concern with sustainability. This is strongly evident in both commercially oriented food service, where it is often associated with sustainable tourism endeavours, and in institu...
Resource potential of bamboo, challenges and future directions towards sustainable management and utilization in Ethiopia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Getachew Desalegn
Full Text Available Aim of study: Bamboo, the fastest growing and high yielding perennial plant of the world has more than 1500 species and 1500 versatile socio-economic uses and ecological services. Ethiopia has two indigenous bamboo species namely Yushania alpina and Oxytenantheria abyssinica, covering about one million ha with a wide distribution. The objective of this paper is to highlight the potential of bamboo resources, challenges including biodeterioration damage, opportunities and future research directions towards its sustainable management and rational utilization.Area of study: Bamboo resources of EthiopiaMaterial and Methods: Reconnaissance survey was done to some parts of the bamboo growing potential areas in Ethiopia besides the literature review. Main results: The bamboo resource, despite its socio-economic and environmental benefits, currently, in most areas has been under high pressure due to land use changes, bamboo mass- flowering, poor processing with low value addition, and damage by biodeteriorating agents (termites, beetles and fungi. The preservative tests on Ethiopian bamboos revealed low natural durability and highlighted the paramount importance of appropriate protection measures such as Tanalith and vehicles used motor oil to increase durability, service life and rational utilization of bamboo-based products and structures as potential alternative construction and furniture material.Research highlights: Therefore, integrated research and development interventions involving different propagation and managements techniques, harvesting season, processing, value addition including proper seasoning and preservation technologies and marketing are recommended to fill the information and technological gaps on sustainable management and rational utilization of this fast growing and multipurpose bamboo resources in Ethiopia.Key words: Bamboo; challenges; management; socio-economic and environmental significance; utilization.
Impact of marine reserve on maximum sustainable yield in a traditional prey-predator system
Paul, Prosenjit; Kar, T. K.; Ghorai, Abhijit
Multispecies fisheries management requires managers to consider the impact of fishing activities on several species as fishing impacts both targeted and non-targeted species directly or indirectly in several ways. The intended goal of traditional fisheries management is to achieve maximum sustainable yield (MSY) from the targeted species, which on many occasions affect the targeted species as well as the entire ecosystem. Marine reserves are often acclaimed as the marine ecosystem management tool. Few attempts have been made to generalize the ecological effects of marine reserve on MSY policy. We examine here how MSY and population level in a prey-predator system are affected by the low, medium and high reserve size under different possible scenarios. Our simulation works shows that low reserve area, the value of MSY for prey exploitation is maximum when both prey and predator species have fast movement rate. For medium reserve size, our analysis revealed that the maximum value of MSY for prey exploitation is obtained when prey population has fast movement rate and predator population has slow movement rate. For high reserve area, the maximum value of MSY for prey's exploitation is very low compared to the maximum value of MSY for prey's exploitation in case of low and medium reserve. On the other hand, for low and medium reserve area, MSY for predator exploitation is maximum when both the species have fast movement rate.
Wicked Challenges in the Anthropocene Age: Supply Chain Implications of Sustainable Enterprise Excellence
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Edgeman, Rick; Wu, Zhaohui
Grand global challenges include wicked sustainability ones associated with human influences. Among these are climate change in relation to increased atmospheric presence of CO2 and methane, global warming and increasing intensity and incidence rates of extreme weather events, drought, and deserti...... of SEER2 and selected of its enablers – especially supply chain proficiency – in addressing intersections of selected wicked sustainability challenges are highlighted.......Grand global challenges include wicked sustainability ones associated with human influences. Among these are climate change in relation to increased atmospheric presence of CO2 and methane, global warming and increasing intensity and incidence rates of extreme weather events, drought......, and desertification; food availability and distribution; water pollution, air pollution, and soil contamination; and the connection of these to disease, violence, and terrorism. Wicked challenge traits are discussed in relation to enterprise excellence, sustainability, resilience and robustness (SEER2). The value...
Towards Sustainable ASEAN Port Development: Challenges and Opportunities for Vietnamese Ports
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Saeyeon Roh; Vinh V. Thai; Yiik Diew Wong
Sustainability agendas are challenging port authorities around the world to find ways of operating and managing their ports efficiently and effectively in terms of economic, social, as well as environmental development...
Challenges for Sustainable Development and Its Legal Response in China: A Perspective for Social Transformation
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Tianbao Qin
With rapid development since the 1970s, China is entering a period of social transformation, which not only creates favorable conditions for sustainable development but also presents new challenges...
Development of a Team-Based On-Farm Learning Program While Challenging Soybean Growers to Increase Yield
Davis, Vince M.; Kull, Linda S.; Nelson, James A.
Illinois soybean growers have not been satisfied with recent lagging yield trends. A yield "challenge" was created to blend the motivation and creativity of a yield contest with the learning power of teamwork and on-farm demonstration. In the initial year (2010), 123 on-farm side-by-side demonstration plots were located throughout the…
Balancing the Tensions and Meeting the Conceptual Challenges of Education for Sustainable Development and Climate Change
Blum, Nicole; Nazir, Joanne; Breiting, Soren; Goh, Kim Chuan; Pedretti, Erminia
This paper addresses one of the key challenges for work on education, sustainable development and climate change: the overall conceptualisation of central ideas such as Environmental Education (EE), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Climate Change Education (CCE). What do these concepts mean in diverse contexts and amongst diverse…
Can We Meet the Sustainability Challenges? The Role of Education and Lifelong Learning
Wals, Arjen E. J.; Benavot, Aaron
Education and lifelong learning are increasingly being mobilised to address the global environmental crisis and accompanying sustainability challenges. This article discusses the many roles of education about and for sustainable development, drawing on evidence and arguments put forward in the 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report,…
Sustainability, Public Procurement and SMEs - Challenges and opportunities
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andrecka, Marta
will increase and, consequently, governments will be able to achieve better value for money in their contracts. Also, it has been argued that most innovations originated from small entrepreneurial firms which support the sustainability agenda. The main claim of this article is that sustainability...... supplies or services but, rather, it is understood as a process whereby organizations meet their needs in a way that achieves value for money on a lifetime basis and delivers aspects beyond savings. This includes doing business responsibly, taking a leadership position in the community and ensuring...... promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in public procurement. SMEs are considered the backbone of the European economy as they represent around 99,8 percent of all enterprises and produce more than a half of the European GDP. Thus, if more SMEs participate in public procurement, the competition...
Opportunities and challenges within urban health and sustainable development
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Fisher, Jack E.; Andersen, Zorana J.; Loft, Steffen
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals mark aunique window of opportunity for both human and planetaryhealth. With rising life expectancy and rapidly expanding urbanpopulations exposed to pollution and sedentary lifestyles, thereis a greater focus on reducing the gap between life...... expectancyand number of healthy years lived, whilst limiting anthropogenicactivities contributing to pollution and climate change. Thus,urban development and policies, which can create win–winsituations for our planet and human health, falls into the realmand expertise of public health. However, some...
Sustainability challenges of residential reinforced - concrete panel buildings
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Markku J. Riihimäki
Full Text Available Quite similar large-panel prefabrication technologies were used for residential buildings in East-Europe and some countries in Northern-Europe, e.g. Finland. Even if technologically similar, the fate of the building stocks is different in the two regions, with buildings functioning sustainably in Finland. Hence, one could adapt the maintenance and renovation experiences to the building stock in other countries, creating opportunities for communities and business. The paper presents technological, economical, and institutional/policy aspects in the two environments, and discusses them in the larger framework of European sustainability targets. For major renovation, as targeted in the paper, methods of change management should be applied, entailing thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation and above all, consultation/involvement of the people affected. If the presented interventions would be used in a systematic and planned way, improvements can be achieved for social sustainability targets like e.g. adaptability and visual comfort, while maintaining the safety and security. Finally, the limitations of the approach in light of the institutional setting and ownership structure are discussed, highlighting how different ownership models are favoring or hindering major retrofit interventions. The paper offers ways on strengthening the role of key stakeholders to support major renovation interventions on the panel building stock.
Sustainable energy policy in Honduras. Diagnosis and challenges
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Flores, Wilfredo C. [National Directorate of Energy, Tegucigalpa (MDC), Honduras, Central America (United States); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC), Honduras, Central America (United States); Ojeda, Osvaldo A. [Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (Argentina); Flores, Marco A.; Rivas, Francisco R. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC), Honduras, Central America (United States)
In view of having a still unexploited potential of natural resources available for clean energy and the possibility of using the regional electricity market in Central America, Honduras has several potential energy sources. The growing dependence on oil and the imminent increase in international prices of fossil fuels, coupled with the necessity of changing the energy sector arrangement, the State of Honduras has taken the lead for the development of a long-term sustainable energy policy. This energy policy must be able to develop various energy sources and guide both, the government and the private sector, to the planning and development of alternative energy sources and sustainable growth of the Honduran economy. In this paper, the various energy diagnoses and the potential for changing the Honduran energy mix are presented, as well as the investment required for sustainable management of the energy sector. Furthermore, the objectives of the energy policy and plan up to the year 2030 are presented, outlining the investment possibilities for the energy sector development, showing their costs and timeframes. (author)
Sustainable Energy Production - Facing up to our Common Challenge
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bondevik, Kjell Magne [Prime Minister (Norway)
With this presentation the Norwegian Prime Minister opened the conference, the Offshore Northern Seas Conference, an important meeting place for the oil and gas industry. Today, sustainable development, the environment and human rights are vital issues that politicians and the petroleum industry have included on their agendas. The end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s mark the beginning of a new era in terms of de regulated markets and a growing concern about the Earth`s capacity to sustain a growing population and the present production and consumption patterns. This shift in political and economic practices has promoted far-reaching institutional changes and a rapid spread of capital, information and skills and an unprecedented integration of the world economy. Energy demand over the next 25 years will depend on fossil fuels, but renewable energy will become increasingly more important. The environmental issues discussed are (1) the local impact of production, distribution and use of fossil fuels, (2) the limited availability of fossil fuels and (3) the impact of the emission of greenhouse gases. The Prime Minister then discusses issues of human rights in sustainable development
The role of sustainable HORECA for sustainable lifestyles - identification of challenges and future work
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Strassner, Carola; Bügel, Susanne Gjedsted; Hertwig, Jostein
, and in institutional catering, often in connection with sustainable public procurement initiatives. Proponents stress environmental benefits as well as the health and nutritional value of high-quality organic food and re-localized food production and consumption, plus the opportunity for food education, especially......Internationally there is increasing interest in short food supply chains and local and organic food as part of a wider concern with sustainability. This is strongly evident in both commercially oriented food service, where it is often associated with sustainable tourism endeavours...... in school meal settings. This paper looks at changing policies and practices against a background of rising digitalization and the blurring between retail and food service channels. It will consider long-term strategies for developing sustainable HORECA, cooperation between procurers and smaller suppliers...
Nuclear energy and sustainable development: contradiction or challenge?
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Laes, E.; Meskens, G. [SCK.CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Mol (Belgium)
The concept of sustainable development is widely accepted as a principle for decision-making. However, it needs to be put into operation. Two classical approaches, cost-benefit analysis and multi-criteria analysis, are not suitable on account of the underlying rational choice theory and value system. Insights from these methods need to be complemented by the inherently pluralistic approach of cultural theory. This offers the prospects of the identification of all relevant criteria for the comparison of different energy vectors, broadening the perspective through an interdisciplinary working process, confronting uncertainty at a fundamental level, and the explicit integration of values and world views. (author)
Challenges of Enterprise Wide AM for Air Force Sustainment
of the network AM printers ; this critical challenge is being ad- dressed through the AMIP. For example, machine-to-ma- chine variations will be...enterprise ap- proach and allow for a repository of fully validated, qualified AM designs, ensuring every 3D printed part meets or ex- ceeds original
Sustainable Soil Management in Ski Areas: Threats and Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Emanuele Pintaldi
Full Text Available The skiing industry often represent the main contribution to mountain regions' economy, by providing several economic benefits and the improvement of services and infrastructure. Ski resorts also play a crucial role as an impacting factor, causing severe changes on Alpine landscape and ecosystems. In particular ski runs construction and operation have considerable impacts on alpine soils, influencing their chemical and physical properties which affecting the establishment and development of plant communities. The work provides a description of the changes in soil properties and the related effects on vegetation. It aims furthermore to investigate the recent best practices applied for a successful soil restoration after ski runs construction, which may contribute to a sustainable use of mountain soils and ecosystems. Based on the current regulatory framework, this review gives a global overview on how, in Europe and specifically in Italy, the sustainable use of soils is considered during the construction and management of ski runs. As the framework is still lacking of specific rules regarding soil protection and management on ski runs, the present work wishes to provide recommendations in order to fill this gap, favoring the effective application of best practices for soil protection during ski run construction and maintenance.
How current assessments of Sustainability Performance by Best Practice in the UN Global Compact challenge legitimacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kjærgaard, Thomas
the Economist (2013) turn to Scandinavia as having the solutions to some of the global sustainability-related challenges, it might also be worth reversing the optics. One approach could be to take a closer look at whether this high level of support for the UNGC translates to a high level of Sustainability...... Performance? And how the current assessment of Sustainability Performance by Best Practice in the UN Global Compact challenge the legitimacy of both the corporation, the UNGC and governments attempting to facilitate sustainability and CSR engagement? Best Practice is a concept frequently used by authorities......The Scandinavian countries have been strong supporters of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) since the official launch in year 2000. This is best evidenced by the level of adoption of the UNGC, which is the most widely adopted broad sustainability-reporting standard in Scandinavia (Kjaergaard, submitted...
Selection of sustainability indicators for health services in challenging environments: balancing scientific approach with political engagement.
Blanchet, Karl; Girois, Susan
Sustainability evaluation has become a key component of international health. However, evaluators have faced a number of challenges linked to the lack of consensus on the meaning of the concept of "sustainability". This paper aims to describe a methodology, the Sustainability Analysis Process, based on several conceptual frameworks and tested in five different countries in the physical rehabilitation sector. The methodology consists of five successive steps: (i) overview of the context; (ii) system boundary; (iii) consensus vision of sustainability, and derivation of stakeholder perspectives; (iv) selection of sustainability indicators and characterization and analysis of local system sustainability; and (v) verification and modification. The paper also discusses the place of the evaluator and researcher in the process: the methodology aims to help evaluators objectively measure the level of sustainability of a health system with the challenge of dealing with a subjective notion, the concept of sustainability, and a diversity of actors. The Sustainability Analysis Process also aims to capture the dynamics of systems by repeating the process on a regular basis. The methodology highlights the need for evaluators build consensus amongst stakeholders on a common vision of the future of a health system. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prospects and Challenges towards Sustainable Liver Fluke Control.
Sripa, Banchob; Echaubard, Pierre
The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini (Ov) is endemic in Southeast Asia where more than 10 million people are estimated to be infected. The infection is associated with several hepatobiliary diseases, including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Northeast Thailand is a hotspot for Ov transmission, and, despite extensive public health prevention campaigns led by the government, the prevalence of Ov infection is still high. High infection rates result from cultural and ecological complexities where wet-rice agrarian habitats, centuries-old raw-food culture, and the parasite's complex biology combine to create an ideal transmission arena. Here we review the state of our knowledge regarding the social-ecological determinants underlying Ov transmission. We also describe an integrative research rationale for liver fluke control better aligned with sustainable health development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Environmental sustainability in the intensive care unit: challenges and solutions.
Huffling, Katie; Schenk, Elizabeth
In acute care practice sites, the intensive care unit (ICU) is one of the most resource-intense environments. Replete with energy-intensive equipment, significant waste production, and multiple toxic chemicals, ICUs contribute to environmental harm and may inadvertently have a negative impact on the health of patients, staff, and visitors. This article evaluates the ICU on four areas of environmental sustainability: energy, waste, toxic chemicals, and healing environment and provides concrete actions ICU nurses can take to decrease environmental health risks in the ICU. Case studies of nurses making changes within their hospital practice are also highlighted, as well as resources for nurses starting to make changes at their health care institutions.
Creating and Sustaining a Successful Fellowship Program: Challenges and Solutions.
Herr, Keith D; Hanna, Tarek N; Khurana, Bharti; Johnson, Jamlik-Omari; Sodickson, Aaron D
Subspecialty expertise and fellowship training are two of the most desirable attributes in new radiology hires and, not surprisingly, the vast majority of diagnostic radiologists entering the job market today have had fellowship training. Fellowship training imparts not only expertise beyond that which is attainable during residency, but also a unique opportunity for professional maturation. In this article, we offer guidance in planning, building and sustaining a successful fellowship. The key steps in this process include strategic planning, development of a curriculum that can be customized to meet the educational goals of any individual fellow, professional development and trainee preparation for the marketplace, and approaches to ensure program longevity and success through local, regional and national fellow recruitment efforts. While many of the ideas presented are framed from the perspective of their integration into a newly formed fellowship program, they can also be adapted for use by existing fellowship programs as opportunities for program growth and improvement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Knowledge capabilities for sustainable development in global classrooms - local challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Elise Anderberg
Full Text Available The Young Masters Programme provides young people around the worldwith a net–based global–local learning environment for sustainable development. The present study investigates certain aspects of the implementation of this programme in the secondary schools of a Swedish municipality, in the context of the Lund Calling project. The research focuses on critical abilities to act globally, referred to as "knowledge capabilities", and how they relate to the implementation process of initiating global learning for sustainabledevelopment (GLSD. A phenomenographic approach and semi–structuredinterviews were used in the investigation of the experiences of secondary school pupils, teachers and headmasters who participated in the project. Participants' experiences of the changes carried out are described in relation to examples of knowledge capabilities needed for GLSD. Critical knowledge capabilities found to have been developed through the implementation were: to take command, and to collaborate. Critical knowledge capabilities perceived asnecessary, but not developed through the programme were: to be prepared, to act in a transdisciplinary manner, and to lead for a holistic understanding.
Diffuse pollution from intensive agriculture: sustainability, challenges, and opportunities.
Burkart, M R
Global expansion and intensification of industrialized agriculture during the last 50 years was facilitated by the replacement of labor by imported chemicals and energy, thus changing the economics and the social fabric of rural communities as well as impairing water, air, and soil resources essential to sustaining food and fiber production in a world with an increasing appetite. To effectively understand and solve complex problems resulting from this agricultural revolution, expanded communications are needed at a variety of levels. It is critical for the technical community to communicate through greater interdisciplinary research among agronomists, soil scientists, hydrologists, ecologists, and others to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture. Also, more effective translations of technical problems and solutions are needed to influence policy. Accurate advice is needed in spite of the uncertainties that scientists too often use to obscure useful information. Education will be needed for producers and conservationists to gain confidence that promised environmental responses will occur if solutions are to be implemented at more than experimental or demonstration scales. The search for comprehensive solutions to environmental degradation will require understanding the ultimate causes of pollution, not just the proximal causes. The ultimate causes will only be found by examining the systems that facilitate the release of contaminants to the environment such as the wholesale landscape changes that replaced grazing land with annual crops leading to increased leaching and runoff. Research and demonstration projects increasingly need collaborations among agronomists, livestock scientists, soil scientists, hydrologists, economists, sociologists and others who have a stake in the study of diffuse pollution and the outcomes of any proposed solutions. Partnerships developed at the working level where basic principles can be shared will help avoid the pursuit of
Minghat, Asnul Dahar; Safie, Siti Nadia Mohd; Mustakim, Siti Salina
The main purpose of this study was to explore the extensive growth of courses among the Vocational Colleges developed by the Ministry of Education since 2012. In order to determine the sustainability of the development, this study specifically seeks to explore the scope and quality of Vocational Colleges' Curriculum Standard implementation via the integration of sustainability development among educators, and to investigate challenges occurred during the implementation of the college ever sin...
Minghat, Asnul Dahar; Safie, Siti Nadia Mohd; Mustakim, Siti Salina
The main purpose of this study was to explore the extensive growth of courses among the Vocational Colleges developed by the Ministry of Education since 2012. In order to determine the sustainability of the development, this study specifically seeks to explore the scope and quality of Vocational Colleges' Curriculum Standard implementation via the integration of sustainability development among educators, and to investigate challenges occurred during the implementation of the college ever sin...
Chemical engineering challenges and investment opportunities in sustainable energy.
Heller, Adam
The chemical and energy industries are transforming as they adjust to the new era of high-priced petroleum and severe global warming. As a result of the transformation, engineering challenges and investment opportunities abound. Rapid evolution and fast growth are expected in cathode and anode materials as well as polymeric electrolytes for vehicular batteries and in high-performance polymer-ceramic composites for wind turbines, fuel-efficient aircraft, and lighter and safer cars. Unique process-engineering opportunities exist in sand-oil, coal, and possibly also shale liquefaction to produce transportation fuel; and also in genetic engineering of photosynthesizing plants and other organisms for their processing into high-performance biodegradable polymers and high-value-added environmentally friendly chemicals. Also, research on the feasibility of mitigation of global warming through enhancement of CO(2) uptake by the southern oceans by fertilization with trace amounts of iron is progressing. Because chemical engineers are uniquely well trained in mathematical modeling of mass transport, flow, and mixing, and also in cost analysis, they are likely to join the oceanographers and marine biologists in this important endeavor.
Investment in Sustainable Development: A UK Perspective on the Business and Academic Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
David Middleton
Full Text Available There are many legislative, stakeholder and supply chain pressures on business to be more 'sustainable'. Universities have recognised the need for graduate knowledge and understanding of sustainable development issues. Many businesses and universities have responded and introduced Sustainable Development models into their operations with much of the current effort directed at climate change. However, as the current worldwide financial crisis slowly improves, the expectations upon how businesses operate and behave are changing. It will require improved transparency and relationships with all stakeholders, which is the essence of sustainable development. The challenges and opportunities for both business and universities are to understand the requirements of sustainable development and the transformation that is required. They should ensure that knowledge is embedded within the culture of the organisation and wider society in order to achieve a sustainable future.
Challenges, responses and partnership for achieving sustainable tourism and heritage preservation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maksin Marija
Full Text Available The process of globalization has created the situation where the expectations of tourists are the same both with respect to the quality of services in all destinations and with respect to the authencity based on local attractions and experiences, which should be unique and different for each destination. The key element in maintaining destination attractiveness is the protection and presentation of natural and cultural heritage and its sustainable utilization for tourism development. The sustainability concept is of equal importance for long-term tourism development, destination competitiveness and heritage protection. The paper deals with the main challenges to achieving sustainable tourism and points to some key responses to them. Participation, cooperation and partnership should be a vital prerequisite for the implementation and performance of sustainable tourism and heritage protection. This attitude has been tested on several examples of good practice in heritage protection and the sustainable development of tourism destinations in Serbia. .
Methodological Challenges in Sustainability Science: A Call for Method Plurality, Procedural Rigor and Longitudinal Research
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Henrik von Wehrden
Full Text Available Sustainability science encompasses a unique field that is defined through its purpose, the problem it addresses, and its solution-oriented agenda. However, this orientation creates significant methodological challenges. In this discussion paper, we conceptualize sustainability problems as wicked problems to tease out the key challenges that sustainability science is facing if scientists intend to deliver on its solution-oriented agenda. Building on the available literature, we discuss three aspects that demand increased attention for advancing sustainability science: 1 methods with higher diversity and complementarity are needed to increase the chance of deriving solutions to the unique aspects of wicked problems; for instance, mixed methods approaches are potentially better suited to allow for an approximation of solutions, since they cover wider arrays of knowledge; 2 methodologies capable of dealing with wicked problems demand strict procedural and ethical guidelines, in order to ensure their integration potential; for example, learning from solution implementation in different contexts requires increased comparability between research approaches while carefully addressing issues of legitimacy and credibility; and 3 approaches are needed that allow for longitudinal research, since wicked problems are continuous and solutions can only be diagnosed in retrospect; for example, complex dynamics of wicked problems play out across temporal patterns that are not necessarily aligned with the common timeframe of participatory sustainability research. Taken together, we call for plurality in methodologies, emphasizing procedural rigor and the necessity of continuous research to effectively addressing wicked problems as well as methodological challenges in sustainability science.
Innovation sustainability in challenging health-care contexts: embedding clinically led change in routine practice.
Martin, Graham P; Weaver, Simon; Currie, Graeme; Finn, Rachael; McDonald, Ruth
The need for organizational innovation as a means of improving health-care quality and containing costs is widely recognized, but while a growing body of research has improved knowledge of implementation, very little has considered the challenges involved in sustaining change - especially organizational change led 'bottom-up' by frontline clinicians. This study addresses this lacuna, taking a longitudinal, qualitative case-study approach to understanding the paths to sustainability of four organizational innovations. It highlights the importance of the interaction between organizational context, nature of the innovation and strategies deployed in achieving sustainability. It discusses how positional influence of service leads, complexity of innovation, networks of support, embedding in existing systems, and proactive responses to changing circumstances can interact to sustain change. In the absence of cast-iron evidence of effectiveness, wider notions of value may be successfully invoked to sustain innovation. Sustainability requires continuing effort through time, rather than representing a final state to be achieved. Our study offers new insights into the process of sustainability of organizational change, and elucidates the complement of strategies needed to make bottom-up change last in challenging contexts replete with competing priorities.
Towards Sustainable ASEAN Port Development: Challenges and Opportunities for Vietnamese Ports
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Saeyeon Roh
Full Text Available Sustainability agendas are challenging port authorities around the world to find ways of operating and managing their ports efficiently and effectively in terms of economic, social, as well as environmental development. In this respect, governments in ASEAN countries have been implementing various green activities seeking to reduce the environmental impact of shipping and related activities. In this connection, most studies in the existing literature mainly focus on the environmental aspects of sustainable development and have not clearly explained what sustainable port development exactly entails. Furthermore, most of these studies emphasized on the impact of port development and overlooked what factors influence sustainable port development. To address these gaps, this research aim to explore the main factors shaping sustainable port development. This was conducted through a comprehensive review of related literature as well as confirmatory in-depth interviews with port authorities. As a result, findings from this research would help identify key elements of sustainable port development from port authorities' perspective. The challenges, opportunities and managerial implications for Vietnamese ports are also discussed accordingly.
Soil biota enhance agricultural sustainability by improving crop yield, nutrient uptake and reducing nitrogen leaching losses
Bender, S.F.; van der Heijden, M.G.A.
Efficient resource use is a key factor for sustainable production and a necessity for meeting future global food demands. However, the factors that control resource use efficiency in agro-ecosystems are only partly understood. We investigated the influence of soil biota on nutrient leaching,
Challenges of building and sustaining living labs for designing services and products
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Subasi, Özge; Werner, Katharina; Fitzpatrick, Geraldine
In this paper, we show examples from one of the living labs from the Give&Take project and discuss the observed challenges of establishing and sustaining living labs in a participatory design context. The observations we present are around the mismatch between research language and everyday langu...
Frontier Schools in Montana: Challenges and Sustainability Practices. A Research Report
Harmon, Hobart L.; Morton, Claudette
This study reveals the challenges confronting small, rural "frontier" schools in Montana and the practices that contribute to their sustainability. A Montana frontier school is defined as a school district with 200 or fewer students and its attendant community in a county with five or fewer people per square mile. The researcher…
Trajnostni izzivi Evrope v 21. stoletju = Sustainability challenges for Europe in the 21st century
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Katja Vintar Mally
Full Text Available Implementation of sustainable development strategies poses great challenges to EuropeanUnion member states and their neighbouring countries. Empirical analysis of economic,social and environmental development characteristics in European countries reveals thatcurrent development trends are unsustainable and lead away from the strategic goals. In thisregard, some future tasks are highlighted, especially from the viewpoint of interregional andintergenerational equity and responsibility.
Exploring themes and challenges in developing sustainable supply chains – A complexity theory perspective
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Abbasi, Maisam
in developing sustainable supply chain activities from theoretical and empirical perspectives. Six research studies (RS) were designed and carried out. Two explored the patterns of the themes and challenges in making supply chains environmentally and socially sustainable in general (RS1, RS2). One explored...... freight transport (RS3), one, urban freight distribution (RS4), and one, logistical services (RS5) in particular. RS6 explored a complexity theory perspective (CTP) on managing, governing, and developing sustainable supply chains activities. A CTP was chosen because of its applicability and ability...... information), and identifying their patterns of associations. After assessing the quality of the synthesized knowledge, the results were communicated to several target groups through several communication channels. In RS1, five major themes and challenges were identified in making supply chains...
The Opportunities and Challenges of Persuasive Technology in Creating Sustainable Innovation and Business Model Innovation
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Aagaard, Annabeth; Lindgren, Peter
strength of NGO's and the increasing sustainable agenda of global businesses. However, getting knowledge of the stakeholders and their behavior as well as the potentials in actively supporting more sustainable behaviors provides totally new and unique opportunities for radical and customer......-focused sustainable innovation and business model innovation, which is explored through a theoretical review and case examples in the present study. The findings reveal a number of key opportunities to pursue and a number of critical challenges to adjust to as presented in propositions.......The opportunities of persuasive technology in facilitating sustainable innovation and business model innovation have been witnessed continuously during the last decade. The unique ability of persuasive technology in interacting and mediating across users, customers, decisions makers and other...
Assessment of future crop yield and agricultural sustainable water use in north china plain using multiple crop models
Huang, G.
Currently, studying crop-water response mechanism has become an important part in the development of new irrigation technology and optimal water allocation in water-scarce regions, which is of great significance to crop growth guidance, sustainable utilization of agricultural water, as well as the sustainable development of regional agriculture. Using multiple crop models(AquaCrop,SWAP,DNDC), this paper presents the results of simulating crop growth and agricultural water consumption of the winter-wheat and maize cropping system in north china plain. These areas are short of water resources, but generates about 23% of grain production for China. By analyzing the crop yields and the water consumption of the traditional flooding irrigation, the paper demonstrates quantitative evaluation of the potential amount of water use that can be reduced by using high-efficient irrigation approaches, such as drip irrigation. To maintain food supply and conserve water resources, the research concludes sustainable irrigation methods for the three provinces for sustainable utilization of agricultural water.
Evaluation of multiple management objectives for northeast Atlantic flatfish stocks: sustainability vs. stability of yield
Kell, L.T.; Pastoors, M.A.; Scott, R.D.; Smith, M.T.; Beek, van F.A.; O'Brien, C.M.; Pilling, G.M.
This paper describes a simulation study that evaluated the ICES scientific advisory process used to recommend total allowable catches (TACs) for flatfish stocks. Particular emphasis is given to examining the effects on stock biomass, yield and stability of constraining interannual variation in TACs.
Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis – Exploring the scientific challenges associated with discovering alternative, sustainable processes for ammonia production
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Nørskov, Jens [Stanford Univ., CA (United States);
Ammonia (NH3) is essential to all life on our planet. Until about 100 years ago, NH3 produced by reduction of dinitrogen (N2) in air came almost exclusively from bacteria containing the enzyme nitrogenase.. DOE convened a roundtable of experts on February 18, 2016. Participants in the Roundtable discussions concluded that the scientific basis for sustainable processes for ammonia synthesis is currently lacking, and it needs to be enhanced substantially before it can form the foundation for alternative processes. The Roundtable Panel identified an overarching grand challenge and several additional scientific grand challenges and research opportunities: -Discovery of active, selective, scalable, long-lived catalysts for sustainable ammonia synthesis. -Development of relatively low pressure (<10 atm) and relatively low temperature (<200 C) thermal processes. -Integration of knowledge from nature (enzyme catalysis), molecular/homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. -Development of electrochemical and photochemical routes for N2 reduction based on proton and electron transfer -Development of biochemical routes to N2 reduction -Development of chemical looping (solar thermochemical) approaches -Identification of descriptors of catalytic activity using a combination of theory and experiments -Characterization of surface adsorbates and catalyst structures (chemical, physical and electronic) under conditions relevant to ammonia synthesis.
Urban Recreational Fisheries in the Australian Coastal Zone: The Sustainability Challenge
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Daryl P. McPhee
Full Text Available Recreational fishing is an important wildlife harvesting activity in urban coastal areas, and recreational harvest in these areas can frequently exceed the commercial harvest. Recreational fishing is a key way that many members of the public experience the environment. The activity enhances social capital, promotes respect for nature, provides health benefits and can provide economic benefits to coastal communities. It is also an important driver of the science on aquatic animals and habitats, and an important tangible reason for many members of the public to conserve and protect aquatic resources. Overall, there has been little specific consideration of urban recreational fisheries management in Australia, despite the paramount importance of urban areas as a focus of recreational fishing activity. This paper identifies that in order to maximize individual and societal benefits from recreational fishing, there needs to be a refocussing of management with the aim of being more holistic. Historically, fisheries management in Australia has focused on maximum sustainable yield (MSY or maximum economic yield (MEY which is relevant for the commercial fishing sector, but neither of these is directly relevant to recreational fisheries. This paper identifies that Urban Fisheries Management Plans are required that recognize the specific issues associated with urban recreational fisheries. These plans need to coordinate within and between levels of government and have clear management objectives relevant to urban recreational fisheries. Enhanced opportunities for meaningful citizen science can be incorporated at multiple levels within these plans and this can engender public support for environmental stewardship, as well as fill a very important gap in the knowledge base necessary for managing the activity. As urban recreational fisheries are often occurring in highly modified or degraded habitats, a central element of these plans needs to be habitat
Sustainable fisheries in shallow lakes: an independent empirical test of the Chinese mitten crab yield model
Wang, Haijun; Liang, Xiaomin; Wang, Hongzhu
Next to excessive nutrient loading, intensive aquaculture is one of the major anthropogenic impacts threatening lake ecosystems. In China, particularly in the shallow lakes of mid-lower Changjiang (Yangtze) River, continuous overstocking of the Chinese mitten crab ( Eriocheir sinensis) could deteriorate water quality and exhaust natural resources. A series of crab yield models and a general optimum-stocking rate model have been established, which seek to benefit both crab culture and the environment. In this research, independent investigations were carried out to evaluate the crab yield models and modify the optimum-stocking model. Low percentage errors (average 47%, median 36%) between observed and calculated crab yields were obtained. Specific values were defined for adult crab body mass (135 g/ind.) and recapture rate (18% and 30% in lakes with submerged macrophyte biomass above and below 1 000 g/m2) to modify the optimum-stocking model. Analysis based on the modified optimum-stocking model indicated that the actual stocking rates in most lakes were much higher than the calculated optimum-stocking rates. This implies that, for most lakes, the current stocking rates should be greatly reduced to maintain healthy lake ecosystems.
Simultanagnosia: a defect of sustained attention yields insights on visual information processing.
Rizzo, M; Robin, D A
Simultanagnosia, in which subjects report a piecemeal visual experience, offers an important probe of human attention. We studied 2 subjects with simultanagnosia following bilateral superior occipital strokes. Compared with controls, they could orient attention to spatial targets in visual, auditory, and mixed-modal conditions. A different task required immediate response to the appearance or disappearance at unpredictable intervals of any element in a random-dot CRT display. The subject tested could detect less than 50% of 1,600 events, and had increased "mirages" and prolonged reaction times. Undetected events occurred anywhere and formed temporal clusters. Application of signal-detection theory confirmed abnormal sensitivity and response bias (d' and beta). Yet performance improved when a valid cue introduced events in the random display. Our results suggest that simultanagnosia was related to an inability to sustain visuospatial attention across an array, corresponding to processing failure at a level of long-range (global) spatiotemporal interactions among converging inputs from early vision. The operations for orienting and sustaining attention may be dissociable at visual association cortex levels.
Sustainable yield of the Colle Quartara carbonate aquifer in the Southern Lepini Mountains (Central Italy
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Giovanni Conte
Full Text Available The present research is aimed to contribute to the groundwater resource sustainable management of a carbonate aquifer in a test area of the Lepini Mountains (Central Italy. This aquifer constitutes a major exploited groundwater body of central Apennines. At regional scale, the hydrogeological features of the Lepini hydrostructure are well known. The present study focuses on a portion of the Lepini Mountains where important tapping-works for drinking water supply are in activity (about 1.2 m3/s. New investigations were carried out including: meteo-climatic analysis, spring discharge and hydrometric time series processing, pumping test result interpretation. In addition, a detailed lithostratigraphical and structural survey of a portion of the Lepini hydrostructure at 1:10,000 scale was performed also examining the dense network of discontinuities affecting the carbonate aquifer. Extensional Plio-Pleistocene tectonic activity displaced the carbonate rock sequence under the Pontina Plain, where the carbonate aquifer is confined. The investigation results have allowed the reconstruction of the hydrogeological conceptual model of the studied portion of carbonate massif. Given the scale of the study and the results of the investigation, the carbonate aquifer can be treated as an equivalent porous medium, and the simplified numerical model of the aquifer was constructed with the code MODFLOW-2005. The numerical model, still now under continuous implementation, produced first results on the current withdrawal sustainability, allowing evaluation of possible alternative exploitation scenarios of the carbonate aquifer also considering the probably not significant flow exchanges with the Pontina Plain aquifer.
The key drivers and challenges of Business-NGO partnerships in creating sustainable innovation
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Lodsgård, Lise; Aagaard, Annabeth
A growing body of research emphasizes the potentials of business-NGO partnerships (BNP's) in developing sustainable innovation. However the business-NGO literature is still at an early stage of development and shrouded in rhetoric with dominant articulations and anecdotes with a lack of empirical...... relevance of exploring business-NGO partnerships in the creation of sustainable innovation. The findings and contributions of this theoretical study are an identification and modeling of six archetypes of Business-NGO partnerships in creating sustainable innovation. Through an exploration of characteristics......, drivers and challenges of different types of business-NGO partnerships the model is created. These findings are to be examined through a comparative case study across different business-NGO partnerships....
Greenlandic water and sanitation-a context oriented analysis of system challenges towards local sustainable development.
Hendriksen, Kåre; Hoffmann, Birgitte
Today, as Greenland focuses on more economic and cultural autonomy, the continued development of societal infrastructure systems is vital. At the same time, pressure is put on the systems by a lack of financial resources and locally based professional competences as well as new market-based forms of organization. Against this background, the article discusses the challenges facing Greenland's self-rule in relation to further develop the existing water and wastewater systems so that they can contribute to the sustainable development of Greenland. The article reviews the historical development of the water supply and wastewater system. This leads to an analysis of the sectorisation, which in recent decades has reorganized the Greenlandic infrastructures, and of how this process is influencing local sustainable development. The article discusses the socio-economic and human impacts and points to the need for developing the water and sanitation system to support not only hygiene and health, but also local sustainable development.
International institutions, global health initiatives and the challenge of sustainability: lessons from the Brazilian AIDS programme.
Le Loup, G; Fleury, S; Camargo, K; Larouzé, B
The sustainability of successful public health programmes remains a challenge in low and middle income settings. These programmes are often subjected to mobilization-demobilization cycle. Indeed, political and organizational factors are of major importance to ensure this sustainability. The cooperation between the World Bank and the Brazilian AIDS programme highlights the role of international institutions and global health initiatives (GHI), not only to scale up programmes but also to guarantee their stability and sustainability, at a time when advocacy is diminishing and vertical programmes are integrated within health systems. This role is critical at the local level, particularly when economic crisis may hamper the future of public health programmes. Political and organizational evolution should be monitored and warnings should trigger interventions of GHI before the decline of these programmes.
Sustainable Sanitation—A Cost-Effective Tool to Improve Plant Yields and the Environment
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Päivi Karinen
Full Text Available Human urine and faeces are products formed every day in every human society. The volume and fertilisation value of urine is higher than that of faeces. This paper reviews data that urine has been used successfully as a fertiliser for cereals and some vegetables. According to the literature, urine fertilised plants may have produced higher, similar or slightly lower yields than mineral fertilized plants but they invariably resulted in higher yields than non-fertilised plants. There have been no microbiological risks associated with any products. The taste and chemical quality of the products are similar to plants treated with mineral fertilisers. Separating toilets, where urine and faeces are separated already in the toilet, could be beneficial not only in poor but also in the industrialized countries. A separating toilet could be installed also in old buildings and it could allow individuals to live in coastal areas, mountainous or other sensitive environments. In poor areas, urine fertilisation could increase food production also in home plots and reduce hunger. It could also combat water contamination and help to reduce diseases caused by enteric micro-organisms. If urine were to be viewed as a resource rather than a waste product, more families could be encouraged to install low-cost toilets which would especially improve the wellbeing of women.
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Maysoun Ibrahim
Full Text Available Rapid urbanization and globalization make the move toward Smart Sustainable Cities (SSC a must. Achieving successful transformation towards SSCs constitutes a significant challenge for policy makers. One area that is not well covered in the literature is the application of SSCs in specific regions, such as the Arab region. This paper draws upon examples of SSCs initiatives and existing SSC transformation frameworks to more fully articulate the challenges of achieving successful SSC projects across the Arab region. One of the interesting emergent themes is the emergence of two main approaches to SSCs transformation, Brownfield and Greenfield approaches
Planning for sustainability in China's urban development: status and challenges for Dongtan eco-city project.
Cheng, Hefa; Hu, Yuanan
With the rapid urbanization in China, the country faces significant challenges in sustainable urban development and actively explores novel ways to expand urban areas while conserving natural resources. Radical changes in city planning are being made to switch to sustainable development, with new cities being designed to be ecologically friendly guided by principles like carbon neutrality and self-sufficiency. This paper introduces the development of the Dongtan eco-city project on Chongming Island, Shanghai and describes how it addresses issues including energy, water, waste, transportation, ecosystem, and social and economic development in its design. The lessons and challenges of eco-city development based on the Dongtan experience are also discussed. If the vision of a zero-carbon emissions sustainable city is successfully realized, Dongtan will serve as a model for developing similar cities across China and the rest of the developing world. Currently, the development of this project is behind schedule and whether the eco-city plan will materialize or not is in question. Even though the project remains mostly on the drawing boards, the planning and preliminary development of Dongtan eco-city have generated significant enthusiasm for green buildings and influenced plans for other sustainable urban development projects in China.
The fourth scientific conference 'Higher education and effective business management - challenges of sustainable regional development'
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Srećko R. Stopić
Full Text Available The First Scientific Conference 'Higher Education and effective business management- challenges of sustainable regional development' was held on 20-21 December, 2006, in Užice, Republic of Serbia. More than 90 papers were presented. The number of authors and coauthors was 150. The Second Scientific Conference 'Economy development and effective business management - challenges of sustainable regional development' - was held upon the initiative of the management of the High Business Technical School of Užice on the occasion of its 30th anniversary It was held on 21-22 January 2007, in Užice, Republic of Serbia. Eighty papers were presented at the Conference. The number of authors and coauthors was 140. After that, the management of the High Business Technical School of Užice decided, for the first time, to organize an International Conference. The first International Conference 'Science and Higher Education in Function of Sustainable Development'. SED 2008 was held on 17-18 September, 2008, in Užice, Serbia. Ninety papers were presented on the Conference. The number of authors and coauthors was 150. The second International Conference 'Science and Higher Education in Function of Sustainable Development'. SED 2009 was held on 14-15 September 2009, in Užice, Serbia. More than 80 papers were presented. The number of authors and co-authors exceeded 100.
Partial root zone drying (PRD) sustains yield of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) at reduced water supply
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Shahnazari, Ali; Andersen, Mathias Neumann; Liu, Fulai
subsurface drip irrigation treatments ((1) Full Irrigation (FI) receiving 100% of evaporative demand; and (2) PRD receiving 70% water of FI) on potato yield, tuber size, leaf water relations and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). The PRD treatment was started just after the end of tuber initiation......Partial root zone drying (PRD) is a new water-saving irrigation strategy being tested in many crop species. Until now it has not been investigated in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). A field experiment on sandy soil in Denmark was conducted under a mobile rainout shelter to study effects of two...... for two months during tuber bulking and maturing stage and was shifted from one side to the other side of the plants every 5-10 days when FI plants had used 20-25 mm. Compared to FI plants, stomatal conductance was generally lower in the PRD-treated plants, whereas leaf water potential tended to be lower...
Integrating science and business models of sustainability for environmentally-challenging industries such as secondary lead smelters: a systematic review and analysis of findings.
Genaidy, A M; Sequeira, R; Tolaymat, T; Kohler, J; Wallace, S; Rinder, M
Secondary lead smelters (SLS) represent an environmentally-challenging industry as they deal with toxic substances posing potential threats to both human and environmental health, consequently, they operate under strict government regulations. Such challenges have resulted in the significant reduction of SLS plants in the last three decades. In addition, the domestic recycling of lead has been on a steep decline in the past 10 years as the amount of lead recovered has remained virtually unchanged while consumption has increased. Therefore, one may wonder whether sustainable development can be achieved among SLS. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether a roadmap for sustainable development can be established for SLS. The following aims were established in support of the study objective: (1) to conduct a systematic review and an analysis of models of sustainable systems with a particular emphasis on SLS; (2) to document the challenges for the U.S. secondary lead smelting industry; and (3) to explore practices and concepts which act as vehicles for SLS on the road to sustainable development. An evidence-based methodology was adopted to achieve the study objective. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted to implement the aforementioned specific aims. Inclusion criteria were established to filter out irrelevant scientific papers and reports. The relevant articles were closely scrutinized and appraised to extract the required information and data for the possible development of a sustainable roadmap. The search process yielded a number of research articles which were utilized in the systematic review. Two types of models emerged: management/business and science/mathematical models. Although the management/business models explored actions to achieve sustainable growth in the industrial enterprise, science/mathematical models attempted to explain the sustainable behaviors and properties aiming at predominantly ecosystem management. As such
Sustainability of vector control strategies in the Gran Chaco Region: current challenges and possible approaches
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Ricardo E Gürtler
Full Text Available Sustainability has become a focal point of the international agenda. At the heart of its range of distribution in the Gran Chaco Region, the elimination of Triatoma infestans has failed, even in areas subject to intensive professional vector control efforts. Chagas disease control programs traditionally have been composed of two divorced entities: a vector control program in charge of routine field operations (bug detection and insecticide spraying and a disease control program in charge of screening blood donors, diagnosis, etiologic treatment and providing medical care to chronic patients. The challenge of sustainable suppression of bug infestation and Trypanosoma cruzi transmission can be met through integrated disease management, in which vector control is combined with active case detection and treatment to increase impact, cost-effectiveness and public acceptance in resource-limited settings. Multi-stakeholder involvement may add sustainability and resilience to the surveillance system. Chagas vector control and disease management must remain a regional effort within the frame of sustainable development rather than being viewed exclusively as a matter of health pertinent to the health sector. Sustained and continuous coordination between governments, agencies, control programs, academia and the affected communities is critical.
Assessment of driving factors for yield and productivity developments in crop and cattle production as key to increasing sustainable biomass potentials
Gerssen-Gondelach, Sarah|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/355262436; Wicke, Birka|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/306645955; Faaij, Andre
The sustainable production potential of biomass for energy and material purposes largely depends on the future availability of surplus agricultural lands made available through yield improvements in crop and livestock production. However, the rates at which yields may develop, and the influence of
Sustainability Benefits and Challenges of Inter-Organizational Collaboration in Bio-Based Business: A Systematic Literature Review
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Gohar Nuhoff-Isakhanyan
Full Text Available Bio-based businesses are often considered to be sustainable. However, they are also linked to sustainability challenges such as deforestation and soil erosion. Encouraged to exploit innovative solutions and enhance sustainability, organizations engaged in bio-based activities extensively explore collaboration possibilities with external partners. The objective of this paper is to integrate the available knowledge on sustainability of inter-organisational collaborations in bio-based businesses, while considering the three aspects of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. We collected data from three academic sources—Web of Science, Scopus, and EconLit—and conducted a systematic literature review. The results show the importance of geographical proximity and complementarity in creating sustainability benefits such as reduced emissions, reduced waste, economic synergies, and socio-economic activities. Based on the findings, we have developed a framework that illustrates sustainability benefits and challenges. Interestingly, the studies emphasize sustainability benefits more in emerging than in industrialised economies, especially relating to the social aspects of sustainability. In conclusion, although the scholars have not discussed mitigation of several sustainability challenges in bio-based businesses, such as land use conflicts, they have found evidence of vital sustainability benefits, such as energy availability, lower emissions, improved socio-economic life, and poverty reduction, which are essential in emerging economies.
Strengthening the role of universities in addressing sustainability challenges: the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions as an institutional experiment
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David D. Hart
Full Text Available As the magnitude, complexity, and urgency of many sustainability problems increase, there is a growing need for universities to contribute more effectively to problem solving. Drawing upon prior research on social-ecological systems, knowledge-action connections, and organizational innovation, we developed an integrated conceptual framework for strengthening the capacity of universities to help society understand and respond to a wide range of sustainability challenges. Based on experiences gained in creating the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions (Mitchell Center, we tested this framework by evaluating the experiences of interdisciplinary research teams involved in place-based, solutions-oriented research projects at the scale of a single region (i.e., the state of Maine, USA. We employed a multiple-case-study approach examining the experiences of three interdisciplinary research teams working on tidal energy development, adaptation to climate change, and forest vulnerability to an invasive insect. Drawing upon documents, observations, interviews, and other data sources, three common patterns emerged across these cases that were associated with more effective problem-solving strategies. First, an emphasis on local places and short-term dynamics in social-ecological systems research provides more frequent opportunities for learning while doing. Second, iterative stakeholder engagement and inclusive forms of knowledge co-production can generate substantial returns on investment, especially when researchers are dedicated to a shared process of problem identification and they avoid framing solutions too narrowly. Although these practices are time consuming, they can be accelerated by leveraging existing stakeholder relationships. Third, efforts to mobilize interdisciplinary expertise and link knowledge with action are facilitated by an organizational culture that emphasizes mutual respect, adaptability, and solutions
EITI and sustainable development: Lessons and new challenges for the Caspian region
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ospanova, Saule; Ahmadov, Ingilab; Wilson, Emma
EITI requires countries to declare the revenues they receive from companies in the oil, gas and mining sectors, and for companies to declare what they pay. This paper highlights key issues and challenges related to implementing EITI, and suggests several ways for these new rules to help reduce poverty, improve lives and ensure that extractive industries operate in a sustainable, environmentally responsible way. Focusing on three countries of the Caspian Sea Region - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the paper will be of particular interest to those preparing for, and attending, the EITI conference in Sydney in May 2013. It will also inform the public and stakeholders working towards EITI implementation in the Caspian Region, and contributes to on-going debates on EITI and sustainable development more broadly.
Challenges for Sustainable Development and Its Legal Response in China: A Perspective for Social Transformation
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Tianbao Qin
Full Text Available With rapid development since the 1970s, China is entering a period of social transformation, which not only creates favorable conditions for sustainable development but also presents new challenges. The transitional period in China is a stage in which two types of social transformation coexist, the first is the social transformation from agricultural society to industrial society; the second is the transition from industrial society to postindustrial society. In this process of social transformation, new challenges arise for sustainable development in China. In the first layer of social transformation, we respond to the challenges presented by the social transformation through the establishment of basic principles of environmental law, legal enforcement mechanisms, basic legal regimes and so on. In the second layer of social transformation, the advent of a risk society raised new challenges to environmental law, including that of adjusting the function of environmental law, strengthening the precautionary principle, diversification of implementation mechanisms, and development of the preventive function of legal regimes. In order to better respond to these challenges, we should proceed with the following aspects: improve the legal functions of environmental law, including guaranteeing public security, ecological security and the coordination of multiple interests; expand and develop the content of the principle of prevention, and replace the polluter pays principle by the causer responsibility principle; combine administrative measures with economic incentives, and while setting government as the main executive body, effectively operate public participation mechanisms; expand the scope of environmental impact assessment of projects, and establish planning environmental impact assessment, build up and improve information disclosure system, and establish environmental risk assessment system and green tax system.
Traits to ecosystems: The ecological sustainability challenge when developing future energy crops
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Martin eWeih
Full Text Available Today we are undertaking great efforts to improve biomass production and quality traits of energy crops. Major motivation for developing those crops is based on environmental and ecological sustainability considerations, which however often are de-coupled from the trait-based crop improvement programs. It is now time to develop appropriate methods to link crop traits to production system characteristics set by the plant and the biotic communities influencing it; and to the ecosystem processes affecting ecological sustainability. The relevant ecosystem processes involve the net productivity in terms of biomass and energy yields, the depletion of energy-demanding resources (e.g. nitrogen, N, the carbon dynamics in soil and atmosphere, and the resilience and temporal stability of the production system. In a case study, we compared aspects of N use efficiency in various varieties of an annual (spring wheat and perennial (Salix energy crop grown under two nutrient regimes in Sweden. For example, we found considerable variation among crops, varieties and nutrient regimes in the energy yield per plant-internal N (MJ g-1 yr-1, which would result in different N resource depletion per unit energy produced.
The challenges facing midwifery educators in sustaining a future education workforce.
Albarran, John W; Rosser, Elizabeth A
national and international trends have identified concerns over the ability of health and social care workforces in meeting the needs of service users. Attention has increasingly been drawn to problems of recruiting and retaining professionals within higher education; however data in relation to the midwifery profession is scant. to examine the perceptions and experiences of midwifery educators, in south-west England, about the challenges facing them sustaining the education workforce of the future. a mixed methodology approach was adopted involving heads of midwifery education and midwife educators. midwifery participants were recruited from three higher education institutions in south west England. Data collection comprised of self-administered questionnaires plus individual qualitative interviews with heads of midwifery education (n=3), and tape recorded focus groups with midwife academics (n=19). Numerical data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Textual data were analysed for themes that represented the experiences and perspectives of participants. Ethics approval was granted by one University Ethics committee. demographic data suggests that within south-west England, there is a clear ageing population and few in possession of a doctorate within midwifery. The six identified sub-themes represented in the data describe challenges and tensions that midwifery academics experienced in their efforts to attract new recruits and retain those in post in a highly changing educational environment which demands more from a contracting workforce. there remain some serious challenges facing midwifery educators in sustaining the future education workforce, which if unresolved may jeopardise standards of education and quality of care women receive. Active succession planning and more radical approaches that embrace flexible careers will enable educational workforce to be sustained and by a clinically credible and scholarly orientated midwifery workforce. Copyright �
Effect of Loads and Other Key Factors on Oil-Transformer Ageing: Sustainability Benefits and Challenges
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Radu Godina
Full Text Available Transformers are one of the more expensive pieces of equipment found in a distribution network. The transformer's role has not changed over the last decades. With simple construction and at the same time mechanically robust, they offer long term service that on average can reach half a century. Today, with the ongoing trend to supply a growing number of non-linear loads along with the notion of distributed generation (DG, a new challenge has arisen in terms of transformer sustainability, with one of the possible consequences being accelerated ageing. In this paper we carefully review the existing studies in the literature of the effect of loads and other key factors on oil-transformer ageing. The state-of-the-art is reviewed, each factor is analysed in detail, and in the end a smart transformer protection method is sought in order to monitor and protect it from upcoming challenges.
E-Waste Supply Chain in Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Management
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Samantha E. Cruz-Sotelo
Full Text Available Electronic waste is a widespread environmental problem. From all waste streams, e-waste is registering one of the largest growing rates (between 3% and 5%. In Mexico, the e-waste recovery system comprises a mix of formal and informal sectors not well known to date. The goal of this article was to analyze electronic waste in Mexico through the active actors in the recovery chain. This article presents the evolution of studies on electronic waste in Mexico. The legal regulations and public policies were analyzed, as were the existing practices of electronic waste handling, and some challenges facing this country for waste flow management. A management model is proposed which highlights components that must be considered in the model and the opportunities and challenges to transition from an unbundled handling, which still has practices that lack environmental and technical support, to sustainable management.
Data Access, Interoperability and Sustainability: Key Challenges for the Evolution of Science Capabilities
Walton, A. L.
In 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will support a portfolio of activities and investments focused upon challenges in data access, interoperability, and sustainability. These topics are fundamental to science questions of increasing complexity that require multidisciplinary approaches and expertise. Progress has become tractable because of (and sometimes complicated by) unprecedented growth in data (both simulations and observations) and rapid advances in technology (such as instrumentation in all aspects of the discovery process, together with ubiquitous cyberinfrastructure to connect, compute, visualize, store, and discover). The goal is an evolution of capabilities for the research community based on these investments, scientific priorities, technology advances, and policies. Examples from multiple NSF directorates, including investments by the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Division, are aimed at these challenges and can provide the geosciences research community with models and opportunities for participation. Implications for the future are highlighted, along with the importance of continued community engagement on key issues.
Agricultural sustainable intensification improved nitrogen use efficiency and maintained high crop yield during 1980-2014 in Northern China.
Zhang, Xin; Bol, Roland; Rahn, Clive; Xiao, Guangmin; Meng, Fanqiao; Wu, Wenliang
Global population increase will require rapid increase of food production from existing agricultural land by 2050, which will inevitably mean the increase of agricultural productivity. Due to agricultural sustainable intensification since the 1990s, crop production in Huantai County of northern China has risen to 15tha-1yr-1 for the annual wheat-maize rotation system. We examined the temporal dynamics of nitrogen (N) budget, N losses, and N use efficiency (NUE) during the 35years (1980-2014) in Huantai. The results revealed that atmospheric N deposition increased 220% while reactive N losses decreased by 21.5% from 1980s to 2010s. During 1980-2002, annual N partial factor productivity (PFPN), apparent NUE and N recovery efficiency (REN) increased from 20.3 to 40.7kggrainkg-1Nfert, from 36.5% to 71.0%, and from 32.4% to 57.7%, respectively; meanwhile, reactive N losses intensity, land use intensity and N use intensity decreased by 69.8%, 53.4%, 50.0%, respectively, but without further significant changes after 2002. Overall increases in NUE and decreases in N losses were largely due to the introduction of optimized fertilization practice, mechanization and increased incorporation of crop straw in Huantai. Straw incorporation was also significant in soil N stock accrual and fertility improvement. By 2030, northern China may reach the lowest end of PFPN values in developed countries (>45kggrainkg-1Nfert). These agricultural sustainable intensification practices will be critical in maintaining high grain yields and associated decreases in environmental pollution, although water use efficiency in the region still needs to be improved. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Linked sustainability challenges and trade-offs among fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture.
Blanchard, Julia L; Watson, Reg A; Fulton, Elizabeth A; Cottrell, Richard S; Nash, Kirsty L; Bryndum-Buchholz, Andrea; Büchner, Matthias; Carozza, David A; Cheung, William W L; Elliott, Joshua; Davidson, Lindsay N K; Dulvy, Nicholas K; Dunne, John P; Eddy, Tyler D; Galbraith, Eric; Lotze, Heike K; Maury, Olivier; Müller, Christoph; Tittensor, Derek P; Jennings, Simon
Fisheries and aquaculture make a crucial contribution to global food security, nutrition and livelihoods. However, the UN Sustainable Development Goals separate marine and terrestrial food production sectors and ecosystems. To sustainably meet increasing global demands for fish, the interlinkages among goals within and across fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture sectors must be recognized and addressed along with their changing nature. Here, we assess and highlight development challenges for fisheries-dependent countries based on analyses of interactions and trade-offs between goals focusing on food, biodiversity and climate change. We demonstrate that some countries are likely to face double jeopardies in both fisheries and agriculture sectors under climate change. The strategies to mitigate these risks will be context-dependent, and will need to directly address the trade-offs among Sustainable Development Goals, such as halting biodiversity loss and reducing poverty. Countries with low adaptive capacity but increasing demand for food require greater support and capacity building to transition towards reconciling trade-offs. Necessary actions are context-dependent and include effective governance, improved management and conservation, maximizing societal and environmental benefits from trade, increased equitability of distribution and innovation in food production, including continued development of low input and low impact aquaculture.
"Omics" of maize stress response for sustainable food production: opportunities and challenges.
Gong, Fangping; Yang, Le; Tai, Fuju; Hu, Xiuli; Wang, Wei
Maize originated in the highlands of Mexico approximately 8700 years ago and is one of the most commonly grown cereal crops worldwide, followed by wheat and rice. Abiotic stresses (primarily drought, salinity, and high and low temperatures), together with biotic stresses (primarily fungi, viruses, and pests), negatively affect maize growth, development, and eventually production. To understand the response of maize to abiotic and biotic stresses and its mechanism of stress tolerance, high-throughput omics approaches have been used in maize stress studies. Integrated omics approaches are crucial for dissecting the temporal and spatial system-level changes that occur in maize under various stresses. In this comprehensive analysis, we review the primary types of stresses that threaten sustainable maize production; underscore the recent advances in maize stress omics, especially proteomics; and discuss the opportunities, challenges, and future directions of maize stress omics, with a view to sustainable food production. The knowledge gained from studying maize stress omics is instrumental for improving maize to cope with various stresses and to meet the food demands of the exponentially growing global population. Omics systems science offers actionable potential solutions for sustainable food production, and we present maize as a notable case study.
Financial sustainability of academic health centers: identifying challenges and strategic responses.
Stimpson, Jim P; Li, Tao; Shiyanbola, Oyewale O; Jacobson, Janelle J
Academic health centers (AHCs) play a vital role in the health care system. The training of health care personnel and delivery of health care services, especially to the most complex and financially challenged patients, has been a responsibility increasingly shouldered by AHCs over the years. Additionally, AHCs play a significant role in researching and developing new treatment protocols, including discovering and validating new health technologies. However, AHCs face unique financial challenges in fulfilling their social mission in the health care system. Reforms being implemented under the Affordable Care Act and shifting economic patterns are threatening the financial sustainability of AHCs.The authors review challenges facing AHCs, including training new health care professionals with fewer funding resources, disproportionate clinical care of complex and costly patients, charity care to uninsured and underinsured, and reduced research funding opportunities. Then, they provide a review of some potential solutions to these challenges, including new reimbursement methods, improvements in operational efficiency, price regulation, subsidization of education, improved decision making and communication, utilization of industrial management tools, and increasing internal and external cooperation. Devising solutions to the evolving problems of AHCs is crucial to improving health care delivery in the United States. Most likely, a combination of market, government, and system reforms will be needed to improve the viability of AHCs and assist them in fulfilling their social and organizational missions.
Achieving Sustainability Goals for Urban Coasts in the US Northeast: Research Needs and Challenges
Close, Sarah L.; Montalto, Franco; Orton, Philip; Antoine, Adrienne; Peters, Danielle; Jones, Hunter; Parris, Adam; Blumberg, Alan
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy and other recent extreme events, urban coastal communities in the northeast region of the United States are beginning or stepping up efforts to integrate climate adaptation and resilience into long-term coastal planning. Natural and nature-based shoreline strategies have emerged as essential components of coastal resilience and are frequently cited by practitioners, scientists, and the public for the wide range of ecosystem services they can provide. However, there is limited quantitative information associating particular urban shoreline design strategies with specific levels of ecosystem service provision, and research on this issue is not always aligned with decision context and decision-maker needs. Engagement between the research community, local government officials and sustainability practitioners, and the non-profit and private sectors can help bridge these gaps. A workshop to bring together these groups discussed research gaps and challenges in integrating ecosystem services into urban sustainability planning in the urban northeast corridor. Many themes surfaced repeatedly throughout workshop deliberations, including the challenges associated with ecosystem service valuation, the transferability of research and case studies within and outside the region, and the opportunity for urban coastal areas to be a focal point for education and outreach efforts related to ecosystem services.
[Sustainability and excellence of the Catalan health system. New paradigms, challenges and responses].
Fernández i Alegre, Roser; Argenter i Giralt, Miquel; Rodríguez i Guasch, Xavier
The aim of a health system and the priority of any government is to anticipate problems before they appear, provide an innovative response to these new needs and healthcare models, improve access of the general public and patients to health care, especially care for the most vulnerable groups, improve healthcare results and implement the structural reforms necessary to maintain a viable and sustainable quality public healthcare system for everyone. In the current environment, health systems are facing new economic, demographic, care, social, technological and political paradigms to which health policy must respond. Faced with these challenges, health systems, especially in the case of Catalonia, are challenged to take decisions on how best to approach the implementation of structural reform designed to facilitate the necessary economic and fiscal sustainability in the service of fresh and innovative health policies and patient-centred care within a system marked by excellence and equity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Long-term Effect of Pig Slurry Application on Soil Carbon Storage, Quality and Yield Sustainability in Murcia Region, Spain
Büyükkılıç Yanardaǧ, Asuman
Sustainability of agriculture is now a major global concern, especially since the 1980s. Soil organic matter is very important in the proper functions of the soil, which is also a good indicator of soil quality. This is due to its influence on many of the chemical, physical, and biological processes that control the capacity of a soil to perform properly. Understanding of nutrient supply through organic matter mineralization in agricultural systems is essential for maintaining long-term quality and productivity. The composition of pig manure will have a profound impact on soil properties, quality and crop yield when used in agriculture. We studied the effects of pig slurry (PS) application as an organic fertilizer, trying to determine the optimum amount that can be added to the soil, and the effect on soil properties, quality, and productivity. We applied 3 different doses on silty loam soils: Single (D1), Double (D2), Triple (D3) and unfertilized plots (C) served as controls. Samples were collected at two different levels, surface (0-30 cm) and subsurface (30-60 cm). D1 application dose, which is the agronomic rate of N-requirement (170 kg N/ha/yr) (European Directive 91/676/CEE), is very appropriate in term of sustainable agriculture and also can improve physical, chemical and biological soil properties. Therefore that the long-term use of PS with low dose may necessarily enhance soil quality in the long term. There are many factors to be considered when attempting to assess the overall net impact of a management practice on productivity. Additions of pig manure to soils at agronomic rates (170 kg N ha-1 yr-1) to match crop nutrient requirements are expected to have a positive impact on soil productivity. Therefore, the benefits from the use of application depend on the management of PS, carbon and environmental quality. However, PS have high micronutrient contents, and for this reason the application of high doses can pollute soils and damage human, animal and
Production and supply of high-quality food protein for human consumption: sustainability, challenges, and innovations.
Wu, Guoyao; Fanzo, Jessica; Miller, Dennis D; Pingali, Prabhu; Post, Mark; Steiner, Jean L; Thalacker-Mercer, Anna E
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 843 million people worldwide are hungry and a greater number suffer from nutrient deficiencies. Approximately one billion people have inadequate protein intake. The challenge of preventing hunger and malnutrition will become even greater as the global population grows from the current 7.2 billion people to 9.6 billion by 2050. With increases in income, population, and demand for more nutrient-dense foods, global meat production is projected to increase by 206 million tons per year during the next 35 years. These changes in population and dietary practices have led to a tremendous rise in the demand for food protein, especially animal-source protein. Consuming the required amounts of protein is fundamental to human growth and health. Protein needs can be met through intakes of animal and plant-source foods. Increased consumption of food proteins is associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions and overutilization of water. Consequently, concerns exist regarding impacts of agricultural production, processing and distribution of food protein on the environment, ecosystem, and sustainability. To address these challenging issues, the New York Academy of Sciences organized the conference "Frontiers in Agricultural Sustainability: Studying the Protein Supply Chain to Improve Dietary Quality" to explore sustainable innovations in food science and programming aimed at producing the required quality and quantity of protein through improved supply chains worldwide. This report provides an extensive discussion of these issues and summaries of the presentations from the conference. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.
Review and challenges of policies of environmental protection and sustainable development in China.
Zhang, Kun-Min; Wen, Zong-Guo
China is confronted with the dual task of developing its national economy and protecting its ecological environment. Since the 1980s, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development have experienced five changes: (1) progression from the adoption of environmental protection as a basic state policy to the adoption of sustainable development strategy; (2) changing focus from pollution control to ecological conservation equally; (3) shifting from end-of-pipe treatment to source control; (4) moving from point source treatment to regional environmental governance; and (5) a turn away from administrative management-based approaches and towards a legal means and economic instruments-based approach. Since 1992, China has set down sustainable development as a basic national strategy. However, environmental pollution and ecological degradation in China have continued to be serious problems and have inflicted great damage on the economy and quality of life. The beginning of the 21st century is a critical juncture for China's efforts towards sustaining rapid economic development, intensifying environmental protection efforts, and curbing ecological degradation. As the largest developing country, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development will be of primary importance not only for China, but also the world. Realizing a completely well-off society by the year 2020 is seen as a crucial task by the Chinese government and an important goal for China's economic development in the new century, however, attaining it would require a four-fold increase over China's year 2000 GDP. Therefore, speeding up economic development is a major mission during the next two decades and doing so will bring great challenges in controlling depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution. By taking a critical look at the development of Chinese environmental policy, we try to determine how best to coordinate the relationship between the
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Caldwell, T.; Bhatt, P.
The ability to mobilize and transport non-Newtonian waste is essential to advance the closure of highly radioactive storage tanks. Recent waste removal operations from Tank 12H at the Savannah River Site (SRS) encountered sludge mixtures with a yield stress too high to pump. The waste removal equipment for Tank 12H was designed to mobilize and transport a diluted slurry mixture through an underground 550m long (1800 ft) 0.075m diameter (3 inch) pipeline. The transfer pump was positioned in a well casing submerged in the sludge slurry. The design allowed for mobilized sludge to enter the pump suction while keeping out larger tank debris. Data from a similar tank with known rheological properties were used to size the equipment. However, after installation and startup, field data from Tank 12H confirmed the yield stress of the slurry to exceed 40 Pa, whereas the system is designed for 10 Pa. A revision to the removal strategy was required, which involved metered dilution, blending, and mixing to ensure effective and safe transfer performance. The strategy resulted in the removal of over 255,000 kgs of insoluble solids with four discrete transfer evolutions for a total transfer volume of 2400 m{sup 3} (634,000 gallons) of sludge slurry.
Is current irrigation sustainable in the United States? An integrated assessment of climate change impact on water resources and irrigated crop yields
Blanc, Elodie; Caron, Justin; Fant, Charles; Monier, Erwan
Abstract While climate change impacts on crop yields has been extensively studied, estimating the impact of water shortages on irrigated crop yields is challenging because the water resources management system is complex. To investigate this issue, we integrate a crop yield reduction module and a water resources model into the MIT Integrated Global System Modeling framework, an integrated assessment model linking a global economic model to an Earth system model. We assess the effects of clima...
Ecohydrological Perspective of Addis Ababa: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Development
Kidanewold, Belete; Nigusse, Agizew; Kalantari, Zahra
Water resources at the basin scale are the result not only of climatic conditions and geomorphologic structures, but also biological growth and succession. However, the current hydrological system analyses ignore the biological aspect and emphasize on the mechanistic approaches. These over-engineering solutions of anthropogenic modification of the hydrological cycle further aggravated degradation of biological structures and increase the frequency of extreme hydrological events and decline global freshwater availability. Historically, Addis Ababa had good natural vegetation cover with different indigenous tree species that belongs to Afro-montane forest and woodland. With the long year of civilization, most of the Vegetation covers of Addis have changed to asphalts and building. Particularly, with the last one decade with massive infrastructures development, the land cover changed as a consequence the hydrological system radically changed. Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia with its total land area of 520 km2, has a downward topography in north-south direction with elevation ranges from 3200 m.a.s.l at the highest peak to 2200 m.a.s.l at the lowest point. Annually, it receives 1100mm a mean rainfall with 10.7oc -23.3oc mean temperature. The vegetation system at hillsides around the city, wetlands and green parks in the mid of the city and the cultural cemetery systems can be a good base of the city green solution development. In addition, the country constitution, water sector and urban development policies are supportive for sustainable city development. However, it is challenged with technical, environmental, socio-economical and institutional challenges that needs integrated urban development plan and design to excel the opportunities over challenges. Keywords: Ecohydrology, over-Engineering, green solution, sustainable development
Climate Change and Sustainability Open Educational Resources: Lessons learned and challenges to tackle
Robinson, Zoe; Whitfield, Stephen; Gertisser, Ralf; Krause, Stefan; McKay, Deirdre; Pringle, Jamie; Szkornik, Katie; Waller, Richard
The UK's Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) is currently running a project entitled 'C-Change in GEES: Open licensing of climate change and sustainability resources in the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences' as part of a national Open Educational Resource project. The C-Change project aims to explore the challenges involved in 'repurposing' existing teaching materials on the topics of climate change and sustainability to make them open access. This project has produced an open access resource of diverse climate change and sustainability-related teaching materials across the subjects of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. The process of repurposing existing face-to-face teaching resources requires consideration of a wide variety of issues including the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) associated with images and other material included in the teaching resources, in addition to issues of quality, accessibility and usability of resources. Open access education is an issue that will have implications across the whole of the organizational structure of a university, from legal advisors with commitments to University research and enterprise activities, to the academics wishing to produce open access resources, through to all levels of senior management. The attitudes, concerns and openness to Open Educational Resources of stakeholders from all positions within a HE institution will have implications for the participation of that institution within the OER movement. The many barriers to the whole-scale adoption of Open Educational Resources within the UK Higher Education system and the willingness of UK Higher Education Institutions to engage in the OER movement include institutional perspectives on the IPR of teaching materials developed by members of staff within the institution and financial viability, in addition to more sceptical attitudes of potential contributors. Keele University is
Unravelling the causes of variability in crop yields and treatment responses for better tailoring of options for sustainable intensification in southern Mali
Falconnier, G.N.; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Mourik, Van T.A.; Giller, K.E.
Options that contribute to sustainable intensification offer an avenue to improve crop yields and farmers' livelihoods. However, insufficient knowledge on the performance of various options in the context of smallholder farm systems impedes local adaptation and adoption. Therefore, together with
"Review of the Sustained Yield Plan / Habitat Conservation Plan for the properties of The Pacific Lumber Company, Scotia Pacific Holding Company, and Salmon Creek Corporation"
Leslie M. Reid
Downstream impacts to aquatic environments and property generally occur as cumulative watershed impacts, which are usually caused by changes in the transport of woody debris, water, and sediment through a watershed. The downstream cumulative impacts that are likely to accrue from implementation of the Sustained Yield Plan / Habitat Conservation Plan for the properties...
Using a Lean Six Sigma Approach to Yield Sustained Pressure Ulcer Prevention for Complex Critical Care Patients.
Donovan, Elizabeth A; Manta, Christine J; Goldsack, Jennifer C; Collins, Michelle L
Under value-based purchasing, Medicare withholds reimbursements for hospital-acquired pressure ulcer occurrence and rewards hospitals that meet performance standards. With little evidence of a validated prevention process, nurse managers are challenged to find evidence-based interventions. The aim of this study was to reduce the unit-acquired pressure ulcer (UAPU) rate on targeted intensive care and step-down units by 15% using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology. An interdisciplinary team designed a pilot program using LSS methodology to test 4 interventions: standardized documentation, equipment monitoring, patient out-of-bed-to-chair monitoring, and a rounding checklist. During the pilot, the UAPU rate decreased from 4.4% to 2.8%, exceeding the goal of a 15% reduction. The rate remained below the goal through the program control phase at 2.9%, demonstrating a statistically significant reduction after intervention implementation. The program significantly reduced UAPU rates in high-risk populations. LSS methodologies are a sustainable approach to reducing hospital-acquired conditions that should be broadly tested and implemented.
Regulating N application for rice yield and sustainable eco-agro development in the upper reaches of Yellow River basin, China.
Zhang, Aiping; Liu, Ruliang; Gao, Ji; Yang, Shiqi; Chen, Zhe
High N fertilizer and flooding irrigation applied to rice on anthropogenic-alluvial soil often result in N leaching and low recovery of applied fertilizer N from the rice fields in Ningxia irrigation region in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, which threatens ecological environment, food security, and sustainable agricultural development. This paper reported the regulating N application for rice yield and sustainable Eco-Agro development in the upper reaches of Yellow River basin. The results showed that reducing and postponing N application could maintain crop yields while substantially reducing N leaching losses to the environment and improving the nitrogen use efficiency. Considering the high food production, the minimum environmental threat, and the low labor input, we suggested that regulating N application is an important measure to help sustainable agricultural development in this region.
Regulating N Application for Rice Yield and Sustainable Eco-Agro Development in the Upper Reaches of Yellow River Basin, China
Zhang, Aiping; Liu, Ruliang; Gao, Ji; Yang, Shiqi; Chen, Zhe
High N fertilizer and flooding irrigation applied to rice on anthropogenic-alluvial soil often result in N leaching and low recovery of applied fertilizer N from the rice fields in Ningxia irrigation region in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, which threatens ecological environment, food security, and sustainable agricultural development. This paper reported the regulating N application for rice yield and sustainable Eco-Agro development in the upper reaches of Yellow River basin. The results showed that reducing and postponing N application could maintain crop yields while substantially reducing N leaching losses to the environment and improving the nitrogen use efficiency. Considering the high food production, the minimum environmental threat, and the low labor input, we suggested that regulating N application is an important measure to help sustainable agricultural development in this region. PMID:25045728
Corporate social responsibility: a real options approach to the challenge of financial sustainability.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maria-Teresa Bosch-Badia
Full Text Available In contemporary complex societies, social values like ethics, corporate social responsibility, and being respectful with the environment, among others, are becoming social requirements. Corporations are expected to fulfill them and, according to empirical evidence, an overwhelming majority aspires to good social valuation. At the same time, the maximization of market share value in the long run continues to be the central corporate goal. Making environmental and social expenses compatible with value creation is a central challenge for corporations since it implies the financial sustainability of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR.The value creation capacity of CSR projects, mainly through innovation, is widely acknowledged in economic literature and corporate practice. This fact arouses the need of having a quantitative framework capable of summarizing the value creation capacity of the variables involved in CSR projects. With this aim we build up a sensitivity analysis of real option ratios that studies and quantifies the value creation capacity of CSR projects connected with innovation. Ratio analysis has the advantage of being scale independent. Hence, it furnishes a homogeneous framework to express the interaction of value creation variables and, thus, supports strategic thinking quantitatively. Often, CSR expenses can be regarded as preliminary projects that create the opportunity to undertake a full future project. For them, we obtain the minimum expectations scenario that makes financially sustainable a preliminary project that can be interpreted as a call option. We propose a classification of CSR projects from the decision analysis perspective following a two-fold approach: Their relationship with value creation and their links with existing corporate activities. This classification of CSR projects aims at contributing to choose the best capital budgeting method to study the financial sustainability of the project and identifying
Corporate social responsibility: a real options approach to the challenge of financial sustainability.
Bosch-Badia, Maria-Teresa; Montllor-Serrats, Joan; Tarrazon-Rodon, Maria-Antonia
In contemporary complex societies, social values like ethics, corporate social responsibility, and being respectful with the environment, among others, are becoming social requirements. Corporations are expected to fulfill them and, according to empirical evidence, an overwhelming majority aspires to good social valuation. At the same time, the maximization of market share value in the long run continues to be the central corporate goal. Making environmental and social expenses compatible with value creation is a central challenge for corporations since it implies the financial sustainability of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The value creation capacity of CSR projects, mainly through innovation, is widely acknowledged in economic literature and corporate practice. This fact arouses the need of having a quantitative framework capable of summarizing the value creation capacity of the variables involved in CSR projects. With this aim we build up a sensitivity analysis of real option ratios that studies and quantifies the value creation capacity of CSR projects connected with innovation. Ratio analysis has the advantage of being scale independent. Hence, it furnishes a homogeneous framework to express the interaction of value creation variables and, thus, supports strategic thinking quantitatively. Often, CSR expenses can be regarded as preliminary projects that create the opportunity to undertake a full future project. For them, we obtain the minimum expectations scenario that makes financially sustainable a preliminary project that can be interpreted as a call option. We propose a classification of CSR projects from the decision analysis perspective following a two-fold approach: Their relationship with value creation and their links with existing corporate activities. This classification of CSR projects aims at contributing to choose the best capital budgeting method to study the financial sustainability of the project and identifying those CSR projects
Entomological Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Viticulture in a Global Market.
Daane, Kent M; Vincent, Charles; Isaacs, Rufus; Ioriatti, Claudio
Viticulture has experienced dramatic global growth in acreage and value. As the international exchange of goods has increased, so too has the market demand for sustainably produced products. Both elements redefine the entomological challenges posed to viticulture and have stimulated significant advances in arthropod pest control programs. Vineyard managers on all continents are increasingly combating invasive species, resulting in the adoption of novel insecticides, semiochemicals, and molecular tools to support sustainable viticulture. At the local level, vineyard management practices consider factors such as the surrounding natural ecosystem, risk to fish populations, and air quality. Coordinated multinational responses to pest invasion have been highly effective and have, for example, resulted in eradication of the moth Lobesia botrana from California vineyards, a pest found in 2009 and eradicated by 2016. At the global level, the shared pests and solutions for their suppression will play an increasing role in delivering internationally sensitive pest management programs that respond to invasive pests, climate change, novel vector and pathogen relationships, and pesticide restrictions.
The United States after the great recession: the challenge of sustainable growth
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Meltzer, Joshua [The Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (United States); Steven, David (The Brookings Institution Center and the Center on International Cooperation at New York University (United States)); Langley, Claire (The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC (United States)
The paper outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. economic growth model, assesses its' ability to respond to the key economic, environmental and social challenges currently facing the U.S. and proposes policies that if adopted would move the U.S. onto a more sustainable growth path. The paper provides scenarios of projected future growth trajectories, as well as recommendations for specific policies in key areas: employment, infrastructure, energy and fiscal rebalancing. To reach this goal this paper focuses on four areas for action: Increasing employment, which is the most urgent priority to accelerate recovery from the Great Recession, while addressing underlying structural issues that have led to a decade of poor economic outcomes for most citizens; Investing in the future, as the key marker of whether the United States is prepared to make farsighted decisions to improve education, build new infrastructure and increase innovation; Maximizing an increased energy endowment in a way that grows the economy, while reinforcing the trend towards reducing resource demand and reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and, Fiscal rebalancing, where the United States must insulate economic recovery from the process of fiscal reform while reducing and stabilizing debt over the long term. Finally, we argue that President Obama can re-energize America's global leadership if he builds on a platform of domestic actions that enhance the sustainability of America's society and economy.
Urban Cholera and Water Sustainability Challenges under Climatic and Anthropogenic Change
Akanda, A. S.; Jutla, A.; Huq, A.; Faruque, A. G.; Colwell, R. R.
The last three decades of surveillance data shows a drastic increase of cholera prevalence in the largest cholera-endemic city of the world - Dhaka, Bangladesh. Emerging megacities in the developing world, especially those located in coastal regions of the tropics remain vulnerable to similar. However, there has not been any systematic study on linking the long-term disease trends with changes in related climatic, environmental, or societal variables. Here, we analyze the 30-year dynamics of urban cholera prevalence in Dhaka with changes in climatic or societal factors: regional hydrology, flooding, water usage, changes in distribution systems, population growth and density in urban settlements, as well as shifting climate patterns. An interesting change is observed in the seasonal trends of cholera incidence; while an endemic upward trend is seen in the dry season, the post-monsoon trend seem to be more epidemic in nature. Evidence points to growing urbanization and rising population in unplanned settlements that have negligible to poor water and sanitation systems compounded by increasing frequency of record flood events. Growing water scarcity in the dry season and lack of sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure for urban settlements have increased endemicity of spring outbreaks, while record flood events and prolonged post-monsoon inundation have contributed to increased epidemic outbreaks in fall. We analyze our findings with the World Health Organization recommended guidelines and investigate water sustainability challenges in the context of climatic and anthropogenic changes in the region.
Challenges of hemodialysis in a new renal care center: call for sustainability and improved outcome
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Oluyombo R
Full Text Available Rotimi Oluyombo,1 Oluyomi O Okunola,2 Timothy O Olanrewaju,3 Michael O Soje,1 Omotola O Obajolowo,1 Margaret A Ayorinde11Renal Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, 2Renal Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, 3Renal Division, Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, NigeriaBackground: Nephrologists are faced with enormous challenges in the management of patients with end-stage renal disease, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where hemodialysis is the most common modality of renal replacement therapy in the region. Therefore, we reviewed our 3 years of experience with hemodialysis services in a tertiary hospital located in a rural community of South West Nigeria. This was with a view to presenting the profile of hemodialysis patients and the challenges they face in sustaining hemodialysis.Methods: We reviewed the case records and hemodialysis registers for 176 patients over the 3 years from November 2010 to December 2013. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 software.Results: Of the 176 patients, 119 (66.9% were males. The mean age of the patients was 44.87±17.21 years. Most were semiskilled or unskilled (111; 63.5% and 29 (16.5% were students. Twenty-six (14.8% had acute kidney injury in the failure stage. Chronic glomerulonephritis, hypertensive nephropathy, and diabetic nephropathy accounted for 45.3%, 23.3%, and 12.1%, respectively, of patients with end-stage renal disease. Only 6.8% of patients could afford hemodialysis beyond 3 months.Conclusion: Sustainability of maintenance hemodialysis is poor in our environment. Efforts should be intensified to improve other modalities of renal replacement therapy, in particular kidney transplantation, which is cost-effective in the long-term. Also, preventive measures such
Building a Course on Global Sustainability using the grand challenges of Energy-Water-Climate
Myers, J. D.
GEOL1600: Global Sustainability: Managing the Earth's Resources is a lower division integrated science course at the University of Wyoming that fulfills the university's science requirement. Course content and context has been developed using the grand challenge nexus of energy-water-and climate (EWC). The interconnection of these issues, their social relevance and timeliness has provided a framework that gives students an opportunity to recognize why STEM is relevant to their lives regardless of their ultimate professional career choices. The EWC nexus provides the filter to sieve the course's STEM content. It also provides an ideal mechanism by which the non-STEM perspectives important in grand challenge solutions can be seamlessly incorporated in the course. Through a combination of content and context, the relevance of these issues engage students in their own learning. Development of the course followed the Grand Challenge Scientific Literacy (GCSL) model independently developed by the author and two colleagues at the University of Wyoming. This course model stresses science principles centered on the nature of science (e.g., fundamental premises, habits of mind, critical thinking) and unifying scientific concepts (e.g., methods and tools, experimentation, modeling). Grand challenge principles identify the STEM and non-STEM concepts needed to understand the grand challenges, drawing on multiple STEM and non-STEM disciplines and subjects (i.e., economics, politics, unintended consequences, roles of stakeholders). Using the EWC nexus filter and building on the Grand Challenge Principles, specific content included in the course is selected is that most relevant to understanding the Grand Challenges, thereby stressing content depth over breadth. Because quantitative data and reasoning is critical to effectively evaluating challenge solutions, QR is a component of nearly all class activities, while engineering and technology aspects of grand challenges are
Challenges, alternatives, and paths to sustainability for health information exchange efforts.
Vest, Joshua R; Campion, Thomas R; Kaushal, Rainu
Health information exchange (HIE) is a promising approach to improving the cost and quality of healthcare. We sought to identify the strengths and weaknesses of organizational models to achieve exchange, and what can be done to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of exchange efforts. We interviewed state and national health informatics policy experts (n = 17). Data were collected as part of an evaluation of the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY) program and included respondents from both the private and public sectors. Data were analyzed using a general inductive and comparative approach with open coding of themes. Interviewees generally viewed HIE as a public or societal good to be valued. However, they identified challenges with the regional health information organization (RHIO) model of facilitating exchange including: economics, organizational issues, and geography. RHIOs were contrasted against alternative methods of exchange such as Direct, enterprise HIE, and vendor-mediated exchange. HIE is a difficult undertaking due to political and economic reasons. Alternatives to the RHIO model have features that may be more attractive to participants, but may be of less public benefit. Using states as intermediaries and mandating exchange under public health law may avoid the challenges facing exchange efforts. Moving forward, policies will have to address the shortcomings of each HIE model to ensure information is effectively shared between providers to maximize health benefits.
Facilitating smallholder tree farming in fragmented tropical landscapes: Challenges and potentials for sustainable land management.
Rahman, Syed Ajijur; Sunderland, Terry; Roshetko, James M; Healey, John Robert
Under changing land use in tropical Asia, there is evidence of forest product diversification through implementation of tree-based farming by smallholders. This paper assesses in two locations, West Java, Indonesia and eastern Bangladesh, current land use conditions from the perspective of smallholder farmers, the factors that facilitate their adoption of tree farming, and the potential of landscape-scale approaches to foster sustainable land management. Data were collected through rapid rural appraisals, focus group discussions, field observations, semi-structured interviews of farm households and key informant interviews of state agricultural officers. Land at both study sites is typically fragmented due to conversion of forest to agriculture and community settlement. Local land use challenges are associated with pressures of population increase, poverty, deforestation, shortage of forest products, lack of community-scale management, weak tenure, underdeveloped markets, government decision-making with insufficient involvement of local people, and poor extension services. Despite these challenges, smallholder tree farming is found to be successful from farmers' perspectives. However, constraints of local food crop cultivation traditions, insecure land tenure, lack of capital, lack of knowledge, lack of technical assistance, and perceived risk of investing in land due to local conflict (in Bangladesh) limit farmers' willingness to adopt this land use alternative. Overcoming these barriers to adoption will require management at a landscape scale, including elements of both segregation and integration of land uses, supported by competent government policies and local communities having sufficiently high social capital. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Neil Whittingham
Full Text Available AbstraCT. This article places the challenge of rapid urbanisation throughout the world into a perspective that acknowledges inequalities due to economic history. As well as a brief exploration of the site-specific nature of challenges faced, this article seeks to outline the economic and structural obstacles that act as a backdrop to the lives of the poor. Such a perspective can inform attempts to improve the lot of the poor and help in outlining the moral obligation for the powerful to help the poor and vulnerable face up to the issue of Climate Change. Key words: Urbanisation, economic disadvantage, planning, sustainable urban management AbstraK. Tulisan ini menempatkan tantangan dari urbanisasi yang sangat cepat di seluruh dunia ke dalam perspektif yang diketahui tidak sejajar dengan sejarah ekonomi. Seperti halnya dengan eksplorasi sepintas dari situs khusus alam dari tantangan yang dihadapi, tulisan ini mencoba untuk melihat halangan ekonomi dan struktural bagi masyarakat menengah bawah. Perspektif seperti itu dapat menjadi sebuah informasi untuk meningkatkan taraf hidup masyarkat miskin dan membantu dalam merumuskan obligasi moral bagi penguasa. Hal ini tentunya dapat membantu masyarakat miskin dalam menghadapi isu-isu perubahan iklim. Kata Kunci: Urbanisasi, kerugian ekonomi, perencanaan, keberlanjutan manajemen perkotaan
Opportunities and Challenges for Integrating Sustainability Education into K-12 Schools: Case Study Phoenix, AZ
Redman, Erin
Teacher education for sustainability is a central part of integrating sustainability into classrooms and schools. However, educating for sustainability is not limited to increased content knowledge; rather it encompasses different forms of knowledge that embrace the normative, dynamic and action-oriented nature of sustainability. Curriculum for a…
Water Resources and Sustainable Agriculture in 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities
Asrar, G.
Global agriculture faces some unique challenges and opportunities for the rest of this century. The need for food, feed and fiber will continues to grow as the world population continue to increase in the future. Agricultural ecosystems are also expected to be the source of a significant portion of renewable energy and fuels around the world, without further compromising the integrity of the natural resources base. How can agriculture continue to provide these services to meet the growing needs of world population while sustaining the integrity of agricultural ecosystems and natural resources, the very foundation it depends on? In the last century, scientific discoveries and technological innovations in agriculture resulted in significant increase in food, feed and fiber production globally, while the total amount of water, energy, fertilizers and other input used to achieve this growth remained the same or even decreased significantly in some parts of the world. Scientific and technical advances in understanding global and regional water and energy cycles, water resources management, soil and water conservation practices, weather prediction, plant breeding and biotechnology, and information and communication technologies contributed to this tremendous achievement. The projected increase in global population, urbanization, and changing lifestyles will continue the pressure on both agriculture and other managed and natural ecosystems to provide necessary goods and services for the rest of this century. To meet these challenges, we must obtain the requisite scientific and technical advances in the functioning of Earth's water, energy, carbon and biogeochemical cycles. We also need to apply the knowledge we gain and technologies we develop in assessing Earth's ecosystems' conditions, and their management and stewardship. In agricultural ecosystems, management of soil and water quality and quantity together with development of new varieties of plants based on advances
Sustainability in the hospitality industry: some personal reflections on corporate challenges and research agendas
Jones, Peter; Hillier, David; Comfort, Daphne
The purpose of this commissioned paper is to offer some personal reflections on\\ud sustainability within the hospitality industry.\\ud The paper opens by identifying sustainability as a teasing\\ud paradox for the hospitality industry and a short discussion of the characteristics of sustainability. It\\ud then explores the growing interest in corporate sustainability and offers a review of the range of\\ud academic research into sustainability within the hospitality industry literature. More gene...
Facing policy challenges with inter- and transdisciplinary soil research focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Bouma, Johan; Montanarella, Luca
Our current information society, populated by increasingly well-informed and critical stakeholders, presents a challenge to both the policy and science arenas. The introduction of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offers a unique and welcome opportunity to direct joint activities towards these goals. Soil science, even though it is not mentioned as such, plays an important role in realizing a number of SDGs focusing on food, water, climate, health, biodiversity, and sustainable land use. A plea is made for a systems approach to land use studies, to be initiated by soil scientists, in which these land-related SDGs are considered in an integrated manner. To connect with policy makers and stakeholders, two approaches are functional. The first of these is the policy cycle when planning and executing research, which includes signaling, design, decision making, implementation, and evaluation. Many current research projects spend little time on signaling, which may lead to disengagement of stakeholders. Also, implementation is often seen as the responsibility of others, while it is crucial to demonstrate - if successful - the relevance of soil science. The second approach is the DPSIR approach when following the policy cycle in land-related research, distinguishing external drivers, pressures, impact, and responses to land use change that affect the state of the land in the past, present, and future. Soil science cannot by itself realize SDGs, and interdisciplinary studies on ecosystem services (ESs) provide an appropriate channel to define contributions of soil science in terms of the seven soil functions. ESs, in turn, can contribute to addressing the six SDGs (2, 3, 6, 12, 13, and 15) with an environmental, land-related character. SDGs have a societal focus and future soil science research can only be successful if stakeholders are part of the research effort in transdisciplinary projects, based on the principle of time-consuming "joint learning". The
Conjunctive-use optimization model and sustainable-yield estimation for the Sparta aquifer of southeastern Arkansas and north-central Louisiana
McKee, Paul W.; Clark, Brian R.; Czarnecki, John B.
Conjunctive-use optimization modeling was done to assist water managers and planners by estimating the maximum amount of ground water that hypothetically could be withdrawn from wells within the Sparta aquifer indefinitely without violating hydraulic-head or stream-discharge constraints. The Sparta aquifer is largely a confined aquifer of regional importance that comprises a sequence of unconsolidated sand units that are contained within the Sparta Sand. In 2000, more than 35.4 million cubic feet per day (Mft3/d) of water were withdrawn from the aquifer by more than 900 wells, primarily for industry, municipal supply, and crop irrigation in Arkansas. Continued, heavy withdrawals from the aquifer have caused several large cones of depression, lowering hydraulic heads below the top of the Sparta Sand in parts of Union and Columbia Counties and several areas in north-central Louisiana. Problems related to overdraft in the Sparta aquifer can result in increased drilling and pumping costs, reduced well yields, and degraded water quality in areas of large drawdown. A finite-difference ground-water flow model was developed for the Sparta aquifer using MODFLOW, primarily in eastern and southeastern Arkansas and north-central Louisiana. Observed aquifer conditions in 1997 supported by numerical simulations of ground-water flow show that continued pumping at withdrawal rates representative of 1990 - 1997 rates cannot be sustained indefinitely without causing hydraulic heads to drop substantially below the top of the Sparta Sand in southern Arkansas and north-central Louisiana. Areas of ground-water levels below the top of the Sparta Sand have been designated as Critical Ground-Water Areas by the State of Arkansas. A steady-state conjunctive-use optimization model was developed to simulate optimized surface-water and ground-water withdrawals while maintaining hydraulic-head and streamflow constraints, thus determining the 'sustainable yield' for the aquifer. Initial attempts
Universities' Contributions to Sustainable Development's Social Challenge : A Case Study of a Social Innovation Practice
Juliani, Douglas; Silva, Ania; Cunha, Jorge; Benneworth, Paul Stephen
There is an increasing recognition that dealing with sustainable development need to address the social structures that encourage unsustainable economic and environmental practices. Universities represent important sources of knowledge for addressing sustainable development, but there has been
Sustainability benefits and challenges of inter-organizational collaboration in bio-based business
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Nuhoff-Isakhanyan, Gohar; Wubben, Emiel F.M; Omta, S.W.F
.... The objective of this paper is to integrate the available knowledge on sustainability of inter-organisational collaborations in bio-based businesses, while considering the three aspects of sustainability...
Livestock waste treatment systems of the future: A challenge to environmental quality, food safety, and sustainability. OECD Workshop
This Special Issue of Bioresource Technology is dedicated to selected contributions presented at the international Workshop: "Livestock waste treatment systems of the future: A challenge to environmental quality, food safety, and sustainability," held 2-4 April, 2008, in Florence, South Carolina (US...
Challenges to achieving sustainable community health development within a donor aid business model.
Ashwell, Helen; Barclay, Lesley
This paper explores the paradox of donor aid being delivered through a business model through a case study in Papua New Guinea. A retrospective review of project implementation and an outcome evaluation provided an opportunity to examine the long-term results and sustainability of a large project. Analysis was informed by data collected from 175 interviews (national, provincial, district and village), 93 community discussions and observations across 10 provinces. Problems with the business model of delivering aid were evident from implementation data and in an evaluation conducted two years after project completion (2006). Compounding the business model effect were challenges of over-ambitious project goals with limited flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, a donor payment system requiring short-term productivity and excessive reporting requirements. An overly ambitious project design, donor dominance within the business model and limited local counterpart capacity created problems in the community initiatives component of the project. Contractual pressures can negatively influence long-term outcomes that require development of local leadership and capacity. Future planning for donor project designs needs to be flexible, smaller in scope and have a longer timeframe of seven to 10 years. Donor-funded projects need to be sufficiently flexible to apply proven principles of community development, build local ownership and allow adequate time to build counterpart knowledge and skills.
Challenges and Opportunities for Urban Environmental Health and Sustainability: the HEALTHY-POLIS initiative.
Vardoulakis, Sotiris; Dear, Keith; Wilkinson, Paul
Cities around the world face many environmental health challenges including contamination of air, water and soil, traffic congestion and noise, and poor housing conditions exacerbated by unsustainable urban development and climate change. Integrated assessment of these risks offers opportunities for holistic, low carbon solutions in the urban environment that can bring multiple benefits for public health. The Healthy-Polis consortium aims to protect and promote urban health through multi-disciplinary, policy-relevant research on urban environmental health and sustainability. We are doing this by promoting improved methods of health risk assessment, facilitating international collaboration, contributing to the training of research scientists and students, and engaging with key stakeholders in government, local authorities, international organisations, industry and academia. A major focus of the consortium is to promote and support international research projects coordinated between two or more countries. The disciplinary areas represented in the consortium are many and varied, including environmental epidemiology, modelling and exposure assessment, system dynamics, health impact assessment, multi-criteria decision analysis, and other quantitative and qualitative approaches. This Healthy-Polis special issue presents a range of case studies and reviews that illustrate the need for a systems-based understanding of the urban environment.
Raw Material Equivalents: The Challenges of Accounting for Sustainability in a Globalized World
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anke Schaffartzik
Full Text Available The indicator domestic material consumption (domestic extraction + imports – exports is widely used to track the scale, composition, and dynamics of material use. As production increasingly occurs at a spatial distance from the demand it ultimately satisfies, new accounting challenges arise that this indicator may not be able to meet. In response, indicators in raw material equivalents (RME have been developed to account for material use, no matter where it occurs, associated with final demand. RME indicators are most commonly calculated based on monetary input-output tables with material extensions. The resulting indicators, which are rapidly gaining scientific and political importance, must be interpreted as stemming from a mixed monetary and physical accounting approach. How such an approach differs from a physical accounting approach is shown in this article using an input-output model with a material extension. Neither the physical nor the mixed monetary and physical approach is found to generate results which are incorrect. Instead, the results must be interpreted in light of the assumptions entailed in the approach on which they are based. In making possibilities and limits of interpretation in both cases transparent, RME indicators can more readily be discussed and used by sustainability scientists and practitioners.
Successes and challenges of the millennium development goals in Ethiopia: lessons for the sustainable development goals.
Assefa, Yibeltal; Damme, Wim Van; Williams, Owain D; Hill, Peter S
We analysed the performance of Ethiopia in achieving the health-related millennium development goals (MDGs) with the aim of acquiring lessons for the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Ethiopia achieved most of the health MDGs: a 67% reduction in under-five mortality, a 71% decline in maternal mortality ratio, a 90% decline in new HIV infections, a decrease in malaria-related deaths by 73% and a more than 50% decline in mortality due to tuberculosis. We argue that these achievements are due to implementation of a mix of comprehensive strategies within the health system and across other sectors of the government. Scaling up of interventions by disease control programmes (including the health extension programme) and strengthening of the health system have played important roles towards the achievements. These health gains could not have been realised without progress in the other MDGs: poverty reduction, education, access to safe drinking-water and peace and stability of the country. However, the gains were not equitable, with differences between urban and rural areas, among regions and socioeconomic strata. Ethiopia's remarkable success in meeting most of the targets of the health-related MDGs could be explained by its comprehensive and multisectoral approach for health development. The inequity gap remains a challenge that achieving the health-related SDGs requires the country to implement strategies, which specifically target more marginal populations and geographic areas. This also needs peace and stability, without which it is almost impossible to improve health.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available In this paper we analyzed the requirements for Romania deriving from the principles and European directives made regarding the selective collection of recyclable waste to implement the concept of sustainable development. The integrated waste management system is not fully functional in Romania which can cause much of the recyclable waste not to take the road of recycling but that of final disposal generating pollution. I believe that the rigorous application of European directives transposed into national legislation, national strategies on waste management but also making people aware and educating them are the factors that lead to the major desideratum of full processing and recovery of all recyclable waste. The most important way to recovery is the selective collection of recyclable waste. Most cities in Romania have implemented selective waste collection systems complying both with the national and county strategies in which waste management is concerned. This paper shows how the selective collection system is implemented in Oradea and in Bihor county and all the challenges that result from it.
[Economic development axis and socioenvironmental conflicts generation in Brazil: challenges to sustainability and environmental justice].
Porto, Marcelo Firpo; Milanez, Bruno
The 1st National Environmental Health Conference, in December 2009, presents countless challenges to the field of Public Health. It debates key concepts as development, sustainability, production and consumption processes, democracy and public policies; advocating for innovative, interdisciplinary and intersectorial aspects of Environmental Health. The Conference recovers and articulates important themes for the Public Health, and also indicates the need of reflecting the socio-environmental determinants of health at the present time, in order to provide progresses in the construction of guidelines and actions to health surveillance and promotion. This article discusses the characteristics of the Brazilian model of development, its impacts and conflicts within social, environmental and health fields. We use theoretical and empirical contributions from the fields of Ecological Economy and Political Ecology, as well as, experiences of cooperation with the Brazilian Network on Environmental Justice and several social movements. Two cases are discussed in more detail: the first related to agribusiness and the use of pesticides, and the other about the expansion of the iron and steel industry in Brazil. We conclude proposing some elements that could be incorporated by a research agenda committed to the debate about the 'socioenvironmental crisis'.
Global risk & global challenges - Space as a game changer for socioeconomic sustainable development
Lehnert, Christopher; Karlsson, Evelina; Giannopapa, Christina
The world's societies at the beginning of the 21st century are better off than ever before. (Gapminder, 2015) At the same time, the world is also threatened by global challenges where space as a tool has and can play a pivotal role in meeting those challenges. The challenges range from climate change, over mass unemployment, to terrorism or migration - to name but a few. Space activities have started to respond to this changing world, not only by providing a deeper understanding of our universe, but by using space as an additional sphere and sector, through which humankind can increase and secure its wealth - it is thus game changing in the way we sustain humanity's existence. This paper is meant to capture this development. In the first part, an overview is given on the risks that humankind is facing. The second part describes the way that space can be used as a tool to prevent and manage these risks. The overview in the first part is based on the examination of the most recent reports and overall strategies of key International Governmental Organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations that are involved in agenda-setting, policy formulation and implementation. The second part includes an overview on current activities of the European Space Agency (ESA) that play a role in responding to these risks. To better understand ESA's activities that contain humanity's risks, a standard classification for risks management is used, which distinguishes between four components: Identification, Assessment, Management and Communication (Renn, 2005). The analysis reveals how space activities already today play a pivotal role in all four types of risk management. Space activities contribute very tangible to the management of risks through its space mission, but also in a more indirect way, as providing the technical backbone for stable and reliable cooperation in the international governance arena, and serve as crucial economic stimulator. The overall results show that space
Sustainability Promotion and Branding: Messaging Challenges and Possibilities for Higher Education Institutions
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
David Selby
Full Text Available This paper reports on case study research into six higher education institutions (three in the UK and three in the USA that give prominence to their sustainability credentials in their paper form and/or electronic promotional and recruitment materials. The purpose of the research was to draw important lessons and identify significant issues concerning the sustainability branding and marketing of higher education institutions. Key findings include, first, the importance of calibrating sustainability marketing according to actual sustainability performance while also embracing a sustainability vision; second, the importance of combining internal with external marketing; third, the importance of institutional clarity in determining marketing parameters; fourth, the advantages of marrying broad-based 'subtle' marketing with intensive niche and segment marketing. It was found, too, that higher education institutions with a sustainability brand are not collecting systematic data to assess marketing impact on student recruitment, or utilizing the sustainability/employability interface to good marketing effect, or employing a multi-dimensional conception of sustainability in their marketing. There is clear evidence of the stirrings of movement away from paper-form towards electronic marketing across the cases considered. An overarching insight of the study is that rigorous institutional engagement with marketing sustainability credentials can have a significant impact on the quality and depth of sustainability performance by helping spread, enrich and diversify the institutional sustainability culture.
Regional syndromes: towards a dynamical classification of social-ecological sustainability challenges
Dyke, James; Dearing, John; Zhang, Enlou; Rong, Wang; Zhang, Ke
Schellnhuber et al (1997) first presented the concept of social-ecological syndromes as a means of mapping sustainability challenges facing modern regions to sets of sub-systems. They argued that the great diversity of global social-ecological systems could be represented as different combinations from a much smaller number of patterns of sub-systems. Here, we explore the possibility of extending this idea to an empirical and dynamical classification of system functioning, such as changes in the strength of connectivity, coupling between sub-systems and emergent phenomena. To demonstrate this approach we combine multi-decadal datasets for social, economic and biophysical changes from two contrasting regions in China. This allows us to reconstruct the evolution of system functioning in terms of regulating and provisioning ecosystem services. Climate records and political and policy time-lines provide insight about endogenous and exogenous drivers. Our findings show similar patterns in both regions of long-term trade-off between rising provisioning services and declining regulating services, but with important regional differences. In eastern China, the upward trajectory in provisioning services is strongly linked to the history of agricultural policy reforms but losses of regulating services are more an emergent phenomenon. In contrast, in southwest China, trajectories of provisioning and regulating services are both linked strongly to policy and development initiatives. In both regions, the last few years see the long term trade-off breaking down with provisioning services declining or remaining stationary while losses of regulating services continue to decline. Evidence exists in both regions that critical transitions have been crossed in some ecosystems. The strength of coupling between the socio-economic and biophysical sub-systems also remains strong and shows no sign of de-coupling in either region as required for sustainability. We discuss how our findings
Decreased use of pesticides for increased yields of rice and fish-options for sustainable food production in the Mekong Delta.
Berg, Håkan; Tam, Nguyen Thanh
This study assesses the use of pesticides and the attitude to pest management strategies among rice and rice-fish farmers in the Can Tho and Tien Giang provinces in Vietnam. Interviews were made with 80 farmers. The farmers were divided in to farmers cultivating only rice with a high use (RHP) and low use (RLP) of pesticides, and farmers cultivating rice and fish with a high use (RFHP) and low use (RFLP) of pesticides. 80% of the HP farmers relied mainly on pesticides to control pests, while >80% of the LP farmers also applied IPM strategies. Insecticides were the most commonly used pesticides. 85% of all farmers experienced health effects from using pesticides. 80% of the farmers felt that the yield of fish had decreased over the last three years, and that this mainly was caused by pesticides. The RFHP farmers had lower fish survival and fish yields as compared to the RFLP farmers. The RFHP farmers also had significant lower rice yields than the RFLP farmers, and there were significant correlations between both decreased fish yields and rice yields with increased use of pesticides among rice-fish farmers. Increased rice yields were positively correlated with increased fish survival, indicating the synergistic effects between rice and fish production. Overall, the RFLP farmers had the highest income of the four farmers´ groups, while RFHP farmers had the lowest income. This shows that rice-fish farming provides a competitive and sustainable alternative to intensive rice-farming, but only if the farmer restricts the use of pesticides. This would not only help to reduce the production costs, but also to decrease environmental and health effects, and it is proposed that rice-fish farming with a low use of pesticides provides an attractive alternative to rice-monocropping for a sustainable and diversified food production in the Mekong Delta. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Frontiers for research on the ecology of plant-pathogenic bacteria: fundamentals for sustainability: Challenges in Bacterial Molecular Plant Pathology.
Morris, Cindy E; Barny, Marie-Anne; Berge, Odile; Kinkel, Linda L; Lacroix, Christelle
Methods to ensure the health of crops owe their efficacy to the extent to which we understand the ecology and biology of environmental microorganisms and the conditions under which their interactions with plants lead to losses in crop quality or yield. However, in the pursuit of this knowledge, notions of the ecology of plant-pathogenic microorganisms have been reduced to a plant-centric and agro-centric focus. With increasing global change, i.e. changes that encompass not only climate, but also biodiversity, the geographical distribution of biomes, human demographic and socio-economic adaptations and land use, new plant health problems will emerge via a range of processes influenced by these changes. Hence, knowledge of the ecology of plant pathogens will play an increasingly important role in the anticipation and response to disease emergence. Here, we present our opinion on the major challenges facing the study of the ecology of plant-pathogenic bacteria. We argue that the discovery of markedly novel insights into the ecology of plant-pathogenic bacteria is most likely to happen within a framework of more extensive scales of space, time and biotic interactions than those that currently guide much of the research on these bacteria. This will set a context that is more propitious for the discovery of unsuspected drivers of the survival and diversification of plant-pathogenic bacteria and of the factors most critical for disease emergence, and will set the foundation for new approaches to the sustainable management of plant health. We describe the contextual background of, justification for and specific research questions with regard to the following challenges: Development of terminology to describe plant-bacterial relationships in terms of bacterial fitness. Definition of the full scope of the environments in which plant-pathogenic bacteria reside or survive. Delineation of pertinent phylogenetic contours of plant-pathogenic bacteria and naming of strains
Who controls the logistics emissions? Challenges in making fragmented supply chains environmentally sustainable from logistics service providers' perspective
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Abbasi, Maisam; Sternberg, Henrik; Nilsson, Fredrik
of logistics activities in the supply chain? Design/methodology/approach The methodology of this paper is a literature review, a qualitative interview survey, and three case studies. A framework on sustainability challenges in supply chains derived from the literature is used to structure and analyze...... that impact the cost and time requirements from customers of logistics services are not yet a reality. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) This paper implies that LSP sustainability cannot be investigated in isolation if a company does not manage proprietary resources. Practical implications (if...
Development in Corporate Sustainability: The Green Supply Chain Management Perspective and Challenges
Solomon, C.; Mohamad, M. N.; Jamaluddin, R.
In recent years, the area of corporate sustainability and green supply chain management has been gaining popularity. Corporate Sustainability refers to ensuring that it contributes to a better quality of life today without compromising the quality of life of future generations. Green Supply Chain Management is commonly understood as the integration of environmental thinking into supply chain management. Sadly however, while interest in Corporate Sustainability is increasing, the supportive li...
Understanding wicked problems and organized irresponsibility: challenges for governing the sustainable intensification of chicken meat production
Bueren, E.M.; Lammerts Van Bueren, E.; Zijpp, van der A.J.
Framing sustainable intensification as a wicked problem reveals how inherent trade-offs and resulting uncertainty and ambiguity block integrated problem solving as promoted by sustainable chain management approaches to production and consumption. The fragmented institutional set-up of the chains
Some Considerations for Applying Business Sustainability Practices to Campus Environmental Challenges
Walton, Steve V.; Galea, Chris E.
Purpose--To explore how universities can adopt sustainability practices that have proven to be successful in business. Design/methodology/approach--Draws on several sources of theory (internationally published literatures in business, sustainability, and education) and practice (primarily US business and university practice) to develop a…
The U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development: Progress and Challenges Ahead
Rowe, Debra; Gentile, Susan Jane; Clevey, Lilah
There has been substantial growth in Education for Sustainability (EfS) in the United States over the past 10 years. Efforts within higher education have created thousands of new programs, majors, minors, specializations, certificates, and across-the-curricula integrations of sustainability learning with an emphasis on real-world problem-solving…
Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Sustainability Education: Institutional and Intragroup Challenges and Opportunities
Evans, Tina Lynn
This article takes as its point of departure the many converging crises of sustainability and the responsibility of higher education institutions and faculty members to participate in mitigating these crises to any extent possible. The author characterizes sustainability education as transdisciplinary praxis, explores the institutional and…
Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: State-of-the-Art, Barriers and Challenges
Fernández-Sánchez, Gonzalo; Bernaldo, María Olga; Castillejo, Ana; Manzanero, Ana María
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a new educational paradigm that allows Universities to lead and respond to social needs towards a more sustainable life. The ESD is a global preparedness and complex phenomena in relation to the effects of human activity on the environment, society and economy in spatial (global, regional and local)…
The Energy Challenge for Pacific Island Countries: Sustainable Development and Energy Security through Bio-fuel Substitution for Remote Populations
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Mace, M.J.
Pacific Island Countries (PICs) face a number of development challenges as a result of their small size and geographically-remote locations. One of the most prominent is access to affordable energy supplies. The high cost of petroleum products affects all sectors, impacting islanders' day to day life and undermining achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Measures are needed that can support energy security and fair pricing in PICs, through improved regulatory frameworks and the substitution of local energy resources for imported fuels wherever possible. At the macro level, regional bulk procurement contracts offer one option to address the challenge of expensive imported petroleum products. At the micro level, biofuel substitution may offer another opportunity. Coconut biodiesel, produced from locally-harvested coconuts, may enable these remote island populations to develop their own sustainable energy supplies, and provide sustainable livelihoods for their people.
Biological Sciences for the 21st Century: Meeting the Challenges of Sustainable Development in an Era of Global Change
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Joel Cracraft; Richard O' Grady
The symposium was held 10-12 May, 2007 at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D. C. The 30 talks explored how some of today's key biological research developments (such as biocomplexity and complex systems analysis, bioinformatics and computational biology, the expansion of molecular and genomics research, and the emergence of other comprehensive or system wide analyses, such as proteomics) contribute to sustainability science. The symposium therefore emphasized the challenges facing agriculture, human health, sustainable energy, and the maintenance of ecosystems and their services, so as to provide a focus and a suite of examples of the enormous potential contributions arising from these new developments in the biological sciences. This symposium was the first to provide a venue for exploring how the ongoing advances in the biological sciences together with new approaches for improving knowledge integration and institutional science capacity address key global challenges to sustainability. The speakers presented new research findings, and identified new approaches and needs in biological research that can be expected to have substantial impacts on sustainability science.
Global climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management--The challenge of monitoring and verification
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Makundi, Willy R.
In this paper, sustainable forest management is discussed within the historical and theoretical framework of the sustainable development debate. The various criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management put forth by different institutions are critically explored. Specific types of climate change mitigation policies/projects in the forest sector are identified and examined in the light of the general criteria for sustainable forest management. Areas of compatibility and contradiction between the climate mitigation objectives and the minimum criteria for sustainable forest management are identified and discussed. Emphasis is put on the problems of monitoring and verifying carbon benefits associated with such projects given their impacts on pre-existing policy objectives on sustainable forest management. The implications of such policy interactions on assignment of carbon credits from forest projects under Joint Implementation/Activities Implemented Jointly initiatives are discussed. The paper concludes that a comprehensive monitoring and verification regime must include an impact assessment on the criteria covered under other agreements such as the Biodiversity and/or Desertification Conventions. The actual carbon credit assigned to a specific project should at least take into account the negative impacts on the criteria for sustainable forest management. The value of the impacts and/or the procedure to evaluate them need to be established by interested parties such as the Councils of the respective Conventions.
Publishing Sustainability Research Visually: A Film about the Opportunities and Challenges of a Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative in Kenya
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Barry Ness
Full Text Available We have witnessed a large increase in the number of publications on sustainability challenges over the past decade. One important characteristic of the research is with the wide variety of actors that can make use of the results. Sustainability knowledge is often not only relevant for those in academia or policy-making circles, but it can also be useful for decision-makers in a diversity of societal facets and sectors. It is therefore essential that the sustainability research community have access to a diversity of knowledge dissemination outlets, including those that extend beyond the traditional, and often inaccessible, academic publishing realms. One positive development over the past decade in sustainability research reaching broader audiences has been the proliferation of open access publication outlets. The alternative has provided greater access to scientific articles to almost anyone with an Internet connection. But, is this medium of knowledge dissemination sufficient? Are there additional channels that sustainability researchers can use to broadcast knowledge to even broader user groups?
The Sustainability and Challenges of Business Incubators in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Lose, Thobekani; Tengeh, Robertson
... by numerous challenges. This paper investigates the challenges faced by business incubators (BIs) as they strive to support their clients. The study utilized a qualitative approach to collect data...
Geo-technologies for spatial knowledge: challenges for inclusive and sustainable urban development
Pfeffer, K.; Martinez, J.; O'Sullivan, D.; Scott, D.; Gupta, J.; Pfeffer, K.; Verrest, H.; Ros-Tonen, M.
Critical to governance for sustainable and inclusive urban development is access to, and management of, relevant contextual spatial knowledge. Digital geo-technologies such as geographical information systems, online applications and spatial simulation models are increasingly becoming embedded in
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
María de Lourdes Flores Lucero
Full Text Available In this paper we describe the methodological process for the qualitative evaluation of the concept of sustainability and its application in the island of Montreal. At the same time we present our theoretical approach and the main results issued of the assessment. We take as analytical tools the Montreal Urban Plan of 2004 and the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development 2005. We conclude with two main points, first, that the theoretical and pragmatic aspects of urban sustainability in Montreal have been treated in an organic, complex, dynamic and flexible way, allowing social participation and the inclusion of the values of all stakeholders, which are both key elements to follow the path towards sustainability; and secondly, that the approach to an object with such features requires the construction of complex, organic and methodological processes.
A Review of Quantitative Models for Sustainable Food Logistics Management: Challenges and Issues
Soysal, M.; Bloemhof, J.M.; Vorst, van de, MTH
The need to further improve food quality and reduce food waste leads to increased attention for the development of Food Supply Chain Management (FSCM), which considers intrinsic characteristics of food supply chains besides traditional supply chain management (SCM) objectives such as cost and responsiveness. Growing consciousness of society towards sustainable development brings additional objectives to the food supply chains and the fast evolution of sustainable development results in the de...
Sustainable catalysis challenges and practices for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries
Dunn, Peter J; Krische, Michael J; Williams, Michael T
Opens the door to the sustainable production of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals Driven by both public demand and government regulations, pharmaceutical and fine chemical manufacturers are increasingly seeking to replace stoichiometric reagents used in synthetic transformations with catalytic routes in order to develop greener, safer, and more cost-effective chemical processes. This book supports the discovery, development, and implementation of new catalytic methodologies on a process scale, opening the door to the sustainable production of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals
Sustainable management: a strategic challenge for a global minerals and metals industry
Botin Gonzalez, Jose Antonio; Palacios, Miguel
This paper refers to the concept of sustainable management as the management approach which efficiently integrates economic, environmental and social issues into the operations of the minerals and metals industries, with the aim of creating long-term benefits for all stakeholders, and securing the support, cooperation, and trust of the local community. Among many other issues, sustainable management deals with strategy, responsible project feasibility decisions, managing for operational ...
A missing pillar? Challenges in theorizing and practicing social sustainability: introduction to the special issue
Magnus Boström
Since publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, the notion of sustainable developmenthas come to guide the pursuit of environmental reform by both public and private organizations and to facilitate communication among actors from different societal spheres. It is customary to characterize sustainable development in a familiar typology comprising three pillars: environmental, economic, and social. The relationships among these dimensions are generally assumed to be compatible and mutually ...
Sustainability of ARV provision in developing countries: challenging a framework based on program history
Azeredo, Thiago Botelho; Oliveira,Maria Auxiliadora; Santos-Pinto,Cláudia Du Bocage; Miranda,Elaine Silva; Osorio-de-Castro,Claudia Garcia Serpa
Abstract The provision of ARVs is central to HIV/AIDS programs, because of its impact on the course of the disease and on quality of life. Although first-line treatments costs have declined, treatment-associated expenses are steeper each year. Sustainability is therefore an important variable for the success of treatment programs. A conceptual framework on sustainability of ARV provision was developed, followed by data collection instruments. The pilot study was undertaken in Brazil. Bolivia,...
Biogas Production in Dairy Farming in Indonesia: A Challenge for Sustainability
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Jatmiko Wahyudi
Full Text Available Biogas plays an important role in supporting and ensuring the dairy farming sector remains sustainable. Biogas technology is not only as a method to dispose dairy farming waste but also benefiting economically, socially and environmentally. Biogas technology has been introduced since 1970s and many biogas programmes have been implemented in Indonesia. However compare to other countries like China and India, the dissemination of biogas technology in Indonesia runs quite slowly. There are several factors such as financial, policies and people's perception hindering biogas use regarding the increase of biogas plants installed in Indonesia. In addition, many installed biogas plants are non-functional due to inadequate maintenance causing users stop to operate biogas plants and influencing potential users to reject adopting the technology. This paper provides an overview of biogas production sustainability which consists of five sustainability dimensions: technical, economic, social, environmental and organizational/institutional sustainability. Understanding the biogas sustainability helps stakeholders to realize that in order to promote biogas technology many sectors must be developed and many institutions must be involved and cooperated. The sustainability of biogas will determine the success of biogas dissemination particularly in dairy farming in the future.
The Challenges of Implementing Sustainable Development: The Case of Sofia's Master Plan
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Aleksandar D. Slaev
Full Text Available In this paper, we explore how master planning promotes and implements particular urban development patterns and, more generally, contributes to sustainability. Our goal is to understand the link between urban growth intentions articulated through the master planning process and realisation of its specific forms, e.g., monocentric or polycentric, compact or dispersed. As a case study, we examine the current General Urban Development Plan (GUDP of the Bulgarian capital Sofia against the city's actual development pattern. We observe that the primary goals of the GUDP are to promote a polycentric urban structure and low-density expansion, as well as preserve green edges. While the question of whether and how these goals reflect the sustainability ideal requires further consideration, there are some indications that Sofia's GUDP may not be effective in encouraging sustainable forms of growth. Substantial inconsistencies exist between the plan's overall goals and some of its measures and implementation tools. The results on the ground suggest that, despite the plan's low-density aspirations, Sofia is becoming more compact and densified, while losing its green edges and failing to redirect growth to its northern territories where ample space and opportunities exist. We conclude that employing the achievements of research on sustainability and developing relevant implementation tools such as more effective zoning regulations and viable suburban transportation infrastructure are necessary for realising both the patterns proposed through master planning and achieving sustainable urban growth.
Universities for sustainability – new challenges from the perspective of the University of Warsaw
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Kalinowska Anna
Full Text Available The documents adopted by the international community during the UN Conference on the Environment and Development convened in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 make clear the leading role institutions in higher education are to play in transforming contemporary civilisation in the direction of sustainable development. It is beyond dispute that higher education has a critical role to play in developing tomorrow's decision makers, professionals and citizens. Universities can help with the accomplishment of sustainable development goals if they transform education in this direction, extend their support to interdisciplinary scientific research and ensure the appropriate evolution of the means by which they themselves are managed. However, ensuring that a higher education establishment heads in the direction of sustainability in all academic areas of activity is a difficult process requiring much effort. The article thus presents current international initiatives of the UN in this regard, as well as Higher Education initiatives, alliances and treaties in support of the process, and the objectives and activities of the network of cooperative links between universities that is now taking shape. Also the status of education for sustainable development (ESD in higher education and existing ESD professional development opportunities for university educators is discussed. In this context, examples of good practice characterising the activity of the University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development will serve as a case study.
Sustainability of ARV provision in developing countries: challenging a framework based on program history.
Azeredo, Thiago Botelho; Oliveira, Maria Auxiliadora; Santos-Pinto, Cláudia Du Bocage; Miranda, Elaine Silva; Osorio-de-Castro, Claudia Garcia Serpa
The provision of ARVs is central to HIV/AIDS programs, because of its impact on the course of the disease and on quality of life. Although first-line treatments costs have declined, treatment-associated expenses are steeper each year. Sustainability is therefore an important variable for the success of treatment programs. A conceptual framework on sustainability of ARV provision was developed, followed by data collection instruments. The pilot study was undertaken in Brazil. Bolivia, Peru and Mozambique, were visited. Key informants were identified and interviewed. Investigation of sustainability related to ARV provision involved implementation and routinization events of provision schemes. Evidence of greater sustainability potential was observed in Peru, where provision is implemented and routinized by the National HIV/AIDS program and expenditures met by the government. In Mozambique, provision is dependent on donations and external aid, but the country displays a great effort to incorporate ARV provision and care in routine healthcare activities. Bolivia, in addition to external dependence on financing and management of drug supply, presents problems regarding implementation and routinization. The conceptual framework was useful in recognizing events that influence sustainable ARV provision in these countries.
[Health and the green economy: challenges for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty].
Gallo, Edmundo; Setti, Andréia Faraoni Freitas; Magalhães, Danielly de Paiva; Machado, Jorge Mesquita Huet; Buss, Daniel Forsin; Franco Netto, Francisco de Abreu; Buss, Paulo Marchiori
In a scenario where ecosystemic services are being eroded and there is high social inequity, a new model of development is necessary, namely one capable of promoting social development with a reduction of its ecological footprint. The 'Green Economy' model is one of the proposed models. This paper seeks to analyze the environmental, social and individual impacts on human health in the context of a 'brown economy', and discusses the contributions of a green economy on the promotion of equity and health. The assumption is that economic development and environmental sustainability are not incompatible and both contribute to the eradication of poverty. The transition to a sustainable economy depends on political decisions, and transcends technological developments. Above all, it should instigate new models of production, consumption and social organization, which promote socio-environmental justice, encouraging social participation and democratic forms of governance to define a solid agenda for the implementation of sustainable development and mechanisms to implement them at all levels.
Sustainable chemical processing and energy-carbon dioxide management: review of challenges and opportunities
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Vooradi, Ramsagar; Bertran, Maria-Ona; Frauzem, Rebecca
This paper presents a brief review of the available energy sources for consumption, their effects in terms of CO2-emission and its management, and sustainable chemical processing where energy-consumption, CO2-emission, as well as economics and environmental impacts are considered. Not all availab...... are presented. These examples highlight issues of energy sustainable design, energy-CO2 neutral design, energy-retrofit design,and energy-process intensification. Finally, some perspectives on the status and future directions of carbon dioxide management are given....
Energy mix and sustainable development: Issues and challenges in Southern Philippines
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Osop, Inoray
Southern Philippines utilizes different sources of energy and like any other areas for every increase in energy; major concerns and issues on its sustainable development sprung up. Methods used were quantitative and qualitative measures, experiment, exploratory and descriptive in findings: (1) each of the energy dimensions are compared economic ; On their environment and health of the end users and Social dimensions . The ideal energy mixes based on sustainable development are renewable and some fossil fuels with strict adherence to clean technology since Coal Plants in the country ignores environmental regulations and yet allowed to operate.
Sustainable chemical processing and energy-carbon dioxide management: review of challenges and opportunities
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Frauzem, Rebecca; Vooradi, Ramsagar; Bertran, Maria-Ona
of sustainable chemical processing in the utilization of biomass-based energy-chemicals production, carbon-capture and utilization with zero or negative CO2-emission to produce value added chemicals as well as retrofit design of energy intensive chemical processes with significant reduction of energy consumption...... are presented. These examples highlight issues of energy sustainable design, energy-CO2 neutral design, energy-retrofit design,and energy-process intensification. Finally, some perspectives on the status and future directions of carbon dioxide management are given....
Guanajuato, «World Heritage City». Opportunity or challenge for sustainable tourism?
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María Inés Ortiz Álvarez
Full Text Available The city of Guanajuato was recognized in 1988 as a World Heritage Site. Since then, tourism has become the greatest financial resource for the inhabitants. However, the large number of visitors creates traffic problems, rising prices and an increase in the amount of rubbish owing to the physical characteristics of the site and its population structure. To reduce these inconveniences, it is necessary to consider issues related to sustainable tourism. This should stimulate local development, and take action to safeguard the heritage of the city and prevent its decline. This paper describes the origin of the city, and problems affecting the local population and the sustainability of its tourism.
U.S. Department of Energy Workplace Charging Challenge - Progress Update 2016: A New Sustainable Commute
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
In June 2016, the Workplace Charging Challenge distributed its third annual survey to 295 partners with the goal of tracking partners' progress and identifying trends in workplace charging. This document summarizes findings from the survey and highlights accomplishments of the EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge.
Sustainable Approaches for Materials Management in Remote, Economically Challenged Areas of the Pacific
Remote, economically challenged areas in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and American Samoa in the US Pacific island territories face unique challenges with respect to solid waste management. These islands are remote and isolated, with some islands suppo...
Integrating top-down/bottom-up sustainability strategies: an ethical challenge
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John Cairns Jr.
Full Text Available Sustainable use of the planet will require multiple sustainability strategies, which will range from the entire system, the entire Earth, the local or regional. Strategies starting at the highest system level are referred to as 'top-down', and strategies designed for components, local or regional, are referred to as 'bottom-up'. Doubtless, several intermediate levels will eventually be required, although the number is far from clear at this time. It is abundantly clear that both top-down and bottom-up strategies must be integrated effectively or neither will work well. Furthermore, there will be significant uncertainties at both levels of organisation, which will be reduced as evidence accumulates. However, sustainability is too complex and dynamic to reduce scientific uncertainty to a level desired by most decision makers. A great emphasis on sustain-ethics and value judgements will improve communications between those working at different organisational levels since humankind's wish to leave a habitable planet for its descendants and those of other life forms is clearly a value judgement.
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Full Text Available The implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy through the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 needs take into consideration the EU' package from December 2015 concerning the achievement of the Circular Economy under the vision of the 3R - Recycle, Reuse, Reduce. The concept of Circular Economy has started to develop in response to the crisis of the traditional model and the need to deal with limited resources. A key role in the pursuit and implementation of circular economy is taken by investments in innovation and technologies that enhance the scraps of industrial and / or agricultural sectors. This can lead not only to a reduction of waste and hence environmental impacts but also in net savings for businesses of up to 604 billion Euros throughout the European Union, in line with the global framework (Sustainable Development Goals 2015 -2030. The paper try to demonstrate through an inductive model, several tables, figures and our analysis that the success of the Strategy of Sustainable Development depend, in the next years, by the application of the best practices of the Circular Economy.
Challenges and Opportunities in Combing the Competences of Formal Education and NGOs for Teaching Sustainability
Schulz, Bastian; Uhlenwinkel, Anke
Although the decade for Education for Sustainable Development has been well promoted in Germany it still finds itself in a rather marginal position, both in the formal and in the informal educational sector. This is at least partly due to the status it is given in the political debate that leads to different expectations by different actors who…
From the sanitary city to the sustainable city: challenges to institutionalising biogenic (nature's services) infrastructure
Stephanie Pincetl
Much has been made of the need for cities to become more sustainable, particularly since for the first time in human history over half of the world's population are urban dwellers. Cities concentrate human activities in an exceptionally powerful manner, and this includes resource use and the generation of pollution. Attention has turned towards cities for their...
Financing University Education for Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges
Chukwu, Leo C.; Chinyelugo, Agada Fidelia; Eze, S. G. N.
The paper explained the concept university and the objectives of university education. Sustainable development and its purpose were then explained. The paper went further to analyze the various sources of financing the universities, including; the governments, endowment, and consultancy amongst others. The role of the universities in the…
Taking sustainability to the corners of the Challenges and opportunities of the way forward
CSIR Research Space (South Africa)
Du Plessis, C
Full Text Available the gamble. However, the most critical barrier is the lack of actual capacity to implement sustainable construction practices. This lack is a factor of the number of human resources, the skills of those resources and the tools and technologies available...
Teaching Green and Sustainable Chemistry: A Revised One-Semester Course Based on Inspirations and Challenges
Marteel-Parrish, Anne E.
An elective course, "Toward the Greening of Our Minds": Green and Sustainable Chemistry, has been offered at Washington College since 2005. This new course without laboratory is designed for chemistry and biology majors and minors who have previously taken two semesters of general chemistry and organic chemistry. Due to the popularity of…
Advancing Water Footprint Assessment Research: Challenges in Monitoring Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6
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Arjen Y. Hoekstra
Full Text Available This special issue is a collection of recent papers in the field of Water Footprint Assessment (WFA, an emerging area of research focused on the analysis of freshwater use, scarcity, and pollution in relation to consumption, production, and trade. As increasing freshwater scarcity forms a major risk to the global economy, sustainable management of water resources is a prerequisite to development. We introduce the papers in this special issue by relating them to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG number 6 of the United Nations, the goal on water. We will particularly articulate how each paper drives the understanding needed to achieve target 6.3 on water quality and pollution and target 6.4 on water-use efficiency and water scarcity. Regarding SDG 6, we conclude that it lacks any target on using green water more efficiently, and while addressing efficiency and sustainability of water use, it lacks a target on equitable sharing of water. The latter issue is receiving limited attention in research as well. By primarily focusing on water-use efficiency in farming and industries at the local level, to a lesser extent to using water sustainably at the level of total water systems (like drainage basins, aquifers, and largely ignoring issues around equitable water use, understanding of our water problems and proposed solutions will likely remain unbalanced.
Challenges and Alternatives to Sustainable Management of Agriculture and Pastoral Ecosystems in Asian Drylands
Qi, J.
There is no question that human must produce additional 70% food to feed the new 2.2 billion of people on the planet by 2050, but the question is where to grow the additional food. The demand for the additional food lies not only in producing the basic resources needed to sustain a healthy lifestyle, but also from a changing diet, especially in rapidly developing countries in the dryland regions around the world. It is forecast that this demand for meat will require an additional 0.2 billion tons per year by 2050, which is almost a doubling of present meat consumption. These new demands create mounting pressures on agriculture and pastoral ecosystems and the reported trajectory of warmer and drier climate in the future increases uncertainties in food security, adding further stresses to the already stressed nations in the Asian dryland belt. Different approaches are being either proposed or practiced in the region but the question is whether or not the current practices are sustainable or optimal in addressing the emerging issues. Given the complexity and interplay among the food, water and energy, what are alternatives to ensure a sustainable trajectory of regional development to meet the new food demand? This presentation reviews existing practices and proposes alternative solutions, by specifically examining the trade-offs between different ecosystem services that drylands in Asian may provide. Preliminary analysis suggested that the current trajectory of meat and milk production is likely not on a sustainable pathway.
The sustainability challenge: an anylysis of prerequisites for an integrated coastal zone management in the Netherlands
Dieperink, C.
This project aimed to develop multidisciplinary knowledge for a more sustainable and integrated coastal zone management by reflecting on existing forms of coastal governance and knowledge use. A review of coastal governance on different levels as well as a review of the usefulness of decision
Energy Transitions in the Netherlands : Sustainability Challenges in a Historical and Comparative Perspective
Hölsgens, Henricus Nicolaas Michaël
Anthropogenically caused climate change is one of the greatest threats to global stability and sustainable development. A transition to a low-carbon energy system will contribute to combatting the dangers of climate change and help to create climate stability. In this dissertation I study the
Pursuing sustainable development in Norway: The challenge of living up to Brundtland at home
Lafferty, W.M.; Knudsen, Jørgen; Larsen, Olav Mosvold
With the Norwegian Prime Minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland, as chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Norway became an early mover in politics for sustainable development (SD). The pursuit of SD goals has been expressed in several national policy documents, though it was not
Dynamic Sustainability: Practitioners' Perspectives on Housing First Implementation Challenges and Model Fidelity Over Time
Stergiopoulos, Vicky; Zerger, Suzanne; Jeyaratnam, Jeyagobi; Connelly, Jolynn; Kruk, Katherine; O'Campo, Patricia; Hwang, Stephen
Objectives: Although Housing First (HF) is a popular evidence-based intervention for persons experiencing homelessness and mental illness, research exploring its sustainability over time is scant. This mixed methods study captures practitioners' perspectives on key shifts in implementation of Housing First in a large urban center, and factors…
Branding the Green Education: Challenges Facing Implementation of Education for Sustainable Development in Egypt
Ramzy, Omar; Wahieb, Rasha
Due to the scarcity in natural resources and the demand for green labour and economy, education for sustainable development (ESD) gained a great importance in developed countries, let alone developing ones. From this point of view, this paper is studying the possibility of infusing ESD in Egypt after one and a half years since January 2011 youth…
Challenges faced by elderly guardians in sustaining the adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected children in Zimbabwe.
Skovdal, M; Campbell, C; Madanhire, C; Nyamukapa, C; Gregson, S
Grandparents throughout sub-Saharan Africa have shown immense courage and fortitude in providing care and support for AIDS-affected children. However, growing old comes with a number of challenges which can compromise the quality of care and support they are able to provide, particularly for children infected by HIV and enrolled on antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes. For ART to be effective, and for infected children not to develop drug-resistance, a complex treatment regimen must be followed. Drawing on the perspectives of 25 nurses and eight grandparents of HIV-infected children in Manicaland, eastern Zimbabwe, we explore some of the challenges faced by grandparents in sustaining children's adherence to ART. These challenges, serving as barriers to paediatric ART, are poverty, immobility, deteriorating memory and poor comprehension of complex treatments. Although older HIV-infected children were found to play an active role in sustaining the adherence to their programme of treatment by contributing to income and food generating activities and reminding their guardians about check-ups and drug administration, such contribution was not available from younger children. There is therefore an urgent need to develop ART services that both take into consideration the needs of elderly guardians and acknowledge and enhance the agency of older children as active and responsible contributors to ART adherence.
Water Policy Reforms in South Korea: A Historical Review and Ongoing Challenges for Sustainable Water Governance and Management
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Ik-Chang Choi
Full Text Available This study aims to provide an opinion on the state-of-the-art of changes and reforms of water policies in South Korea, as well as the challenges along with their implications for sustainable water governance and management. In parallel with change in water resource characteristics generated by physical, environmental and socio-economic challenges such as: (1 uncertainties about climate change (flooding and drought including seasonal and regional variation in precipitation; (2 significant increase in water use caused by rapid urbanization and population growth in industrialized urban areas; (3 inadequate water pricing mechanism which covers only around 80% of the production cost and makes it harder to maintain water systems; and (4 recursive water quality degradation and conflicts over water rights between regions resulting from non-point source pollution in highland versus lowland areas, Korean water policies have been developed through diverse reforms over 100 years. Nevertheless, new challenges for sustainable water management are continuously emerging. To meet those challenges we provide two ideas: (i provider-gets-principle (payment for ecosystem services of cost-benefit sharing among stakeholders who benefit from water use; and (ii water pricing applying full-cost pricing-principle internalizing environmental externalities caused by the intensive water use. Funds secured from the application of those methods would facilitate: (1 support for upstream (rural low income householders suffering from economic restrictions; (2 improvement in water facilities; and (3 efficient water use and demand management in South Korea's water sectors. We expect that this paper can examine the lessons relevant to challenges that South Korea faces and offer some implications on the formulation of new integration and further reforms of the institutions, laws and organizations responsible for managing water resources in South Korea.
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Web Academy Webinar: An Introduction to Lithium Batteries and the Challenges that they Pose to the Waste and Recycling Industry
This is a webinar page for the Sustainable Management of Materials (SMM) Web Academy webinar titled, An Introduction to Lithium Batteries and the Challenges that they Pose to the Waste and Recycling Industry.
Sustainability labelling as a challenge to legitimacy: spillover effects of organic Fairtrade coffee on consumer perceptions of mainstream products and retailers
Anagnostou, A.; Ingenbleek, P.T.M.; Trijp, van J.C.M.
Purpose – This study aims to better understand the impact of norm-challenging products on consumers' perceptions of mainstream products and retailers. By showing that sustainable market offerings are feasible, products with sustainability labels, such as Fairtrade and organic products, implicitly
Computational Science And Engineering Software Sustainability And Productivity (CSESSP) Challenges Workshop Report
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development, Executive Office of the President — This report details the challenges and opportunities discussed at the NITRD sponsored multi-agency workshop on Computational Science and Engineering Software...
Exogenous promotion of sustainable electricity policies in India: Opportunities and challenges
Gupta, J.; van Asselt, H.D.; Kuik, O.J.; Evans, C.
The Indian government needs to increase the access to electricity of a growing population and economy taking into account major environmental and health related challenges, rapidly changing technologies, social and cultural preferences and international commitments. Such an increased access calls
Application of Heavy Metal Rich Tannery Sludge on Sustainable Growth, Yield and Metal Accumulation by Clarysage (Salvia sclarea L.).
Chand, Sukhmal; Yaseen, M; Rajkumari; Patra, D D
A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effective utilization of tannery sludge for cultivation of clarysage (Salvia sclarea) at CIMAP research farm, Lucknow, India during the year 2012-2013. Six doses (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 tha(-1)) of processed tannery sludge were tested in randomised block design with four replications. Results revealed that maximum shoot, root, dry matter and oil yield were obtained with application of 80 tha(-1)of tannery sludge and these were 94, 113 and 61% higher respectively, over control. Accumulation of heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Fe, Pb) were relatively high in shoot portion of the plant than root. Among heavy metals, magnitude of chromium accumulation was higher than nickel, iron and lead in shoot as well as in root. Linalool, linalyl acetate and sclareol content in oil increased by 13,8 and 27% respectively over control, with tannery sludge application at 80 tha(-1). Heavy metals such as chromium, cadmium and lead content reduced in postharvest soil when compared to initial status. Results indicated that clarysage (Salvia sclarea) can be grown in soil amended with 80 tha(-1)sludge and this can be a suitable accumulator of heavy metals for phytoremediation of metal polluted soils.
Food Security, Food Chains and Bioenergy Challenges for a Sustainable Development Environment
Carvalho, Pacheco de; Bernardo, M.T.
Food system dynamics worldwide are under a new paradigm. Energy supply based on renewable natural resources is now a necessary solution, where agri-business can play an important role, and food systems will have to interact worldwide with new competitors for land and agriculture activity. The argument in this paper is based on the evidence that innovation and technology changes in food production (agricultural production) can offer a sustainable supply of grain and biomass, when demand behavi...
Challenging the Sustainability of an Education System of Evaluation and Labor Market Outcomes
Wonyoung Baek; Joonmo Cho
Students' inattention to the importance of teaching evaluations may undermine the sustainability of the education evaluation system. This study analyzed the effects of the personality variable reflected by monotonic response patterns, which is a typical example of student indifference, on the employability of graduates using Career-SET (student evaluations of teaching) matched data of college graduates from 2008–2012. The results from various estimation models consistently indicated that grad...
Constructed wetlands as ecologically sustainable options for water pollution control : A challenge for environmental engineers
Margaret, Greenway; Griffith University
Traditionally the treatment of wastewater has been the realm of the civil and chemical engineer. Constructed wetlands are now recognised as an ecologically sustainable option for water pollution control. Wetlands are biologically diverse ecosystems which provide an array of physical, biological and chemical processes to facilitate the removal, recycling, transformation or immobilisation of potential wastewater contaminants. Most of these processes are facilitated by the wetland vegetation and...
Greenlandic water and sanitation-a context oriented analysis of system challenges towards local sustainable development
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hendriksen, Kåre; Hoffmann, Birgitte
Today, as Greenland focuses on more economic and cultural autonomy, the continued development of societal infrastructure systems is vital. At the same time, pressure is put on the systems by a lack of financial resources and locally based professional competences as well as new market-based forms...... for developing the water and sanitation system to support not only hygiene and health, but also local sustainable development....
Distributional Challenges of Sustainability Policies—The Case of the German Energy Transition
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Erik Gawel
Full Text Available Sustainability policies based on the economic rationale of providing incentives to get prices right inevitably place a significant burden on society and often raise distributional concerns. The social acceptability of Germany's energy transition towards more sustainable generation and usage of energy is frequently the subject of such critical appraisals. The discourse centres upon the burden imposed on electricity users as a result of the promotion of renewable energy sources in the electricity sector in accordance with the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG. A regressive EEG surcharge is suspected of driving up energy prices unreasonably and of being socially unjust. It is also argued that high-income utility owners profit from the EEG system at the expense of low-income electricity consumers (redistribution from bottom to top. The aim of this paper is to examine the validity of these two hypotheses and to show that both exhibit substantial theoretical and empirical weaknesses, with climate and environmental policy being played off against social policy in a questionable manner. At the same time, the article points out remaining conflicts between energy policy and social policy and makes corresponding policy recommendations for their resolution, thus contributing to reconciling distributional concerns arising in the context of incentive-oriented sustainability governance.
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Full Text Available In September 2015 the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN accepted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including 17 Sustainable Development Goals including 169 more detailed targets. These goals spread over all natural, societal and economical aspects of sustainability all over the world. The aim of our study is to specify those goals and detailed targets in which meteorology can and must play an important role. As concerns the complete Goals, this is only "Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts". At the level of detailed targets they are many ones in fulfilment of which meteorology should play a role. Having classified the meteorological contributions to the targets, there are four classes defined: air pollution (AP, climate information (CI, climate change (CC and weather prediction. Altogether 26 targets of 16 Goals are found to be relevant to the meteorological activities. The possible contributions are all explained in the five groups in which the Goals are classified.
Profile of Green Consumers in Romania in Light of Sustainability Challenges and Opportunities
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Teodora Roman
Full Text Available Sustainability and responsible consumption are now the policies of companies interested in preserving a good reputation. If in the past, sustainability was an issue present only in the corporate social responsibility campaigns developed by companies; nowadays, this aspect has become a key element that has been proven to influence the purchasing behavior of consumers. The existence of policies and strategies in the area of sustainability does not necessarily mean their being put into practice as long as people, who make these objectives attainable, are not aware of them. The present paper aims to explore the green consumption of Romanian consumers, which would indicate whether the concern for environmental problems is then translated into an appropriate behavior; in other words, whether "words become facts". At the same time, this paper analyzes the extent to which the "green trend" has gained popularity in Romania, how involved the Romanian consumers are with environmental issues and the behaviors they adopt in order to mitigate the impact on the ecosystem. However, there are differences between individual opinions on green consumption and the actual behavior adopted in trying to ameliorate this issue.
Transdisciplinary Challenges for Sustainable Management of Mediterranean Landscapes in the Global Information Society
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Zev Naveh
Full Text Available The present chaotic transformation from the industrial to the global information society is accelerating the ecological, social and economic unsustainability. The rapidly growing unsustainable, fossil energy powered urbanindustrial technosphere and their detrimental impacts on nature and human well-being are threatening the solar energy powered natural and seminatural biosphere landscapes and their vital ecosystem services. A sustainability revolution is therefore urgently needed, requiring a shift from the "fossil age" to the "solar age" of a new world economy, coupled with more sustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns. The sustainable future of viable multifunctional biosphere landscapes of the Mediterranean Region and elsewhere and their biological and cultural richness can only be ensured by a post-industrial symbiosis between nature and human society. For this purpose a mindset shift of scientists and professionals from narrow disciplinarity to transdisciplinarity is necessary, dealing with holistic land use planning and management, in close cooperation with land users and stakeholders. To conserve and restore the rapidly vanishing and degrading Mediterranean uplands and highest biological ecological and cultural landscape ecodiversity, their dynamic homeorhetic flow equilibrium, has to be maintained by continuing or simulating all anthropogenic processes of grazing, browsing by wild and domesticated ungulates. Catastrophic wildfires can be prevented only by active fire and fuel management, converting highly inflammable pine forests and dense shrub thickets into floristically enriched, multi- layered open woodlands and recreation forests.
The Challenge to Foster Foreign Students' Experiences for Sustainable Higher Educational Institutions
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Tomás M. Bañegil-Palacios
Full Text Available While most companies are developing strategies that focus on responsibility and sustainability, recent discussions in higher educational institutions query the contribution of university social responsibility. Based on the theory of stakeholders and the new strategic paradigm of universities becoming sustainable corporations, the purpose of this paper is to determine Erasmus students' opinions on their experiences abroad, as they relate to the importance they attribute to their emotions, and their relationship with and loyalty to their host university's country as a tourism destination. The method inquired into Erasmus students' impressions when studying in Spain through an ad hoc questionnaire based on academic literature and the Delphi technique. Survey data was analyzed through an exploratory factor analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling. The study is a first attempt at analyzing experiential marketing in Erasmus students, who we considered tourists. The results support experiential marketing as a key approach for achieving sustainability in universities. The paper draws attention to the need for institutions to be more aware of the needs of foreign students as important stakeholders when designing mobility programs, as well as suggestions on how this awareness can be cultivated, in order to contribute to the consolidation of the selected country as a tourism destination.
The Challenges of Global Citizenship for Worldview Education. The Perspective of Social Sustainability
Miedema, Siebren; Bertram-Troost, Gerdien
In this paper the authors briefly present what their theoretical reflections and empirical research has yielded in respect to citizenship education and religious education. The theoretical as well as political and practical questions of the relationship of global citizenship and worldview education are scrutinized. The main focus is on the issue…
Effect of crop residue harvest on long-term crop yield, soil erosion, and carbon balance: tradeoffs for a sustainable bioenergy feedstock
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Gregg, Jay S.; Izaurralde, Roberto C.
Agricultural residues are a potential feedstock for bioenergy production, if residue harvest can be done sustainably. The relationship between crop residue harvest, soil erosion, crop yield and carbon balance was modeled with the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator/ Environment Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) using a factorial design. Four crop rotations (winter wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] – sunflower [Helianthus annuus]; spring wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] – canola [Brassica napus]; corn [Zea mays L.] – soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]; and cotton [Gossypium hirsutum] – peanut [Arachis hypogaea]) were simulated at four US locations each, under different topographies (0-10% slope), and management practices [crop residue removal rates (0-75%), conservation practices (no till, contour cropping, strip cropping, terracing)].
Implications of late-in-life density-dependent growth for fishery size-at-entry leading to maximum sustainable yield
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
van Gemert, Rob; Andersen, Ken Haste
Currently applied fisheries models and stock assessments rely on the assumption that density-dependent regulation only affects processes early in life, as described by stock–recruitment relationships. However, many fish stocks also experience density-dependent processes late in life......, such as density-dependent adult growth. Theoretical studies have found that, for stocks which experience strong late-in-life density dependence, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is obtained with a small fishery size-at-entry that also targets juveniles. This goes against common fisheries advice, which dictates...... that primarily adults should be fished. This study aims to examine whether the strength of density-dependent growth in actual fish stocks is sufficiently strong to reduce optimal fishery size-at-entry to below size-at-maturity. A size-structured model is fitted to three stocks that have shown indications of late-in-life...
Energetic sustainability: Challenges and options in Mexico; Sustentabilidad energetica: Retos y opciones en Mexico
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Rosas Flores, Dionicio; Sheinbaum Pardo, Claudia [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)
In this report present a general overview of energy trends and objectives of policy for Mexico, in the context of sustainable development. The work is divided in two main parts: the first one presents trends in energy use and potential, energy sector reform, social and economics indicators and revision of efficiency and renewable energy. The second part discusses options and instruments of energy politics for the country in regard of the sustainable development. The energy is central to concerns of sustainable development, affecting economic; the local and global environment, and social problems as poverty, population, health and education. Mexico should promote political energy that permit the fulfillment the energy requirements while developing strategies that help to alleviate the social problems and productivity, based on lesser environmental impacts. [Spanish] Este reporte presenta una vision sobre las tendencias energeticas de Mexico y plantea prioridades y objetivos de politica para el pais, en el contexto de desarrollo sustentable. El trabajo muestra dos partes principales: la primera seccion presenta tendencias en el uso de energia, potenciales energeticos e indicadores economicos y sociales, ademas de una revision de eficiencias y politicas de energias renovables. La segunda parte discute opciones, instrumentos y restricciones en el contexto del desarrollo energetico sustentable en el pais. La energia es un elemento central en el desarrollo ya que esta relacionado con la economia, el ambiente local y global y aspectos sociales como pobreza, poblacion, salud y educacion. Esto obliga en Mexico a promover politicas que permitan la cobertura de los requerimientos energeticos, las cuales deben desarrollarse de manera conjunta con estrategias, para ayudar a disminuir los problemas, productivos y sociales con menores impactos ambientales.
Responses to Environmental & Societal Challenges for our Unstable Earth (RESCUE) foresight initiative - towards a European response to grand challenges in sustainability research and learning
Avril, B.; et al.
disciplines share knowledge and practices, and, from the onset, work together with each other and with stakeholders, · initiate long-term integrated demonstration projects, · develop sustainability education and learning in an innovative, open knowledge system, · respond to the challenges and opportunities created by the internet for an open knowledge system ready for transitions towards sustainability, · create a dynamic, adaptive and integrated information and decision-support system on global change issues. The findings have been synthesized in the RESCUE Synthesis Report. This presentation will cover the main points of these findings and a few suggestions for future RESCUE steps.
Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development: Challenges and Perspectives for Emerging Countries
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Kiwonghi Bizawu
Full Text Available This article proposes the study of sustainable development in the use of renewable resources by emerging countries. It is noted that the financing of projects and policies related to renewable energy is moving from developed countries to emerging nations. Studies indicate that it will take more targeted investments to fuel production area and power generation, which can set a problem for developing countries, since they do not have sufficient resources to diversify and expand their energy matrixes. The deductive method was adopted based on exploratory research.
A sustainable city environment through child safety and mobility-a challenge based on ITS?
Leden, Lars; Gårder, Per; Schirokoff, Anna; Monterde-i-Bort, Hector; Johansson, Charlotta; Basbas, Socrates
Our cities should be designed to accommodate everybody, including children. We will not move toward a more sustainable society unless we accept that children are people with transportation needs, and 'bussing' them around, or providing parental limousine services at all times, will not lead to sustainability. Rather, we will need to make our cities walkable for children, at least those above a certain age. Safety has two main aspects, traffic safety and personal safety (risk of assault). Besides being safe, children will also need an urban environment with reasonable mobility, where they themselves can reach destinations with reasonable effort; else they will still need to be driven. This paper presents the results of two expert questionnaires focusing on the potential safety and mobility benefits to child pedestrians of targeted types of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Five different types of functional requests for children were identified based on previous work. The first expert questionnaire was structured to collect expert opinions on which ITS solutions or devices would be, and why, the most relevant ones to satisfy the five different functional requests of child pedestrians. Based on the first questionnaire, fifteen problem areas were defined. In the second questionnaire, the experts ranked the fifteen areas, and prioritized related ITS services, according to their potential for developing ITS services beneficial to children. Several ITS systems for improving pedestrian quality are discussed. ITS services can be used when a pedestrian route takes them to a dangerous street, dangerous crossing point or through a dangerous neighborhood. An improvement of safety and other qualities would lead to increased mobility and a more sustainable way of living. Children would learn how to live to support their own health and a sustainable city environment. But it will be up to national, regional and local governments, through their ministries and agencies and
Adult Education and the Challenges of Regional Development: Policy and Sustainability in North Denmark
Rasmussen, Palle; Staugaard, Hans Jørgen
Adult education is governed at many levels--internationally, nationally and locally. The authors of this paper look at the challenges, structures and practices of adult education policy at the local level, more specifically in North Denmark (Northern Jutland), one of the five administrative regions of the Danish nation-state. In many ways, the…
The Sustainability and Challenges of Business Incubators in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
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Thobekani Lose
Full Text Available Notwithstanding the growing interest in business incubation programmes and the benefits derived from such programmes, the path is beset by numerous challenges. This paper investigates the challenges faced by business incubators (BIs as they strive to support their clients. The study utilized a qualitative approach to collect data by way of interviews to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of the concept and challenges of business incubators. The data were collected using structured and unstructured in-depth personal interviews, which were carried out with the respondents of business incubators in the Western Cape. The research participants for this study were limited to the business incubators on the database of a local organization that promotes small and medium enterprises (SMEs development strategy and programmes in the Western Cape Province. All five business incubators on the database were deemed suitable for the study. The results indicated that an average of twenty-five entrepreneurs graduated from the incubation programme in the last five years. Furthermore, lack of sponsorship, production space, advanced technological facilities (prototype and expansion to different areas were found to be among the challenges hindering incubators.
Production and supply of high-quality food protein for human consumption: Sustainability, challenges, and innovations
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 843 million people worldwide are hungry and a greater number suffer from nutrient deficiencies. Approximately one billion people have inadequate protein intake. The challenge of preventing hunger and malnutrition will become ...
Adult education and the challenges of regional development: Policy and sustainability in North Denmark
Rasmussen, Palle; Staugaard, Hans Jørgen
Adult education is governed at many levels - internationally, nationally and locally. The authors of this paper look at the challenges, structures and practices of adult education policy at the local level, more specifically in North Denmark (Northern Jutland), one of the five administrative regions of the Danish nation-state. In many ways, the current educational challenges in this remote region of Europe are similar to what can be observed worldwide and especially in countries which are generally considered welfare states. The authors see the growing social and educational divide between the region's peripheral areas and its largest city centre as a major challenge - for society as a whole and for adult education in particular. It is from this perspective that the authors describe the present structures of adult education in the region and the strategies employed by local authorities and educational institutions. This is followed by an evaluation of both structures and efforts in terms of their ability to cope with the challenges.
Modern Biotechnology—Potential Contribution and Challenges for Sustainable Food Production in Sub-Saharan Africa
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E. Jane Morris
Full Text Available Modern biotechnology, including the application of transgenic techniques to produce Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs, can play a significant role in increasing agricultural production in a sustainable way, but its products need to be tailored for the developing world. In sub-Saharan Africa, the capacity to develop GMOs and ensure they meet stringent regulatory requirements is somewhat limited. Most African governments contribute little to science and technology either financially or through strong policies. This leaves the determination of research and development priorities in the hands of international funding agencies. Whereas funding from the United States is generally supportive of GM technology, the opposite is true of funding from European sources. African countries are thus pulled in two different directions. One alternative to this dilemma might be for countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region to develop stronger South-South collaborations, but these need to be supported with adequate funding. African governments as well as external funding agencies are urged to consider the important role that biotechnology, including GM technology, can play in contributing to sustainable development in Africa, and to provide adequate support to the development of capacity to research, develop and commercialize GMOs in the region.
Facing the challenge of sustainable bioenergy production: Could halophytes be part of the solution?
Debez, Ahmed; Belghith, Ikram; Friesen, Jan; Montzka, Carsten; Elleuche, Skander
Due to steadily growing population and economic transitions in the more populous countries, renewable sources of energy are needed more than ever. Plant biomass as a raw source of bioenergy and biofuel products may meet the demand for sustainable energy; however, such plants typically compete with food crops, which should not be wasted for producing energy and chemicals. Second-generation or advanced biofuels that are based on renewable and non-edible biomass resources are processed to produce cellulosic ethanol, which could be further used for producing energy, but also bio-based chemicals including higher alcohols, organic acids, and bulk chemicals. Halophytes do not compete with conventional crops for arable areas and freshwater resources, since they grow naturally in saline ecosystems, mostly in semi-arid and arid areas. Using halophytes for biofuel production may provide a mid-term economically feasible and environmentally sustainable solution to producing bioenergy, contributing, at the same time, to making saline areas - which have been considered unproductive for a long time - more valuable. This review emphasises on halophyte definition, global distribution, and environmental requirements. It also examines their enzymatic valorization, focusing on salt-tolerant enzymes from halophilic microbial species that may be deployed with greater advantage compared to their conventional mesophilic counterparts for faster degradation of halophyte biomass.
Raw Material Equivalents: The Challenges of Accounting for Sustainability in a Globalized World
Anke Schaffartzik; Dominik Wiedenhofer; Nina Eisenmenger
The indicator domestic material consumption (domestic extraction + imports – exports) is widely used to track the scale, composition, and dynamics of material use. As production increasingly occurs at a spatial distance from the demand it ultimately satisfies, new accounting challenges arise that this indicator may not be able to meet. In response, indicators in raw material equivalents (RME) have been developed to account for material use, no matter where it occurs, associated with final dem...
Mindful Sustainable Aging: Advancing a Comprehensive Approach to the Challenges and Opportunities of Old Age
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Håkan Nilsson
Full Text Available The primary aim of this article is to present a new concept called mindful sustainable aging (MSA, which is informed by mindfulness practices that support the physical, the mental, and especially, the social and the existential dimensions of old life. The concept of MSA is discussed and compared with four influential psychosocial theories in the field of gerontology, i.e., activity theory, disengagement theory, successful aging theory and gerotranscendence theory. The article ends with reviewing research on how mindfulness practice can help to manage, diminish and/or improve a number of serious physical conditions that are common among older people. The potential of mindfulness when it comes to facilitating for older adults in their quest for spiritual and existential meaning is discussed extensively throughout the article.
Addressing the Dual Challenges of Meeting Demand for Minerals and Sustainable Development
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R. Larry Grayson
Full Text Available In recent decades, excellent progress has been made globally in finding mineral resources, extracting them efficiently and effectively, dramatically reducing environmental degradation, and preventing adverse health and safety impacts on workers and stakeholders. The industry has realized tremendous advances in technology and applied science; has met changing and more stringent environmental performance criteria; has made remarkable reductions in fatality, illness, and lost-time accident rates; and has connected better than ever before with the communities in which mining, milling, and smelting are housed. A new era focused on continuous improvement in tackling key sustainable development parameters has come and is intensifying [1]. In order to maintain the social licenses needed to enlist broad public support for mining businesses, continued progress must be visible to national, provincial, and local governments as well as the people who live in the areas blessed with the mineral resources that the global economy and growing population will demand. [...
Challenging the Sustainability of an Education System of Evaluation and Labor Market Outcomes
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Wonyoung Baek
Full Text Available Students' inattention to the importance of teaching evaluations may undermine the sustainability of the education evaluation system. This study analyzed the effects of the personality variable reflected by monotonic response patterns, which is a typical example of student indifference, on the employability of graduates using Career-SET (student evaluations of teaching matched data of college graduates from 2008–2012. The results from various estimation models consistently indicated that graduates with a higher ratio of insincere responses in student evaluations of teaching are less likely to be employed, or are hired for lower prestige jobs than other comparison groups. This means that unlike the current practice in which firms rely simply on specifications to hire employees, applicants' invisible characteristics, such as personality, can also be screened by job interviewers.
Mindful Sustainable Aging: Advancing a Comprehensive Approach to the Challenges and Opportunities of Old Age
Nilsson, Håkan; Bülow, Pia H.; Kazemi, Ali
The primary aim of this article is to present a new concept called mindful sustainable aging (MSA), which is informed by mindfulness practices that support the physical, the mental, and especially, the social and the existential dimensions of old life. The concept of MSA is discussed and compared with four influential psychosocial theories in the field of gerontology, i.e., activity theory, disengagement theory, successful aging theory and gerotranscendence theory. The article ends with reviewing research on how mindfulness practice can help to manage, diminish and/or improve a number of serious physical conditions that are common among older people. The potential of mindfulness when it comes to facilitating for older adults in their quest for spiritual and existential meaning is discussed extensively throughout the article. PMID:27247673
Infection Programs Sustained Lymphoid Stromal Cell Responses and Shapes Lymph Node Remodeling upon Secondary Challenge
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Julia L. Gregory
Full Text Available Lymph nodes (LNs are constructed of intricate networks of endothelial and mesenchymal stromal cells. How these lymphoid stromal cells (LSCs regulate lymphoid tissue remodeling and contribute to immune responses remains poorly understood. We performed a comprehensive functional and transcriptional analysis of LSC responses to skin viral infection and found that LSC subsets responded robustly, with different kinetics for distinct pathogens. Recruitment of cells to inflamed LNs induced LSC expansion, while B cells sustained stromal responses in an antigen-independent manner. Infection induced rapid transcriptional responses in LSCs. This transcriptional program was transient, returning to homeostasis within 1 month of infection, yet expanded fibroblastic reticular cell networks persisted for more than 3 months after infection, and this altered LN composition reduced the magnitude of LSC responses to subsequent heterologous infection. Our results reveal the complexity of LSC responses during infection and suggest that amplified networks of LN stromal cells support successive immune responses.
The challenge of sustaining effectiveness over time: the case of the global network to stop tuberculosis
Quissell, Kathryn; Walt, Gill
Where once global health decisions were largely the domain of national governments and the World Health Organization, today networks of international organizations, governments, private philanthropies and other entities are actively shaping public policy. However, there is still limited understanding of how global networks form, how they create institutions, how they promote and sustain collective action, and how they adapt to changes in the policy environment. Understanding these processes is crucial to understanding their effectiveness: whether and how global networks influence policy and public health outcomes. This study seeks to address these gaps through the examination of the global network to stop tuberculosis (TB) and the factors influencing its effectiveness over time. Drawing from ∼200 document sources and 16 interviews with key informants, we trace the development of the Global Partnership to Stop TB and its work over the past decade. We find that having a centralized core group and a strategic brand helped the network to coalesce around a primary intervention strategy, directly observed treatment short course. This strategy was created before the network was formalized, and helped bring in donors, ministries of health and other organizations committed to fighting TB—growing the network. Adaptations to this strategy, the creation of a consensus-based Global Plan, and the creation of a variety of participatory venues for discussion, helped to expand and sustain the network. Presently, however, tensions have become more apparent within the network as it struggles with changing internal political dynamics and the evolution of the disease. While centralization and stability helped to launch and grow the network, the institutionalization of governance and strategy may have constrained adaptation. Institutionalization and centralization may, therefore, facilitate short-term success for networks, but may end up complicating longer-term effectiveness. PMID
Water resources in the Klein Karoo: the challenge of sustainable development in a water-scarce area
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Ashton Maherry
Full Text Available The Klein Karoo is situated in the Western Cape, South Africa, and is characterised by low rainfall (100–450 mm yr–1. The Klein Karoo is situated in the primary catchment of the Gouritz River. The mean annual runoff (MAR for the three major tributaries of the Gouritz River arising in or feeding the Klein Karoo (Touws, Gamka, Olifants is 540 Mm3 yr–1. Groundwater recharge in the three Klein Karoo catchments is ±257 Mm3 yr–1, but only a portion of this reaches the rivers. The very variable flows result in low 1:50 year yield of 161 Mm3 (30% of MAR. The current demand for water in these catchments is 182 Mm3 yr–1, which exceeds the yield, and demand is projected to increase between 23% and 150% by 2025. Changes in the approach to water management are required, including improving the efficiency of irrigation and land restoration to improve water infiltration and reduce soil erosion. We believe that it is time to change to a water management approach that is designed to anticipate and manage the inherent variability in water resources in the Klein Karoo, thereby placing the region on a path to sustainable development.
The process and challenges of obtaining and sustaining clinical placements for nursing and allied health students.
Taylor, Christine; Angel, Liz; Nyanga, Lucy; Dickson, Cathy
To describe the process and challenges from a project that aimed to develop processes, source new placements and place students primarily in the discipline of nursing, but also occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, social work, and speech therapy. Clinical experience in health facilities is an essential element of health professional education, yet globally, there is a lack of clinical placements to meet demands. Educational providers are seeking placements in nontraditional facilities, yet little has been reported on the challenges in the process of procuring clinical placements. The project used a descriptive approach within a quality implementation framework. The project was guided by the quality implementation framework that included four critical steps: considerations of the host setting, structuring the implementation, supporting the implementation and improving future applications. A total of 115 new student placements were finalised across six health disciplines, including elderly care, nongovernment organisations and general practice. Sixty-two nursing students were placed in the new placements during the project. Challenges included communication, the time-consuming nature of the process and 'gatekeeping' blocks to obtaining placements. Recommendations included the importance of personal interaction in developing and maintaining relationships, and the need for clear communication processes and documentation. Potential areas for research are also given. There is great potential for growth in establishing new placements outside the traditional placement facilities for nursing and allied health and for expanding already existing nonhospital placements. Clinical professional experiences are essential to any nursing or allied health programme. There is an increasing demand for, and global lack of, clinical placements for nursing and allied health students. The results provide nursing and allied health educators and managers a framework for planning
Niger's Child Survival Success, Contributing Factors and Challenges to Sustainability: A Retrospective Analysis.
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Donela Besada
Full Text Available Household surveys undertaken in Niger since 1998 have revealed steady declines in under-5 mortality which have placed the country 'on track' to reach the fourth Millennium Development goal (MDG. This paper explores Niger's mortality and health coverage data for children under-5 years of age up to 2012 to describe trends in high impact interventions and the resulting impact on childhood deaths averted. The sustainability of these trends are also considered.Estimates of child mortality using the 2012 Demographic and Health Survey were developed and maternal and child health coverage indicators were calculated over four time periods. Child survival policies and programmes were documented through a review of documents and key informant interviews. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST was used to estimate the number of child lives saved and identify which interventions had the largest impact on deaths averted. The national mortality rate in children under-5 decreased from 286 child deaths per 1000 live births (95% confidence interval 177 to 394 in the period 1989-1990 to 128 child deaths per 1000 live births in the period 2011-2012 (101 to 155, corresponding to an annual rate of decline of 3.6%, with significant declines taking place after 1998. Improvements in the coverage of maternal and child health interventions between 2006 and 2012 include one and four or more antenatal visits, maternal Fansidar and tetanus toxoid vaccination, measles and DPT3 vaccinations, early and exclusive breastfeeding, oral rehydration salts (ORS and proportion of children sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net (ITN. Approximately 26,000 deaths of children under-5 were averted in 2012 due to decreases in stunting rates (27%, increases in ORS (14%, the Hib vaccine (14%, and breastfeeding (11%. Increases in wasting and decreases in vitamin A supplementation negated some of those gains. Care seeking at the community level was responsible for an estimated 7,800 additional deaths
Biotemplated materials for sustainable energy and environment: current status and challenges.
Zhou, Han; Fan, Tongxiang; Zhang, Di
Materials science will play a key role in the further development of emerging solutions for the increasing problems of energy and environment. Materials found in nature have many inspiring structures, such as hierarchical organizations, periodic architectures, or nanostructures, that endow them with amazing functions, such as energy harvesting and conversion, antireflection, structural coloration, superhydrophobicity, and biological self-assembly. Biotemplating is an effective strategy to obtain morphology-controllable materials with structural specificity, complexity, and related unique functions. Herein, we highlight the synthesis and application of biotemplated materials for six key areas of energy and environment technologies, namely, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, CO(2) reduction, solar cells, lithium-ion batteries, photocatalytic degradation, and gas/vapor sensing. Although the applications differ from each other, a common fundamental challenge is to realize optimum structures for improved performances. We highlight the role of four typical structures derived from biological systems exploited to optimize properties: hierarchical (porous) structures, periodic (porous) structures, hollow structures, and nanostructures. We also provide examples of using biogenic elements (e.g., C, Si, N, I, P, S) for the creation of active materials. Finally, we disscuss the challenges of achieving the desired performance for large-scale commercial applications and provide some useful prototypes from nature for the biomimetic design of new materials or systems. The emphasis is mainly focused on the structural effects and compositional utilization of biotemplated materials. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
A review of thinning effects on Scots pine stands: From growth and yield to new challenges under global change
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Miren del Río, M.P.; Bravo-Oviedo, Andrés; Pretzsch, Hans; Löf, Magnus; Ruiz-Peinado, Ricardo
Aim of the study: Thinning experiments in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands have been carried out since long in different regions of its distribution. The aim of this paper is to gather the knowledge about the thinning effects on Scots pine stands, from the effects on growth and yield to the provision of ecosystem services in the framework of climate change. Area of study: The review covered studies from different regions of the distribution area of Scots pine Aim of the study: Thinning experiments in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands have been carried out for many years in different regions of its distribution. The aim of this paper is to gather knowledge regarding the effects of thinning on Scots pine stands, from the effects on growth and yield to the provision of ecosystem services in the context of climate change. Area of study: The review covers studies from different regions of the distribution area of Scots pine Material and methods: We reviewed the effect of thinning on four aspects: growth and yield, stability against snow and wind, response to drought, and ecosystem services. Main results: Heavy thinning involves a loss in volume yield, although the magnitude depends on the region, site and stand age. Thinning generally does not affect dominant height while the positive effect on tree diameter depends on the thinning regime. The stability of the stand against snow and wind is lower after the first thinning and increases in the long term. The impact of extreme droughts on tree growth is lower in thinned stands, which is linked to a better capacity to recover after the drought. Thinning generally reduces the wood quality, litter mass, and stand structural diversity, while having neutral or positive effects on other ecosystem services, although these effects can vary depending on the thinning regime. However, scarce information is available for most of the ecosystem services. Research highlight: Existing thinning experiments in Scots pine stands
Challenges ahead: social and institutional factors influencing sustainable urban stormwater management in Australia.
Brown, R R; Farrelly, M A
In a time of climate uncertainty and drought in Australia, improved urban stormwater quality management practices are required not only for protecting waterway health, but also as a fit-for-purpose supply source. To conceive of urban stormwater as an environmental threat as well as a water supply source requires a substantial shift in our traditional linear supply and wastewater structures towards more hybrid and complex infrastructure systems. To understand what drives and limits treatment technology adoption for stormwater management, over 800 urban water professionals in three Australian capital cities completed an online questionnaire survey in November 2006. Using the conceptual framework of receptivity assessment, the results revealed the professional community to be highly associated with the importance of improving stormwater quality for receiving waterway health, yet they do not consider that politicians share this perspective by placing a substantially lower level of importance on stormwater quality management. Significant acquisition barriers within each city, including institutional arrangements, costs, responsibilities, and regulations and approvals processes were all identified as constraining more sustainable practices. Capacity building programs, fostering greater socio-political capital and developing key demonstration projects with training events are recommended as useful policy interventions for addressing current institutional impediments.
Assessing Major Ecosystem Types and the Challenge of Sustainability in Turkey
Evrendilek, Fatih; Doygun, Hakan
In recent years, Turkey has experienced rapid economic and population growth coupled with both an equally rapid increase in energy consumption and a vast disparity in welfare between socioeconomic groups and regions. In turn, these pressures have accelerated the destruction of productive, assimilative, and regenerative capacities of the ecosystems, which are essential for the well-being of the people and the economy. This paper describes the structure and function of major ecosystem types in Turkey and discusses the underlying causes of environmental degradation in the framework of economy, energy, environment, and ethics. From a national perspective, this paper suggests three sustainability-based policies necessary for Turkey's long-term interests that balance economic, environmental, and energy goals: (1) decoupling economic growth from energy consumption growth through the development of energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies; (2) linking economic efficiency and distributive justice of wealth and power through distributive and participatory public policies; and (3) integrating the economic and ecological systems through the internalization of externalities and ecosystem rehabilitation.
Sustainability Challenges from Climate Change and Air Conditioning Use in Urban Areas
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Karin Lundgren
Full Text Available Global climate change increases heat loads in urban areas causing health and productivity risks for millions of people. Inhabitants in tropical and subtropical urban areas are at especial risk due to high population density, already high temperatures, and temperature increases due to climate change. Air conditioning is growing rapidly, especially in South and South-East Asia due to income growth and the need to protect from high heat exposures. Studies have linked increased total hourly electricity use to outdoor temperatures and humidity; modeled future predictions when facing additional heat due to climate change, related air conditioning with increased street level heat and estimated future air conditioning use in major urban areas. However, global and localized studies linking climate variables with air conditioning alone are lacking. More research and detailed data is needed looking at the effects of increasing air conditioning use, electricity consumption, climate change and interactions with the urban heat island effect. Climate change mitigation, for example using renewable energy sources, particularly photovoltaic electricity generation, to power air conditioning, and other sustainable methods to reduce heat exposure are needed to make future urban areas more climate resilient.
The challenge of knowledge and learning for sustainable development: issues regarding innovation
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Rose Marie Santini
Full Text Available Introduction: Nowadays innovation is considered one of the main driving forces of economic growth in the world. From this point of view, advances resulting from innovative processes are the basic factor when shaping transformation standards in economy and its sustainable development. Objective: This study aims at discussing the value of information, of knowledge, and of learning in technological and organizational innovation. Methodology: Starting from a review of literature based on a neoschumpeterian perspective on the subject, the current social-technicaleconomic context of information society was designed to analyze the importance of production, dissemination, and use of knowledge and learning in new arrangements and innovative production processes. Results: The acquisition of new skills and knowledge is a key factor for an innovative process, which only occurs in the presence of stimuli to form knowledge networking made up of different agents. This aspect emphasizes the role of the State in coordinating and maintaining long-term economic and industrial policies. Conclusion: National systems of innovation shape a network that is necessary for the innovation of its companies. Innovation policies are crucial in order to intensify competitiveness within a country, a region, or a company.
Overcoming challenges to sustainable immunization financing: early experiences from GAVI graduating countries.
Saxenian, Helen; Hecht, Robert; Kaddar, Miloud; Schmitt, Sarah; Ryckman, Theresa; Cornejo, Santiago
Over the 5-year period ending in 2018, 16 countries with a combined birth cohort of over 6 million infants requiring life-saving immunizations are scheduled to transition (graduate) from outside financial and technical support for a number of their essential vaccines. This support has been provided over the past decade by the GAVI Alliance. Will these 16 countries be able to continue to sustain these vaccination efforts? To address this issue, GAVI and its partners are supporting transition planning, entailing country assessments of readiness to graduate and intensive dialogue with national officials to ensure a smooth transition process. This approach was piloted in Bhutan, Republic of Congo, Georgia, Moldova and Mongolia in 2012. The pilot showed that graduating countries are highly heterogeneous in their capacity to assume responsibility for their immunization programmes. Although all possess certain strengths, each country displayed weaknesses in some of the following areas: budgeting for vaccine purchase, national procurement practices, performance of national regulatory agencies, and technical capacity for vaccine planning and advocacy. The 2012 pilot experience further demonstrated the value of transition planning processes and tools. As a result, GAVI has decided to continue with transition planning in 2013 and beyond. As the graduation process advances, GAVI and graduating countries should continue to contribute to global collective thinking about how developing countries can successfully end their dependence on donor aid and achieve self-sufficiency. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2014; all rights reserved.
Energy efficiency, human behavior, and economic growth: Challenges to cutting energy demand to sustainable levels
Santarius, Tilman
Increasing energy efficiency in households, transportation, industries, and services is an important strategy to reduce energy service demand to levels that allow the steep reduction of greenhouse gases, and a full fledged switch of energy systems to a renewable basis. Yet, technological efficiency improvements may generate so-called rebound effects, which may `eat up' parts of the technical savings potential. This article provides a comprehensive review of existing research on these effects, raises critiques, and points out open questions. It introduces micro-economic rebound effect and suggests extending consumer-side analysis to incorporate potential `psychological rebound effects.' It then discusses meso-economic rebound effects, i.e. producer-side and market-level rebounds, which so far have achieved little attention in the literature. Finally, the article critically reviews evidence for macro-economic rebound effects as energy efficiency-induced economic growth impacts. For all three categories, the article summarizes assessments of their potential quantitative scope, while pointing out remaining methodological weaknesses and open questions. As a rough "rule of thumb", in the long term and on gross average, only half the technical savings potential of across-the-board efficiency improvements may actually be achieved in the real world. Policies that aim at cutting energy service demand to sustainable levels are well advised to take due note of detrimental behavioral and economic growth impacts, and should foster policies and measures that can contain them.
The Massachusetts Sustainable-Yield Estimator: A decision-support tool to assess water availability at ungaged stream locations in Massachusetts
Archfield, Stacey A.; Vogel, Richard M.; Steeves, Peter A.; Brandt, Sara L.; Weiskel, Peter K.; Garabedian, Stephen P.
Federal, State and local water-resource managers require a variety of data and modeling tools to better understand water resources. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, has developed a statewide, interactive decision-support tool to meet this need. The decision-support tool, referred to as the Massachusetts Sustainable-Yield Estimator (MA SYE) provides screening-level estimates of the sustainable yield of a basin, defined as the difference between the unregulated streamflow and some user-specified quantity of water that must remain in the stream to support such functions as recreational activities or aquatic habitat. The MA SYE tool was designed, in part, because the quantity of surface water available in a basin is a time-varying quantity subject to competing demands for water. To compute sustainable yield, the MA SYE tool estimates a daily time series of unregulated, daily mean streamflow for a 44-year period of record spanning October 1, 1960, through September 30, 2004. Selected streamflow quantiles from an unregulated, daily flow-duration curve are estimated by solving six regression equations that are a function of physical and climate basin characteristics at an ungaged site on a stream of interest. Streamflow is then interpolated between the estimated quantiles to obtain a continuous daily flow-duration curve. A time series of unregulated daily streamflow subsequently is created by transferring the timing of the daily streamflow at a reference streamgage to the ungaged site by equating exceedence probabilities of contemporaneous flow at the two locations. One of 66 reference streamgages is selected by kriging, a geostatistical method, which is used to map the spatial relation among correlations between the time series of the logarithm of daily streamflows at each reference streamgage and the ungaged site. Estimated unregulated, daily mean streamflows show good agreement with observed
The challenges to performance and sustaining mutual health organisations/health institutions: an exploratory study in Ghana.
Adomah-Afari, Augustine
The purpose of this paper is to explore challenges to the performance and sustainability of mutual health organisations (MHOs) and health institutions towards enhancing access to quality health care (HC) in Ghana. Data were gathered through interviews and documentary review. Problems with late release of reimbursement funds for discharging with claims by the central government has impacted heavily on the financial and strategic management and decision-making processes of the MHOs and health institutions. The lack of in-depth analysis of the financial viability of the MHOs; and the limited number of schemes selected. Recommends the need to ensure prompt release of reimbursement funds by government to enable the MHOs to reimburse claims to health institutions. There is a perceived tension between the MHOs and HC institutions due to late release of reimbursement funds by the government. Contributes to understanding of how the NHI Act influences the operations of MHOs and health institutions towards increasing access to quality HC and financing.
IAEA education and training in radiation protection,transport and waste - new developments and challenges towards sustainability
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Sadagopan, G. [International Atomic Energy Agency (PPSS/NSRW/IAEA), Vienna (Austria); Mrabit, K. [International Atomic Energy Agency (PPSS/NSRW/IAEA), Vienna (Austria)
IAEA education and training activities follow the resolutions of its General Conferences and reflects the latest IAEA standards and guidance. IAEA prepared a 'Strategic Approach to Education and Training in Radiation and Waste Safety' (Strategy on Education and Training) aiming at establishing, by 2010, sustainable education and training programmes in Member States, which was endorsed by the GC(45)/R.E.S./10 C in 2001. In implementing the strategy, IAEA is organizing training events in the regional level and assisting the Member States at the national level by providing them with exemplary quality of training material developed at the Agency. This work will continue ensuring its completeness in all areas of radiation protection. An Inter Centre Network between the Agency and regional, collaborating national training centres is established to facilitate information exchange, improve communication and dissemination of training material. There is a challenge to enhance the technical capability of the Member States to reach sustainability. This is intended through organizing number of Train the Trainers workshops to develop a pool of qualified trainers. The syllabus for training of Radiation Protection Officers is developed and a protocol document for educational and training appraisal (E.d.u.T.A.) is developed. The new developments include web enabling the approved training packages and establish E.learning and carrying out E.d.u.T.A. missions, aimed at identifying training needs in Member States and support them to build their own training strategy. These activities are aimed at assisting Member States attain self sustainability. (authors)
Self-Sufficiency versus Security: How Trade Protectionism Challenges the Sustainability of the Food Supply in Russia
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Vasilii Erokhin
Full Text Available Food security is increasingly influenced by multilateral trade systems and foreign trade policies implemented by national governments. Many of them are now concerned about the sustainability of food supply and the vulnerability of domestic food markets to price volatility, and seek to support domestic producers and protect themselves from increasing food imports. Such restrictions improve food self-sufficiency, but decrease food security. It is important to understand any changes that may have occurred in the food consumption pattern due to trade protectionism and to observe any nutritional implications of these changes. This paper employs the rational food security (RFS assessment approach, which differentiates sources of food supply on the domestic market, assesses the influence of agricultural and trade frameworks on food consumption patterns, and complies consumption with the appropriate food intake threshold. In the case of Russia, the study demonstrates that the conventional consumption approach to self-sufficiency (FSCA underestimates the food insecurity level by not accounting for nutrition factors. In addition, the gap between the FSCA and the RFS increases in times of protectionist trade policy and decreases when the agricultural and trade policy framework turns to liberalization. The paper concludes that trade protectionism challenges the sustainability of food supply by decreasing food availability and quality of food products, causes dietary changes, and threatens the food security of the country.
Brazilian policy of universal access to AIDS treatment: sustainability challenges and perspectives.
Greco, Dirceu B; Simão, Mariangela
The Brazilian AIDS Programme success is recognized worldwide, due to its integrated approach of prevention, respect for human rights and to free of charge universal access to state of the art antiretrovirals. As of 2006, 180,000 people living with AIDS are on HAART with 17 drugs available, receiving medical and laboratory care through the public health system. Costs for ART drugs reached US$ 400 million in 2006 and will increase steeply if the current trends are maintained: uptake of approximately 20,000 new patients/year and the need for more expensive, patent-protected second and third line drugs. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the programme, budgetary pressures, the need for more intense preventive efforts, for boosting local production of new drugs, for more investment in research and development and the issue of voluntary and compulsory licensing. There are many hurdles in pursuing long-term sustainability, which depends on country driven initiatives and international collaboration and participation. We conclude that the Brazilian experience demonstrated the capability of a developing country to treat people with equity, independently of race, gender or economic power and that this equality "seed" has already spread to other countries. Internally this experience must be used to tackle other endemic diseases, such as leprosy, malaria, dengue and leishmania. The Brazilian political will has been proven but, once again, there will be the need for concerted action by civil society, researchers, health professionals, people living with HIV/AIDS and the government to convince the world that health needs should not be treated as commercial issues, and that progress in research and development must be shared throughout the world if we expect to survive as a civilization.
nanoHUB.org: Experiences and Challenges in Software Sustainability for a Large Scientific Community
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Lynn Zentner
Full Text Available The science gateway nanoHUB.org, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF, serves a large scientific community dedicated to research and education in nanotechnology with community-contributed simulation codes as well as a vast repository of other materials such as recorded presentations, teaching materials, and workshops and courses. Nearly 330,000 users annually access over 4400 items of content on nanoHUB, including 343 simulation tools. Arguably the largest nanotechnology facility in the world, nanoHUB has led the way not only in providing open access to scientific code in the nanotechnology community, but also in lowering barriers to the use of that code, by providing a platform where developers are able to easily and quickly deploy code written in a variety of languages with user-friendly graphical user interfaces and where users can run the latest versions of codes transparently on the grid or other powerful resources without ever having to download or update code. Being a leader in open access code deployment provides nanoHUB with opportunities and challenges as it meets the current and future needs of its community. This paper discusses the experiences of nanoHUB in addressing and adapting to the changing landscape of scientific software in ways that best serve its community and meet the needs of the largest portion of its user base.
Solving the Meteorological Challenges of Creating a Sustainable Energy System (Invited)
Marquis, M.
Global energy demand is projected to double from 13 TW at the start of this century to 28 TW by the middle of the century. This translates into obtaining 1000 MW (1 GW, the amount produced by an average nuclear or coal power plant) of new energy every single day for the next 40 years. The U.S. Department of Energy has conducted three feasibility studies in the last two years identifying the costs, challenges, impacts, and benefits of generating large portions of the nation's electricity from wind and solar energy, in the new two decades. The 20% Wind by 2030 report found that the nation could meet one-fifth of its electricity demand from wind energy by 2030. The second report, the Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study, considered similar costs, challenges, and benefits, but considered 20% wind energy in the Eastern Interconnect only, with a target date of 2024. The third report, the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study, considered the operational impact of up to 35% penetration of wind, photovoltaics (PVs) and, concentrating solar power (CSP) on the power system operated by the WestConnect group, with a target date of 2017. All three studies concluded that it is technically feasible to obtain these high penetration levels of renewable energy, but that increases in the balancing area cooperation or coordination, increased utilization of transmission and building of transmission in some cases, and improved weather forecasts are needed. Current energy systems were designed for dispatchable fuels, such as coal, natural gas and nuclear energy. Fitting weather-driven renewable energy into today's energy system is like fitting a square peg into a round hole. If society chooses to meet a significant portion of new energy demand from weather-driven renewable energy, such as wind and solar energy, a number of obstacles must be overcome. Some of these obstacles are meteorological and climatological issues that are amenable to scientific research. For variable
The role of Geophysics for a sustainable environment: potentials, challenges and limitations
Buske, Stefan
The increasing worldwide demand for energy including the exploration of new resources are provoking prompt activities to guarantee a safe accomplishment together with a conscientious protection of the environment. Within this framework geophysical technologies play a key role for the profound assessment and characterization of the subsurface, which hosts most of the corresponding targets of human interest. These technologies (active- and passive-source seismology, electromagnetics, etc.) are expected to deliver a reliable and highly-resolved image of the subsurface including its structural inventory and the related rock-physical parameters on a broad scale and depending on the used inversion methodology. In particular in terms of energy and resources, i.e. the exploration and partly the storage and disposal of end-products, the existing geophysical imaging techniques are well suited for both, the over-the-years well established oil/gas industry as well as for newer emerging industry branches, e.g. geothermal energy. On the other hand the related problems, e.g. induced earthquakes, are currently stimulating various research areas and the development of new technologies for a better understanding and prediction of the inherent processes and a more reliable risk assessment. This applies in equally the same manner to natural phenomena, including but not limited to natural earthquakes, vulcanoes, landslides, etc. This presentation will summarize the key issues as well as the possibilities and potentials of existing geophysical monitoring and prediction approaches within this framework. Furthermore, some of the current challenges will be addressed, e.g. the required steps towards an improvement of image quality and resolution along with an increased computational efficiency of these methodologies. Finally, also the limitations of state-of-the-art technologies will be discussed with an assortment of successful and failed case studies that demonstrate the potential
An introduction to mid-latitude ecotone: sustainability and environmental challenges
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J. Moon
Full Text Available The mid-latitude zone can be broadly defined as part of the hemisphere between 30°–60° latitude. This zone is home to over 50 % of the world population and encompasses about 36 countries throughout the principal region, which host most of the world's development and poverty related problems. In reviewing some of the past and current major environmental challenges that parts of mid-latitudes are facing, this study sets the context by limiting the scope of mid-latitude region to that of Northern hemisphere, specifically between 30°–45° latitudes which is related to the warm temperate zone comprising the Mid-Latitude ecotone – a transition belt between the forest zone and southern dry land territories. The ongoing climate change reveals a substantial increase of temperature and simultaneous decrease in the amount of precipitation across vast continental regions in the mid-latitudes. According to climatic predictions, these tendencies will continue during the 21st century, which will likely increase the frequency and severity of droughts and water stress of vegetation. Along with climate change, ongoing land degradation and deforestation are observed in many regions of the mid-latitude region. For example, the Korean peninsula, which is divided into South and North Korea, is characterized by drastically different forest conditions. Deforestation in North Korea has been exacerbating at a noticeable pace due to excessive logging and human intervention. Such problems are not confined to Korean peninsula but are witnessed across vast regions of the mid-latitude region. Within this context – acquiring better understanding in the role of terrestrial ecosystems located at different latitudes is critical – for building resilience against the negative impact of climate change and for maintaining the stability of the environment and landscapes.
Financial sustainability versus access and quality in a challenged health system: an examination of the capitation policy debate in Ghana.
Atuoye, Kilian Nasung; Vercillo, Siera; Antabe, Roger; Galaa, Sylvester Zackaria; Luginaah, Isaac
Policy makers in low and middle-income countries are frequently confronted with challenges of increasing health access for poor populations in a sustainable manner. After several years of trying out different health financing mechanisms, health insurance has recently emerged as a pro-poor health financing policy. Capitation, a fixed fee periodically paid to health service providers for anticipated services, is one of the payment policies in health insurance. This article examines claims and counter-claims made by coalitions and individual stakeholders in a capitation payment policy debate within Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme. Using content analysis of public and parliamentary proceedings, we situate the debate within policy making and health insurance literature. We found that the ongoing capitation payment debate stems from challenges in implementation of earlier health insurance claims payment systems, which reflect broader systemic challenges facing the health insurance scheme in Ghana. The study illustrates the extent to which various sub-systems in the policy debate advance arguments to legitimize their claims about the contested capitation payment system. In addition, we found that the health of poor communities, women and children are being used as surrogates for political and individual arguments in the policy debate. The article recommends a more holistic and participatory approach through persuasion and negotiation to join interests and core evidence together in the capitation policy making in Ghana and elsewhere with similar contexts. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: email@example.com.
Challenges for Sustainable Energy Sectors in Developing Countries- with Case Studies from Zambia, Zimbabwe, India and Thailand
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Andersen, Regine
Most of the developing countries have severe constraints on economic development caused by serious problems in their power sector. This report analyses the technical and financial situation of the sector from the perspective of sustainable electricity strategies. The core problem of the electricity sector is the complete lack of energy efficiency at all levels from generation to end user. The current emphasis on private participation in new electricity generation projects fails to solve the core problem and even diverts attention from the real challenge. An arm`s length relationship between governments and utilities is of central importance for a sound performance of the power sector. But more autonomous power sector decisions, such as reformed tariff structures, might contribute to inflation and political unrest. This is a main barrier to steps towards power sector autonomy. Another barrier is the lack of institutional capacity, despite over staffed utilities. Most important is the fact that the organizational structures are designed for supply-side management and that the incentive structures for good performance are often weak. The case of Thailand shows that end-use efficiency can be developed considerably by means of incentives and regulations and that transparency was an important condition for achieving this. The real challenge for development cooperation is to support the improvement of energy efficiency at all levels and the institutional and financial preconditions. It is also an important challenge to support developing countries in preparing for future utilization of viable new renewable energy carriers. Apart from this, it is important to continue the work for environmental impact assessments of planned power projects, and to support measures for minimizing the environmental impacts of old power plants. 48 refs., 2 figs.
How an Entry-Level, Interdisciplinary Sustainability Course Revealed the Benefits and Challenges of a University-Wide Initiative for Sustainability Education
Coops, Nicholas C.; Marcus, Jean; Construt, Ileana; Frank, Erica; Kellett, Ron; Mazzi, Eric; Munro, Alison; Nesbit, Susan; Riseman, Andrew; Robinson, John; Schultz, Anneliese; Sipos, Yona
Purpose: Delivery of sustainability-related curriculum to undergraduate students can be problematic due to the traditional "siloing" of curriculum by faculties along disciplinary lines. In addition, while there is often a ready availability of courses focused on sustainability issues in the later years of students' programs, few early…
Challenge and Yield of Enrolling Racially and Ethnically Diverse Patient Populations in Low Event Rate Clinical Trials.
Sheffet, Alice J; Howard, George; Sam, Albert; Jamil, Zafar; Weaver, Fred; Chiu, David; Voeks, Jenifer H; Howard, Virginia J; Hughes, Susan E; Flaxman, Linda; Longbottom, Mary E; Brott, Thomas G
We report patient enrollment and retention by race and ethnicity in the CREST (Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy Versus Stent Trial) and assess potential effect modification by race/ethnicity. In addition, we discuss the challenge of detecting differences in study outcomes when subgroups are small and the event rate is low. We compared 2502 patients by race, ethnicity, baseline characteristics, and primary outcome (any periprocedural stroke, death, or myocardial infarction and subsequent ipsilateral stroke up to 10 years). Two hundred forty (9.7%) patients were minority by race (6.1%) or ethnicity (3.6%); 109 patients (4.4%) were black, 32 (1.3%) Asian, 2332 (93.4%) white, 11 (0.4%) other, and 18 (0.7%) unknown. Ninety (3.6%) were Hispanic, 2377 (95%) non-Hispanic, and 35 (1.4%) unknown. The rate of the primary end point for all patients was 10.9%±0.9% at 10 years and did not differ by race or ethnicity (Pinter>0.24). The proportion of minorities recruited to CREST was below their representation in the general population, and retention of minority patients was lower than for whites. Primary outcomes did not differ by race or ethnicity. However, in CREST (like other studies), the lack of evidence of a racial/ethnic difference in the treatment effect should be interpreted with caution because of low statistical power to detect such a difference. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00004732. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.
Challenges for Australia's Bio/Nanopharma Policies: trade deals, public goods and reference pricing in sustainable industrial renewal.
Faunce, Thomas A
controversial interpretations of reward of pharmaceutical 'innovation' provisions in the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) through the policy-development mechanisms of the AUSFTA Medicines Working Group and most recently an Innovative Medicines Working Group with the Department of Health and Ageing. This paper critically analyses such arguments in the context of emerging challenges for sustainable industrial renewal in Australia's bio/nanopharma sector.
Seasonal and Interannual Trends in Largest Cholera Endemic Megacity: Water Sustainability - Climate - Health Challenges in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Akanda, Ali S.; Jutla, Antarpreet; Faruque, Abu S. G.; Huq, Anwar; Colwell, Rita R.
The last three decades of surveillance data shows a drastic increase of cholera prevalence in the largest cholera-endemic city in the world - Dhaka, Bangladesh. Emerging megacities in the region, especially those located in coastal areas also remain vulnerable to large scale drivers of cholera outbreaks. However, there has not been any systematic study on linking long-term disease trends with related changes in natural or societal variables. Here, we analyze the 30-year dynamics of urban cholera prevalence in Dhaka with changes in climatic or anthropogenic forcings: regional hydrology, flooding, water usage, changes in distribution systems, population growth and density in urban settlements, as well as shifting climate patterns and frequency of natural disasters. An interesting change is observed in the seasonal trends of cholera prevalence; while an endemic upward trend is seen in the dry season, the post-monsoon trend is epidemic in nature. In addition, the trend in the pre-monsoon dry season is significantly stronger than the post-monsoon wet season; and thus spring is becoming the dominant cholera season of the year. Evidence points to growing urbanization and rising population in unplanned settlements along the city peripheries. The rapid pressure of growth has led to an unsustainable and potentially disastrous situation with negligible-to-poor water and sanitation systems compounded by changing climatic patterns and increasing number of extreme weather events. Growing water scarcity in the dry season and lack of sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure for urban settlements have increased endemicity of cholera outbreaks in spring, while record flood events and prolonged post-monsoon inundation have contributed to increased epidemic outbreaks in fall. We analyze our findings with the World Health Organization recommended guidelines and investigate large scale water sustainability challenges in the context of climatic and anthropogenic changes in the
Combining Multidisciplinary Science, Quantitative Reasoning and Social Context to Teach Global Sustainability and Prepare Students for 21st Grand Challenges
Myers, J. D.
The Earth's seven billion humans are consuming a growing proportion of the world's ecosystem products and services. Human activity has also wrought changes that rival the scale of many natural geologic processes, e.g. erosion, transport and deposition, leading to recognition of a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Because of these impacts, several natural systems have been pushed beyond the planetary boundaries that made the Holocene favorable for the expansion of humanity. Given these human-induced stresses on natural systems, global citizens will face an increasing number of grand challenges. Unfortunately, traditional discipline-based introductory science courses do little to prepare students for these complex, scientifically-based and technologically-centered challenges. With NSF funding, an introductory, integrated science course stressing quantitative reasoning and social context has been created at UW. The course (GEOL1600: Global Sustainability: Managing the Earth's Resources) is a lower division course designed around the energy-water-climate (EWC) nexus and integrating biology, chemistry, Earth science and physics. It melds lectures, lecture activities, reading questionnaires and labs to create a learning environment that examines the EWT nexus from a global through regional context. The focus on the EWC nexus, while important socially and intended to motivate students, also provides a coherent framework for identifying which disciplinary scientific principles and concepts to include in the course: photosynthesis and deep time (fossil fuels), biogeochemical cycles (climate), chemical reactions (combustion), electromagnetic radiation (solar power), nuclear physics (nuclear power), phase changes and diagrams (water and climate), etc. Lecture activities are used to give students the practice they need to make quantitative skills routine and automatic. Laboratory exercises on energy (coal, petroleum, nuclear power), water (in Bangladesh), energy
Recalibrating the G20's Mission Towards Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Challenges for the German Presidency
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Thomas Fues
Full Text Available It will not be easy for Germany to build a meaningful legacy from its current presidency of the Group of 20 (G20. This is not a question of political will; rather, it is related to the constraints posed by international and domestic factors. On the external front, the uncertainty associated with the inauguration of U.S. president Donald Trump has fundamentally disrupted the G20 process. It seems highly unlikely that leaders will find common ground on critical issues of global economic governance before the Hamburg Summit in early July. Until then, we can expect stalemate and polarization rather than joint action. Given Trump's statements, his administration will openly challenge the G20 paradigm of economic globalization and international cooperation. In addition, his leaning toward Russia and antagonism toward China will put pressure on traditional alliances, the Group of Seven and the BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The domestic context is also complicated and is certainly not benign from the perspective of German chancellor Angela Merkel. Although she and her conservative party are set to win the upcoming national election, a surging populist party on the right is attracting significant attention. The electoral process will make it impossible for Merkel to meet outside fiscal demands, including for the use of fiscal space to reduce the persistent current account surplus. Despite such adversarial conditions, the German government is determined to lead the fight against protectionism. Building on China's preceding G20 presidency, Berlin will also emphasize the key relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals to a universal policy framework and will call for special efforts on Africa. However, it remains to be seen if Germany can achieve anything of relevance in the face of these mounting challenges.
Innovative Promotion of Renewable Energy Development for Challenging Sustainable Low-Carbon Society: Case Study of Pingtung County, Taiwan
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Wen-Tien Tsai
Full Text Available Pingtung County, located in the southernmost part of Taiwan, has been selected as one of the Smarter Cities Challenge by the International Business Machines (IBM in 2013 due to its innovative promotion for renewable energy exploitation in recent years. In this regard, the objective of this paper will be to present an in-depth analysis of the success of environmental sustainability efforts through aggressive measures and profitable plans by this tropical county. The description in the paper is, thus, summarized on the central regulations and economic measures for promoting renewable energy in Taiwan, focusing on the feed-in tariff (FIT. Then, some innovative promotion plans for renewable energy in Pinugtung County, including swine-derived biogas-to-power and "Raise Water, Grow Electricity", were further addressed to show the preliminary results under the funding supports of the central and local governments. With a practical basis of the total swine population (around 433,000 heads, from the farm scale of over 5,000 heads in Pingtung County, a preliminary analysis showed the annual benefits: methane reduction of 2.2 Gg, electricity generation of 8.3 × 106 kilowatt-hour (kW-h, equivalent electricity charge saving of 8.3 × 105 US Dollar (USD, and equivalent carbon dioxide mitigation of 50.9 thousand tons (Gg.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Claudia Marotta
Full Text Available Thirty years ago, starting from a new awareness of the limits of biomedical power and healthcare services to solve all population' health problems, the Ottawa Conference coined a New Public Health by defining Health Promotion (HP as "the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health and well-being". Since then and over the next 30 years, several programs have been developed all over the world to translate HP concepts into practical actions and many health successes have been achieved as well. Nowadays, even if the global health context has strongly changed, the original principles of HP still provide a solid ground for action, being the community engagement and empowerment of women and men still at the heart of any health strategy, in a shared responsibility of all society's sectors approach. However, since now HP promotion efforts have been directed toward priority health problems in a issue- settings-based approach, but in a sustainable and ethical prospective this will be not enough now: a deeper attention on effectiveness is request and an evidence- and value-based HP approach is needed to support the Public Health community and the policy-making, including the new challenges related to Public Health Genomics.
Sustainability is the best policy. Research challenges for a sustainable energy supply; Duurzaamheid duurt het langst. Onderzoeksuitdagingen voor een duurzame energievoorziening
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
deliberately begun with 'increasing efficiency and energy conservation', as this option can make the biggest contribution to sustainable energy systems in both the short and long term. Energy conservation begins with a change in behaviour, and can be improved considerably by increasing the efficiency of energy conversion systems. It is vitally important to understand that changing behaviour requires research of a different kind than conversion technology research. Solar energy is the most important sustainable source of energy in the long term, although a significant amount of scientific research and many technological advances are necessary before it can be used on a broad scale. Although large-scale, economically viable offshore wind farms appear to be an equally important option for the production of sustainable energy, the Foresight Committee believes that fundamental research is no longer necessary in this area. Many future wind energy studies will be carried out within the context of applied research, and that means that the business sector should take the lead, in consultation with research organisations. Bio-energy, on the other hand, has great potential as a sustainable source of energy. However, our knowledge of the technical possibilities is still in its infancy. In addition, changing to a more bio-based economy will require industry, government and society in general to cooperate closely. Second-generation technologies - for example the conversion of plant biomass - are of huge significance when it comes to striking a proper balance between food production, chemicals development and bio-energy. With respect to the capture of CO2, fundamental research is no longer necessary. The same is true of CO2 storage. The only research challenges remaining involve storage in large, deep-lying aquifers; whether such research is attractive enough for the Netherlands to invest in major national research programmes remains to be seen, however. When it comes to nuclear
The Real Sustainability Challenge
CSIR Research Space (South Africa)
Unknown author
Full Text Available place where "they" grow coffee and bananas and dictators. A gigantic film set for the makers of action hero movies and art films and really depressing docudramas. But it is a place with no real people. The people of the developing world have been... and I am not French, although I share a genetic heritage with these nations, and a few others. I am what is known as an Afrikaner. Like most true Afrikaners, I also have enough coloured blood in my ancestry to be classified black according to America...
ESST Proceedings Rotterdam 2009. Beet Quality. Sustainability of beet sugar production. Energy usage - future challenges. General process technology developments
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Within the conference of the European Society for Sugar Technology (Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany) between 17th and 20th June, 2009 in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) the following lectures were held: (1) Sugar beet quality during long-term storage in clamp and field (A.W.M. Huijbregts); (2) Methods used in the Netherlands to limit frost damage and to process frost-deteriorated beets (J. Strujis, M. Jaspers, M. van Dijk); (3) Biotech in sugarbeet and sugarcane: Current status (T.K. Schwartz, C. Richard); (4) Separation of water through gas hydrate (T. Boech Andersen); (5) Optimised standard of sugar manufacturing - first calculations (F. Lorenz, T. Frankenfeld); (6) Reconsidering vapour compression for sugar crystallization (A. Dolls, M. Bruhns); (7) The development of sustainability standards in the sugar industry (P. Rein); (8) Bioethanol: sugar beet, sugar cane or second generation? (W.J. Corre, J.G. Conijin); (9) The sustainability of beet sugar production in comparison with other sugar crops (P. Christodoulou, V. Kazantzi, S. Bezergianni, K. Gounaris); (10) Alternative products from sugar beets (J. Iciek, S. Wawro); (11) Alternative products from sugar beets (M. Wojtczak); (12) Increase of sugar yield by electrodialysis (J.P. Jenen, P.B. Hansen, M.P. Carter); (13) Optimal dosing of alkalizing agents in the juice purification (G. Roesner, W. Hein, F. Emerstorfer); (14) Affinity based separation technologies and their role in the current and future sugar industry (V. Kochergin); (15) Four to three-stage sugarhouse with two white sugar products (J. Jeppesen, M. Carter); (16) Practical experience of juice decalcification using a weak acid cation exchange resin plant incorporating fractal fluid distribution (E. West, P. Burroughs, P. Seymour); (17) A new process for the production of 'seed crystals' - Process development and field report from the factories (M. Walter, B. Ekelhof, S. Heppner, D. Wullbrandt); (18) Application possibilities and Properties
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
René-Éric Dagorn
Full Text Available Sous le titre « The Hispanic Challenge », Samuel P. Huntington propose dans le numéro de Foreign Policy de mars-avril 2004 une nouvelle démonstration du danger de sa pseudo-théorie du « choc des civilisations ». Quel est donc ce « challenge » auquel, d'après Huntington, la société américaine serait aujourd'hui confrontée ? C'est celui de l'immigration « hispanique » qui « menace l'identité américaine, ses valeurs et son mode de vie » ...
Mode of the Past or Promise for the Future? Cycling in China and the Sustainability Challenge, 1955–Present
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ruth Oldenziel
Full Text Available Since the 1950s, cycling policy in China has gone through three phases: from active encouragement (1955–1994 and systematic discouragement (1994–2008 to neglect and ambivalence (since the 2010s. Parallel to the expansion of automobility, the country has been unique in its development of innovations in electric-powered two-wheelers and a vibrant e-cycling practice since the 1980s. Electric bikes have given over 300 million low-status commuters and peddlers access to jobs and housing, even though planners have dismissed them as a problematic ›floating population‹ and remnants of the past. Given China's current urban sustainable mobility challenges and ambition to become the world's first ›Ecological Civilization‹ (2013, China's bicycle industry, e-vehicle manufacturers, and the e-commerce sector may offer an alternative to the US-based ›car civilization‹ if ecological (e-cycles and social (low-status workers sustainability are brought into one analytical frame. *** Seit den 1950er-Jahren hat die chinesische Fahrrad-Politik drei Phasen durchlaufen: von aktiver Förderung (1955–1994 über systematische Behinderung (1994–2008 bis zu Vernachlässigung und Ambivalenz (ab etwa 2010. Parallel zur Expansion der Autoindustrie und des Autoverkehrs seit den 1980er-Jahren hat die besondere Entwicklung Chinas – die dynamische Innovation bei Fahrrädern und Motorrollern mit Elektroantrieb – für über 300 Millionen Pendler aus unteren Schichten und Kleinhändler einen besseren Zugang zu Arbeits- und Wohnmöglichkeiten geschaffen. Zwar haben Stadt- und Verkehrsplaner solche sozialen Gruppen oft als problematische Überbleibsel der Vergangenheit gesehen. Doch in Anbetracht der Herausforderungen für nachhaltige urbane Mobilitätskonzepte, vor denen China steht, und dem 2013 formulierten Anspruch des Landes, die weltweit erste »ökologische Zivilisation« zu werden, bieten die Fahrradindustrie und die Elektromobilität m
High-yield production of recombinant virus-like particles of enterovirus 71 in Pichia pastoris and their protective efficacy against oral viral challenge in mice.
Zhang, Chao; Ku, Zhiqiang; Liu, Qingwei; Wang, Xiaoli; Chen, Tan; Ye, Xiaohua; Li, Dapeng; Jin, Xia; Huang, Zhong
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is one of the major causative pathogens of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), which is highly prevalent in the Asia-Pacific regions. Severe HFMD cases with neurological complications and even death are often associated with EV71 infections. However, no licensed EV71 vaccine is currently available. Recombinant virus-like particles (VLPs) of EV71 have been produced and shown to be a promising vaccine candidate in preclinical studies. However, the performance of current recombinant expression systems for EV71 VLP production remains unsatisfactory with regard to VLP yield and manufacturing procedure, and thus hinders further product development. In this study, we evaluated the expression of EV71 VLPs in Pichia pastoris and determined their protective efficacy in mouse models of EV71 infections. We showed that EV71 VLPs could be produced at high levels up to 4.9% of total soluble protein in transgenic P. pastoris yeast co-expressing P1 and 3CD proteins of EV71. The resulting yeast-produced VLPs potently induced neutralizing antibodies against homologous and heterologous EV71 strains in mice. More importantly, maternal immunization with VLPs protected neonatal mice in both intraperitoneal and oral challenge experiments. Collectively, these results demonstrated the success of simple, high-yield production of EV71 VLPs in transgenic P. pastoris, thus lifting the major roadblock in commercial development of VLP-based EV71 vaccines. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Can Education for Sustainable Development Address Challenges in the Arab Region? Examining Business Students' Attitudes and Competences on Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study
Kanbar, Nancy
The population growth together with the unsustainable consumption pattern is putting increasing stress on the planet's natural resources. The increasing realisation that humans are harming the environment is taking the form of a global movement intended to change behaviour towards sustainability, now recognised as a framework that links humans to…
Collaborative Strategies for Sustainable EU Flood Risk Management: FOSS and Geospatial Tools—Challenges and Opportunities for Operative Risk Analysis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Raffaele Albano
Full Text Available An analysis of global statistics shows a substantial increase in flood damage over the past few decades. Moreover, it is expected that flood risk will continue to rise due to the combined effect of increasing numbers of people and economic assets in risk-prone areas and the effects of climate change. In order to mitigate the impact of natural hazards on European economies and societies, improved risk assessment, and management needs to be pursued. With the recent transition to a more risk-based approach in European flood management policy, flood analysis models have become an important part of flood risk management (FRM. In this context, free and open-source (FOSS geospatial models provide better and more complete information to stakeholders regarding their compliance with the Flood Directive (2007/60/EC for effective and collaborative FRM. A geospatial model is an essential tool to address the European challenge for comprehensive and sustainable FRM because it allows for the use of integrated social and economic quantitative risk outcomes in a spatio-temporal domain. Moreover, a FOSS model can support governance processes using an interactive, transparent and collaborative approach, providing a meaningful experience that both promotes learning and generates knowledge through a process of guided discovery regarding flood risk management. This article aims to organize the available knowledge and characteristics of the methods available to give operational recommendations and principles that can support authorities, local entities, and the stakeholders involved in decision-making with regard to flood risk management in their compliance with the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC.
Sustainability : Politics and governance
Heinrichs, Harald; Biermann, Frank
he article gives an overview of global sustainability policy and politics. It is shown how international policy making on sustainable development has progressed from environmental policy toward recent approaches of Earth system governance. Key challenges of international sustainability politics are
Challenges facing use of energy in the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe and policies that can promote the sustainable use of renewable energy and tourism development
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marunda, E.
Full Text Available This article analyses the various challenges facing use of energy for sustainable tourism development in Zimbabwe on the backdrop of Zimbabwe's reliance mainly on non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels and wood whilst very little use is being made of the abundant renewable sources of energy for instance the sun and wind technologies. It is based on the research carried out with the objective of establishing policies that can promote the sustainable use of renewable energy sources in the country. The findings reveal that stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry are largely in favour of formulating and expanding policies that encourage use of solar and wind technologies, at the same time mitigating environmental degradation. The article summarises the findings and duly recommends policies than can be used in Zimbabwe to promote the sustainable use of renewable energy employing solar and wind among others for tourism development.
A shell-neutral modeling approach yields sustainable oyster harvest estimates: a retrospective analysis of the Louisiana state primary seed grounds
Soniat, Thomas M.; Klinck, John M.; Powell, Eric N.; Cooper, Nathan; Abdelguerfi, Mahdi; Hofmann, Eileen E.; Dahal, Janak; Tu, Shengru; Finigan, John; Eberline, Benjamin S.; La Peyre, Jerome F.; LaPeyre, Megan K.; Qaddoura, Fareed
A numerical model is presented that defines a sustainability criterion as no net loss of shell, and calculates a sustainable harvest of seed (<75 mm) and sack or market oysters (≥75 mm). Stock assessments of the Primary State Seed Grounds conducted east of the Mississippi from 2009 to 2011 show a general trend toward decreasing abundance of sack and seed oysters. Retrospective simulations provide estimates of annual sustainable harvests. Comparisons of simulated sustainable harvests with actual harvests show a trend toward unsustainable harvests toward the end of the time series. Stock assessments combined with shell-neutral models can be used to estimate sustainable harvest and manage cultch through shell planting when actual harvest exceeds sustainable harvest. For exclusive restoration efforts (no fishing allowed), the model provides a metric for restoration success-namely, shell accretion. Oyster fisheries that remove shell versus reef restorations that promote shell accretion, although divergent in their goals, are convergent in their management; both require vigilant attention to shell budgets.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hansen, Ole Erik; Søndergård, Bent
of agendas/vision, technologies, actors and institutions in the emergent design of an urban mobility system based on an electric car sharing system. Why. Designing for sustainability is a fundamental challenge for future design practices; designers have to obtain an ability to contribute to sustainable...
Is current irrigation sustainable in the United States? An integrated assessment of climate change impact on water resources and irrigated crop yields
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Blanc, Elodie; Caron, Justin; Fant, Charles; Monier, Erwan
Climate and socioeconomic changes will increase water shortages and strongly reduce irrigated crop yields in specific regions or crops GHG mitigation has the potential to alleviate the effect of water...
What a Decade (2006–15 Of Journal Abstracts Can Tell Us about Trends in Ocean and Coastal Sustainability Challenges and Solutions
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Murray A. Rudd
Full Text Available Text mining and analytics may offer possibilities to assess scientists' professional writing and identify patterns of co-occurrence between words and phrases associated with different environmental challenges and their potential solutions. This approach has the potential to help to track emerging issues, semi-automate horizon scanning processes, and identify how different institutions or policy instruments are associated with different types of ocean and coastal sustainability challenges. Here I examine ecologically-oriented ocean and coastal science journal article abstracts published between 2006 and 2015. Informed by the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD framework, I constructed a dictionary containing phrases associated with 40 ocean challenges and 15 solution-oriented instrument or investments. From 50,817 potentially relevant abstracts, different patterns of co-occurring text associated with challenges and potential solutions were discernable. Topics receiving significantly increased attention in the literature in 2014–15 relative to the 2006–13 period included: marine plastics and debris; environmental conservation; social impacts; ocean acidification; general terrestrial influences; co-management strategies; ocean warming; licensing and access rights; oil spills; and economic impacts. Articles relating to global environmental change were consistently among the most cited; marine plastics and ecosystem trophic structure were also focal topics among the highly cited articles. This exploratory research suggests that scientists' written outputs provide fertile ground for identifying and tracking important and emerging ocean sustainability issues and their possible solutions, as well as the organizations and scientists who work on them.
The old care paradigm is dead, long live the new sustainable care paradigm: how can GP commissioning consortia meet the demand challenges of 21st century healthcare?
Mackenzie, James
There are many challenges facing the health system in the 21st century - the majority of which are related to managing demand for health services. To meet these challenges emerging GP commissioning consortia will need to take a new approach to commissioning health services - an approach that moves beyond the current acute-centred curative paradigm of care to a new sustainable paradigm of care that focuses on primary care, integrated services and upstream prevention to manage demand. A key part of this shift is the recognition that the health system does not operate in a vacuum and that strategic commissioning decisions must take account of wider determinants of health and well-being, and operate within the finite limits of the planet's natural resources. The sustainable development principle of balancing financial, social and environmental considerations is crucial in managing demand for health services and ensuring that the health system is resilient to risks of resource uncertainty and a changing climate. Building sustainability into the governance and contracting processes of GP commissioning consortia will help deliver efficiency savings, impact on system productivity, manage system risk and help manage demand through the health co-benefits of taking a whole systems approach to commissioning decisions. Commissioning services from providers committed to corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices allows us to move beyond a health system that cures people reactively to one in which the health of individuals and populations is managed proactively through prevention and education. The opportunity to build sustainability principles into the culture of GP commissioning consortia upfront should be seized now to ensure the new model of commissioning endures and is fit for the future.
Sustainable development: progresses and challenges of the refrigeration sector; Developpement durable: progres et defis du secteur du froid
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
The refrigeration engineering cover a huge sector of activities with applications in a considerable number of domains of the every day life, in particular in the domains of food, health, indoor environmental quality. It plays an important role in the sustainable development but there exists an important gap between industrialized and developing countries with respect to the availability of equipments and to the knowledge and training about refrigeration. This document presents first the 3 dimensions of the sustainable development: social, economical and environmental, and the role played by the refrigeration industry in each dimension. Then, it presents the strategies and realizations implemented by the refrigeration industry for the sustainable development: improvement of the energy efficiency of systems, progressive elimination of greenhouse and ozone-damaging refrigerants, development of substitution technologies, information and training. Then, it lists a series of actions or technologies to be implemented or to develop more in industrialized countries and some priority actions for the developing countries. (J.S.)
Costs, Benefits and Challenges of Sustainable Livestock Intensification in a Major Deforestation Frontier in the Brazilian Amazon
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Edenise Garcia
Full Text Available Extensive livestock production is a major deforestation driver in the Brazilian Amazon. This study presents an assessment of the economic and environmental feasibility of sustainable livestock intensification in São Félix do Xingu municipality, a deforestation frontier with an area of more than 8.5 million hectares, and home to the largest cattle herd in Brazil. Proposed intensification was limited to approximately three animal units per hectare to avoid negative environmental impacts. Transition costs to sustainable cattle intensification were estimated for thirteen pilot farms taking into account adoption of good agriculture practices, pasture maintenance/restoration, and restoration of environmental liabilities. To move to sustainable intensification practices, a mean total annual investment of US$1335/ha ± US$619/ha would be necessary, varying from US$750 to US$2595/ha. Internal rate of return and net present value estimates indicated that the sustainable livestock intensification approach proposed was profitable in farms with more than 400 hectares of pastureland, but not in those where the pasture areas were smaller than 150 hectares. Livestock sustainable intensification also had the potential to promote social and environmental benefits, including a 54% increase in the number of contract workers, improvement of landowners' managerial skills, and workers' training, in addition to avoiding emission of 1.9 Mt CO2eq and sequestration of 0.36 Mt CO2eq. We conclude that the sustainable intensification of pasture areas has the potential to prevent further deforestation in the Amazon while generating social and other environmental benefits.
The Challenge of Governing Africa's New Agricultural Investment Landscapes: An Analysis of Policy Arrangements and Sustainability Outcomes in Ethiopia and Nigeria
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
George C. Schoneveld
Full Text Available In the context of globalization, market liberalization, and deregulation, many African governments are embracing the potential of private agricultural investment to address structural issues within their agricultural economies. Sustainably integrating these investments into target landscapes, however, poses a number of governance challenges since it requires careful reconciliation of competing needs, priorities, and land uses. This paper examines the effectiveness of existing policy arrangements in managing these conflicts within two environmentally significant investment landscapes, the Oban-Korup Forest Block, Nigeria, and Lower Baro-Akobo River Basin, Ethiopia. Findings reveal that investments tend to conflict with socially and environmentally valuable land uses, largely as a result of institutional failings. The paper identifies a number of underlying institutional challenges that need to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable development objectives within Africa's many emerging investment landscapes. Findings have relevance for the development of sustainable landscape governance systems and the alignment of global governance innovations with landscape-level policy arrangements.
Challenges of science-society interactions in the frame of sustainable development: A case-study of contemporary Bulgaria
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paneva Aneliya
Full Text Available Effectively tackling problems of sustainable development such as climate change, poverty, and biodiversity loss requires a different perspective on the role of science in society. Building on the understanding that knowledge production processes shall go hand in hand with governance processes, sustainability science and ecological economics promote transdisciplinarity and participatory procedures as a key requirement for scientific work on nature-society interactions. Involving non-academic actors such as local lay persons, civil society representatives, businesses, and decision makers in the research process promises the discovery of practical solutions to related problems and empowerment of communities. While this novel research approach has been increasingly applied in Western societies, its adoption by scientific actors in the context of Central and Eastern Europe, however, remains relatively low. Employing Bulgaria as a case study, this investigation examined the inter-actions between academia and practice through a series of expert interviews and a review of policy documents, thus offering insights into the specific conditions of implementing science for sustainable development. It emerges that knowledge transfer and experience exchange in the field are needed. Promoting social learning in this domain requires clarification of the roles of actors and institutions for sustainable development. Finally, recommendations for science related policies and scientific work are given.
The Loss of Biodiversity as a Challenge for Sustainable Development: How Do Pupils in Chile and Germany Perceive Resource Dilemmas?
Menzel, Susanne; Bogeholz, Susanne
The topic of biodiversity is of high value for education for sustainable development as it reflects the interaction of ecological, economic and social issues particularly well. Especially in so-called biodiversity hotspots, among them Chile, natural resources are often depleted for economic interest which, in many cases, is required income.…
Agrodiversity v.2: An educational simulation tool to address some challenges for sustaining functional agrodiversity in agro-ecosystems
Speelman, E.N.; Garcia-Barrios, L.E.
Functional agrodiversity can be useful and even essential for, i.e., the long-term sustainability of agriculture. However, still many aspects of this concept are not well understood. The interplay between species in diverse agro-ecosystems is based on processes as, i.e., competition, facilitation,
Green and Sustainable Separation of Natural Products from Agro-Industrial Waste: Challenges, Potentialities, and Perspectives on Emerging Approaches.
Zuin, Vânia G; Ramin, Luize Z
New generations of biorefinery combine innovative biomass waste resources from different origins, chemical extraction and/or synthesis of biomaterials, biofuels, and bioenergy via green and sustainable processes. From the very beginning, identifying and evaluating all potentially high value-added chemicals that could be removed from available renewable feedstocks requires robust, efficient, selective, reproducible, and benign analytical approaches. With this in mind, green and sustainable separation of natural products from agro-industrial waste is clearly attractive considering both socio-environmental and economic aspects. In this paper, the concepts of green and sustainable separation of natural products will be discussed, highlighting the main studies conducted on this topic over the last 10 years. The principal analytical techniques (such as solvent, microwave, ultrasound, and supercritical treatments), by-products (e.g., citrus, coffee, corn, and sugarcane waste) and target compounds (polyphenols, proteins, essential oils, etc.) will be presented, including the emerging green and sustainable separation approaches towards bioeconomy and circular economy contexts.
[Memorandum on sustainable reinforcement of prevention and health promotion: challenges at the federal, state and local level].
Walter, U; Nöcker, G; Pawils, S; Robra, B-P; Trojan, A; Franz, M; Grossmann, B; Schmidt, T-A; Lehmann, H; Bauer, U; Göpel, E; Janz, A; Kuhn, J; Naegele, G; Müller-Kohlenberg, H; Plaumann, M; Stender, K-P; Stolzenberg, R; Süß, W; Trenker, M; Wanek, V; Wildner, M
Research-based evidence and practice-based experience are core requirements for the effective implementation of preventive interventions. The knowledge gained in the Prevention Research Funding Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (2004-2013) was therefore amalgamated, reflected and consolidated in the Cooperation for Sustainable Prevention Research (KNP) meta-project. In annual strategy meetings, researchers and practitioners from the field and other experts developed 3 memoranda providing recommendations for the further development of research and practice in the field of prevention and health promotion. Memorandum III is primarily aimed at decision-makers in politics and administration at the federal, state and local level, in civil society and in the workplace. Its recommendations show that structuring efforts are urgently needed to achieve sustainable policy, particularly in the fields of health, education, employment and social affairs. Memorandum III brings together the knowledge extracted and problems identified in research projects. More so than its 2 predecessors, Memorandum III abstracts knowledge from the individual projects and attempts to derive guidance for action and decision-making, as shown by the 7 recommendations that appear to useful for consensus-building in practice and research. Value judgments are inevitable. Prevention and health promotion are an investment in the future: of social health, social capital and social peace. Improvement of the framework conditions is needed to achieve the harmonized awareness and the sustained effectiveness of these structure-building efforts in different policy areas, spheres of life, fields of action, and groups of actors. This includes the implementation of an overall national strategy as well as the expansion of sources of funding, extension of the legal framework, overarching coordination, and the establishment of a National Center of Excellence to develop and safeguard
Self-Sufficiency versus Security: How Trade Protectionism Challenges the Sustainability of the Food Supply in Russia
Vasilii Erokhin
Food security is increasingly influenced by multilateral trade systems and foreign trade policies implemented by national governments. Many of them are now concerned about the sustainability of food supply and the vulnerability of domestic food markets to price volatility, and seek to support domestic producers and protect themselves from increasing food imports. Such restrictions improve food self-sufficiency, but decrease food security. It is important to understand any changes that may hav...
Back to Acid Soil Fields: The Citrate Transporter SbMATE Is a Major Asset for Sustainable Grain Yield for Sorghum Cultivated on Acid Soils
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Geraldo Carvalho Jr
Full Text Available Aluminum (Al toxicity damages plant roots and limits crop production on acid soils, which comprise up to 50% of the world's arable lands. A major Al tolerance locus on chromosome 3, AltSB, controls aluminum tolerance in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench] via SbMATE, an Al-activated plasma membrane transporter that mediates Al exclusion from sensitive regions in the root apex. As is the case with other known Al tolerance genes, SbMATE was cloned based on studies conducted under controlled environmental conditions, in nutrient solution. Therefore, its impact on grain yield on acid soils remains undetermined. To determine the real world impact of SbMATE, multi-trait quantitative trait loci (QTL mapping in hydroponics, and, in the field, revealed a large-effect QTL colocalized with the Al tolerance locus AltSB, where SbMATE lies, conferring a 0.6 ton ha–1 grain yield increase on acid soils. A second QTL for Al tolerance in hydroponics, where the positive allele was also donated by the Al tolerant parent, SC283, was found on chromosome 9, indicating the presence of distinct Al tolerance genes in the sorghum genome, or genes acting in the SbMATE pathway leading to Al-activated citrate release. There was no yield penalty for AltSB, consistent with the highly localized Al regulated SbMATE expression in the root tip, and Al-dependent transport activity. A female effect of 0.5 ton ha–1 independently demonstrated the effectiveness of AltSB in hybrids. Al tolerance conferred by AltSB is thus an indispensable asset for sorghum production and food security on acid soils, many of which are located in developing countries.
The challenges of sustainable access to safe drinking water in rural areas of developing countries: case of Zawtar El-Charkieh, Southern Lebanon.
Massoud, May A; Al-Abady, Abdolmonim; Jurdi, Mey; Nuwayhid, Iman
Adequate and safe water is important for human health and well-being, economic production, and sustainable development. Failure to ensure the safety of drinking water may expose the community to the risk of outbreaks of waterborne and infectious diseases. Although drinking water is a basic human right, many people do not have access to safe and adequate drinking water or proper sanitation facilities. The authors conducted a study to assess the quantity, cost, continuity, coverage, and quality of drinking water in the village of Zawtar El-Charkieh, Lebanon. Their aim was to identify the challenges of sustainable access to safe drinking water in order to determine the short-term management actions and long-term strategies to improve water quality. Results revealed that contamination of the source, absence of any disinfection method or insufficient dose, poor maintenance operations, and aging of the networks are significant factors contributing to water contamination during the storage and distribution process. Establishing a comprehensive drinking water system that integrates water supply, quality, and management as well as associated educational programs in order to ensure the safety and sustainability of drinking water supplies is essential.
Analysing Italian Regional Patterns in Green Economy and Climate Change. Can Italy Leverage on Europe 2020 Strategy to Face Sustainable Growth Challenges ?
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Francesco BONSINETTO
Full Text Available European cities and regions are facing the crucial challenge of greening their economy towards more sustainable patterns. Politicians and policy-makers should promote new policies for sustainable growth including renewables, greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and biodiversity. All of these aspects can be considered as a boost for local and regional economy. In this regard, European countries and regions can benefit from the Europe 2020 Strategy which is defined as Europe's blueprint for a smart, sustainable and inclusive future, providing a ten year roadmap for growth and jobs. EU2020S was designed as a European exit strategy from the global economic and financial crisis in view of new European economic governance. This study discusses the above issues regarding Italy and intends to provide some answers on the perspectives of the new EU2020S. It draws from a research project supported by ESPON, the S.I.E.S.T.A. Project, focused on the territorial dimension of the EU2020S. Therefore, this paper aims at analyzing Italian regional patterns on climate change, green economy and energy within the context of EU2020S and at providing policy recommendations for better achieving the goals of the Strategy.
Sustainable Irrigated Agricultural Production of Countries in economic Transition: Challenges and Opportunities (A case study of Uzbekistan, Central Asia)
Rakhmatullaev, Shavkat; Huneau, Frederic; Le Coustumer, Philippe; Motelica-Heino, Mikael
For the fulfillment of the thirsty ambition of self-sufficiency of the Soviets for cotton production, the arid Central Asian region and in particular Uzbekistan has been extensively exploited. In fact, vast tracts of deserts have been converted into irrigated agricultural lands without proper consideration to environment and technical standards. As a result trends in natural resource degradation (soil salinity, desertification, water quality) as well as declining crop yields have dramatically...
Difficulties and Challenges in Applying the European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS for Sustainable Tourist Destinations: The Case of Braşov County in the Romanian Carpathians
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Doru Marian Tudorache
Full Text Available Tourist destinations are increasingly coming across multiple social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges corroborated with a great urgency for sustainable development. In this context, the European Commission has launched in 2013 a unitary system of indicators for sustainable management of tourism destinations, called The European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS. More specifically, ETIS was configured initially with a total of 27 core indicators and 40 additional (optional indicators. The purpose of this paper is to present the difficulties and challenges encountered in the application of ETIS, having as a case study, the county of Braşov, located almost entirely in the Romanian Carpathians. In this regard, a testing technique has been designed through an innovative Group Decision Support System (GDSS that is applied to our destination. The results show that the selection of ETIS indicators is a flexible process that must be adequate with the particularities of each destination taking into account both the needs of the stakeholders, the information that is useful to them, and the existence and periodicity of the data available. Also, in some cases, when the available indicators are insufficient, additional indicators have to be introduced, and they must be subsequently adapted to the needs and specifics of the destination.
Assessing Graduate Sustainability Capability Post-Degree Completion: Why Is It Important and What Are the Challenges?
Sandri, Orana; Holdsworth, Sarah; Thomas, Ian
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight both the need for measurement of graduate capabilities post-degree completion and the challenges posed by such a task. Higher education institutions provide an important site of learning that can equip future professionals with capabilities to manage and respond to complex sustainability…
The tunisian saharan heritage in the challenge of a sustainable tourism: the case of Tozeur and Nefta
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Najem Dhaher
Full Text Available In the Saharan cities of the Tunisian southwest renowned for their culture, traditions and very specific architectural heritage, tourism in recent years has resulted in a reflexive effort around the notion of heritage intended to systematize the tourist offer and promote local development. Today, tourism and heritage in these fragile and vulnerable desert spaces are two realities which greatly affect the landscapes, economic and cultural activities and movements of the population. These processes, now the concern of public and private actors alike, have contributed, by the new creations which they engender in terms of representation and use of places, to a reinvention of the Saharan traditional city and its oasis known as archetypal territorial joint property, increasing the individuals' attachment to their places of life. Indeed, in the face of a tourism which often does not adhere to strategies and practices of sustainable development, especially in these spaces, we wonder how the latter can reduce the potential damage of tourism on the heritage from a perspective of territorial sustainability.
Optimal and Sustainable Groundwater Extraction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christopher A. Wada
Full Text Available With climate change exacerbating over-exploitation, groundwater scarcity looms as an increasingly critical issue worldwide. Minimizing the adverse effects of scarcity requires optimal as well as sustainable patterns of groundwater management. We review the many sustainable paths for groundwater extraction from a coastal aquifer and show how to find the particular sustainable path that is welfare maximizing. In some cases the optimal path converges to the maximum sustainable yield. For sufficiently convex extraction costs, the extraction path converges to an internal steady state above the level of maximum sustainable yield. We describe the challenges facing groundwater managers faced with multiple aquifers, the prospect of using recycled water, and the interdependence with watershed management. The integrated water management thus described results in less water scarcity and higher total welfare gains from groundwater use. The framework also can be applied to climate-change specifications about the frequency, duration, and intensity of precipitation by comparing before and after optimal management. For the case of South Oahu in Hawaii, the prospect of climate change increases the gains of integrated groundwater management.
Challenges with managing hazardous chemicals in the international frame - opportunity for educating on sustainable chemistry and alternatives assessment
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Weber, R.; Fantke, Peter
Introduction Within international chemicals management treaties like the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) or the Vienna Convention/Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) the phase out and management of hazardous chemicals is addressed globally. Decades...... of experiences have unveiled how difficult and expensive the management of listed chemicals is in particular the end of life. Method Past failures and on-going challenges to manage hazardous chemicals in the international context in particular the Stockholm Convention were assessed with considerations of a way...... forward. Results and Discussion The assessment shows the challenge with managing organohalogen compounds (chlorinated, brominated and fluorinated) in their life-cycle in particular in developing countries. In the past, often certain types of hazardous or unsustainable chemicals are continued to be used...
Economic sustainability of anti-PD-1 agents nivolumab and pembrolizumab in cancer patients: Recent insights and future challenges.
Tartari, Francesca; Santoni, Matteo; Burattini, Luciano; Mazzanti, Paola; Onofri, Azzurra; Berardi, Rossana
Anti-programmed death (PD)-1 agents pembrolizumab and nivolumab have recently obtained enthusiastic results in terms of progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and tolerability in cancer patients. Despite these promising data, the high cost of these agents needs careful consideration. Indeed, the evaluation of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and quality-adjusted life year (QALY), as well as different drug reimbursement modalities, will represent fundamental tools in order to guarantee the economic sustainability of health system and the access to care for all cancer patients. In this review, we discussed the recent results obtained by immunotherapy in cancer patients and we evaluated the economic impact of recently approved nivolumab and pembrolizumab in patients with advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sustainable industrial policy and environment. challenges and opportunities; Politica industrial sostenible y medio ambiente. Dificultades y oportunidades
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Valle Munoz, M.
The European Union is aware that the current model of production and consumption contributes to global warming, pollution, intensive use of materials and depletion of natural resources and, for that reason, it promotes since years the adoption of more sustainable patterns. Increasing efficiency in the use of resources in the generation and use of energy and the production of goods could also be a powerful source of innovation and a major industrial competitiveness, according to the Commission. This article discusses the existing complementary strategies in efficiency in the use of resources, raw materials, energy, and the energy and climate package adopted in 2008, and the difficulties and opportunities that the industry is facing to implement this policy in the current economic slowdown. (Author)
Sustainability Assessment of Out-of-Home Meals: Potentials and Challenges of Applying the Indicator sets NAHGAST Meal-Basic and NAHGAST Meal-Pro
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tobias Engelmann
Full Text Available Nutrition is responsible for about 30% of global natural resource use. In order to limit the negative impact the nutritional sector has on the environment and on society, the consumption and processing of foodstuffs with assumed low negative impact is an important topic in the effort of sustainable development. In professional kitchens, clearly defined indicators assessing the impact of business activities are needed in this effort. The research and development in the NAHGAST project provides groundwork that could be of important assistance in this effort. Two versions of an assessment tool, with indicators of different complexity (NAHGAST Meal-Basic and NAHGAST Meal-Pro, were developed that can be used by kitchen professionals to determine the sustainability performance of their products—the offered meal. An informed selection of indicators, and a discussion of what processes and impacts this indicator relates to in the wider context, are essential and are discussed in this paper. Furthermore, in the selection of indicators for the purpose of our research certain criteria were considered simultaneously: (1 Communicability—What information an indicator can communicate and how comprehensible this information is for different actors; (2 Feasibility and data availability—Whether there is sufficient data for an indicator to be included and whether it is realistic for companies to integrate this indicator in their daily work practice; and (3 Scientific relevance—Whether the indicator is relevant for sustainability efforts on a larger scale and for related discussions in the scientific community. Insights related to these considerations are valuable for future developments in sustainability assessment in out-of-home gastronomy. The tool has been used to evaluate a number of dishes and results are deemed meaningful. However, assessments must not be understood as an accurate measurement but as an approximation of the sustainability of meals. At
Challenges of Sustaining the International Space Station through 2020 and Beyond: Including Epistemic Uncertainty in Reassessing Confidence Targets
Anderson, Leif; Carter-Journet, Katrina; Box, Neil; DiFilippo, Denise; Harrington, Sean; Jackson, David; Lutomski, Michael
This paper introduces an analytical approach, Probability and Confidence Trade-space (PACT), which can be used to assess uncertainty in International Space Station (ISS) hardware sparing necessary to extend the life of the vehicle. There are several key areas under consideration in this research. We investigate what sparing confidence targets may be reasonable to ensure vehicle survivability and for completion of science on the ISS. The results of the analysis will provide a methodological basis for reassessing vehicle subsystem confidence targets. An ongoing annual analysis currently compares the probability of existing spares exceeding the total expected unit demand of the Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) in functional hierarchies approximating the vehicle subsystems. In cases where the functional hierarchies availability does not meet subsystem confidence targets, the current sparing analysis further identifies which ORUs may require additional spares to extend the life of the ISS. The resulting probability is dependent upon hardware reliability estimates. However, the ISS hardware fleet carries considerable epistemic uncertainty (uncertainty in the knowledge of the true hardware failure rate), which does not currently factor into the annual sparing analysis. The existing confidence targets may be conservative. This paper will also discuss how confidence targets may be relaxed based on the inclusion of epistemic uncertainty for each ORU. The paper will conclude with strengths and limitations for implementing the analytical approach in sustaining the ISS through end of life, 2020 and beyond.
Sustaining the Higher Education Hub Model: The Challenge of Adequate Academic and Social Support Structures for International Students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Cameron Richards
Full Text Available In recent years, the Education Hub (EH concept has perhaps become the single most important focus of higher education policy in most Asian countries. A particular Asian Education Hub model (e.g. Cheng, 2010 is now globally influential with its emphasis on how governments can harness direct as well as indirect economic benefits of a higher education system. Such a model aims to prepare students for employment in an emerging global economy and also to attract fee-paying international students in terms of education as not just a public good but a key and increasingly important area of national investment and economic development. In a related paper which focused on a comparison between distinct Malaysian and Singaporean versions of Asian EH l models developed over the last two decades (Richards, 2011c, we investigated the dangers as well as opportunities at stake. In this paper, we investigate the linked idea that sufficient academic and social support structures for supporting international as well as local students provide the crucial key to the factors of sustainability needed to support the various versions of the general strategy of Higher Education internationalisation.
The Loss of Biodiversity as a Challenge for Sustainable Development: How Do Pupils in Chile and Germany Perceive Resource Dilemmas?
Menzel, Susanne; Bögeholz, Susanne
The topic of biodiversity is of high value for education for sustainable development as it reflects the interaction of ecological, economic and social issues particularly well. Especially in so-called biodiversity hotspots, among them Chile, natural resources are often depleted for economic interest which, in many cases, is required income. Therefore, economic and social aspects must be considered in order to fully understand biodiversity loss. Being such an important issue, it is surprising that little is known thus far about learning prerequisites concerning biodiversity. This paper presents a qualitative interview study that investigated 16 to 18-year-old Chilean and German learners' perception of biodiversity and its loss ( n = 24). Firstly, the pupils' cognitive frameworks were analysed. Secondly, subjective theories about biodiversity loss due to resource dilemmas were explored. Three subjective theories that emerged from the data reflected the notion that most pupils focused on either ecological or economic aspects of biodiversity loss. Pupils who concentrated on ecological aspects often referred to incorrect ecological facts. Moreover, these pupils showed difficulties in developing empathy and solidarity with impoverished people, who depend economically on plants in a resource dilemma. A smaller group of pupils succeeded in integrating the ecological, economic, and social aspects. Regarding the two samples, Chilean pupils seemed to have greater difficulties in recognising the social aspects of biodiversity loss, while German pupils were largely unaware of biodiversity loss on a local level. Implications for biodiversity education and future research will be outlined and discussed.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Prothero, Andrea; Dobscha, Susan; Freund, Jim
This essay explores sustainable consumption and considers possible roles for marketing and consumer researchers and public policy makers in addressing the many sustainability challenges that pervade our planet. Future research approaches to this interdisciplinary topic need to be comprehensive...... and systematic and will benefit from a variety of different perspectives. There are a number of opportunities for future research, and three areas are explored in detail. First, the essay considers the inconsistency between the attitudes and behaviors of consumers with respect to sustainability; next, the agenda...... is broadened to explore the role of individual citizens in society; and finally, a macro institutional approach to fostering sustainability is explored. Each of these areas is examined in detail and possible research avenues and public policy initiatives are considered within each of these separate...
Addressing the main challenges of energy security in the twenty-first century – Contributions of the conferences on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Markovska, Natasa; Duić, Neven; Mathiesen, Brian Vad
Climate change and fossil fuel reserve depletion both pose challenges for energy security and for wellbeing in general. The top ten among them include: Decarbonising the world economy; Enhancing the energy efficiency and energy savings in buildings; Advancing the energy technologies; Moving towards...... energy systems based on variable renewables; Electrifying the transport and some industrial processes; Liberalizing and extending the energy markets; Integrating energy sectors to Smart Energy Systems; Making the cities and communities smart; Diversifying the energy sources; and Building more...... biorefineries. Presenting the contributions of selected conference papers published in the special issues of leading scientific journals (including all the papers from the current Energy special issue), this review demonstrates the capacity of the Conferences on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water...
Sustainable Management of Food
To provide information to organizations to help them implement sustainable food management, including joining the Food Recovery Challenge. To provide education and information to communities and concerned citizens.
Leveraging Small-Scale Sport Events: Challenges of Organising, Delivering and Managing Sustainable Outcomes in Rural Communities, the Case of Gorski kotar, Croatia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marko Perić
Full Text Available Sports and events play an important role in local identity building and creating a sense of community that encourages participation and increases social capital. Rural communities are specific areas with special needs and can face challenges and restraints when it comes to event organisation. The purpose of this paper is to identify organisational challenges and analyse the potential to achieving long-term sustainable social and economic outcomes linked to small-scale sports events in rural communities. Organisational challenges of rural communities in terms of organising sport events are examined and discussed using the framework of event leveraging developed by O'Brien and Chalip. This methodology is applied and discussed to a case study focusing on small-scale winter sport events in rural Croatia. Semi-structured interviews with local organisers were conducted in order to collect data on the overall event organisation and management, local coordination, role of community stakeholders and challenges facing strategic planning, with the intent to identify objectives for future events. Results were discussed independently and in the context of the leverage framework, with reflection on its applicability to rural communities as the event organisers. Recommendations are provided based on critical insight from the literature and are oriented on how to streamline the process of organising, delivering and managing of events in remote rural communities. Finally, the idea of inter-community organisation is proposed to ensure long-term social and economic benefits and to address the existing issues of overlapping of stakeholder categories, mixed objectives, distrust among stakeholders and inefficiently used local resources.
From the Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals.: The response to the HIV epidemic in Indonesia: challenges and opportunities.
Wijayanti, Fetty; Tarmizi, Siti Nadia; Tobing, Viny; Nisa, Tiara; Akhtar, Muhammad; Trihandini, Indang; Djuwita, Ratna
Since the first case was reported in 1981, the Indonesian government and civil society have implemented many initiatives to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. From an historical perspective, the country now has the means to rapidly diagnose cases of HIV infection and provide antiretroviral therapy. The concern expressed by international health agencies about a potential major HIV epidemic in the country has not been confirmed, as evidenced by a slowing down of the number cases. The threat from non-sterile needle sharing has been relatively well controlled through harm-reduction programmes; however, drug trafficking remains a challenge. It has reached worrying levels and involves law enforcement units at the forefront of the battle. In parallel, the level of condom use in high-risk behaviour groups seems unsuccessful in reducing infection rates, especially among heterosexuals. The lack of information and the high mobility of the groups at risk of acquiring HIV infection have created tremendous challenges for outreach programmes. Heterosexual transmission represents the most important route of transmission in the country. When reflecting on the country's 2014 Millennium Development Goals, condom use during high-risk sex only reaches 43.5%, and only 21.3% of young people have a comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. The 2030 Millennium Development Goal Agenda offers an opportunity to catch up on goals that still need to be achieved. Therefore, efforts are underway to try to halt the epidemic by 2030 and also to ensure that all high-risk populations are included in this effort.
Food security, wheat production and policy in South Africa: Reflections on food sustainability and challenges for a market economy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Francois de Wet
Full Text Available The traditional concept of security has broadened over the past decades. Food security in South Africa is an imperative for human and non-human survival. In the contemporary political economy, there is a real nexus between globalisation, exploitation, the state, scarcity of resources, the market, peoples' need to feel secure, notions of state responsibility and food production. Political economy and human security in theoretical debates and face-to-face politics are intrinsically linked. The notion of a 'secure community' changed. Food security and the right to quality living became a social imperative. Understanding current agricultural economics requires the ability to link security and access to food for all. In this case study, wheat production in South Africa is addressed against the interface of the global and the local including South Africa's transition to a democratic and constitutional state with a Bill of Rights. The current security approach represents a more comprehensive understanding of what security is meant to be and include, amongst others, housing security, medical security, service delivery and food security, as set out in the Millennium Development Goals and the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals. The issue of food security is addressed here with particular reference to wheat production, related current government policies and the market economy. The authors chose to limit their socio-economic focus to a specific sector of the agricultural market, namely wheat, rather than discuss food security in South Africa in general. Wheat was chosen as a unit of analysis because as a crop, wheat used in bread is one of the staples for the majority of South Africans and given the current negative economic developments, wheat as a staple is likely to remain integral, if not increasing its status of dependability
Challenges of climate change: omics-based biology of saffron plants and organic agricultural biotechnology for sustainable saffron production.
Husaini, Amjad M
Kashmir Valley is a major saffron (Crocus sativus Kashmirianus) growing area of the world, second only to Iran in terms of production. In Kashmir, saffron is grown on uplands (termed in the local language as "Karewas"), which are lacustrine deposits located at an altitude of 1585 to 1677 m above mean sea level (amsl), under temperate climatic conditions. Kashmir, despite being one of the oldest historical saffron-producing areas, faces a rapid decline of saffron industry. Among many other factors responsible for decline of saffron industry the preponderance of erratic rainfalls and drought-like situation have become major challenges imposed by climate change. Saffron has a limited coverage area as it is grown as a 'niche crop' and is a recognized "geographical indication," growing under a narrow microclimatic condition. As such it has become a victim of climate change effects, which has the potential of jeopardizing the livelihood of thousands of farmers and traders associated with it. The paper discusses the potential and actual impact of climate change process on saffron cultivation in Kashmir; and the biotechnological measures to address these issues.
Extreme health sensing: the challenges, technologies, and strategies for active health sustainment of military personnel during training and combat missions
Buller, Mark; Welles, Alexander; Chadwicke Jenkins, Odest; Hoyt, Reed
Military personnel are often asked to accomplish rigorous missions in extremes of climate, terrain, and terrestrial altitude. Personal protective clothing and individual equipment such as body armor or chemical biological suits and excessive equipment loads, exacerbate the physiological strain. Health, over even short mission durations, can easily be compromised. Measuring and acting upon health information can provide a means to dynamically manage both health and mission goals. However, the measurement of health state in austere military environments is challenging; (1) body worn sensors must be of minimal weight and size, consume little power, and be comfortable and unobtrusive enough for prolonged wear; (2) health states are not directly measureable and must be estimated; (3) sensor measurements are prone to noise, artifact, and failure. Given these constraints we examine current successful ambulatory physiological status monitoring technologies, review maturing sensors that may provide key health state insights in the future, and discuss unconventional analytical techniques that optimize health, mission goals, and doctrine from the perspective of thermal work strain assessment and management.
Action Research for Sustainability
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Egmose, Jonas
by analysing processes of social learning. The book addresses the need to move towards sustainability at societal level as a democratic challenge questioning the way we live on planet earth. By conceptualising sustain-ability as an immanent and emergent ability of ecological and social life, continuously...... to renew itself without eroding its own foundation of existence, it argues that since sustainability cannot be invented but only supported (or eroded) by science, we need to reframe science in the role of sustaining sustain-ability. Through analyses of a three year action research programme, aiming...
Soysal, Mehmet; Bloemhof-Ruwaard, Jacqueline M.
The fast evolution of sustainability leads to the development of a new fast-growing concept called sustainable logistics management. This research addresses recent business trends and challenges in logistics and their implications for sustainable logistics management. Additionally, we discuss policy
African Journals Online (AJOL)
YIELD INDICATORS. P. NTAWURUHUNGA, P.R. RUBAIHAYOI, J.B.A. WHYTE, A.G.O. DIXONZ and use. osnzu1. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, East and Southern Africa, Centre, PO. Box 7878, l Kampala ... most important sources of food energy in several ... efficiency in selecting and identifying cassava.
The water, energy and food (WEF) nexus project: A basis for strategic planning for natural resources sustainability-Challenges for application in the MENA region.
Mohtar, Rabi; Daher, Bassel; Mekki, Insaf; Chaibi, Thameur; Zitouna Chebbi, Rim; Salaymeh, Ahmed Al
Water, energy, and food (WEF) are viewed as main systems forming a nexus, which itself is threatened by defined external factors mainly characterized by growing population, changing economies, governance, climate change, and international trade. Integrative thinking in strategic planning for natural resources comes through recognizing the intimate level of interconnectedness between these systems and the entities that govern them. Providing sustainable solutions to overcome present challenges pose the need to study the existent inter-linkages and tradeoffs between resources. In this context, the present communication is to present the WEF-nexus project, a Tunisian - Jordanian - Qatari - USA project which is funded by the USAID - FABRI PR&D Grants program. WEF-nexus project seeks to explore the inextricable link between water resources and food security in both its geophysical and socio-economic dimensions. The project proposes to design, implement and test integrated resource management tool based on the water-energy-food nexus framework that i) includes the evaluation of the tool over a wide range of climatic and socio-economic zones represented by different countries in the MENA region, and ii) develop scenarios with variations of resources, demands, constraints, and management strategies for the chosen countries, which would be used as a foundation for guiding decision making. The approach is implemented and tested within Tunisia, Jordan, and Qatar. Beyond the obtaining of significant advances in the aforementioned methodological domains, and the understanding of the problems and challenges related to water and food that societies are experiencing or will experience in the future, outcomes are expected to :i) engage decision makers in the process of improving current policies, and strengthening relevant public- private collaboration through the use of the proposed tool, and ii) help in revisiting former recommendations at the levels of resource governance, and
Navigating challenges and opportunities of land degradation and sustainable livelihood development in dryland social–ecological systems: a case study from Mexico
Huber-Sannwald, Elisabeth; Ribeiro Palacios, Mónica; Arredondo Moreno, José Tulio; Braasch, Marco; Martínez Peña, Ruth Magnolia; de Alba Verduzco, Javier García; Monzalvo Santos, Karina
Drylands are one of the most diverse yet highly vulnerable social–ecological systems on Earth. Water scarcity has contributed to high levels of heterogeneity, variability and unpredictability, which together have shaped the long coadaptative process of coupling humans and nature. Land degradation and desertification in drylands are some of the largest and most far-reaching global environmental and social change problems, and thus are a daunting challenge for science and society. In this study, we merged the Drylands Development Paradigm, Holling's adaptive cycle metaphor and resilience theory to assess the challenges and opportunities for livelihood development in the Amapola dryland social–ecological system (DSES), a small isolated village in the semi-arid region of Mexico. After 450 years of local social–ecological evolution, external drivers (neoliberal policies, change in land reform legislation) have become the most dominant force in livelihood development, at the cost of loss of natural and cultural capital and an increasingly dysfunctional landscape. Local DSESs have become increasingly coupled to dynamic larger-scale drivers. Hence, cross-scale connectedness feeds back on and transforms local self-sustaining subsistence farming conditions, causing loss of livelihood resilience and diversification in a globally changing world. Effective efforts to combat desertification and improve livelihood security in DSESs need to consider their cyclical rhythms. Hence, we advocate novel dryland stewardship strategies, which foster adaptive capacity, and continuous evaluation and social learning at all levels. Finally, we call for an effective, flexible and viable policy framework that enhances local biotic and cultural diversity of drylands to transform global drylands into a resilient biome in the context of global environmental and social change. PMID:23045713
Navigating challenges and opportunities of land degradation and sustainable livelihood development in dryland social-ecological systems: a case study from Mexico.
Huber-Sannwald, Elisabeth; Palacios, Mónica Ribeiro; Moreno, José Tulio Arredondo; Braasch, Marco; Peña, Ruth Magnolia Martínez; Verduzco, Javier García de Alba; Santos, Karina Monzalvo
Drylands are one of the most diverse yet highly vulnerable social-ecological systems on Earth. Water scarcity has contributed to high levels of heterogeneity, variability and unpredictability, which together have shaped the long coadaptative process of coupling humans and nature. Land degradation and desertification in drylands are some of the largest and most far-reaching global environmental and social change problems, and thus are a daunting challenge for science and society. In this study, we merged the Drylands Development Paradigm, Holling's adaptive cycle metaphor and resilience theory to assess the challenges and opportunities for livelihood development in the Amapola dryland social-ecological system (DSES), a small isolated village in the semi-arid region of Mexico. After 450 years of local social-ecological evolution, external drivers (neoliberal policies, change in land reform legislation) have become the most dominant force in livelihood development, at the cost of loss of natural and cultural capital and an increasingly dysfunctional landscape. Local DSESs have become increasingly coupled to dynamic larger-scale drivers. Hence, cross-scale connectedness feeds back on and transforms local self-sustaining subsistence farming conditions, causing loss of livelihood resilience and diversification in a globally changing world. Effective efforts to combat desertification and improve livelihood security in DSESs need to consider their cyclical rhythms. Hence, we advocate novel dryland stewardship strategies, which foster adaptive capacity, and continuous evaluation and social learning at all levels. Finally, we call for an effective, flexible and viable policy framework that enhances local biotic and cultural diversity of drylands to transform global drylands into a resilient biome in the context of global environmental and social change.
Sustained Malaria Control Over an 8-Year Period in Papua New Guinea: The Challenge of Low-Density Asymptomatic Plasmodium Infections.
Koepfli, Cristian; Ome-Kaius, Maria; Jally, Shadrach; Malau, Elisheba; Maripal, Samuel; Ginny, Jason; Timinao, Lincoln; Kattenberg, Johanna Helena; Obadia, Thomas; White, Michael; Rarau, Patricia; Senn, Nicolas; Barry, Alyssa E; Kazura, James W; Mueller, Ivo; Robinson, Leanne J
The scale-up of effective malaria control in the last decade has resulted in a substantial decline in the incidence of clinical malaria in many countries. The effects on the proportions of asymptomatic and submicroscopic infections and on transmission potential are yet poorly understood. In Papua New Guinea, vector control has been intensified since 2008, and improved diagnosis and treatment was introduced in 2012. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in Madang Province in 2006 (with 1280 survey participants), 2010 (with 2117 participants), and 2014 (with 2516 participants). Infections were quantified by highly sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, and gametocytes were quantified by reverse-transcription qPCR analysis. Plasmodium falciparum prevalence determined by qPCR decreased from 42% in 2006 to 9% in 2014. The P. vivax prevalence decreased from 42% in 2006 to 13% in 2010 but then increased to 20% in 2014. Parasite densities decreased 5-fold from 2006 to 2010; 72% of P. falciparum and 87% of P. vivax infections were submicroscopic in 2014. Gametocyte density and positivity correlated closely with parasitemia, and population gametocyte prevalence decreased 3-fold for P. falciparum and 29% for P. vivax from 2010 to 2014. Sustained control has resulted in reduced malaria transmission potential, but an increasing proportion of gametocyte carriers are asymptomatic and submicroscopic and represent a challenge to malaria control.
Taking up the sustainability challenge
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
McAloone, Tim C.
to be allowed to do business with Europe. At the same time, international standards are emerging and maturing, guiding on how to design for better environmental impacts. Market factors that have an impact on companies' willingness and urgency in designing for the environment include customer demands (especially...... and test their feasibility next to existing technologies—both technology-wise and business-wise. If your business model discourages environmental improvements (in the product or its usage), consider changing it. Dip down into the global toolbox of ecodesign tools and select the most appropriate tools...... that environmental stewardship becomes an integral part of the product development process, on a par with other business considerations such as cost, quality, design for manufacture, and so on. Ecodesign is Nothing New Design for environment—or ecodesign, as it's also known—is no longer a new discipline in the field...
Brief report on a systematic review of youth violence prevention through media campaigns: Does the limited yield of strong evidence imply methodological challenges or absence of effect?
Cassidy, Tali; Bowman, Brett; McGrath, Chloe; Matzopoulos, Richard
We present a brief report on a systematic review which identified, assessed and synthesized the existing evidence of the effectiveness of media campaigns in reducing youth violence. Search strategies made use of terms for youth, violence and a range of terms relating to the intervention. An array of academic databases and websites were searched. Although media campaigns to reduce violence are widespread, only six studies met the inclusion criteria. There is little strong evidence to support a direct link between media campaigns and a reduction in youth violence. Several studies measure proxies for violence such as empathy or opinions related to violence, but the link between these measures and violence perpetration is unclear. Nonetheless, some evidence suggests that a targeted and context-specific campaign, especially when combined with other measures, can reduce violence. However, such campaigns are less cost-effective to replicate over large populations than generalised campaigns. It is unclear whether the paucity of evidence represents a null effect or methodological challenges with evaluating media campaigns. Future studies need to be carefully planned to accommodate for methodological difficulties as well as to identify the specific elements of campaigns that work, especially in lower and middle income countries. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Is Yield Increase Sufficient to Achieve Food Security in China?
Wei, Xing; Zhang, Zhao; Shi, Peijun; Wang, Pin; Chen, Yi; Song, Xiao; Tao, Fulu
Increasing demand for food, driven by unprecedented population growth and increasing consumption, will keep challenging food security in China. Although cereal yields have substantially improved during the last three decades, whether it will keep thriving to meet the increasing demand is not known yet. Thus, an integrated analysis on the trends of crop yield and cultivated area is essential to better understand current state of food security in China, especially on county scale. So far, yield stagnation has extensively dominated the main cereal-growing areas across China. Rice yield is facing the most severe stagnation that 53.9% counties tracked in the study have stagnated significantly, followed by maize (42.4%) and wheat (41.9%). As another important element for production sustainability, but often neglected is the planted area patterns. It has been further demonstrated that the loss in productive arable land for rice and wheat have dramatically increased the pressure on achieving food security. Not only a great deal of the planted areas have stagnated since 1980, but also collapsed. 48.4% and 54.4% of rice- and wheat-growing counties have lost their cropland areas to varying degrees. Besides, 27.6% and 35.8% of them have retrograded below the level of the 1980s. The combined influence (both loss in yield and area) has determined the crop sustainable production in China to be pessimistic for rice and wheat, and consequently no surprise to find that more than half of counties rank a lower level of production sustainability. Therefore, given the potential yield increase in wheat and maize, as well as substantial area loss of rice and wheat, the possible targeted adaptation measures for both yield and cropping area is required at county scale. Moreover, policies on food trade, alongside advocation of low calorie diets, reducing food loss and waste can help to enhance food security. PMID:25680193
Is yield increase sufficient to achieve food security in China?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xing Wei
Full Text Available Increasing demand for food, driven by unprecedented population growth and increasing consumption, will keep challenging food security in China. Although cereal yields have substantially improved during the last three decades, whether it will keep thriving to meet the increasing demand is not known yet. Thus, an integrated analysis on the trends of crop yield and cultivated area is essential to better understand current state of food security in China, especially on county scale. So far, yield stagnation has extensively dominated the main cereal-growing areas across China. Rice yield is facing the most severe stagnation that 53.9% counties tracked in the study have stagnated significantly, followed by maize (42.4% and wheat (41.9%. As another important element for production sustainability, but often neglected is the planted area patterns. It has been further demonstrated that the loss in productive arable land for rice and wheat have dramatically increased the pressure on achieving food security. Not only a great deal of the planted areas have stagnated since 1980, but also collapsed. 48.4% and 54.4% of rice- and wheat-growing counties have lost their cropland areas to varying degrees. Besides, 27.6% and 35.8% of them have retrograded below the level of the 1980s. The combined influence (both loss in yield and area has determined the crop sustainable production in China to be pessimistic for rice and wheat, and consequently no surprise to find that more than half of counties rank a lower level of production sustainability. Therefore, given the potential yield increase in wheat and maize, as well as substantial area loss of rice and wheat, the possible targeted adaptation measures for both yield and cropping area is required at county scale. Moreover, policies on food trade, alongside advocation of low calorie diets, reducing food loss and waste can help to enhance food security.
Is yield increase sufficient to achieve food security in China?
Wei, Xing; Zhang, Zhao; Shi, Peijun; Wang, Pin; Chen, Yi; Song, Xiao; Tao, Fulu
Increasing demand for food, driven by unprecedented population growth and increasing consumption, will keep challenging food security in China. Although cereal yields have substantially improved during the last three decades, whether it will keep thriving to meet the increasing demand is not known yet. Thus, an integrated analysis on the trends of crop yield and cultivated area is essential to better understand current state of food security in China, especially on county scale. So far, yield stagnation has extensively dominated the main cereal-growing areas across China. Rice yield is facing the most severe stagnation that 53.9% counties tracked in the study have stagnated significantly, followed by maize (42.4%) and wheat (41.9%). As another important element for production sustainability, but often neglected is the planted area patterns. It has been further demonstrated that the loss in productive arable land for rice and wheat have dramatically increased the pressure on achieving food security. Not only a great deal of the planted areas have stagnated since 1980, but also collapsed. 48.4% and 54.4% of rice- and wheat-growing counties have lost their cropland areas to varying degrees. Besides, 27.6% and 35.8% of them have retrograded below the level of the 1980s. The combined influence (both loss in yield and area) has determined the crop sustainable production in China to be pessimistic for rice and wheat, and consequently no surprise to find that more than half of counties rank a lower level of production sustainability. Therefore, given the potential yield increase in wheat and maize, as well as substantial area loss of rice and wheat, the possible targeted adaptation measures for both yield and cropping area is required at county scale. Moreover, policies on food trade, alongside advocation of low calorie diets, reducing food loss and waste can help to enhance food security.
Action Research for Sustainability
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Egmose, Jonas
How can action research further new research orientations towards sustainability? This book, empirically situated in the field of upstream public engagement, involving local residents, researchers and practitioners in bottom-up processes deliberating on urban sustainability, answers this question...... by analysing processes of social learning. The book addresses the need to move towards sustainability at societal level as a democratic challenge questioning the way we live on planet earth. By conceptualising sustain-ability as an immanent and emergent ability of ecological and social life, continuously...... to renew itself without eroding its own foundation of existence, it argues that since sustainability cannot be invented but only supported (or eroded) by science, we need to reframe science in the role of sustaining sustain-ability. Through analyses of a three year action research programme, aiming...
A new approach of mapping soils in the Alps - Challenges of deriving soil information and creating soil maps for sustainable land use. An example from South Tyrol (Italy)
Baruck, Jasmin; Gruber, Fabian E.; Geitner, Clemens
Nowadays sustainable land use management is gaining importance because intensive land use leads to increasing soil degradation. Especially in mountainous regions like the Alps sustainable land use management is important, as topography limits land use. Therefore, a database containing detailed information of soil characteristics is required. However, information of soil properties is far from being comprehensive. The project "ReBo - Terrain classification based on airborne laser scanning data to support soil mapping in the Alps", founded by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, aims at developing a methodical framework of how to obtain soil data. The approach combines geomorphometric analysis and soil mapping to generate modern soil maps at medium-scale in a time and cost efficient way. In this study the open source GRASS GIS extension module r.geomorphon (Jasciewicz and Stepinski, 2013) is used to derive topographically homogeneous landform units out of high resolution DTMs on scale 1:5.000. Furthermore, for terrain segmentation and classification we additionally use medium-scale data sets (geology, parent material, land use etc.). As the Alps are characterized by a great variety of topography, parent material, wide range of moisture regimes etc. getting reliable soil data is difficult. Additionally, geomorphic activity (debris flow, landslide etc.) leads to natural disturbances. Thus, soil properties are highly diverse and largely scale dependent. Furthermore, getting soil information of anthropogenically influenced soils is an added challenge. Due to intensive cultivation techniques the natural link between the soil forming factors is often repealed. In South Tyrol we find the largest pome producing area in Europe. Normally, the annual precipitation is not enough for intensive orcharding. Thus, irrigation strategies are in use. However, as knowledge about the small scaled heterogeneous soil properties is mostly lacking, overwatering and modifications of the
Beyond Adoption: A New Framework for Theorizing and Evaluating Nonadoption, Abandonment, and Challenges to the Scale-Up, Spread, and Sustainability of Health and Care Technologies.
Greenhalgh, Trisha; Wherton, Joseph; Papoutsi, Chrysanthi; Lynch, Jennifer; Hughes, Gemma; A'Court, Christine; Hinder, Susan; Fahy, Nick; Procter, Rob; Shaw, Sara
, the value proposition, the adopter system (comprising professional staff, patient, and lay caregivers), the organization(s), the wider (institutional and societal) context, and the interaction and mutual adaptation between all these domains over time. Our empirical case studies raised a variety of challenges across all 7 domains, each classified as simple (straightforward, predictable, few components), complicated (multiple interacting components or issues), or complex (dynamic, unpredictable, not easily disaggregated into constituent components). Programs characterized by complicatedness proved difficult but not impossible to implement. Those characterized by complexity in multiple NASSS domains rarely, if ever, became mainstreamed. The framework showed promise when applied (both prospectively and retrospectively) to other programs. Subject to further empirical testing, NASSS could be applied across a range of technological innovations in health and social care. It has several potential uses: (1) to inform the design of a new technology; (2) to identify technological solutions that (perhaps despite policy or industry enthusiasm) have a limited chance of achieving large-scale, sustained adoption; (3) to plan the implementation, scale-up, or rollout of a technology program; and (4) to explain and learn from program failures.
Sustainability needs the geosciences
Grimm, Nancy; van der Pluijm, Ben
Science, Innovation, and Partnerships for Sustainable Solutions: A National Academies Symposium; Washington, D. C., 16-18 May 2012 It is no longer disputed that humanity has drastically changed the face of the planet and its life-support systems. The sustainability challenge is to meet people's needs today and in the future while sustaining life-support systems. This grand challenge demands a new scientific approach: use-inspired, solution-driven research that consciously links scientific research to societal decision-making and action. Sustainability science may help fulfill that need if it can engage communities of expertise across a wide range of disciplines and sectors, including the geosciences.
Can We Sustainably Harvest Ivory?
Lusseau, David; Lee, Phyllis C
Despite the 1989 ivory trade ban, elephants continue to be killed to harvest their tusks for ivory. Since 2008, this poaching has increased to unprecedented levels driven by consumer demand for ivory products. CITES is now considering the development of a legal ivory trade [1, 2]. The proposal relies on three assumptions: (1) harvest regulation will cease all illegal activities, (2) defined sustainable quotas can be enforced, and (3) we can define meaningful sustainable quotas that come close to the current demand. We know that regulation of harvest does not stop illegal takes. Despite whaling regulation after World War II, illegal whaling continued for decades [3]. The introduction of wolf culls in the US actually increased poaching activities [4], and one-off ivory sales in 1999 and 2008 did nothing to halt elephant poaching. Governance issues over the ivory supply chains, including stockpiling, make enforcing quotas challenging, if not impossible [5, 6]. We have not yet adequately assessed what could be a sustainable ivory yield. To do so, we develop a compartmental model composed of a two-sex age-structured demographic model and an ivory production and harvest model. We applied several offtake and quota strategies to define how much ivory could be sustainably harvested. We found that the sustainability space is very small. Only 100 to 150 kg of ivory could be removed from a reference population of 1,360 elephants, levels well below the current demand. Our study shows that lifting the ivory ban will not address the current poaching challenge. We should instead focus on reducing consumer demand. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sustainable Resilient, Robust & Resplendent Enterprises
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Edgeman, Rick
Although organizational resilience and robustness may be cast in many lights, their core constructs are simply represented. Resplendence is, however, a less well-defined and perhaps more transient enterprise condition that is complementary to, but relatively distinct from resilience and robustness....... Resilience may be regarded as enterprise ability to recover or rebound from negative shocks or extreme challenges to its ecosystem (Contu, 2002). Robustness, in contrast to resilience, is not so much enterprise ability to recover from shocks or challenges to its ecosystem, but rather resistance or immunity...... to their impact. Resplendent enterprises are introduced with resplendence referring not to some sort of public or private façade, but instead refers to organizations marked by dual brilliance and nobility of strategy, governance and comportment that yields superior and sustainable triple bottom line performance...
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Dragos Ilie
The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that one of the therapies to achieve sustainability and organizational change in the context of current challenges in the national economies is sustainable crediting...
Increasing Crop Diversity Mitigates Weather Variations and Improves Yield Stability
Gaudin, Amélie C. M.; Tolhurst, Tor N.; Ker, Alan P.; Janovicek, Ken; Tortora, Cristina; Martin, Ralph C.; Deen, William
stresses. This could help to sustain future yield levels in challenging production environments. PMID:25658914
Increasing crop diversity mitigates weather variations and improves yield stability.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Amélie C M Gaudin
environmental stresses. This could help to sustain future yield levels in challenging production environments.
Action Research for Sustainability
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Egmose, Jonas
Analysing processes of social learning this work addresses how action research can further new research orientations towards sustainability. Empirically situated in the field of upstream public engagement, involving local residents, researchers and practitioners in bottom-up processes deliberating...... on urban sustainability the need to move towards sustainability at societal level is conceptualised as a democratic challenge questioning the way we live on planet earth. By understanding sustainability as an immanent and emergent ability of ecological and social life, continuously to renew itself without...... eroding its own foundation of existence, it argues that since sustainability cannot be invented but only supported (or eroded) by science, we need to reframe science in the role of sustaining sustain-ability. Through analyses of a three year action research programme, aiming to provide local citizens...
Handbook of sustainable engineering
Lee, Kun-Mo
"The efficient utilization of energy, sustainable use of natural resources, and large-scale adoption of sustainable technologies is the key to a sustainable future. The Handbook of Sustainable Engineering provides tools that will help us achieve these goals". Nobel Prize Winner Dr. R.K. Pauchauri, Chairman, UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change As global society confronts the challenges of diminishing resources, ecological degradation, and climate change, engineers play a crucial role designing and building technologies and products that fulfil our needs for utility and sustainability. The Handbook of Sustainable Engineering equips readers with the context and the best practices derived from both academic research and practical examples of successful implementations of sustainable technical solutions. The handbook's content revolves around the two themes, new ways of thinking and new business models, including sustainable production, products, service systems and consumption while addressing key asse...
FORUM: Is Ecotourism Sustainable?
/ It is legitimate to ask whether and in what form tourism might contribute to sustainable development. This is not the same as sustainable tourism which, as a single-sector approach to development, may overlook important linkages with other sectors. If tourism is to contribute to sustainable development, then it must be economically viable, ecologically sensitive and culturally appropriate. Ecotourism is often advocated as being a sustainable form of tourism but imprecision in terminology clouds basic issues and there are strong economic, ecological, and cultural reasons for believing that, even in its purest forms, ecotourism is likely to present substantial challenges to destination areas, particularly if it competes for scarce resources and displaces existing uses and users. Sustainable tourism and ecotourism are not synonyms, many forms of ecotourism may not be sustainable, and if ecotourism is to contribute to sustainable development, then careful planning and management will be required.KEY WORDS: Ecotourism; Sustainable development; Development; Tourism
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Røpke, Inge
in wider social, economic and technological frameworks is emphasised. In particular, the chapter is inspired by practice theory and transition theory. First, various trends in consumption are outlined to highlight some of the challenges for sustainability transitions. Then, it is discussed how consumption...... patterns are shaped over time and what should be considered in sustainability strategies. While discussions on consumption often take their point of departure in the perspective of the individual and then zoom to the wider context, the present approach is the opposite. The outline starts with the basic...... biophysical, distributional and economic conditions for high consumption in rich countries and then zooms in on the coevolution of provision systems and consumption, and how consumption is shaped by practices and projects in everyday life. Furthermore, the paper discusses whether and how transition...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Boelt, Birte; Studer, Bruno
Seed yield is a trait of major interest for many fodder and amenity grass species and has received increasing attention since seed multiplication is economically relevant for novel grass cultivars to compete in the commercial market. Although seed yield is a complex trait and affected...... by agricultural practices as well as environmental factors, traits related to seed production reveal considerable genetic variation, prerequisite for improvement by direct or indirect selection. This chapter first reports on the biological and physiological basics of the grass reproduction system, then highlights...... important aspects and components affecting the seed yield potential and the agronomic and environmental aspects affecting the utilization and realization of the seed yield potential. Finally, it discusses the potential of plant breeding to sustainably improve total seed yield in fodder and amenity grasses....
New lakes in de-glaciating high-mountain regions - a challenge for integrative research about hazard protection and sustainable use
Haeberli, W.
As a consequence of rapid glacier vanishing, an increasing number of smaller and larger lakes are forming in high-mountain regions worldwide. Such new lakes can be touristic landscape attractions and may also represent interesting potentials for hydropower production. However, they more and more often come into existence at the foot of very large and steep icy mountain walls, which are progressively destabilizing due to changing surface and subsurface ice conditions. The probability of far-reaching flood and debris flow catastrophes caused by impact waves from large rock/ice avalanches into lakes may still appear to be small now but steadily increases for long time periods to come. Corresponding projects related to hazard protection and sustainable use should be combined in an integrative and participatory planning process. This planning process must start soon, because the development in nature is fast and most likely accelerating. Technical tools for creating the necessary scientific knowledge basis at local to regional scales exist and can be used. The location of future new lakes in topographic bed depressions of now still glacier-covered areas can be quite safely assessed on the basis of morphological criteria or by applying ice thickness estimates using digital terrain information. Models for ice-thickness estimates couple the depth to bedrock via the basal shear stress with the surface slope and provide a (relative) bed topography which is much more robust than the (absolute) value of the calculated ice thickness. Numerical models at various levels of sophistication can be used to simulate possible future glacier changes in order to establish the probable time of lake formation and the effects of glacier shrinking on runoff seasonality and water supply. The largest uncertainties thereby relate to the large uncertainties of (absolute) ice thickness and mass/energy fluxes at the surface (climate scenarios, precipitation and albedo changes, etc.). Combined
Sustainable Materials Management
To introduce businesses, NGOs, and government officials to the concept of Sustainable Materials Management (SMM). To provide tools to allow stakeholders to take a lifecycle approach managing their materials, & to encourage them to join a SMM challenge.
Food, Globalization and Sustainability
Oosterveer, P.J.M.; Sonnenfeld, D.A.
Food is increasingly traded internationally, thereby transforming the organisation of food production and consumption globally and influencing most food-related practices. This transition is generating unfamiliar challenges related to sustainability of food provision, the social impacts of
Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture.
Seufert, Verena; Ramankutty, Navin; Foley, Jonathan A
Numerous reports have emphasized the need for major changes in the global food system: agriculture must meet the twin challenge of feeding a growing population, with rising demand for meat and high-calorie diets, while simultaneously minimizing its global environmental impacts. Organic farming—a system aimed at producing food with minimal harm to ecosystems, animals or humans—is often proposed as a solution. However, critics argue that organic agriculture may have lower yields and would therefore need more land to produce the same amount of food as conventional farms, resulting in more widespread deforestation and biodiversity loss, and thus undermining the environmental benefits of organic practices. Here we use a comprehensive meta-analysis to examine the relative yield performance of organic and conventional farming systems globally. Our analysis of available data shows that, overall, organic yields are typically lower than conventional yields. But these yield differences are highly contextual, depending on system and site characteristics, and range from 5% lower organic yields (rain-fed legumes and perennials on weak-acidic to weak-alkaline soils), 13% lower yields (when best organic practices are used), to 34% lower yields (when the conventional and organic systems are most comparable). Under certain conditions—that is, with good management practices, particular crop types and growing conditions—organic systems can thus nearly match conventional yields, whereas under others it at present cannot. To establish organic agriculture as an important tool in sustainable food production, the factors limiting organic yields need to be more fully understood, alongside assessments of the many social, environmental and economic benefits of organic farming systems.
Teaching environmental sustainability in higher education
Itard, L.C.M.; Van den Bogaard, M.E.D.; Hasselaar, E.
The challenges of sustainable engineering and design are complex and so are the challenges of teaching sustainability to higher education students. This paper deals with teaching environmental sustainability, with a specific focus on the sustainability of buildings. The paper addresses specifically
Leading Sustainability in Schools
Carr, Katie
What is the role of schools, and more specifically school leadership, in the transition to a sustainable future for humankind? What different forms of leadership are needed to enable this role? The challenges are huge and complex and for those of us engaged in promoting sustainability learning, it is clear that the issue has never been more…
A Review of Organic Farming for Sustainable Agriculture in Northern India
S. K. Yadav; Subhash Babu; M. K. Yadav; Kalyan Singh; G. S. Yadav; Suresh Pal
In the post independence period, the most important challenge in India has been to produce enough food for the growing population. Hence, high-yielding varieties are being used with infusion of irrigation water, fertilizers, or pesticides. This combination of high-yielding production technology has helped the country develop a food surplus as well as contributing to concerns of soil health, environmental pollution, pesticide toxicity, and sustainability of agricultural production. Scientists ...
Computational Sustainability Tools Illuminating the Triple Value Model
The National Research Council (NRC) report Sustainability and the U.S. EPA recommends development of a "sustainability toolbox" to address challenges associated with implementing sustainability at the EPA. The three pillars of sustainability - industrial, social, and en...
Sustaining Participatory Design Initiatives
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Iversen, Ole Sejer; Dindler, Christian
While many participatory design (PD) projects succeed in establishing new organisational initiatives or creating technology that is attuned to the people affected, the issue of how such results are sustained after the project ends remains an important challenge. We explore the challenge...... these various forms of sustainability may be pursued in PD practice and how they can become a resource in reflecting on PD activities. Finally, we discuss implications for PD practice, suggesting that a nuanced conception of sustainability and how it may relate to PD practice are useful resources for designers...... and researchers before, during and after design processes. View full text Download full text...
Incorporating phenology into yield models
Gray, J. M.; Friedl, M. A.
Because the yields of many crops are sensitive to meteorological forcing during specific growth stages, phenological information has potential utility in yield mapping and forecasting exercises. However, most attempts to explain the spatiotemporal variability in crop yields with weather data have relied on growth stage definitions that do not change from year-to-year, even though planting, maturity, and harvesting dates show significant interannual variability. We tested the hypothesis that quantifying temperature exposures over dynamically determined growth stages would better explain observed spatiotemporal variability in crop yields than statically defined time periods. Specifically, we used National Agricultural and Statistics Service (NASS) crop progress data to identify the timing of the start of the maize reproductive growth stage ("silking"), and examined the correlation between county-scale yield anomalies and temperature exposures during either the annual or long-term average silking period. Consistent with our hypothesis and physical understanding, yield anomalies were more correlated with temperature exposures during the actual, rather than the long-term average, silking period. Nevertheless, temperature exposures alone explained a relatively low proportion of the yield variability, indicating that other factors and/or time periods are also important. We next investigated the potential of using remotely sensed land surface phenology instead of NASS progress data to retrieve crop growth stages, but encountered challenges related to crop type mapping and subpixel crop heterogeneity. Here, we discuss the potential of overcoming these challenges and the general utility of remotely sensed land surface phenology in crop yield mapping.
[What is sustainability science?].
Wu, Jian-Guo; Guo, Xiao-Chuan; Yang, Jie; Qian, Gui-Xia; Niu, Jian-Ming; Liang, Cun-Zhu; Zhang, Qing; Li, Ang
Sustainability is the theme of our time and also the grandest challenge to humanity. Since the 1970s, the term, sustainable development, has frequently appeared in the scientific literature, governmental documents, media promotions for public goods, and commercial advertisements. However, the science that provides the theoretical foundation and practical guidance for sustainable development--sustainability science--only began to emerge in the beginning of the 21st century. Nevertheless, the field has rapidly developed in depth and expanded in scope during the past decade, with its core concepts and research methods coalescing. China, as the most populous country in the world and home to the philosophical root of sustainability science-the unity of man and nature, is obligated to take upon the challenge of our time, to facilitate global sustainability while pursuing the Chinese Dream, and to play a leading role in the development of sustainability science. Toward this grandiose goal, this paper presents the first Chinese introduction to sustainability science, which discusses its basic concepts, research questions, and future directions. Sustainability science is the study of the dynamic relationship between humans and the environment, particularly focusing on the vulnerability, robustness, resilience, and stability of the coupled human-environment system. It is a transdisciplinary science that integrates natural sciences with humanities and social sciences. It hinges on the environment-economy-society nexus, and merges basic and applied research. The key components of sustainability often change with time, place, and culture, and thus sustainability science needs to emphasize multi-scale studies in space and time, with emphasis on landscapes and regions over a horizon of 50 to 100 years. It needs to focus on the relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being, as influenced by biodiversity and ecosystem processes as well as climate change, land use
Sustainability in the Business Case
Ron Schipper; Gilbert Gilbert Silvius
This paper explores the integration of indicators that reflect the concepts of sustainability into business cases and business case evaluation methods. It is based on the observations that sustainability is one of the most important challenges of our time and that sustainable development requires
Interactions on sustainability requirements in the South African Table Grape industry: The position and challenges of actors on the supply side
Vermeulen, W.J.V.; Ras, P.J.; Lancaster, C.
International supply chains have mainly been addressed in literature from a demand side perspective. This article addresses sustainable development issues from a supply side perspective. The paper is based on exploratory research done in the supply chain of Table Grapes in South Africa. The
) Interactions on sustainability requirements in the South African Table Grape industry: The position and challenges of actors on the supply side
Vermeulen, W.J.V.; Ras, P.J.; Muller, C.
International supply chains have mainly been addressed in literature from a demand side perspective. This article addresses sustainable development issues from a supply side perspective. The paper is based on exploratory research done in the supply chain of Table Grapes in South Africa. The
Infopreneurs in service of rural enterprise and economic development: Addressing the critical challenges of scalability and sustainability in support of service extension in developing (rural) economies
CSIR Research Space (South Africa)
Van Rensburg, JR
Full Text Available agents, i.e. Infopreneurs®. It will provide some lessons learned on the enhanced sustainability of the Infopreneurs® network through the 'deepening' of the service offering of the network, i.e. scope enhancement, leading to a more extensive value...
Can a sustainability and health scenario provide a realistic challenge to student nurses and provoke changes in practice? An evaluation of a training intervention.
Grose, J; Richardson, J
Climate change and limited natural resources will impact on the sustainable supply and disposal of materials used in health care. Healthcare students need opportunities to reflect on the ecological footprint of health services to mitigate against negative effects on service delivery. In order to raise awareness of these issues, there is a need for evidence-based teaching tools which are relevant and meaningful to nursing practice. An evidence-based sustainability skills teaching session was delivered to 293 nursing students from child and adult health disciplines. Following the sessions, evaluation sheets were distributed to the participants, of which 290 responded. The majority of nurses valued both the delivery and the content of the training and some were motivated to complete further study. The evaluation provided valuable information on how to deliver sustainability education and important insights into where more information and support was needed in order to change practice. Embedding sustainability teaching in skill sessions appears to be a realistic way of informing and motivating learners to consider current and best practice. Following training, further evaluation of practice-based behaviour is needed. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.
Implementation of a Safe Patient Handling Program in a Multihospital Health System From Inception to Sustainability: Successes Over 8 Years and Ongoing Challenges.
Olinski, Christine; Norton, Christine E
Musculoskeletal injuries, especially back injuries, are among the most frequent injuries sustained by direct caregivers who lift, transfer, and reposition patients. These injuries can be debilitating and, for some caregivers, career ending. In the first year following implementation of the safe patient handling program in a multihospital health care system, an 82% reduction in Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) recordable patient handling injuries was realized, a 94% decrease in days away from work, an 85% reduction in restricted duty days, and an 82% reduction in incurred workers' compensation costs. These reductions have been sustained for an 8-year period since the program's implementation in 2008. The primary focus of the program's first year was training and education. Compliance and retraining efforts began in the second year, followed by a gradual transition to the present emphasis on sustainability. This article describes the development and implementation of a safe patient handling program in a multihospital health system and the impact on caregiver injuries over 8 years. Also presented are key strategies that were used to achieve sustainability.
Identifying bio-physical, social and political challenges to catchment governance for sustainable freshwater fisheries in West Africa: Systems overview through scenario development in the SUSFISH project.
Sendzimir, Jan; Slezak, Gabriele; Melcher, Andreas
Chronic and episodic water scarcity prompted construction of 1400 reservoirs in Burkina Faso since 1950, greatly expanding fisheries production. These fisheries provided an increasingly important protein source for a population that has risen 600% since 1920, but production has plateaued, and dramatic declines in adult fish size suggest these fisheries are not sustainable. The SUSFISH project joined Austrian and Burkinabe scientists to increase local capacities to manage fisheries sustainably. SUSFISH has successfully increased capacity to monitor fish populations, identify endangered species, and use specific fish and macroinvertebrate species as bio-indicators of water and habitat quality as well as anthropogenic pressures. But projects to support sustainable development in Africa have a long history of failure if only based on transfer of technology and theory based on bio-physical sciences. This paper describes the processes and products of knowledge elicitation, scenario development and systems analysis to identify barriers and bridges to long-term sustainable fisheries development that arise from bio-physical, social, political and cultural causes, and, especially, interactions between them. Lessons learned and important on-going research questions are identified for both the natural and social sciences as they apply to managing catchments at multiple scales of governance, from local to national.
Special Report on the Role of Open Educational Resources in Supporting the Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education Challenges and Opportunities
McGreal, Rory
Open Educational Resources (OER) and their offspring, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), are becoming important factors in achieving the "Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education" ("SDG4"). The OER movement is less than 15 years old and is growing rapidly as more and more nations and institutions adopt the view that…
Towards Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marzia Traverso
Full Text Available Sustainability is nowadays accepted by all stakeholders as a guiding principle for both public policy making and corporate strategies. However, the biggest challenge for most organizations remains in the real and substantial implementation of the sustainability concept. The core of the implementation challenge is the question, how sustainability performance can be measured, especially for products and processes. This paper explores the current status of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA for products and processes. For the environmental dimension well established tools like Life Cycle Assessment are available. For the economic and social dimension, there is still need for consistent and robust indicators and methods. In addition to measuring the individual sustainability dimensions, another challenge is a comprehensive, yet understandable presentation of the results. The "Life Cycle Sustainability Dashboard" and the "Life Cycle Sustainability Triangle" are presented as examples for communication tools for both experts and non expert stakeholders.
Sustainability and Entrepreneurial Action
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Korsgaard, Steffen T.; Anderson, Alistair
Abstract Objectives - This paper explores how entrepreneurial action can lead to environmental sustainability. It builds on the assumption that the creation of sustainble practices is one of the most important challenges facing the global society, and that entrepreneurial action is a vital...... instrument in the pursuit of sustainability. Prior Work - Extant literature identifies two main approaches to sustainable entrepreneurship. (i) traditional exploitation of environmentally relevant opportunities and (ii) institutional entrepreneurship creating opportunities. We identify a novel form......: resource oriented sustainable entrepreneurial action. Approach - The paper uses a case study approach to build deeper theoretical knowledge of environmentally sustainable entrepreneurship. Results - The paper identifies and analyses a distinct form of sustainable entrepreneurship - resource oriented...
Textiles and clothing sustainability sustainable textile chemical processes
This book highlights the challenges in sustainable wet processing of textiles, natural dyes, enzymatic textiles and sustainable textile finishes. Textile industry is known for its chemical processing issues and many NGO's are behind the textile sector to streamline its chemical processing, which is the black face of clothing and fashion sector. Sustainable textile chemical processes are crucial for attaining sustainability in the clothing sector. Seven comprehensive chapters are aimed to highlight these issues in the book.
Beliefs that manifest through newspaper items in relation to peoples' life challenges and their potential to enhance a sustainable learning environment in school science
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Thapelo L. Mamiala
Full Text Available The paper documents beliefs that manifest themselves through newspaper items and elaborates on their potential to enhance a sustainable learning environment in a school science lesson. "Learning environment" is depicted from different angles and includes virtual and real learning environments, school environments and classroom environments. Descriptive and item analyses were conducted on sixty-eight newspaper items that were identified. The nature of problems and prescriptions/solutions was categorised for each item and the paper further provides elaboration on the types of problems and recommended solutions. The results show that the "believed" structure contents in their newspaper items to catch the attention of the "believer". Lessons on the power of belief must be learnt by school science teachers if they are to succeed in creating a sustainable learning environment with improved performance in school science.
Sustainable Food & Sustainable Economics
Alvarez, Mavis Dora
Cuba today is immersed in a very intense process of perfecting its agricultural production structures with the goal of making them more efficient and sustainable in their economic administration and in their social and environmental management. Agricultural cooperatives in Cuba have the responsibility of producing on 73% of the country's farmland. Their contributions are decisive to developing agricultural production and to ensuring more and better food for the population, in addition to redu...
Lewis, Helen; Fitzpatrick, Leanne
The packaging industry is under pressure from regulators, customers and other stakeholders to improve packaging's sustainability by reducing its environmental and societal impacts. This is a considerable challenge because of the complex interactions between products and their packaging, and the many roles that packaging plays in the supply chain. Packaging for Sustainability is a concise and readable handbook for practitioners who are trying to implement sustainability strategies for packaging. Industry case studies are used throughout the book to illustrate possible applications and scenarios. Packaging for Sustainability draws on the expertise of researchers and industry practitioners to provide information on business benefits, environmental issues and priorities, environmental evaluation tools, design for environment, marketing strategies, and challenges for the future.
Environmental challenges for the sustainable development in the Croatian North Adriatic littoral region = Okoljski izzivi trajnostnega razvoja v hrvaškem delu Severnega Jadrana
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mladen Maradin
Full Text Available The paper presents some geographical aspects of sustainable development in a part of theNorth Adriatic region in the Republic of Croatia. This sensitive region is confronted withproblems of space management, water supply, waste management, transportation and energy,especially during the tourist season because of the pressure on infrastructure in the coastalregion where there is a great concentration of population and tourist capacities. Anotherenvironmental problem is the oil transportation by a pipeline which is planned to be built inthe frames of Russian-Croatian project Družba-Adria.
Shared Living and Sustainability: Emerging Trends in the Tourism Industry
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Paul Valva
... and social sustainability. Changing trends brought about by the sustainability challenge, climate change, technological advancements and increasing affluence and cultural awareness are disrupting the tourism industry. Meeting clients...
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture
Fabio Caporali
In the framework of the 16th National Meeting of the Italian Ecological Society ("Global Change, Ecological Diversity and Sustainability", University of Tuscia, Viterbo, 19-22 September 2006), a symposium was devoted to "Agroecology and Sustainable Development". A major goal of this symposium was to contribute to keeping the dialogue among the experts of the various disciplines alive. Sustainability of agriculture is a challenge for society world wide. ...
Education, Gender and Islam in China: The Place of Religious Education in Challenging and Sustaining "Undisputed Traditions" among Chinese Muslim Women
Jaschok, Maria; Chan, Hau Ming Vicky
The essay investigates the place of religious and secular education in the lives of Chinese Muslim women. Education is treated as a site where state and society are reproduced and/or challenged, where tensions arise over control of minds and bodies, and over interpretations and uses of religion and culture. Specifically, the essay compares…
Effects of 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid formulations as yield ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
stimulant, its ability to induce tree dryness, activation of tree metabolism and ability to sustain rubber yields. Hevetex 5% PA is a good yield stimulant and has good sustaining properties demonstrated by the level of its physiological properties (such as sugar and thiols) which are comparable to those of Ethrel®. The use of ...
The engineer, sustainable development craftsman at the center of the global energy challenge!; L'ingenieur, artisan du developpement durable au centre du defi energetique mondial!
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Laplatte, Benjamin; Bourque, Francis; Granger, Francois P.; Dery, Gaston; Berube, Martin
By its omnipresence in society, the energy question is at the heart of sustainable development issues. The engineer, as a central actor of human society development, is therefore tightly linked to the energy issue and he must actively contribute to resolve it by integrating to his practices the principles of sustainable development and by applying the solutions that arises. Part of these elements include as the main ones, listening to the consideration of citizens, becoming aware of the environment importance and reducing costs at all levels. The engineer is a social actor that cannot be ignored in the resolution of these issues. [French] Par son omnipresence dans la societe, la question energetique est au coeur des enjeux du developpement durable. L'ingenieur, etant un acteur central du developpement des societes humaines, est donc inextricablement lie a la question energetique qu'il doit contribuer activement a resoudre en integrant a sa pratique les principes du developpement durable et en appliquant les solutions qui en decoulent. Parmi ces elements, l'ecoute des considerations citoyennes, la prise de conscience de l'importance de l'environnement et la reduction des couts a tous les niveaux sont des elements centraux. L'ingenieur est un acteur social incontournable pour la resolution de ces enjeux.
Sustainability Science Needs Sustainable Data!
Downs, R. R.; Chen, R. S.
Sustainability science (SS) is an 'emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural and social systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability: meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet's life support systems' (Kates, 2011; Clark, 2007). Bettencourt & Kaur (2011) identified more than 20,000 scientific papers published on SS topics since the 1980s with more than 35,000 distinct authors. They estimated that the field is currently growing exponentially, with the number of authors doubling approximately every 8 years. These scholars are undoubtedly using and generating a vast quantity and variety of data and information for both SS research and applications. Unfortunately we know little about what data the SS community is actually using, and whether or not the data that SS scholars generate are being preserved for future use. Moreover, since much SS research is conducted by cross-disciplinary, multi-institutional teams, often scattered around the world, there could well be increased risks of data loss, reduced data quality, inadequate documentation, and poor long-term access and usability. Capabilities and processes therefore need to be established today to support continual, reliable, and efficient preservation of and access to SS data in the future, especially so that they can be reused in conjunction with future data and for new studies not conceived in the original data collection activities. Today's long-term data stewardship challenges include establishing sustainable data governance to facilitate continuing management, selecting data to ensure that limited resources are focused on high priority SS data holdings, securing sufficient rights to allow unforeseen uses, and preparing data to enable use by future communities whose specific research and information needs are not yet known. Adopting sustainable models for archival
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fabio Caporali
Full Text Available In the framework of the 16th National Meeting of the Italian Ecological Society ("Global Change, Ecological Diversity and Sustainability", University of Tuscia, Viterbo, 19-22 September 2006, a symposium was devoted to "Agroecology and Sustainable Development". A major goal of this symposium was to contribute to keeping the dialogue among the experts of the various disciplines alive. Sustainability of agriculture is a challenge for society world wide. Universities and society as a whole have a responsibility in re-examining current perception of nature, of the world and of human society in the light of natural resources depletion, increasing pollution and social inequalities. The urgency to address sustainability issues is increasingly being reflected in the manner in which institutions of higher education around the world are giving priority to the teaching, research and practice of sustainability. The University of Tuscia is involved in international initiatives concerning teaching and research in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture.
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fabio Caporali
Full Text Available In the framework of the 16th National Meeting of the Italian Ecological Society ("Global Change, Ecological Diversity and Sustainability", University of Tuscia, Viterbo, 19-22 September 2006, a symposium was devoted to "Agroecology and Sustainable Development". A major goal of this symposium was to contribute to keeping the dialogue among the experts of the various disciplines alive. Sustainability of agriculture is a challenge for society world wide. Universities and society as a whole have a responsibility in re-examining current perception of nature, of the world and of human society in the light of natural resources depletion, increasing pollution and social inequalities. The urgency to address sustainability issues is increasingly being reflected in the manner in which institutions of higher education around the world are giving priority to the teaching, research and practice of sustainability. The University of Tuscia is involved in international initiatives concerning teaching and research in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture.
Kok, Akke; Middelaar, van C.E.; Engel, B.; Knegsel, van A.T.M.; Hogeveen, H.; Kemp, B.; Boer, de I.J.M.
To compare milk yields between cows or management strategies, lactations are traditionally standardized to 305-d yields. The 305-d yield, however, gives no insight into the combined effect of additional milk yield before calving, decreased milk yield after calving, and a possible shorter calving
Towards sustainable food production
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Aramyan, Lusine H; Hoste, Robert; van den Broek, Willie
allocation of pork supply chain activities in Europe. Supply chain production and distribution activities are optimized in various scenarios based on economic and sustainability performance indicators. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model, which includes piglet production, fattening, slaughtering......, as minimizing costs will not always lead to an optimal reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions, a differentiated strategy is needed for the European pork sector to move towards more sustainable production......European pork supply chains, like other agri-food supply chains, currently face numerous challenges such as globalization, emerging markets, changing consumer requirements, and new governmental regulations related to issues such as environmental pollution and food safety. These challenges require...
Multi-Scale Governance of Sustainable Natural Resource Use—Challenges and Opportunities for Monitoring and Institutional Development at the National and Global Level
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stefan Bringezu
Full Text Available In a globalized economy, the use of natural resources is determined by the demand of modern production and consumption systems, and by infrastructure development. Sustainable natural resource use will require good governance and management based on sound scientific information, data and indicators. There is a rich literature on natural resource management, yet the national and global scale and macro-economic policy making has been underrepresented. We provide an overview of the scholarly literature on multi-scale governance of natural resources, focusing on the information required by relevant actors from local to global scale. Global natural resource use is largely determined by national, regional, and local policies. We observe that in recent decades, the development of public policies of natural resource use has been fostered by an "inspiration cycle" between the research, policy and statistics community, fostering social learning. Effective natural resource policies require adequate monitoring tools, in particular indicators for the use of materials, energy, land, and water as well as waste and GHG emissions of national economies. We summarize the state-of-the-art of the application of accounting methods and data sources for national material flow accounts and indicators, including territorial and product-life-cycle based approaches. We show how accounts on natural resource use can inform the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs and argue that information on natural resource use, and in particular footprint indicators, will be indispensable for a consistent implementation of the SDGs. We recognize that improving the knowledge base for global natural resource use will require further institutional development including at national and international levels, for which we outline options.
Public-Private Partnerships and Sustainable Agricultural Development
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paul Castle
Full Text Available Agriculture in Africa is not sustainable because average yields have been stagnating for decades due to underinvestment, especially in the development of agricultural markets, crop improvement and the sustainable management of agricultural systems. Low public sector funding for agricultural research and lack of incentives for the private sector to operate in areas where there is no market largely explain the yield gap in many food-importing developing countries. Yet, there are effective ways in which the public and the private sector could work together and jointly improve agricultural sustainability in poor countries. The public sector provides a favorable institutional environment for the development of agricultural markets and investment in rural infrastructure, facilitates local business development and funds research with local relevance. The private sector, in return, brings its considerable expertise in product development and deployment. This article illustrates how new forms of public-private partnerships (PPPs for agricultural development can work in challenging environments. It discusses three promising examples of PPPs in which the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA is actively involved, and shows that an experimental approach can sometimes be more effective than social planning in efforts to achieve sustainable agriculture.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available Overcoming the productivity challenge is the main benefit of the 2014 World Cup for Brazilian people. The sustainable development of our cultural tourism industry will catapult the new middle class growing up rate.
Department of Housing and Urban Development — HUD's Community Challenge Grants aim to reform and reduce barriers to achieving affordable, economically vital and sustainable communities. The funds are awarded to...
Review of yield gap explaining factors and opportunities for alternative data collection approaches
Beza, E.A.; Vasco Silva, João; Kooistra, Lammert; Reidsma, Pytrik
Yield gap analysis is gaining increased scientific attention, as estimating and explaining yield gaps shows the potential for sustainable intensification of agricultural systems. Explaining yield gaps requires detailed information about the biophysical environment, crop management as well as
Planning-Based Approaches for Supporting Sustainable Landscape Development
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ch. Albert
Full Text Available Planning often yields only limited influence on policy making. This paper explores how planning could address this challenge and support most effectively transitions towards sustainable landscape change. In merging insights from sustainability science research and nine recently concluded case studies of landscape planning, the paper reflects upon the applicability of the concept of "transition support", discusses planning approaches and their perceived effectiveness to induce change in landscape governance, and identifies lessons learned. The paper's outcomes include insights and potentially useful approaches that can be attributed to four emerging cross-cutting themes: approaches for (i dealing with the high degree of complexity and uncertainty of landscape systems, (ii integrating the various perspectives of experts, decision makers, and stakeholders in the assessment process (transdisciplinarity, (iii enhancing policy influence, and (iv initiating and sustaining learning and adaptive governance.
Towards practitioner-initiated interactive knowledge development fot sustainable development: A cross-case analysis of three coastal projects
Seijger, Chris; Dewulf, Geert P.M.R.; van Tatenhove, J.; Otter, Henriëtte
Although the central challenges of sustainable development are well-known, sustainability science has been slow in contributing to effective and feasible solutions for sustainable development. Turning knowledge into action for sustainable development therefore remains a major challenge for
Towards practitioner-initiated interactive knowledge development for sustainable development: A cross analysis of three coastal projects
Seijger, C.; Dewulf, G.; Tatenhove, van J.P.M.; Otter, H.S.
Although the central challenges of sustainable development are well-known, sustainability science has been slow in contributing to effective and feasible solutions for sustainable development. Turning knowledge into action for sustainable development therefore remains a major challenge for
Review of Urban Sustainability Indicators Assessment
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Michael, Florianna Lendai; Noor, Zainura Zainon; Figueroa, Maria Josefina
This paper examines and compares the processes, methodologies and resulting sets of indicators for urban sustainability carried out in three of Asia's developing countries; Malaysia, Taiwan and China. The paper analytically discusses the challenges of developing urban sustainability indicators...
Sustainable spatial development in higher education
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Maja TERLEVIĆ; Andreja ISTENIČ STARČIČ; Maruška ŠUBIC KOVAČ
Sustainable development is not only a great challenge for society as a whole, but also for higher education institutions, which have been rapidly including sustainable development in their educational...
Social learning towards a sustainable world
Wals, A.E.J.
This comprehensive volume - containing 27 chapters and contributions from six continents - presents and discusses key principles, perspectives, and practices of social learning in the context of sustainability. Social learning is explored from a range of fields challenged by sustainability
Challenges and opportunities in building a sustainable rural primary care workforce in alignment with the Affordable Care Act: the WWAMI program as a case study.
Allen, Suzanne M; Ballweg, Ruth A; Cosgrove, Ellen M; Engle, Kellie A; Robinson, Lawrence R; Rosenblatt, Roger A; Skillman, Susan M; Wenrich, Marjorie D
The authors examine the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on a large medical education program in the Northwest United States that builds the primary care workforce for its largely rural region. The 42-year-old Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) program, hosted by the University of Washington School of Medicine, is one of the nation's most successful models for rural health training. The program has expanded training and retention of primary care health professionals for the region through medical school education, graduate medical education, a physician assistant training program, and support for practicing health professionals.The ACA and resulting accountable care organizations (ACOs) present potential challenges for rural settings and health training programs like WWAMI that focus on building the health workforce for rural and underserved populations. As more Americans acquire health coverage, more health professionals will be needed, especially in primary care. Rural locations may face increased competition for these professionals. Medical schools are expanding their positions to meet the need, but limits on graduate medical education expansion may result in a bottleneck, with insufficient residency positions for graduating students. The development of ACOs may further challenge building a rural workforce by limiting training opportunities for health professionals because of competing demands and concerns about cost, efficiency, and safety associated with training. Medical education programs like WWAMI will need to increase efforts to train primary care physicians and increase their advocacy for student programs and additional graduate medical education for rural constituents.
Current challenges of research on filamentous fungi in relation to human welfare and a sustainable bio-economy: a white paper.
Meyer, Vera; Andersen, Mikael R; Brakhage, Axel A; Braus, Gerhard H; Caddick, Mark X; Cairns, Timothy C; de Vries, Ronald P; Haarmann, Thomas; Hansen, Kim; Hertz-Fowler, Christiane; Krappmann, Sven; Mortensen, Uffe H; Peñalva, Miguel A; Ram, Arthur F J; Head, Ritchie M
The EUROFUNG network is a virtual centre of multidisciplinary expertise in the field of fungal biotechnology. The first academic-industry Think Tank was hosted by EUROFUNG to summarise the state of the art and future challenges in fungal biology and biotechnology in the coming decade. Currently, fungal cell factories are important for bulk manufacturing of organic acids, proteins, enzymes, secondary metabolites and active pharmaceutical ingredients in white and red biotechnology. In contrast, fungal pathogens of humans kill more people than malaria or tuberculosis. Fungi are significantly impacting on global food security, damaging global crop production, causing disease in domesticated animals, and spoiling an estimated 10 % of harvested crops. A number of challenges now need to be addressed to improve our strategies to control fungal pathogenicity and to optimise the use of fungi as sources for novel compounds and as cell factories for large scale manufacture of bio-based products. This white paper reports on the discussions of the Think Tank meeting and the suggestions made for moving fungal bio(techno)logy forward.
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Lichtfouse, Eric
... : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 9 Part I CLIMATE CHANGE Soils and Sustainable Agriculture: A Review : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Rattan Lal 15 Soils and Food Sufficiency...
Scalable, sustainable cost-effective surgical care: a model for safety and quality in the developing world, part I: challenge and commitment.
Campbell, Alex; Restrepo, Carolina; Mackay, Don; Sherman, Randy; Varma, Ajit; Ayala, Ruben; Sarma, Hiteswar; Deshpande, Gaurav; Magee, William
With an estimated backlog of 4,000,000 patients worldwide, cleft lip and cleft palate remain a stark example of the global burden of surgical disease. The need for a new paradigm in global surgery has been increasingly recognized by governments, funding agencies, and professionals to exponentially expand care while emphasizing safety and quality. This three-part article examines the evolution of the Operation Smile Guwahati Comprehensive Cleft Care Center (GCCCC) as an innovative model for sustainable cleft care in the developing world. The GCCCC is the result of a unique public-private partnership between government, charity, and private enterprise. In 2009, Operation Smile, the Government of Assam, the National Rural Health Mission, and the Tata Group joined together to work towards the common goal of creating a center of excellence in cleft care for the region. This partnership combined expertise in medical care and training, organizational structure and management, local health care infrastructure, and finance. A state-of-the-art surgical facility was constructed in Guwahati, Assam which includes a modern integrated operating suite with an open layout, advanced surgical equipment, sophisticated anesthesia and monitoring capabilities, central medical gases, and sterilization facilities. The combination of established leaders and dreamers from different arenas combined to create a synergy of ambitions, resources, and compassion that became the backbone of success in Guwahati.
Using a Policy of 'Gross National Happiness' to Guide the Development of Sustainable Early Learning Programs in the Kingdom of Bhutan: Aspirations and Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jessica Ball
Full Text Available A national study on demand for early childhood care and development programs in Bhutan found strong support for development of a new early childhood care and development (ECCD sector. A wide range of stakeholders participating in the study, including ministries of education and health, post-secondary institutions, private preschool providers, community management committees, parents and children, emphasized the goal of preschool to promote success in English-medium formal education. Promoting cultural traditions was also a priority, while developing children's proficiency in home languages was hardly mentioned. The study highlighted the changing needs of Bhutanese families in the current context of increasing urbanization, dual career parents, and a shift from extended to nuclear family homes. Recommendations derived from the study encouraged a made in Bhutan approach to ECCD policy, programs, and professional education. Subsequent to the study, the national education policy included plans for implementation of ECCD covering children from birth to 8 years old. To ensure the sustainability and cultural congruence of new programs and investments with the Kingdom's Gross National Happiness Policy, a Gross National Happiness Commission screened and approved the new National Education Policy, which the Ministry of Education is charged with implementing. The emergence of an ECCD sector in Bhutan points to the role that national aspirations and value-driven policies and review processes could play in maintaining language diversity and transmitting culturally based knowledge.
Dam, van Y.K.
In this article, three different conceptions of sustainable marketing are discussed and compared. These different conceptions are referred to as social, green, and critical sustainable marketing. Social sustainable marketing follows the logic of demand-driven marketing management and places the
Supplier Selection Using Sustainable Criteria in Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Richa Grover; Rahul Grover; V. Balaji Rao; Kavish Kejriwal
Selection of suppliers is a crucial problem in the supply chain management. On top of that, sustainable supplier selection is the biggest challenge for the organizations. Environment protection and social problems have been of concern to society in recent years, and the traditional supplier selection does not consider about this factor; therefore, this research work focuses on introducing sustainable criteria into the structure of supplier selection criteria. Sustainable Supply Chain Manageme...
Energy and Sustainability: the European challenge of achieving the 2020 targets; Energia y sostenibilidad. El reto Europeo del logro de los objectivos del 2020
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bachiller Araque, J.
The European Union and the energy sector should particularly face up to the triple challenge of increasing the security of supply, de carbonizing its production system and improving the competitiveness of its business network. Achieving the above objectives will involve relevant changes in the way to satisfy the primary energy demand and the electricity generation mix, the development and incorporation of new technologies, as well as the full completion of the internal energy market. Moreover, achieving the 20 targets in 2020 and perhaps a greater requirement on one of them will require increased energy efficiency in the whole chain, from production to consumption, as well as policies and initiatives on energy saving which are consistent with the maintenance of the current levels of welfare. (Author) 27 refs.
The challenges of sustainable rural electrification in isolated communities of the Amazonia; Os desafios da eletrificacao rural sustentavel em comunidades isoladas da Amazonia
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Souza, Rubem Cesar Rodrigues; Bacellar, Atlas Augusto; Seye, Omar; Goncalves, Cristiano; Cunha, Yasmine dos Santos Ribeiro; Souza, Fernando Cesar Rodrigues; Mota, Sheila Cordeiro; Sardinha, Marcia Drumond; Cunha, Priscila de Sa Leitao; Albuquerque, Felipe Oliveira; Costa, Whillison Bentes da; Silveira Junior, Wellyghan Assis [Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM (Brazil). Centro de Desenvolvimento Energetico Amazonico
In this article some important elements are discussed in the challenge to make possible the isolated of the Amazon electric supply in maintainable bases. The discussion is made fundamentally starting from the experience lived in the project 'Model for Electric Power Enterprise in Isolated Communities in the Amazon - NERAM', financed by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - CNPq in the extent of the program 'Luz para Todos', being implemented by the Amazonian Center of Energy Development - CDEAM of Amazon Federal University - UFAM. The reading of the problem is focused in two aspects considered fundamental for the discussion, which they are: the generation of income and the generation, distribution and electric power sale. (author)
The challenge of sustainability in healthcare systems: Frequency and cost of inappropriate patterns of breast cancer care (the E.Pic.A study).
Massa, Ilaria; Balzi, William; Burattini, Costanza; Gentili, Nicola; Bucchi, Lauro; Nanni, Oriana; Gallegati, Davide; Pierini, Andrea; Amadori, Dino; Falcini, Fabio; Altini, Mattia
In a context of decreasing economic health resources and a rise in health needs, it is urgent to face this sustainability crisis through the analysis of healthcare expenditures. Wastages, deriving from inappropriate interventions, erode resources which could be reallocated to high-value activities. To identify these areas of wastages, we developed a method for combining and analyzing data from multiple sources. Here we report the preliminary results of a retrospective cohort study evaluating the performance of breast cancer (BC) care at IRST, an Italian cancer institute. Four data sources gathered in a real-world setting (a clinical database, two administrative databases and a cancer registry) were linked. Essential Key Performance Indexes (KPIs) in the pattern of BC diagnosis (KPI 1 and 2) and treatment (KPI 3 and 4) based on current guidelines were developed by a board of professionals. The costs of inappropriate examinations were associated with the diagnostic KPIs. We found that 2798 patients treated at IRST from January 2010 to June 2016 received a total of 2516 inappropriate examinations accounting for € 573,510.80. Linkage from multiple routine healthcare data sources is feasible: it allows the measurement of important KPIs specifically designed for BC care, and the identification of areas of low-value use of the resources. If systematically applied, this method could help provide a complete picture of inappropriateness and waste, redirect these resources to higher-value interventions for patients, and fill the gap between proper use of the resources and the best clinical results. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
The right to health of non-nationals and displaced persons in the sustainable development goals era: challenges for equity in universal health care.
Brolan, Claire E; Forman, Lisa; Dagron, Stéphanie; Hammonds, Rachel; Waris, Attiya; Latif, Lyla; Ruano, Ana Lorena
Under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), United Nations (UN) Member States reported progress on the targets toward their general citizenry. This focus repeatedly excluded marginalized ethnic and linguistic minorities, including people of refugee backgrounds and other vulnerable non-nationals that resided within a States' borders. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to be truly transformative by being made operational in all countries, and applied to all, nationals and non-nationals alike. Global migration and its diffuse impact has intensified due to escalating conflicts and the growing violence in war-torn Syria, as well as in many countries in Africa and in Central America. This massive migration and the thousands of refugees crossing borders in search for safety led to the creation of two-tiered, ad hoc, refugee health care systems that have added to the sidelining of non-nationals in MDG-reporting frameworks. We have identified four ways to promote the protection of vulnerable non-nationals' health and well being in States' application of the post-2015 SDG framework: In setting their own post-2015 indicators the UN Member States should explicitly identify vulnerable migrants, refugees, displaced persons and other marginalized groups in the content of such indicators. Our second recommendation is that statisticians from different agencies, including the World Health Organization's Gender, Equity and Human Rights programme should be actively involved in the formulation of SDG indicators at both the global and country level. In addition, communities, civil society and health justice advocates should also vigorously engage in country's formulation of post-2015 indicators. Finally, we advocate that the inclusion of non-nationals be anchored in the international human right to health, which in turn requires appropriate financing allocations as well as robust monitoring and evaluation processes that can hold technocratic decision-makers accountable for
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dragan (Santamarian Oana Raluca
Full Text Available This paper describes one of the major challenges of the future: the sustainable development of the society. Sustainability is now increasingly recognized as central to the growth of emerging market economies. For the banking sector, this represents both a demand for greater social and environmental responsibility as well as a new landscape of business opportunity. Several years ago, the main part of the banks did not consider the social and environmental problems relevant for their operations. Recently, the banks began to realize the major impact of the sustainable development over the way of ulterior development of the society and, implicitly over the way of creating of the banking value in the future. In this context, the development of a banking management system, based on sustainable principles represents one of the provocations of these days.Starting from literature in the sustainable banking management field in this paper are presented several relevant issues related to risk management in the context of sustainable banking financing: the need to implement the sustainable management principles in financial and banking industry; the role of banks in sustainable development of society; social and environmental risk management policies, events that have shaped the role of the banking sector in sustainable development; international standards regarding sustainable banking management such us: Equator Principles for sustainable investment projects' financing or GRI principles for sustainable reporting. Furthermore, we developed a practical case study related to the implementation of sustainable banking management at Bank of America.
Democracy and sustainability –
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hansen, Hans Peter; Clausen, Laura Tolnov; Tind, Esben
to nature conservation is setting a new agenda with more emphasis on sustainability than preservation. It thereby challenges the traditional agenda of nature conservation. The public administrations at central, regional and local level, as well as most nature conservation organisations at central level, do...
Sustainability and the University
Clough, G. Wayne; Chameau, Jean-Lou; Carmichael, Carol
In this article, the authors state that one of the major challenges facing the human race is charting a course for the future that allows economic growth while protecting the fragile planet. The authors discuss the role that higher education must play to help create a vibrant economy and high quality of life, while sustaining natural resources.…
Emergent pedagogy of sustainability
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Husted, Mia; Frøkjær, Thorleif
This presentation relates to the overall theme of the conference by highlighting societal and pedagogic deficits to face the challenges from sustainability crisis that is considered as a question of the ability of society to renew its natural and societal living conditions (Sachs 1999, Shiva 2005...
Textiles and clothing sustainability nanotextiles and sustainability
This book highlights the sustainability aspects of textiles and clothing sector in light of nanomaterials and technologies. The invasion of nano in every industrial sector has been important and has made remarkable changes as well as posed new challenges, including the textiles and clothing sector. There is quite a great deal of research happening in terms of nano materials for textiles across the globe, some of which are covered in this book. .
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Jesper Ole; Christensen, Toke Haunstrup; Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten
Sustainability in urban planning has a long history and it has been a widespread solution to build high and compact in order to minimise the need for transportation, land use and heating. Recent research, however, points towards the need for a supplementary approach which includes the consumer...... behaviour of the household. This approach necessarily has to work from below and include the citizens, as it is their daily practices that have to be challenged. This article reviews the literature of to what extent compact cities are the most sustainable and it use lifestyle interpretations of urbane forms...... to challenge the compact cities approach. As an alternative or supplementary approach the article introduce practice theory as a way to understand consumption and it gives examples on how this approach can be used to inspire local authorities to alternative and supplementary strategies of achieving sustainable...
Sustainability Innovators and Anchor Draggers
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Gjerdrum Pedersen, Esben Rahbek; Reitan Andersen, Kirsti
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore current barriers and opportunities for sustainability in the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a study among 36 fashion experts from academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations, who took part...... in an online study on sustainable fashion. Findings – The results from the study indicates that the fashion industry faces immense social and environmental challenges and that the scale and scope of current approaches to sustainability are limited and fail to address more fundamental challenges linked...... understanding of current challenges and opportunities within the industry, as experienced by key stakeholders in the field. Originality/value – The expert study approach moves beyond "good practice" case studies and allow a broader discussion of micro- and macro challenges for sustainability within the fashion...
Sustainable Materials Management Web Academy
The Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Web Academy series is a free resource for SMM challenge participants, stakeholders, and anyone else interested in learning more about SMM principles from experts in the field.