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The long-term stability of a developing country hinges on the imperative to increase farmers' incomes. Based on county-level data from China from 2009 to 2019, we use the implementation of a pilot policy that subsidizes plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a quasinatural experiment to examine the impact of popularizing plant protection UAVs on farmers' incomes. The results show that the popularization of plant protection UAVs may significantly increase farmers' incomes via mechanisms that include not only labor transfer and agricultural productivity improvements but also unique mechanisms related to green agricultural development. The marginal income-increasing effect of the popularization of plant protection UAVs is higher in counties with farmers with high incomes, in major grain-producing areas and in areas with plains. In addition, the popularization of plant protection UAVs has a significant positive spatial spillover effect on farmers' incomes in neighboring counties. We provide not only an empirical reference for the popularization of plant protection UAVs in China but also new ideas for compensating for the shortcomings of China's agricultural mechanization and realizing the strategy of increasing farmers' incomes and rural revitalization. More importantly, we provide Chinese wisdom for promoting agricultural development and farmers' incomes in other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of regional ecological status has far-reaching significance for understanding regional ecological conditions and promoting sustainable development. Herein, a geospatial ecological index (GEI) was developed on the basis of Landsat data and the principles of soil lines and spatial geometry. Specifically, the GEI integrates four remote sensing indicators: Perpendicular Vegetation Index (PVI) representing greenness, Modified Perpendicular Drought Index (MPDI) representing drought, Normalized Difference Built-up and Soil Index (NDSI) representing the dryness of land surface, and Land Surface Temperature (LST) representing the hotness of land surface. Two typical regions, Fuzhou City and Zijin mining area, in Fujian Province, China, were selected to evaluate regional ecological quality via the proposed GEI. The results show an improvement in the overall ecological quality of Fuzhou City, with an increase in the average GEI value from 0.49 in 2001 to 0.53 in 2020. In the case of the Zijin mining area, regions with poor ecological status are concentrated in the main mining areas. However, the average GEI value rose from 0.51 in 1992 to 0.57 in 2020, illustrating an improvement in its ecological conditions. The study demonstrates the robustness and effectiveness of GEI, objectively revealing the spatial distribution and ecological status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past several decades, the world has been putting strong emphasis on the role of environmental technology innovation which can reduce environmental degradation and promote sustainable development. This research sheds light on the impact of green technology or eco innovation on sustainable development for China. Additionally, the effects of other variables such as governance, information and communication technology, trade uncertainty and urban population are also analysed. The study employs Fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR) as the long run tests and Breitung and Candelon Spectral Granger-Causality as the time varying granger causality test. The results suggest that green innovation promotes sustainable development in the long run. The roles of governance quality and urbanization are also found to be positive while the role of ICT is found to be insignificant yet negative. The role of trade uncertainty is positive yet insignificant. Based on these results, the study calls for the private and public organizations and industries to invest in eco innovation. Different incentives from the government can also encourage private industries to invest in green innovation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating levels of environmental degradation along with escalating conflicts and incidents of trade disputes among regional powers can exert a detrimental influence on the prospects for achieving sustainable development (SUD). Prior empirical works have tended to overlook the contributions of trade globalization and external conflicts to the SUD. Furthermore, prevailing studies on SUD often rely on various environmental metrics, economic growth measures, or adjusted net savings as proxies, which fall short in measuring the multifaceted essence of the SUD concept. Thus, this research work assesses the heterogeneous effects of trade globalization, external conflicts, and financial development on a comprehensive SUD index based on environmental, economic, and social factors from 1992 to 2019 in the twenty highest CO2 emitters. The results derived from the application of the method of moment quantile regressions (MM-QR) reveal that trade globalization exerts a negative impact on SUD but its negative effect shows a diminishing trend when moving from the 10th to 90th quantile. Financial development likewise impedes SUD, with the degree of hindrance diminishing as quantiles ascend from lower to upper percentiles. External conflicts hinder SUD only at higher quantiles with the negative effect demonstrating an increasing trend. Furthermore, mineral resources and fossil energy pose detrimental effects on SUD, and these adverse effects exhibit a mounting trajectory as one moves from lower to upper quantiles. Finally, the policy implications of these novel outcomes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of investment freedom, technological innovation, renewable energy, and economic growth on load capacity factor (LCF) within the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 and 13 for a group of high investment freedom countries (Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Chile, Singapore, New Zealand, United States of America, Belgium, Finland, Uruguay, Latvia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland). Furthermore, this research assesses the impacts of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. The data set covers the years between 1995 and 2019. Moreover, the validity of the load capacity curve (LCC) hypothesis is analyzed in all countries. Long-run coefficients are estimated using the Regularized Common Correlated Effects (rCCE) estimator, and the robustness analysis is performed using Common Correlated Effects (CCE) estimators. The overall assessment of the panel reveals that the LCC hypothesis is invalid in the selected nations, with the exception of Belgium. Other findings indicate that investment freedom reduces the LCF for New Zealand. However, investment freedom increases LCF, improving environmental quality in Latvia. Technological innovation decreases LCF for Singapore and increases it for Germany. Renewable energy increases LCF for the UK and Spain. Finally, policy implications for improving environmental quality are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel financial instrument, green bonds require further research to understand their causal effects and theoretical mechanisms on sustainable development fully. This paper constructs a theoretical model that characterizes the issuance of green bonds as the extent to which social planners prioritize environmental benefits in bond markets. In this model, we define sustainable development as the geometric mean of environmental factor inputs and final production output. By maximizing consumer utility, this model elucidates the direct and non-linear relationship between green bonds and sustainable development. The paper empirically investigates this proposition using data from 19 European countries between 2018 and 2022. The results indicate that: (1) Green bonds significantly promote sustainable development. This financial instrument, designed to raise funds for environmental projects, can indeed promote sustainable development through clean and green resource allocation. (2) The promotional effect of green bonds on sustainable development increases significantly with improvements in innovation efficiency, industrialization rates, and savings rates. This finding elaborates on the conditions under which the positive impact of green bonds on sustainable development is enhanced. (3) Green bonds only promote sustainable development when a country's factor endowment structure reaches a specific threshold. Beyond this threshold, as the factor endowment structure becomes very high, the country's sustainable development gains sufficient momentum, diminishing the role of green bonds. This finding suggests that the positive impact of green bonds on sustainable development is contingent upon certain properties reflecting the economic basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several existing studies show that macroeconomic uncertainties intensify global environmental and climate challenges, putting the globe at risk of not being able to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In this study, we provide global evidence on the role of energy-related uncertainty in the energy – environment dilemma between 1996 and 2021. We employ three distinct environmental indicators – load capacity factor (LCF), carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), and ecological footprint (EFP) – alongside a comprehensive global energy-related uncertainty index and time-frequency-quantile methods based on the Wavelet Quantile Correlation, Cross-Quantilogram, and Wavelet Local Multiple Correlation with Dominance. The empirical results suggest negative and strong nonlinear dependencies between energy-related uncertainty and the LCF across periods and quantiles. The results further suggest that the energy-related uncertainty has positive and strong nonlinear dependences not only with CO2 emissions but also EFP across various periods and quantiles. The results further suggest that the dependences between energy-related uncertainty and environmental indicators vary across periods and quantiles, with evidence of stronger dependency structures in the long run. These findings underscore the substantial influence of energy-related uncertainties on contemporary environmental challenges. We suggest that governments and policymakers need to reshape policy directives toward mitigating the environmental effects of energy-related uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various types of protected areas (PAs) are important for biodiversity conservation and essential for the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity. Rapid urban expansion affects the effectiveness of PAs in many ways. However, we still lack a clear understanding of the spatial relationship between urban expansion and different types of PAs in China during the last 30 years. Here, we analyzed the spatiotemporal changes in such relationship based on the boundaries of 2622 terrestrial PAs, as well as local Moran's and the Kruskal-Wallis H test during the period of 1992–2020 at the national, regional and provincial scales. The results showed that the number of PA threaten by urban expansion at the national scale fluctuated over time (10 to 80), while the median of the nearest distances between PAs and urban built-up areas decreased from 80.4 km to 2.6 km. At the regional scale, the PAs in east China were more affected by urban expansion than the ones in west China, with higher number of threatened PAs and closer distance between PAs and urban built-up areas. More importantly, non-national PAs were more severely affected by urban expansion than national PAs, and the proportion of threatened non-national PAs is 92.5% in 2020. Thus, future planning and management should place more attention to the non-national PAs that are severely affected by urban expansion. We investigate spatial relation between urban expansion and 2622 protected areas in China. Rapid urban expansion in recent years has posed a serious threat to PAs. Non-national PAs are more severely threatened than the national PAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the extent to which circular economy (CE) practices are adopted within supply chains in the Brazilian context. An expert survey was conducted to assess eight critical factors for the integration of CE practices in supply chains. The collected data was analyzed using a modified version of the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), specifically the Fuzzy TOPSIS class. Sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the robustness of the results. The findings indicated that practices related to economic and risk management, cleaner production, top management support, and knowledge management were categorized as having medium maturity. Conversely, practices associated with governance, product development, infrastructure, and social and cultural changes are still in an early stage. This research provides insights for organizations by identifying areas of strength and areas requiring attention in the adoption of CE practices within Brazilian supply chains. Policymakers can use the findings to design targeted policies and incentives that encourage and facilitate the development of circularity in supply chains, thus promoting CE principles. This research highlights the importance of addressing specific factors related to CE practices within supply chains, providing a framework for further investigations and strategies to bridge the gap between CE and supply chain management. The findings suggest that there are social and cultural challenges associated with the adoption of CE practices, implying a need for awareness campaigns, education, and community involvement to drive positive social change and adoption of CE principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany has not yet made significant progress toward achieving SDGs 7 and 13. This challenge can be attributed to the underlying financialization problem in Germany, as well as implementation issues related to energy efficiency, particularly in coal and gas, and renewable energy consumption. Given these circumstances, Germany is facing challenges in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing this issue may necessitate a policy realignment, which is the primary focus of this study. In this context, our study employs various wavelet-based tools, including wavelet coherence, multivariate wavelet coherence, and wavelet-based causality, to delve into the co-movements, causality, and direction of causality between the load capacity factor (LF) and key factors such as energy efficiency (gas and coal), technological innovation, renewable electricity, and financial development, focusing on Germany during the period from 1990Q1 to 2020Q4. The results from wavelet coherence, corroborated by wavelet cohesion, indicate that in the short and medium term, improvements in coal efficiency, gas efficiency, financial development, and renewable energy are associated with an increase in LF, thereby contributing to ecological quality. Furthermore, the multivariate wavelet coherence results underscore the significant impact of considering or not considering the effect of a third variable in the interrelationship between LF and its determinants, with the effect being more pronounced when the third variable is taken into account. Although this policy framework primarily targets the objectives of SDG 13 and 7, its applicability extends to other EU nations. The primary significance of this study is its proposal of an SDG-focused policy framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China, the world's largest CO2 emitter, has pledged to reduce its carbon intensity by 18% by 2025, which requires accurate forecasting of its emissions and their drivers. However, existing gray models have limitations in dealing with fluctuating data or long-time series data, and they often suffer from overfitting and poor generalization ability. Moreover, there is a lack of research and judgment on the future changes of emission drivers. To address these issues, this study proposes a fractional order gray adaptive rolling model (RFAGM(1,1)) that optimizes the background generation and incorporates the rolling mechanism. We apply RFAGM(1,1) to forecast China's emissions, GDP, population, and consumption of raw coal, crude oil, and natural gas from 2020 to 2025. Our results show that RFAGM(1,1) achieves significantly higher accuracy than standard gray models, except for population. The projections indicate that China will meet the 18% carbon intensity reduction target by 2025. Furthermore, the LMDI decomposition reveals that economic growth and population changes have positive cumulative impacts on emission growth (245.68% and 11.95%, respectively), while energy intensity and structural changes have negative cumulative impacts (−151.60% and −6.02%, respectively). The improved forecast enables the evaluation of climate policies, while the factor analysis provides valuable insights for developing evidence-based strategies to achieve China's carbon peaking and neutrality goals by 2030/2060. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's numerous resource-based cities have confronted severe environmental and economic problems, which were substantial impediments to the regional sustainable development. In 2013, China started to implement its 'National Sustainable Development Plan of Resource-Based Cities', in order to transform the previous development patterns. This study employs the difference-in-differences (DID) method to evaluate the policy's impact on the city-level carbon dioxide (CO2) emission intensity. CO2 intensity is defined as the scale of CO2 emitted per unit of GDP. The research sample covers 326 Chinese cities during 2008—2017. Research results indicate that the policy significantly increased the CO2 intensity in resource-based cities. Moreover, it is found that the policy dampened resource-based cities' innovation levels and these cities did not strengthen their environmental regulations, which can be provided as the explanations of why the policy effect on carbon intensity was positive. Furthermore, this study reports the discrepancies in policy effects when cities have different development stages, spatial locations and marketization levels. Overall, this research discovers an undesirable policy effect. More actions should be taken to reduce the carbon intensity during the structural transformation in resource-based cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the consequences for the climate and human well-being, there is unquestionable universal fear about the ecological impact of socioeconomic activity. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the effects of carbon tax and resource efficiency on environmental sustainability while controlling economic growth and total energy supply in France between 1995 and 2020. As a result, the empirical findings would shed light on ecological sustainability in France and spark new debate. This study employs a novel Fourier autoregressive distributed lag cointegration method for cointegration and a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag approach for long-run estimation. The empirical outcomes show that resource efficiency is negatively connected to environmental pollution. Moreover, the impact of a carbon tax on environmental pollution is negative. Lastly, energy use and economic growth positively influence environmental pollution. The study concludes that carbon taxes can help to achieve sustainable development goals and resource efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limiting CO2 emissions is crucial for sustainable development, environmental protection, and climate change mitigation, ensuring a more resilient and cleaner future. Prioritizing sustainable urbanization renewable energy, and energy efficiency is vital for achieving this prosperous and sustainable future. As a result, we adopt the Fourier testing approach for stationary, cointegration, estimator, and causality, to scrutinize the role of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and urbanization on CO2 emissions in Finland over the period between 1990 and 2020, controlling economic growth and trade openness. The empirical analysis of the Fourier ARDL estimator establishes that energy efficiency measures such as gas and oil efficiency exhibit an adverse effect on CO2 emissions, so energy efficiency mitigates CO2 emissions. Similarly, the study also found that urbanization and renewable energy reduce CO2 emissions. Conversely, economic growth and trade openness induce CO2 emissions. Additionally, the Fourier-Toda-Yamamoto method provides robust evidence regarding the long-term implications of the examined factors. Based on this result, the study emphasizes that implementing a regulatory framework to enhance energy efficiency, promote renewable energy adoption, and support sustainable urban development will be an essential strategy in the global effort to attain the net-zero emissions target, which offers valuable insights to other countries seeking to transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The G7 nations is a major global consumers of natural resources and energy. These nations are confronted with substantial obstacles in their pursuit of sustainable growth through energy transition, while upholding their status as global economic leaders. As a result, this current study conducted an aggregated and disintegrating analysis on the heterogeneous role of green energy innovation on energy transition in G7 nations. Green energy innovation was disintegrated into hydro, solar and wind energy. Moreover, the heterogeneous effects of green innovation in solar, hydro and wind on energy transition was investigated, an analysis that has not been previously examined. For the econometric estimation, we adopted the Quantile-on-Quantile Regression (QQR) and the quantile causality method. The results of the QQR indicates that the positive role of green energy innovation on energy transition in all of the G7 nations. However, this positive role is more dominant in five G7 nations, namely Italy, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA. Additionally, the result also highlights that the connection between green energy innovation and energy transition is differs across the various quantiles for different nations. Moreover, the quantile causality analysis indicates that green energy innovation has the potential to predict future values in energy transition within the G7 nations. The study emphasizes various policy considerations for promoting energy transition through green energy innovation in G7 nation, which help realizing sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary times, emerging economies are intended to achieve higher economic growth via foreign direct investment and technological innovation. However, due to increased environmental challenges, these economies are adopting green energy as the key source of environmental recovery and net zero emissions. The present study investigates the influence of FDI, technological innovation, green energy, and trade on carbon emissions in BRICS economies during 1990–2022. This study also considers the role of economic expansion in identifying the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). Using several panel diagnostic and cointegration tests, this study validates the slope heterogeneity and the existence of the cointegration between variables. Due to the non-normal data dispersion, this study uses novel moments quantile regression, while bootstrap quantile regression is used for the robustness. The results examined asserted the presence of the EKC hypothesis in the region, where the initial growth enhances emissions while after reaching at a threshold level, the emission level tends to reduce and environmental quality improves. Besides, this study observed that foreign trade and technological innovation are the key drivers of environmental degradation as these indicators significantly enhances pollution emissions. In contrast, foreign investment, energy efficiency, renewable electricity output, and renewable's consumption significantly improve environmental quality by declining carbon emissions. Following the empirical results, the policy recommendations asserted enhanced investment in renewable and energy efficiency sectors while attracting more foreign investment for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments, companies and citizens around the world consider necessary to adopt a new circular economy (CE) model that allows solving the planet's environmental challenges and guaranteeing sustainable economic growth. Europe advocates this philosophy, but there is no widely accepted index to measure CE implementation at a macro level. This paper proposes a new index based on principal component analysis for European Union countries that use all information available without losing any information by the dimensionality reduction and consider objective weights based on the percentage of variance that each one retains. Moreover, we develop a disaggregated analysis considering the CE dimensions set out in the 'CE monitoring framework', allowing a more comprehensive analysis than when using a single indicator of CE implementation. This method is also used to build an index of the degree of achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to see how they relate to the CE; the relationships between CE dimensions; and between SDGs. The results by geographical areas reveal a higher level of CE implementation in western European and EU-15 countries, with Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium alternately holding the top positions depending on the CE dimension considered. Therefore, the new European countries and the countries in the east must encourage measures to improve the implementation of the economy. In addition, there is a positive, strong and significant relationship with SDGs 8, 9 and 11, with both the overall CE implementation index and the disaggregated indices, and a negative one with 7 and 15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies are now part of our daily lives, and the speed of their implementation and use has been accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital transformation, seen in the past as a problem, is now perceived as an important component in the future of sustainable development (SD), especially at higher education institutions whose operations have been adversely affected by the pandemic in many ways. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the subject matter of digital transformation and how it relates to a SD context. It reports on the results of a worldwide survey at higher education institutions, which identified some areas where the pandemic impacted and/or influenced their activities. The survey received 158 responses and a principal component analysis was performed to model the items associated with digital tools boosting SD, innovative business opportunities and ideas, and needs for improvement at HEIs. The results indicate that most part of the respondents developed digital skills and increased their involvement with e-learning and distance learning; however, more digital training is needed. Findings also support the role played by digital technologies in boosting SD at HEIs, and the role of institutions in promoting innovation through digital tools. Apart from an analysis of the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to digital transformation in an SD context in higher education institutions, the paper provides an assessment of trends and recommendations that may guide future developments in a post-pandemic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the spatial effects of tourist attractions in promoting smart growth principles in tourist cities, it is necessary to pay attention to the spatial synergy between tourist attractions in order to control their destructive spatial effects and realize sustainable development (SD) in tourist cities. In this research, based on smart growth measures, the necessity of spatial synergy between tourist attractions in sustainable neighborhood development is explained using innovative spatial statistical analysis methods at the scale of 469 neighborhood units of Mashhad city. The findings of the research confirm significant synergistic effect of tourist attractions on urban smart growth indicators and composite indicator of smart growth of the surrounding neighborhood units. On the other hand, lack of spatial synergy between Mashhad’s main tourist attraction in the city center and other tourist attractions leads to unbalanced residential and activity development and unbalanced distribution of tourism services. This issue prevents integrated realization of smart growth and SD of all neighborhood units in Mashhad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study quantitatively reviewed the literature related to SDG 11 (Sustainable Development Goal 11) between 2015 and 2022 using bibliometric and spatial autocorrelation methods. The results showed that the amount of SDG 11-related literature increased annually since 2015, with an accelerated growth after 2018. The collaborations among countries, institutions, and authors of SDG 11-related literature were identified, with some major authors and institutions acting as links Keyword cluster and timeline analysis indicated that 'Agenda 2030', 'appropriate technologies', and 'country' were the main clusters of research, while 'management,' 'climate change,' and 'impact' were the most popular keywords, and 'urban plan nexus,' 'social cooperation,' and 'renewable energy' were the emerging keywords since 2021. Spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed that countries with more SDG 11-related literature were dispersed geographically. In the Getis-Ord G* analysis, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom were identified as hotspots; whereas Africa and Central Asia were identified as cold spots. To ensure timely implementation of the SDG 11, this study recommends helping less developed countries, resolving sustainable urbanization issues through innovative technology, and promoting more effective planning. It not only attempts a novel approach of using spatial statistics to analyze the bibliometric results but also provides valuable information for policymakers and scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the relevance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the fact that universities may make valuable contributions towards their implementation, there is a paucity of international studies which may allow an assessment of their degree of engagement or their performance against the SDGs. This paper reports on an international study among a sample of 128 members of higher education institutions (HEIs) located in 28 countries, which aimed at ascertaining the extent to which the SDGs are being integrated into the strategy of HEIs. The focus of this paper is on the means which have been deployed by various universities in order to embed or include the SDGs in their activities. More specifically, this paper explores 1) the scope of integration, 2) the organisational influences, and 3) strategic influencing factors. The research identified the fact that, whereas many organisations are aware of the need for and the relevance of sustainable development and consider it as part of their institutional settings, the same cannot be said for the SDGs, whose level of emphasis is that many HEIs are comparatively somewhat limited. In addition, there seems to be a shortage of training opportunities focusing on the SDGs, which could equip university staff to handle this topic. Against this background, the paper describes some measures that may be implemented to make the SDGs more present in HEI programmes, hence maximising their contribution to addressing the global sustainability challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are part of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SD) that aim to eradicate poverty, achieve economic prosperity, gender equality, ensure social well-being, promote sustainable management and use of natural resources, and protect the Earth's natural ecosystems. However, the occurrence of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) may impair SDGs to be achieved in developing regions where people and wildlife cooccur frequently. Surprisingly, there are few studies which have examined how HWC impedes achievement of SDGs. This paucity of information hinders the formulation and implementation of appropriate policy actions to achieve SDGs. We explored how HWC impacts on the livelihoods of rural communities in Bhutan through SD lens. We used a mixed method research approach and interviewed a stratified-random sample of 96 farmers from four different regions of Bhutan. Wildlife impacts are multidimensional and can inhibit achievement of several SDGs. All interviewees suffered crop and livestock depredations with substantial economic losses. These losses were higher for female-headed households and those with low asset holding, compounding their vulnerability. Among the HWC adaptation measures, adopted guarding, vigilant livestock herding, and electric fences were perceived effective but were predominantly applied by households in high asset class. Policy actions should focus on female-headed households and those families with lower asset category to reduce negative impacts of human wildlife interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vicious cycle between economy and environment is a key issue affecting the sustainable development of poverty-stricken areas, and how to break the environment-economic trap in poverty-stricken areas is a hot topic concerned globally. Therefore, this study uses county data from 2011–2019 of Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi rocky desertification contiguous poverty-stricken areas, and investigates the correlation and mechanism among industrial structure, ecological environment and economic growth in poverty-stricken areas based on the fixed effect model and the mediating effect model. The results show that there is a significant contradictory relationship between environmental protection and economic growth in the Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi rocky desertification contiguous poverty-stricken areas, while the industrial structure upgrading can alleviate the contradictory relationship. The mode of developing characteristic industries based on ecological resource endowment and then promoting economic growth can more effectively solve the contradiction between environmental protection and economic growth, which is conducive to breaking the environment-economic trap in poverty-stricken areas. This study provides a reference for the development of other poverty-stricken areas in the world, and also provides experience for promoting poverty reduction and sustainable development in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eco-environment is fundamental for human survival and development. To gain insight into Chinese eco-environmental challenges, a scientific and quantifying assessment of sustainable eco-environmental development (SED) is essential and can guide policy development and implementation. However, systematic methods for assessing progress towards achieving SED are lacking based on the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, we developed a systematic method to quantify SED progress at the provincial level in China. In the proposed method, the SED indicator framework was developed to align with the global indicator framework (GIF), adopting clear statistical definitions for each indicator and the criteria of data selection at provincial levels in China. A four-level method of identifying the upper and lower bounds of the indicator values was proposed to normalise them to a standard scale of 0–100. The SED index and three composite indices were aggregated by the arithmetic means of the individual scores for assessing overall SED progress. A spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to explore the spatial patterns of the SED index scores. The results showed that all provinces except Shandong and Hebei had relatively good performances in achieving SED. Most provinces performed better in terms of the water area eco-environment than they do in terms of the air and terrestrial eco-environments. In addition, some provinces showed a positive spatial autocorrelation pattern on the SED index scores, and the high-value (low-value) aggregation regions were mainly concentrated in Western (East) China. These results provide a richer understanding of the challenges for SED faced by each province in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As rapid urbanization becomes a key topic within urban studies and planning particularly in the Global South, it needs to be considered what radical implications to urban environment mean. Reviewing literature on urbanization and its implications on urban environment from within the Global South and on sustainable development research and environmental studies, this article discusses eight implications of urbanization-environmental conundrum: pollution, water resource degradation, urban heat island effect, sea level rise and urban flooding, urban sprawl and slum growth, urban agriculture decline, public health deterioration, and urban wetland destruction that question the ontology of urbanization in Global South cities. Drawing on cases from Saudi Arabian cities, findings indicate that sustainable development agenda is skewed towards socio-economic development with limited focus on environmental issues. This situation is threatening the sustainability of rapidly urbanizing cities. The paper proposes a rhizomatic understanding of environmental importance as a roadmap for sustainable and transformative urbanization in Global South. This ontology changes understandings of what sustainable urbanization should be in rapidly growing Global South cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Sustainability' has become such a buzzword that its widespread use impacts both its research and practical application, for better or worse. Effective sustainability research should guide implementation, while successful initiatives depend on strong research. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, collaboration between researchers and stakeholders is crucial. High-quality research can amplify the positive effects of sustainability, while flawed research may hinder progress. Harnessing the benefits of its buzzword status is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User reviews (URs) have been regarded as a novel way of promoting user-involved green product innovation (GPI) in theory. However, the actual relationships between URs and GPI are still underexamined. This study adopted the method of content analysis to exemplify the effectiveness of user reviews on online shopping websites (OSURs) in user-involved GPI. Specifically, 62,909 effective OSURs on 24 green household refrigerators and 43 conventional refrigerators were collected and analyzed. The results show that 8.41% of all the pre-processed OSURs contain green information, which cannot be a dominant information source for promoting GPI. Yet, the identified green reviews (GRs) are still valuable for developing and diffusing GPI. On the one hand, three green topics related to energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, green materials and technologies are intensively generated, massive user experiences can objectively reflect the actual environmental performance of existing products. On the other hand, GRs account for 12.62% and 6.19% of all the OSURs on green refrigerators and conventional refrigerators, respectively. Users prefer to generate positive rather than negative GRs on green refrigerators. The implementation of GPI has a positive impact on OSURs in return. Firms can actively collect and analyze OSURs of extant green products, thus promoting the green innovation of their own products. This study adds to the literature of user-involved GPI by exploring the actual relationships between OSURs and GPI. A practical analysis framework and valuable implications are also proposed to advance GPI, green growth at firm level and sustainable development at social level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable Development (SD) has played an important role in all industries and mining activities. The Internet of Things (IoT), interacting with industrial machines or home appliances through an interconnected network, can assist in developing real-time platforms for monitoring and operating a complex production system with minimal intervention of humans, which made it possible to benefit from the data obtained to increase production rate, Net Present Value optimization, workforce and machine safety, and decreasing pollution. Ideal automated mining can be achieved by designing an IoT based framework and suitable SD assessment. This research aims to achieve a holistic understanding of the current IoT scenario by conducting a comparative analysis of the prevailing literature regarding IoT applications in the mining and SD area. The results showed that, in the economic index of sustainability, mining activity based on IoT can increase productivity, wealth, income, and GDP and decrease operating expenses, depreciation costs, and total cost. From environmental point of view, a significant reduction in emission and pollution can be obtained. Also, the increase in workforce safety and positive impact on culture and knowledge are the components of the social index of sustainability. These activities are followed by some significant challenges such as developing infrastructures, modern machinery, adequate security for data transmission, increase business in the area, creating new jobs for individuals, especially those who have lost their jobs. It's essential to devise new rules to protect local people, properly distribute the wealth gained from this development to improve the infrastructure of the mining area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE) has grown in popularity among policymakers as a novel approach to sustainable development, and a trending tool driving sustainable development in many countries around the world. Fundamentally, interactions between socioeconomic, socioecological, and technological factors determine sustainable development. Para rubber is a vital feedstock for bio-based industries. However, utilizing para rubber resources inefficiently can be a barrier to the desirable shift towards a CE system and sustainable development. In this present study, the sustainability factors enhancing the implementation of the CE potential of Para rubber resources in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, was evaluated. The classical Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) were complementarily used to evaluate the main factors and sub-criteria for para rubber CE potential. The findings revealed the factors that will facilitate the implementation of para rubber CE and enhance sustainable development in the following order of priority: resource (0.420)> development (0.177)> environment (0.162)> economy (0.127)> population (0.114). Consequently, the para rubber resource has been identified as a bioeconomic gem in Thailand, with the potential to facilitate CE and enhance sustainable development in the study area. This study is useful to all stakeholders, including policymakers, in promoting para rubber resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and production trends at the national, provincial, and district levels, as well as improve the social, economic, ecological, and cultural resilience of rural areas. To drive Thailand's CE transition, a comprehensive scientific assessment of Songkhla megatrends and prospects is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is an irreversible and dynamic process which affects the availability and quality of ecosystem services (ESs). The link between balanced urban growth and ESs is critical for sustainable urban development. The study followed pluralist approach for evaluating and comparing the land-cover-based economic assessment of sustainable, moderately sustainable, and unsustainable cities. The artificial intelligence-based future land cover changes were evaluated using geographic future land use simulation software with geographic information system. A case-specific modification of value coefficients for computing ecosystem service value (ESV) was applied on case cities. A workable scale was developed by exploring relation of ESs and built-up of three extreme cases. The scale has different combinations of ESs and built-up from worst to best scenario with related ESV changes for optimal utilization of land. The scale helped to assess the spatial resource and natural capital balance of any area. The results showed that the ideal ratio of ESs and built-up density range for balanced sustainable development is between 1.35 and 3.64 with ESVs between INR 10.00 million/hectare and INR 8.45 million/hectare, respectively. On applying the scale, the results showed that only 25% of the city peripheral area comes under ideal range. The study will help urban planners in conservation of ESs with economic development for promoting sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nordic nations have yet to significantly contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 7 and 13. This predicament might be attributed to fundamental financialization concerns in these nations and renewable energy generation implementation issues. The Nordic nations are fighting to reduce CO2 emissions as a result of these two situations. Dealing with this problem may necessitate a policy shift, which represents the focus of this research. Utilizing data from 1980 to 2020, we analyze the heterogeneous impacts of financial development and renewable energy on CO2 emissions using advanced panel and time-series methodologies. The advantage of the wavelet tools (wavelet coherence, partial wavelet and multiple wavelet techniques) is that they help to capture policy initiatives at different frequencies, i.e., short, medium and long-term. Our empirical outcomes from the CS-ARDL show that both financial development and renewable energy decrease CO2 emissions in the short and long term. Furthermore, the outcomes of the wavelet coherence show negative co-movement between CO2 and renewable energy in each Nordic nation except for Iceland with renewable energy driving CO2 in all frequencies. Additionally, financial development enhances the 'CO2 emissions-renewable energy consumption' association, but in the short term, it has no stimulating effect. These findings lead to the recommendation of an SDG-oriented policy framework. While this policy agenda is designed to achieve SDGs 7 and 13, it may also be applied to other nations. The study recommends that the Nordic countries implement measures to boost renewable energy supply through enhanced renewable energy technologies. Abbreviations: ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations; BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa; CO2: Carbon Emissions; CS-ARDL: Cross Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model; FD: Financial Development; PMG-ARDL: Pool Mean Group Autoregressive Lag Model; VAR: Vector Autoregressive; VECM: Vector Error Corrected Model; MINT: Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey; REC: Renewable Energy; SDG: Sustainable Development Goal; SD: Sustainable Development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world needs to move quickly towards sustainability that should characterize all production and consumption patterns. The global economic growth which was built on natural resources and biodiversity over centuries has resulted in two main issues: environmental degradation and climate change. This created a big challenge in the recent decades related to balancing economic growth with environmental quality preservation, which has been a hot topic capturing the interest of researchers from different disciplines. One of the possible ways to reduce environmental degradation while enhancing economic growth is investing in human capital. This study investigates the determinants of ecological footprint as a proxy for environmental quality in Algeria from 1980 to 2017 using several economic indicators. Another objective of the present study is to assess how education and life expectancy as social indicators can influence the environmental quality. The autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) approach is used to estimate the constructed environmental degradation models. As expected, the obtained findings show that import is a significant factor that reduces ecological footprint in the long- and the short-run contrary to economic growth, energy use, export and natural resources rent. Moreover, the findings show that education and life expectancy increase environmental degradation in the short-run. However, while life expectancy keeps increasing environmental degradation in the long-run, education reduces it. In light of these findings, the current study provides several recommendations for better management of the country's natural and human resources, which could help policymakers in directing the country towards sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, many declarations on sustainable development (SD) have been produced, various of which led to no real changes or improvements. This article discusses the role of declarations and international cooperation on SD, outlining their evolution. It also highlights the reasons why instruments and international cooperation have failed to meet their targets and specifies measures that may be deployed so that they may yield the SD's expected benefits. To this end, it is recommended that more significant efforts be made to operationalise the commitments established in the declarations and international cooperation. Also, it is important to develop and implement SD follow-up strategies, once these have been agreed upon. The implications of this article to society and other studies are two-fold. Firstly, it shows the need for greater care when writing declarations on SD, since they are not always followed up and do not fulfill their purposes. Secondly, it is important to mobilise the relevant actors so that the actions the SD declarations expected to trigger, through international cooperation, are implemented. Moreover, future declarations and commitments should ideally have institutions and infrastructures in place to implement the SD actions called upon. The evidence gathered in this article also points out the need to intensify investment in education, science, technology, and innovation, while encouraging the expansion of international cooperation strategies aimed at supporting the declarations and promoting SD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, numerous studies have focused on its impact on sustainable development goals (SDGs); however, research on the extent of its successful implementation in relation to protecting human lives and health remains limited. Confronted with the fact that the SDGs have become a lower priority in recent years than they were in 2015, if it could be demonstrated that the SDG achievements had effectively mitigated COVID-19 mortality, it could motivate the world to focus on achieving the SDGs. Based on data extracted from 18 February 2020 to 1 April 2022, we investigated the correlation between SDG success and COVID-19 deaths in 40 Asian countries. The outcomes indicated (i) a strong negative correlation between the SDG index score and COVID-19 mortality rate (p = 0.001), and (ii) a significant (p = 0.004) negative association between the SDG index score and COVID-19 mortality rate after controlling for other heterogeneous variables, which included the rate of fully vaccinated individuals, hospital beds, aging population, GDP per capita, and universal health coverage. This study concludes that the lower COVID-19 mortality rate depends on the level of sustainable development capacity. Therefore, to better protect current and future public health, improving sustainable development capacity should be prioritized worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential for sustainable ecotourism development in Bomfobiri Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) addresses conservation needs, visitor satisfaction, and community benefits. The study assessed the tourist and exploitation values of the sanctuary using the Pralong model. The study purposively interviewed five key informants, and field studies were conducted to determine tourist and exploitation values of seven key attraction sites. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 215 respondents, selected from visitors who have completed guided tours in the sanctuary in a visitor satisfaction survey. The study revealed that most attraction sites are under-exploited, resulting in low economic gains. Pame hills and waterfalls are well exploited and ranked first in tourist and exploitation values. Seeing waterfalls was the top-ranked motivation for visiting the sanctuary and enhanced visitor satisfaction, followed by enjoying the views, learning about wildlife and nature, being close to nature, and having an adventure. However, care should be taken to avoid over-exploitation of the waterfalls area. Other attraction sites with great potential but under-utilised should be developed to boost their tourist value and minimise the impact of ecotourism on concentrating on a few sites. Tourists were generally happy with the attractions of the sanctuary and impressed with the friendliness of park staff and safety. Carefully planned and proper development of the sanctuary will ensure sustainability and continue delivering conservation goals, visitor satisfaction, and community benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A productive economic structure, represented by economic complexity (ECP), augments the economic development of nations. However, previous empirical investigations on this topic are confined to understanding the direct effects of economic complexity on environmental quality with equivocal outcomes. Therefore, this study not only probed the effects of ECP on the ecological footprint (EF) but also explored the indirect environmental effects of ECP through the channel of economic growth. To do so, the study employed the unit-root tests with structural breaks and without structural breaks. Afterward, the newly developed Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (AARDL) method was used on the time series Indian data from 1970 to 2017 in the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) framework. The findings disclosed cointegration among the selected variables. Notably, the AARDL test provided a reliable conclusion by using three different tests compared to the conventional ARDL model that relies on just one F-statistics. The long-run empirical results unfolded that ECP not only reduces footprint but also decreases the adverse environmental impacts of economic growth. In addition, energy intensity and economic growth contribute to escalating the EF, and thereby, increase environmental degradation. Nevertheless, population density decreases the footprint, and thus, stimulates ecological sustainability. Besides, ECP Granger causes EF. After this, several diagnostic tests were performed to confirm the stability of the models and the results were verified using the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares test. Lastly, the study directed policies to increase the level of sophisticated knowledge-based production for sustainable growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent literature on social innovation highlights its conceptual ambiguity and fragmentation. According to this context, this paper explores how social innovation can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Using a case study approach, we apply a mixed research methodology comprising a content analysis followed by multiple correspondence analysis. We examine 209 social innovation projects financed by the Portugal Social Innovation program in three dimensions: empowerment, content, and process. The social innovation projects addressed showed that social innovation projects can have varied objectives, be developed in different intervention areas, and empower different vulnerable groups of beneficiaries. The findings put in evidence the interaction between social innovation and SDGs, therefore social innovation supports the three sustainability dimensions: economy, society, and environment. In this sense, it is possible to conclude that SDGs constitute a framework that positions social innovation, bringing clarity and structure to the field. This identification and classification can promote the creation of a market of supply and demand of social innovations, strengthening the social innovation ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE), which has emerged with the integration of environmental science and sustainable development, has a significant contribution to human development and is a constantly developing concept that can be measured at the country, region, city, or enterprise level. Evaluating the CE performances of the European Union (EU) member countries at specific periods is crucial for monitoring their development. This study bridges the gap in the literature in terms of the method, dataset, and comparative analysis used while measuring the CE performances, and this is one of the first studies to look at the importance weights of CE criteria. In this study, a novel approach is proposed to evaluate the CE performances of EU member countries. The evaluation criteria are based on the European Commission CE monitoring framework in the proposed approach. The importance weights of criteria are determined using the fuzzy Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) approach. The EU member countries are ranked according to their CE performances with the Combinative Distance-Based Assessment (CODAS) method considering the weights of the evaluation criteria. The proposed evaluation approach is applied by taking 2014, 2016, and 2018 years data into account. As a result of the application, according to the CE efficiency, the top five countries are the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, and Germany. The study's findings can assist researchers and policymakers in gaining a better understanding of countries' CE performance levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia's greenhouse gas emissions have been increasing for over four years, making it difficult to achieve the 2030 agenda to reduce emissions. Also, in recent decades, Australia has been experiencing a rapid increase in economic globalization. The critical question of policy concern is, 'what are the environmental implications of rapid economic globalization in Australia?' This article investigates the asymmetric effect of economic globalization on Australia's carbon emissions using time series data from 1970 to 2018. To achieve the objective of this study, we apply the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) approach. The results from the NARDL indicated that a positive change in economic globalization contributes to carbon emissions mitigation while a negative change in economic globalization increases carbon emissions. The results disaggregating economic globalization into financial and trade globalization revealed that a positive change in financial globalization reduces carbon emissions while a negative change in financial globalization increases carbon emissions. Contrarily, a positive change in trade globalization increases carbon emissions, while a negative change in trade globalization has a neutral effect on carbon emissions. We suggest that emphasis is required to enhance economic globalization and, specifically, financial globalization to achieve carbon neutrality in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article views regional and sectoral peculiarities of Agenda-2030 realization in Russian agricultural sector. The aim of the research was to determine the degree of the SDGs achievement in agribusiness on national, regional and local levels in the absence of quantitative markers. Based on the conclusion on insufficient integration of the SDGs in business strategies, we proposed the six-staged scheme to promote and realize the SDGs in national agri-food system, involving all the parties concerned. In the course of the scheme realization, we conducted the survey among the representatives of agribusiness from 26 regions, located in four agro-climatic zones of Stavropolskii krai. The results provided quantitative assessment of the SDGs awareness degree in agri-food sphere and demonstrated its low level. Also, we managed to get information on the goals of high priority for the experts (SDGs 8, 3, 6, 4, 11, 7, 9 and 16) and distinguish the importance of social, economic and ecological problems, which prevent the SDGs realization in agricultural sector and rural areas. The problems of negative impact of climatic changes, rise in price for goods and services, limited resources for the production improvement and innovation turned out to be the major ones in the view of the experts. The main result of the research consists in providing the quantitative data and determination of the priority areas for the sustainable development in the regional agricultural sector, with the aim of further transformation of the policy to achieve the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient poverty (TP) is a phenomenon that, by its characterisation, references a condition that may not necessarily be permanent. Its occurrence may result from an external shock, such as a severe weather-related event or geographic, national, or global impact on the economy, such as a hurricane, financial crisis, or as most recently, a pandemic. The defining aspects of TP and the needs of those pushed into TP offer an opportunity to address one aspect of poverty, which is of significance given both the disproportionate vulnerability of the poor to external shocks as well as the prohibitive effect of poverty on establishing resilience. Unfortunately, TP is not often assessed and is routinely combined and categorised as 'poverty', eliminating an opportunity to address unique aspects of TP and establish policies that may be beneficial to the sub-group. This paper provides a bibliometric evaluation of TP specific to the sustainable development literature, highlighting the research gap and providing a rationale for active research on the social phenomenon regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in general and specifically SDG 1: No poverty. There are three key findings relevant to sustainability. Firstly, there seems to be a disconnection between TP and the sustainable development theory, particularly in a multidisciplinary discussion. Secondly, human action in degrading ecosystems strongly influences TP and exacerbates overall poverty levels. Finally, efforts to tackle transient poverty need to consider issues such as gender, education, health, and political aspects. Based on the findings, items for future research are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation is believed to be a key driver of societal and economic well-being. In many cases, it has also led to more sustainable lifestyles and a more efficient use of natural resources. But despite the relevance of innovation as a tool to support sustainable development, there is a need for research that analyses current trends in order to guide future efforts. The present paper addresses this research need. It examines existing methods and tools for fostering social innovation in matters related to sustainable development, within the framework of the SDGs. By means of an online survey undertaken among sustainability and innovation experts in a sample of industrialised and developing nations, this study has identified some of the means via which social innovation is being pursued, along with its applications and limitations. A number of case studies showing examples of sustainable innovation have been mapped to demonstrate its usefulness. A causal loop diagram, which links the factors associated with social innovation within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is also presented, offering a greater understanding of their interconnections. The paper concludes by outlining some measures that may help to take better advantage of the many opportunities offered by social innovation that put the principles of sustainable development into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global challenges of sustainability are encapsulated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which 193 member states are committed. However, a key challenge remains in identifying appropriate methods, indicators, and the ability to monitor progress towards these 2030 Agenda goals. Citizen Science (CS), as a scientific activity in which non-professionals voluntarily participate and cooperate with experts, has been used in Western countries to meet this challenge. Whether it also applies to achieving the SDGs of Asian countries like China is a question that needs to be answered with evidence. On this basis, the tasks of this study are twofold: first, through a literature review, we identify CS projects relevant to water that are happening in China; Second, we analyse the selected projects from three dimensions (scientific, participant, socio-ecological and economic) under an adjusted CS evaluation framework to determine their suitability in China. The results show that at least 19 water-related citizen science projects emerged in China since 2005, most of which are dedicated to improving water quality, with a few focusing on biodiversity monitoring. Multiple stakeholders, including non-governmental (NGO)/non-profit (NPO) organisations, academic institutions, governments and companies participate in these activities, with NGOs accounting for the most. CS has not expanded rapidly in the past 15 years, but most of the projects are still active, which shows the possibility of CS's further development in China after a good strategic framework has been formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the dramatic progress in poverty reduction, China's vast rural areas of backwardness, environmental degradation and low labour productivity are a long-standing challenge to achieve common prosperity and sustainable development. Finding a balance between ecological conservation and socioeconomic development is a solution. However, previous studies have largely neglected the concept. Here, we proposed a framework that integrates the ecological environment and socioeconomic wellbeing via farm management and the use of ecosystem services (ES) to assess rural sustainability and explore a suitable balance and pathways from the perspective of the human dimension. Taking Yan'he Township in China's Loess Plateau as an example, a clustering analysis was performed to group farm households based on their behaviour in cropping, land rental, and off-farm work. A composite index was built to assess rural sustainability at the farm household level, while a structural equation model was performed to estimate the effect of land-use practices on rural sustainability and explore adequate farm management and policy interventions. The results show that households with different farm management and land-use strategies had divergent agricultural performance, use of ES, and environmental and wellbeing outcomes. Increasing legume cropping with conservation approaches (e.g., rotation) and extended irrigation while encouraging migrant work with ensured equal urban-rural social welfare and property rights may contribute to balancing socioeconomic development with ecological conservation. The findings indicate that both interventionist policies and independent market support are vital for individual and community capacity building and public infrastructure development to stimulate agricultural adaptation and rural transformation towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tarim River basin is the largest endorheic river basin in China. Due to the extremely arid climate the water supply solely depends on water originating from the glacierised mountains with about 75% stemming from the transboundary Aksu River. The water demand is linked to anthropogenic (specifically agriculture) and natural ecosystems, both competing for water. Ongoing climate change significantly impacts the cryosphere. The mass balance of the glaciers in Aksu River basin was clearly negative since 1975. The discharge of the Aksu headwaters has been increasing over the last decades mainly due to the glacier contribution. The average glacier melt contribution to total runoff is 30–37% with an estimated glacier imbalance contribution of 8–16%. Modelling using future climate scenarios indicate a glacier area loss of at least 50% until 2100. River discharge will first increase concomitant with glacier shrinkage until about 2050, but likely decline thereafter. The irrigated area doubled in the Aksu region between the early 1990s and 2020, causing at least a doubling of water demand. The current water surplus is comparable to the glacial runoff. Hence, even if the water demand will not grow further in the future a significant water shortage can be expected with declining glacial runoff. However, with the further expansion of irrigated agriculture and related industries, the water demand is expected to even further increase. Both improved discharge projections and planning of efficient and sustainable water use are necessary for further socioeconomic development in the region along with the preservation of natural ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations' 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015. Following a 2020 status report of the status and development for 102 countries, for which data for all 17 SDGs for the years 2010, 2015 and 2019 were studied. The analyses were carried out applying partial ordering methodology. Four sets of analyses are reported: 1) all 102 countries with the 17SDGs as indicators, 2) all 102 countries using the 5 pillars of the SDGs as indicators, 3) the 17 SDGs using the four groups of countries combined according to their economic status and 4) the 17 SDGs using the four groups of countries combined according to their regional affiliation. Average ranking for the objects, i.e., countries in set 1 and 2 and SDGs in set 3 and 4, was performed elucidating the countries that on an overall basis best comply with the 17 goals and which SDGs are the most important. The analyses disclosed which SDGs are the most important/influential on the rankings, unequivocally demonstrated that the SDGs 12, 13, 14 and 17 and SDG 1, 6 and 7 as the most and least important (set 1), respectively, disclosing that poverty and the lack of clean water and energy are major problems around the globe. In case 2 the 'Planet' and 'Peace' pillars appear as the most and the least important, respectively. For set 3 and 4 the SDGs 1 and 4 were found as the most important for the ranking, whereas SDG10 apparently is the least important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored whether financial development and energy consumption affect environmental sustainability in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The empirical evidence used in this study was based on the standard fixed effects and the Arellano-Bover/Bundell Bond dynamic panel approach. Our empirical results demonstrated the importance of a financial development index and energy efficiency for reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability in the OECD. The mechanism through which financial development affects carbon emissions has been identified as energy consumption and foreign direct investment. Our study recommends that financial development be prioritised alongside investments in energy efficiency to promote environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the relationship between solar energy and sustainable development. Data from 35 countries covering the period 2005–2018 were used. The potential endogeneity problem was considered in solar energy and sustainable development analyses. The predictions confirm the existence of endogeneity among the variables included in the analyses. Instrumental variables and the two-step generalized method of moments method were preferred for solving the endogeneity problem; according to these estimates, solar energy has a positive effect on sustainable development; in other words, solar energy causes an increase in the level of sustainable development. On the other hand, the analysis shows that non-renewable energy causes a decrease in sustainable development. Therefore, this study suggests prioritizing solar energy to increase the level of sustainable development and enable countries to reach the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals more easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability Window (SuWi) analysis is a novel tool to analyze the minimum economic development to fulfill the requirements for social sustainability and the maximum economic development not to surpass the environmental limits. The method provides quantitative measures to define whether the real development of GDP is within the sustainability limits using different indicators for measuring social welfare and environmental stress. The SuWi results can be used to form a visualization of the sustainability doughnut to illustrate the critical areas of development where policy intervention may be needed to reach sustainability. The doughnut economy visualization is constructed for Cuban development for the analysis of both strong and weak sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]