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Bats have long been recognized as important pest controllers. However, there are no studies evaluating the potential of bats in predating insect pests of Eucalyptus trees, one of the most planted trees worldwide. We evaluated the predation of 3 worldwide spread Eucalyptus pest, Ctenarytaina spatulata, C. eucalypti and Gonipterus platensis, in Portugal, and also the former main pest biological control agent, the parasitoid Anaphes nitens. We used molecular methods to identify 10 bat species from 356 droppings and used a specific PCR assay to detect the 4 target insects. We detected C. eucalypti in 3 droppings, C. spatulata in 4, G. platensis in 1, and none with A. nitens. Our results indicate that bats can potentially act as suppressing agents of the novel exotic prey in eucalypt plantations, but their importance seems low, likely as a result of their low use of eucalypt plantations as foraging grounds. Managing plantations to attract bats, would not only help in bat conservation, but could also increase natural pest control of eucalypt pests, leading to more sustainable forestry practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the 10 major topics related to geodiversity that have emerged since the concept was first introduced in 1993, 30 years ago. After a short introduction, each of the 10 topics is then illustrated by a relevant case study. The 10 topics (italics) and their case studies (bold) are as follows: 1. Celebrating, International Geodiversity Day; 2. Measurement/Assessment, Potential role of remote sensing; 3. Natural Capital and Geosystem Services, Coastal geosystem services; 4. Biodiversity, Mangue de Pedra, Brazil; 5. Geomaterials, The circular economy; 6. Geotourism, World's top geotourism sites?; 7. Geoheritage, Landscape restoration; 8. National Geoconservation, Trump golf course and an SSSI, Scotland; 9. World Heritage Sites and Global Geoparks, Azores Global Geopark, Portugal; 10. Sustainability, Xitle Volcano, Mexico City. It is concluded that, given the way in which geodiversity has developed as a concept, leading to new insights and avenues of research and advancing our understanding of the world since its first use, it clearly now constitutes a significant, geoscientific paradigm. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Geodiversity for science and society'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental sustainability has been a key policy goal of the European Union (EU), particularly under recent EU Cohesion Policy strategic frameworks. This paper contributes to the analysis of the relevance of EU Cohesion Policy-related environmental sustainability investments, by assessing the impacts of the Operational Programme for Sustainability and Use of Resources (POSEUR 2014–2020), in the Portuguese North NUTS II. In detail, the impact scores of the following five analytical dimensions related to this programme were obtained: (i) low-emissions economy, (ii) adaptation to climate change, (iii) risk prevention and management, (iv) environmental protection and (v) resource efficiency. The analysis was supported by a territorial impact assessment methodology (TARGET_TIA) which was complemented by an online analytic geographic information system (GIS) policy evaluation platform (Impact-WEB_GIS). The results showed that the POSEUR's regional implementation efficiency fell short of the stakeholders' expectations. This can be explained by factors such as the obstacles posed by the prior underdeveloped infrastructural conditions, coupled with the panorama created by the Covid-19 outbreak. Nonetheless, the risk prevention and management dimension had a solid positive impact score that reflected the efficacy of POSEUR in tackling environmental threats, mostly in rural ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to study the use of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) farmers' networking activities to overcome challenges in the development of their business. MAPs are mostly cultivated in small farms located in rural territories. This presents many challenges in different dimensions of business development through the value-chain, namely in commercialization. That is why networking and collaboration with other actors may have an important role, by providing the scale and critical resources towards business success and value-chain sustainable development. The paper draws on a purposefully collected set of data on a network of Portuguese producers of MAP, organized under the EPAM project. The data was collected through a questionnaire and quantitatively analyzed in order to understand: i) how MAP farmers perceive the importance of networks for the development of their businesses? ii) How are networks enabling farmers with different profiles to develop their businesses? The results confirm the importance of networks for the development of these businesses, namely with other firms. However, it is possible to identify some diversity in the assessment of the role of those networks, both by taking into consideration the location of the farms and their positioning in the value-chain. The study contributes to a better understanding of how networking contributes to overcome barriers in the sustainable development of an agri-food value-chain, by stressing a variety of networking proposes and partners and the existence of differences across types of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to foster the debate on Media Literacy (ML) projects with a focus on disinformation. We analyse initiatives carried out locally in Portugal, considering the principles of ML, the necessary development of skills and competences, as well as the importance of the journalistic action and the consequences of platformization on professional practices. Mixed methods are applied to collect and analyse quali-quantitative data from ML projects and trainings involving multiple stakeholders. Inquiring three independent samples (editors-in-chief, journalists trained in ML, teachers trained by journalists in ML) the research questions address the importance of journalists' participation in ML within different roles, as well as the training quality and projects' assessment. Findings show a lack of specialised knowledge, practical tools, and continuous training as well the need for more tailor-made programs and evaluation resources that allow for the creation and promotion of more effective ML training programs. This contribution is therefore two-folded: a) it aims to enhance the operational aspects of media training in the field, based on a continuous improvement logic and b) it explores a specific evaluative example on how the feedback from training can help improve research efforts in the media literacy field. Conclusions systematise the assumptions, stemming from an articulation of ML stakeholders' perspectives, that guide the implementation, improvement, and assessment of training: collaboration, continuity, and sustainability. These inductive categories allow for the development of theoretical-practical dimensions of the processes for evaluating innovative training against disinformation which may in turn have an inoculation role in the wider public sphere. We suggest improvements to the methodological-operational processes to involve journalists, to do follow-up, assessment, and implementation of wider training projects, contributing to applied research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims to identify the green purchasing practices that manufacturing companies have been using and investigate the relationship between those practices and company overall performance. This paper focuses on green-purchasing practices, such as green products, green suppliers, environmental collaboration with suppliers, green packaging, and reverse logistics, to ensure sustainable practices in the supply chain, and the influence of those practices on firm's performance was investigated from the perspective of managers perception. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was adopted, based on eight case studies. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews with procurement managers from Portuguese manufacturing industry and from reports, websites and companies' internal documentation. To analyze the impact of green purchasing practices on company overall performance a conceptual model was proposed. Findings: The findings support two of the five research hypotheses. According to managers' perceptions, companies implement green procurement practices such as environmental collaboration with suppliers, green packaging, and reverse logistics, and evidence shows that green procurement practices improve overall company performance. Research limitations/implications: While the sample included organizations from several economic sectors, it was based on a sample of eight case studies and the findings may not be valid in different sectors. This research focuses on green procurement from a country's perspective, which reduces the ability to generalize the findings to other countries. Practical implications: Managers might utilize the results of this study to develop and implement green purchasing practices and enhance organizations' overall performance via their adoption. Social implications: This research contributes to the current discussion in green supply chain literature. Originality/value: This study contributes to the existing body of research on the effects of implementing green purchasing practices into the procurement function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is a promising commodity, a renewable secondary energy source, and feedstock alike, to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets and promote economic decarbonization. A common goal pursued by many countries, the hydrogen economy receives a blending of public and private capital. After European Green Deal, state members created national policies focused on green hydrogen. This paper presents a study of energy transition considering green hydrogen production to identify Portugal's current state and prospects. The analysis uses energy generation data, hydrogen production aspects, CO 2 emissions indicators and based costs. A comprehensive simulation estimates the total production of green hydrogen related to the ratio of renewable generation in two different scenarios. Then a comparison between EGP goals and Portugal's transport and energy generation prospects is made. Portugal has an essential renewable energy matrix that supports green hydrogen production and allows for meeting European green hydrogen 2030–2050 goals. Results suggest that promoting the conversion of buses and trucks into H 2 -based fuel is better for CO 2 reduction. On the other hand, given energy security, thermoelectric plants fueled by H 2 are the best option. The aggressive scenario implies at least 5% more costs than the moderate scenario, considering economic aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban agendas are struggling to challenge conventional planning paradigms, to improve environmental, economic, and social conditions in cities and meet sustainability goals. Such problems call for a critique of existing planning structures, which determine how planners and urban designers work, and thus condition cities themselves. While it is widely acknowledged that descriptive or paradigmatic urban concepts have multiplied in recent years and play a part in shaping development strategies, it is unclear that they reach the desired outcomes. This paper addresses this gap in the case of Portugal, seeking to compare two specific periods of Portuguese planning history: the 1960s and nowadays. For different reasons, both moments urged urban planners and designers to seek urban change. We retrieve key concepts and definitions to call for an observation of how planning at each of those time-periods approached social, political, environmental, and economic challenges. By observing such paradigmatic changes, we aim to identify their advantages and limitations for current urban policies, while gathering eventual lessons for spatial planning to handling the need for a sustainable transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to understand if a project work methodology proposed to students, based on an inquiry perspective and dealing with different dimensions of sustainable development, contributed to creating an interdisciplinary solution for a problem on sustainability challenged by food production and consumption, and also to understand if this methodological approach is perceived as important to their learning as professionals and citizens. Data were collected by direct observation, a questionnaire applied to the students and students' individual reflections. Design/methodology/approach: This paper aims to present the research results of the impact of a pedagogical approach on students, implemented as a part of the Doctoral Programme in Sustainability Science, which was designed following an innovative model at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. The main drivers include building a new body of interdisciplinary knowledge leading to the application of science to address real problems towards transdisciplinary education. Findings: The results suggest great potential for an inquiry perspective in trying to solve a real problem. Students' proposals were realistic, viable and complementary enough to collectively contribute in response to the global problem. The use of approaches acquired from different areas of knowledge was clear, and the project methodology was well understood. Students considered the experience very rewarding in terms of learning and contributing positively to their personal and professional development. Originality/value: This Doctoral programme is anchored in a progressive continuum encompassing holistic debates with a multidisciplinary team of professors in environments that promote interdisciplinary attitudes and new knowledge, and also project work aimed at guiding students to transdisciplinary learning, which constitutes an innovative form of dealing with the complex challenges created by the science of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on "measuring what matters" in local government and presents a new evaluation model called Municipality Sustainability Index (MSI) based on the integration of a municipality's financial performance with community sustainability and governance. Using Multi-criteria Decision Analysis methodology (MCDA), we develop an additive evaluation model which aggregates 25 indicators across four dimensions of performance to assess local government sustainability. A decision-making group (DMG) composed of representatives drawn from a network of stakeholders involved in local government- provided information on the requirements needed for a precise evaluation of the performance of any municipality along with prescriptive guidelines for a better local government decision-making. The MSI is used as a tool for local government evaluation and municipal strategic management. In order to illustrate the operation of the model, we applied it to Lisbon and to the sub-region of Leziria do Tejo in Portugal in order to assess performance, financial sustainability and governance. The Portuguese MSI model thus constitutes integrated instrument for local government evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational research has been highlighting the importance of defining key competencies and learning outcomes related to education for sustainability as a reference for the transparent evaluation of students' learning in this domain. Drawing on a reference framework that identifies five key competencies in sustainability (i.e., systems-thinking competency, anticipatory competency, normative competency, strategic competency, and interpersonal competency), the study reported in this paper aims to understand whether, how, and to what extent these competencies are present in doctoral theses in Higher Education published in Portugal in the past ten years. To address this objective, a qualitative study framed in an interpretative paradigm was conducted, and a literature review was used as a preferential research method to elicit meaning, gain understanding, and develop empirical knowledge. The retrieved documents were treated using deductive content analysis, which was performed using WebQDA software. Results of the analysis show that the competencies considered in the reference framework are present in research on education for sustainability carried out in recent years in Portugal, with a greater emphasis on strategic and anticipatory competencies. Findings suggest that it is important to continue to conduct research on these competencies to successfully integrate them into educational curricula and teacher education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As shown by the Green Deal's ambition, the European Commission is progressively pushing for an environmental shift and climate action in Europe. For the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), this involves a stronger focus on greening policy objectives. For agri-environmental schemes, this entails changes toward performance-based payments, partially replacing traditional activity-based payments. The CAP foresees greater flexibility in national programs and tailor-made solutions centered on results (i.e. environmental outcomes), benefiting farmers who go beyond the minimum environmental performance required. The environmental outcomes of farm practices must be assessed so that changes can be monitored over time and linked to payment delivery. This requires stakeholders to collaborate with researchers to identify farm-based indicators that are easily applicable, to achieve environmental results that are dependent on farm practices, and to assess and monitor changes in outcomes over time. The analysis in this paper is based on a transdisciplinary process that began in 2017 in a Natura 2000 site and its surroundings in Southern Portugal, to identify result-based measures for the Montado silvo-pastoral system. Farmers' understanding of how to adapt their practices to reach better environmental results was combined with scientific knowledge of the relevant environmental outcomes and how these can be assessed with indicators. Ten field-based visual indicators were defined, which farmers applied in the field, and validated by technical staff. These indicators are related to several aspects of the silvo-pastoral system: soil quality, pasture diversity, tree renewal, tree health, singular landscape elements, and biodiversity. The approach used in this process was innovative. We describe each step and present its advantages and drawbacks for designing and implementing result-based payments. Ultimately, their implementation is expected to lead to higher sustainability in the Montado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efforts made to reduce the causes and mitigate the effects of global climate change continue to be critical in coastal areas. Many adaptation strategies implemented in coastal areas remain inadequate or ineffective. Using primarily events and interventions carried out along the Portuguese Atlantic coast, this work aims to show the paradigm shift that has occurred in Portugal since the last century (the 1990s) within the scope of the National Coastal Zone Management Strategy, taking into account the new guidelines for the implementation of coastal defence works. In this context, this paper also aims to assist coastal communities in carrying out operational coastal management by presenting and discussing management tools and primary options that should be considered in any adaptation programme that is to be implemented. Both nonstructural and structural measures are considered. Action plans, warning systems, emergency plans, and evacuation plans belong to the first category. Education and training are also considered, because they play a key role in the sustainability of coastal areas, especially in the coming generations. Structural measures are adaptation options that are designed to increase the safety of people and reduce risks. They are discussed and grouped into categories that include accommodation, protection, and retreat. Recent cases of successful accommodation and protection measures implemented along the Portuguese coast are also presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the relations among different knowledge management (KM) factors, such as human capital (HC), processes and information systems (IS) on organizational sustainable competitive advantage (CA), within the SMEs context.Design/methodology/approach Structured questionnaires were distributed to CEOs and managers of Portuguese organizations through an electronic survey. Partial least squares software was utilized to analyze the data.Findings The measurement model results identify and validate the dimensions of HC, processes and IS representing the KM construct. The structural model results demonstrate that HC and processes have a direct and significant impact on organizational CA, on the customer and financial dimensions, respectively. IS indirectly and significantly influence organizational CA, mediated by HC and processes.Research limitations/implications The sample size includes mostly service business and SMEs. Other organizations sectors, such as industry, should be analyzed in order to develop a comparative cross-sectorial study.Practical implications This study establishes suggestions for managers to make legitimate decisions concerning investments on knowledge assets and organizational capabilities that can foster business growth and sustainable CA within a SMEs context.Originality/value The authors propose a mediation mechanism showing that the relationship between IS and sustainable CA is not direct, but it is mediated by HC and processes. This mechanism points out some critical issues for the strategic knowledge and intellectual capital assets, as a source of organizational CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher Education Institutions play an important role in the promotion of sustainability and an increasing number of stakeholders expect them to be sustainable organizations. However, this can only be achieved when barriers are faced and challenges overcome. This exploratory study aims to investigate how the main stakeholders (leaders, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders) of Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions perceive: the concepts of sustainability and sustainable higher education institutions, the role of higher education for sustainable development, and the barriers, challenges and obstacles to implementing sustainable initiatives in Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. Through a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews and content analysis procedures, this article explore the perspectives of twenty stakeholders from four Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. The results suggest that, although aware of the concept of sustainability, the different stakeholders are not familiar with the concept of sustainable higher education institutions. The lack of financial resources due to the decline in funding for higher education and falling numbers of Portuguese university students is perceived as the main barrier to sustainable development in higher education (i.e. practices are still associated with spending financial resources). This research highlights the importance of a conceptual and organizational change in higher education institutions, notably through identifying new sources of financing, more flexible organizational forms, more comprehensive mission statements, more tailored educational offers, life-long learning and commitment to internationalization, and more strategic human resource management. The paper contributes to the literature by reflecting on how higher education institutions can promote sustainability, how higher education for sustainable development is understood and can be improved in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most definitions of organic farming emphasise a holistic approach that combines quality production with sustainable practices and positive impact on resource conservation, biodiversity and animal welfare. Its founding values were also connected to small-scale production, minimisation of external inputs use, diversification and short market circuits. In the last two decades, organic farming has grown very rapidly, resulting in the subordination of its values to market forces. There has been a greater specialisation, an increase of scale, the involvement of large multinational corporations and the inclusion in global trade. This conventionalisation process and the connected certification standards, primarily focussed on banning the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers, may weaken the vision of organic farming as a more sustainable alternative to conventional farming. This paper aims to identify the factors that influence the choice of organic farmers for more sustainable practices that go beyond the strict limits imposed by certification. A probabilistic model was estimated using survey data collected from 352 Italian and Portuguese certified organic farmers. The results show that women and farmers longest engaged in organic farming are more likely to adopt sustainable practices. They also indicate that farm size, land ownership, the existence of some types of complementary activities and the sources of information used by farmers affect the adoption of such practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability worries related to the intensive use of energy by automobiles and traffic congestion issues have encouraged decision makers to look for alternative solutions, leading to an emerging shift towards soft/active transport modes. The bicycle, a very efficient mode of transport, is a soft travel mode that can be adopted in most cities, contributing to urban sustainability given the associated environmental, economic and social advantages. Cycling, however, also has its deterrents. Among these, it is recognised that slopes play an important role in influencing the choice for this mode of travel. The purpose of this paper is to present methods to analyse a hilly city's suitability for cycling, in what concerns relief, with the aim of identifying locations for implementation of hard aid devices that restore connectivity between most parts, or even the whole, of the city. The methodology proposed makes use of appropriate service areas. Geographical information systems technology was used to implement the methodology and the approach is demonstrated with a case study for the city of Coimbra, Portugal. This combined approach helps decision makers to plan the city in a sustainable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment of off-grid households. • Small-scale hydro, photovoltaic, biomass, fossil and storage systems were assessed. • LCSA results depended on the indicator, technologies, and household energy needs. • Trade-offs for living off-grid were discussed using decision analysis methods. • LCSA and MCDA is key to deal with multiple objectives in decision making. This paper presents a combined Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) study on two off-grid houses in a rural village in Portugal to assess the sustainability of meeting electricity and heating needs in off-grid homes. The sustainability of meeting energy needs in the off-grid homes, compared to using the grid, was found to be dependent on the indicators under consideration, the technologies used in the homes, and household energy needs. We compared the current situation to four energy provisioning scenarios using Multi-Attribute Value Theory to rank alternatives based on their sustainability performance. The considered scenarios evaluated the impacts of extending and connecting the grid to the homes to allow for either: electricity consumption from the grid, or both consumption and injection of excess electricity generated to the grid. The results showed that meeting household electricity and heating needs in a sustainable way requires an analysis of the local context and available resources. Thus, a consideration of trade-offs is central to understanding the value of alternative possibilities for energy provisioning. This paper demonstrates that combining LCSA and MCDA procedures is useful for assessing sustainability impacts by incorporating decision maker's preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The global financial crisis has brought severe impacts on the Portuguese economy. In this context, the Portuguese government has recently adopted harsh measures that will have deep impacts on peoples'' lives. This paper discusses the influence of these measures on economic growth, social well-being, energy consumption as well as its impacts on the environment using a multi-objective linear programming model based on input–output analysis. Uncertainty is captured taking into account different model coefficient settings by means of interval programming tools. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The context of this paper is the measurement of welfare and weak sustainability (defined as non-declining utility) in dynamic economies, i.e., comprehensive or green accounting. We estimate green net national income (GNNI) and genuine saving (GS) for Portugal, for the years 1990 to 2005, accounting for the disamenity of air pollution emissions, the depreciation of commercial forests and the value of time, discussing the implications of the assumptions underlying the inclusion of these terms in the green accounting model. The influence of short-run cycles is analyzed by estimating GNNI excluding business cycles. Our results suggest that business cycles affect the sustainability message of GNNI. We find that potential GNNI is growing and GS is positive in the analyzed period, thereby not indicating a weak sustainability problem in Portugal, although both depict a trend towards unsustainability. Excluding technological progress there is a contradiction in the sustainability message of GNNI and GS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Forest fires are recurrent phenomena in Southern European countries, due to the nature of Mediterranean forest and climatic characteristics. In Portugal, however, in the recent years, forest fires have become a public calamity and are now endangering the sustainability of the forest itself, as well as several derived economic activities. This paper reviews the past and current situation of forest fires in Portugal, analyses its main causes and consequences and derives recommendations to overcome this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental empowering to control resource consumption and environmental impacts is critical to engage citizens to adopt more sustainable habits. This study demonstrates the potential benefits of innovative approaches based on sustainability indicators towards a low-carbon economy. A methodology to measure and promote sustainability in schools has been proposed and evaluated, aiming at showing the environmental performance and informing of potential environmental savings. The methodology, titled ClimACT, has two main purposes: measuring the environmental performance of schools through a school sustainability index based on measurable indicators in the areas of transport, procurement, green spaces, indoor air quality, energy, water and waste; and encouraging students, teachers and families towards an energy-efficient and low-carbon pathway through a structural procedure based on roles, activities and progress evaluation. The approach, applied to 39 pilot schools from Portugal, Spain, France and Gibraltar, achieved promising and encouraging results. All schools deployed the methodology successfully, achieving measurable environmental benefits in 95% of cases, with an average improvement of 10% in the global performance of schools after one year. Moreover, the 5112 surveys applied to school communities, before and after the methodology implementation, highlighted how the sustainable indicators had a significant influence on the daily lives of families, leading to improvements of their behaviour, with an average increase of 20% in indicators regarding good practices in transport, energy, water, waste and citizenship. The environmental empowering through measurable indicators is a step forward a low-carbon economy. This methodology is open and adaptable to all sectors and requirements. Image 1 • Empowering school communities towards a low-carbon economy. • The paper proposes a methodology to measure and promote sustainability. • The methodology was evaluated in 39 pilot schools from 4 European countries. • After one year, 95% of schools achieve measurable environmental benefits. • Sustainability indicators are proposed as key elements towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) that address pertinent global issues. This study focuses on the need for access to clean and affordable energy consumption, responsible energy consumption, sustainable economic growth, and climate change mitigation. To this end, this paper evaluates the relevance of the renewable energy sector on the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework in Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain for the period 1995–2015. As an econometric strategy, we adopt the use of panel data over the highlighted countries. In the first step, we apply the unit root test recommended by Levin, Lin, and Chu in conjunction with ADF-Fisher, and Phillips-Perron for robustness and consistency. We found that the variables used in this study are integrated I (1) in the first difference. In the second step, we apply the Pedroni cointegration test, and Kao Residual cointegration test, and we observe that the variables are cointegrated in the long run. The generalized least squares (GLS), the panel fully modified least squares (FMOLS), ordinary least squares robust (OLS), and panel quantile regression are considered in this research. The econometric results validate the assumption of the environmental Kuznets curve, i.e., and there is a positive correlation between income per capita and a negative effect of squared income per capita on carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, we observe that renewable energy reduces CO2 emissions. Finally, we also find a direct connection between the urban population and the environmental degradation in the examined blocs. These results show that in Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain, more is required to achieve environmental sustainability in the respective countries growth trajectory. Further policy prescriptions are appended in the concluding section of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper entails a reflection on sustainability and specific tourism contexts (i.e., ecotourism). It focusses mainly on local communities' determiners in the consumer's purchase decision process in ecotourism. This research aimed at understanding the determiners in the process of consumer decisions in ecotourism contexts, as well as verifying the growing importance of ecotourism. Methodology: A questionnaire was conducted (with ecotourism specific contexts), in Portugal. Portugal is a tourist destination that has gained notoriety and recognition in recent years. In total, 197 questionnaires were collected, aiming for a deeper understanding of the real social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts resulting from the uncontrolled development of tourism. This study aimed at testing the proposed conceptual model empirically (i.e., the relationship between destination image and post-purchase behaviour). Findings: Sustainability must be looked at as a vital need for society in general, as well as for the tourism sector. Ecotourism is the natural evolution of tourism employing care for the environment, culture and local traditions, while promoting environmental education. Research Limitations: The results obtained are limited, considering the availability of most accommodation units in the ecotourism segment in Portugal (e.g., hotels). As next steps, it is advisable that hotel units come to realise the pertinence of such research as they are the main beneficiaries of these initiatives, being then recommended that they collaborate with the process of completing surveys. Originality/Value: Managers and ecotourists can use the outcomes of this study to gain an in-depth understanding of customer experiences (i.e., sustainability experiences), to develop effective marketing strategies, and to create an operational environment that can maximise customers' perceived experiential values. Destination image plays a fundamental part in terms of experience and the tourist's own satisfaction, with a need to improve the degree of affectivity towards the hotel unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]