Search

The pulp and paper industry plays an important role in the global economy and is inextricably linked to human life. Due to its large scale, the production process generates a large amount of wastewater, which poses a major threat to the environment. The sustainable utilization and safe treatment of pulp and paper wastewater can effectively reduce environmental pollution, improve resource utilization efficiency, protect water resources, provide economic benefits for pulp and paper enterprises, and thus promote the green and sustainable development of the pulp and paper industry. Therefore, this study discusses the pollution components of pulp and paper wastewater and their impact on the environment and human health. In this review, we aim to explore the sustainable development of pulp and paper wastewater by summarizing the characteristics of current pulp and paper wastewater, the commonly used treatment methods for pulp and paper wastewater, the application of pulp and paper wastewater recycling, and the future development direction of pulp and paper wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric wet-strength agents are important additives used in the paper industry to improve the mechanical properties of paper products, especially when they come into contact with water. These agents play a crucial role in enhancing the durability, strength, and dimensional stability of paper products. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the different types of wet-strength agents available and their mechanisms of action. We will also discuss the challenges associated with the use of wet-strength agents and the recent advances in the development of more sustainable and environmentally friendly agents. As the demand for more sustainable and durable paper products continues to grow, the use of wet-strength agents is expected to increase in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of fiber modification methods and beating degrees on the properties of paper sheets. Two different methods were used to modify fibers: NaOH + urea and TEMPO ((2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxidanyl) and blended with traditional paper fibers. Subsequently, we evaluated the resulting sheets for their optical, strength, and thermo-mechanical characteristics. Notably, we also scrutinized sheets created exclusively with 100% TEMPO-modified fibers. The addition of modified fibers led to improvements in several strength properties, but it had a noteworthy negative impact on the optical properties of TEMPO-treated fibers compared to the other papers. Furthermore, thermal analysis revealed that the contraction rates of the samples increased considerably up to 40–50 °C for the out-of-plane direction and surpassed 130 °C for the in-plane direction. In general, the inclusion of modified fibers had a significant effect on thermo-mechanical properties. Specifically, TEMPO modification resulted in an increase in the maximum in-plane contraction ratio, shifting it from −0.40% to −0.59%, along with its corresponding temperature. This research underscores the potential of modified fibers to enhance paper properties and contribute to the development of more sustainable paper-based products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock dung, discarded crop straws, and residual plastic film are the primary agricultural non-point sources of pollution. For livestock dung and discarded crop straw, the general treatment focuses on compost, animal fodder, industrial raw material, and new energy. The development of degradable mulch film is the main way to solve pollution from residual plastic film. However, an effective way to solve the above three types of pollution simultaneously and use them for ecological circular agriculture has been less studied. In this study, using cow dung and flax straw wastes as raw materials, we prepared natural, fibre-based paper mulch using the rapid-Kothen method and analysed the film-forming mechanism. Based on the Van Soest method, the cow dung and flax straw waste contain abundant cellulose fibres: 36.75% and 54.69%, respectively. The tensile strength and tear strength of fibre paper mulch are 1.87 kN/m and 19.91 N/mm, respectively. To enhance the adaptability of the fibre paper mulch in humid environments, the surface of the mulch was treated with alkyl ketene dimer (AKD). The AKD-coated fibre paper mulch displays hydrophobic properties, indicated by a contact angle of 128° ± 2°. It has a wet tensile strength of 0.64 kN/m and a wet tear strength of 8.23 N/mm. Additionally, it exhibits a dry tensile strength and a tear strength of 2.13 kN/m and 16.43 N/mm, respectively. Notably, the dry tensile strength is increased by 16.31%. In this way, the livestock dung and discarded crop straw can be reused, reducing dung pollution and straw burning in livestock farms, and the final products can alleviate the residual film pollution simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk is considered a complete meal that requires supervision to determine its suitability for human consumption. The development of sustainable devices that evaluate food properties has gained importance due to the necessity of integrating these instruments into the production chain. However, the materials employed to develop it, such as polymers, semiconductors, and glass, lack sustainability and require specialized equipment to fabricate them. Different chemical techniques have been used to miniaturize these detection systems such as microfluidics, which have been used in milk component detection using colorimetry. In this work, a cantilever beam paper-based microfluidic system is proposed to evaluate differences in milk, according to nutritional information, using its electromechanical response. A 20-microliter milk drop is deposited in the system, which induces hygroexpansion and deflection due to liquid transport within the paper. Likewise, a conductive path is added on the beam top surface to supply a constant current that induces heat to evaporate the solution. According to the results obtained, it is possible to point out differences between trademarks with this microfluidic system. The novelty of this system relies on the paper electromechanical response that integrates the hygroexpansion-induced displacement, which can be used for further applications such as milk microtesters instead of colorimetric tests that use paper as a property-evaluation platform in combination with chemical reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of lignin-based admixtures (LBAs) for cement-based composites is an alternative to valorizing residual lignins generated in biorefineries and pulp and paper mills. Consequently, LBAs have become an emerging research domain in the past decade. This study examined the bibliographic data on LBAs through a scientometric analysis and in-depth qualitative discussion. For this purpose, 161 articles were selected for the scientometric approach. After analyzing the articles' abstracts, 37 papers on developing new LBAs were selected and critically reviewed. Significant publication sources, frequent keywords, influential scholars, and contributing countries in LBAs research were identified during the science mapping. The LBAs developed so far were classified as plasticizers, superplasticizers, set retarders, grinding aids, and air-entraining admixtures. The qualitative discussion revealed that most studies have focused on developing LBAs using Kraft lignins from pulp and paper mills. Thus, residual lignins from biorefineries need more attention since their valorization is a relevant strategy for emerging economies with high biomass availability. Most studies focused on production processes, chemical characterizations, and primary fresh-state analyses of LBA-containing cement-based composites. However, to better assess the feasibility of using different LBAs and encompass the multidisciplinarity of this subject, it is mandatory that future studies also evaluate hardened-sate properties. This holistic review offers a helpful reference point to early-stage researchers, industry professionals, and funding authorities on the research progress in LBAs. It also contributes to understanding the role of lignin in sustainable construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding eco-friendly products that are beneficial to the environment and serve as tools for sustainable development is a contemporary challenge. This work illustrates the recovery of bio-waste-based materials, which not only improve the hygrothermal properties of gypsum but also promote the paper and wood recycling processes in a circular economy approach. The samples were subjected to tests for density, water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity, flexural strength, compressive strength, and thermophysical property characterization. A statistical analysis of variance was used to study the impact of waste on the physico-mechanical behavior of gypsum, leading to the development of predictive models that can be used to predict and optimize the performance of bio-composites in various applications. The results revealed a reduction in mechanical strength with the addition of waste, but the samples still exhibit superior insulation properties, surpassing commonly used standard boards. By adding ouate and wood wastes to a mass of 20% in its natural state, the gypsum becomes lighter and acts as a better insulator with a reduced density, thermal conductivity, and ultrasound velocity of up to 50%, 57%, and 83%, respectively. These findings show the significant implication of reducing environmental impacts while contributing to the promotion of sustainable building practices, both in new construction projects and in building renovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the ways in which sustainable development can be understood is through the efficient management and systematization of indicators. For this reason, the study of ecological footprints is important, given that this concept integrates the different types of environmental indicators and, from the results and their interpretation, explains the total environmental impact generated through the development of daily human activities. The objective of this research was to quantify the total ecological footprint of the National University of the Altiplano in 2023. An application-type quantitative approach was considered, and the study utilized a descriptive, non-experimental design in which source data were used. The data were obtained from a primary sample through applying a survey to teachers, students, and administrative staff. The questionnaire included questions about the operations and functioning of the university, allowing us to calculate and analyze the components of its ecological footprint. It was determined that, in 2023, the university entity generated 4721.20 t CO2 in carbon dioxide emissions due to the use and operation of infrastructure, buildings, mobility, electricity consumption, paper consumption, and water consumption. The findings indicate that the university's operations require approximately 915.67 hectares of forest annually to offset its carbon emissions and that it has an ecological footprint (in global hectares) of 1172.06 hag/year, suggesting important sustainability challenges. Finally, it was determined that the ecological footprint per capita at the National University of the Altiplano in 2023 was 0.04 ha/person/year and 0.06 hag/person/year, due to CO2 emissions, thus generating a greater ecological footprint of the university. These results underline the need to improve sustainable practices and review policies at the university level in order to better align with the objectives of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expanding interest in digital biomarker analysis focused on non-invasive human bodily fluids, such as sweat, highlights the pressing need for easily manufactured and highly efficient soft lab-on-skin solutions. Here, we report, for the first time, the integration of microfluidic paper-based devices (μPAD) and non-enhanced Raman-scattering-enabled optical biochemical sensing (Raman biosensing). Their integration merges the enormous benefits of μPAD, with high potential for commercialization and use in resource-limited settings, with biorecognition-element-free (but highly selective) optical Raman biosensing. The introduced thin (0.36 mm), ultra-lightweight (0.19 g), and compact footprint (3 cm2) opto-paperfluidic sweat patch is flexible, stretchable, and conforms, irritation-free, to hairless or minimally haired body regions to enable swift sweat collection. As a great advantage, this new bio-chemical sensory system excels through its absence of onboard biorecognition elements (bioreceptor-free) and omission of plasmonic nanomaterials. The proposed easy fabrication process is adaptable to mass production by following a fully sustainable and cost-effective process utilizing only basic tools by avoiding typically employed printing or laser patterning. Furthermore, efficient collection and transportation of precise sweat volumes, driven exclusively by the wicking properties of porous materials, shows high efficiency in liquid transportation and reduces biosensing latency by a factor of 5 compared to state-of-the-art epidermal microfluidics. The proposed unit enables electronic chip-free and imaging-less visual sweat loss quantification as well as optical biochemical analysis when coupled with Raman spectroscopy. We investigated the multimodal quantification of sweat urea and lactate levels ex vivo (with syntactic sweat including +30 sweat analytes on porcine skin) and achieved a linear dynamic range from 0 to 100 mmol/L during fully dynamic continuous flow characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

10.3390/en14102947 3 Pilatowska M., Geise A., Wlodarczyk A. The effect of renewable and nuclear energy consumption on decoupling economic growth from CO2 emissions in Spain. The last article, "Empirical Research on the Relationship amongst Renewable Energy Consumption, Economic Growth and Foreign Direct Investment in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan", is authored by [[3]]. This editorial paper presents a brief review of the 11 selected papers recently published: nine from I Energies i and two from other journals, and their citations are compared. They examine the associations between foreign direct investment, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption in the case of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. [Extracted from the article]

The increasing prominence of climate change, geopolitical crises, and global economic slowdown highlights the challenges and structural deficiencies of traditional cross-border agro-food supply chains. As a result, there has been a growing consensus on the need to leverage digital technology to rebuild and innovate a safe, stable, and sustainable global food system. This study assessed the knowledge progress and development trends in the sustainable development of cross-border agro-food supply chains enabled by digital technology. A total of 352 authoritative papers from the core Web of Science database were selected for analysis. The Citespace tool was utilized to visually examine research elements. The findings reveal that research outcomes in this territory experienced a significant period of rapid growth, particularly after 2020. Sustainability and IEEE Access are the journals with the highest and second-highest number of publications. China and the France National Institute are the countries and research institutions with the largest number of publications in this field. The research hotspots are mainly the application of digital technologies, food safety, and supply chain system model innovation. In the past ten years, the research in this territory has gone through three stages: precise timeliness orientation, intelligent strategic decision-making orientation, and model predictability orientation. We further construct the 'antecedent–practice–performance' conceptual framework of the sustainability of the digital technology-enabled cross-border agro-food supply chain. Finally, this paper presents the potential research directions in this territory, focusing on four aspects: research method, research mechanism, research topic, and research frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) is consistent with the spirit of sustainable development, it is useful to elevate ESG performance to realize the sustainable development of enterprise and society. Using the data of Chinese A-share listed firms in the period of 2011 to 2019, this paper takes the National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone policy as a quasi-natural experiment and uses the difference-in-differences method to assess the effect of digital economy development on ESG performance. This paper reveals the following: (1) the digital economy can facilitate ESG performance; (2) digitalization of the economy helps enterprises to propel digital transformation, which in turn lifts ESG performance; (3) digital economy development has a deeper impact on private enterprises, especially for those in China's capital cities; and (4) digital economy development moderates the inhibiting effect of ESG performance on corporate financial constraints. The findings of this paper indicate that digitalization of the economy can help to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the need for sustainable urban development has never been more urgent than it is now. This is because estimates indicate that more than half of the global population will be living in urban areas by 2050, with South Africa estimated at 80%. This paper focuses on socio-economic nuances that impede sustainable urban development, as well as the strategies that can accelerate sustainable and inclusive urban development in South Africa. Through a literature-review methodology, the analysis identified the following issues as impediments to sustainable urban development in South Africa: informality, lack of consultations with urban citizens, unresolved apartheid legacies, crime and insecurity, and migration intricacies in South Africa. The paper also establishes prospective strategies to accelerate sustainable urban development, such as working with informality and not against it, promoting inclusivity and access to resources, accelerating policy reforms, investing in rural towns, and investing in superior technology and innovation. These findings imply that there is a need to seek alternative development models and approaches, to address poverty, unemployment, and poor housing, aspects that negatively impact urban development planning and sustainable development. The paper recommends inclusive urban housing as a remedy to address the challenges of access, affordability, and the quality of housing facilities in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The halfway point for the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was marked in 2023, as set forth in the 2030 Agenda. Geospatial technologies have proven indispensable in assessing and tracking fundamental components of each of the 17 SDGs, including climatological and ecological trends, and changes and humanitarian crises and socio-economic impacts. However, gaps remain in the capacity for geospatial and related digital technologies, like AI, to provide a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the complex and multi-factorial challenges delineated in the SDGs. Lack of progress toward these goals, and the immense implementation challenges that remain, call for inclusive and holistic approaches, coupled with transformative uses of digital technologies. This paper reviews transdisciplinary, holistic, and participatory approaches to address gaps in ethics and diversity in geospatial and related technologies and to meet the pressing need for bottom-up, community-driven initiatives. Small-scale, community-based initiatives are known to have a systemic and aggregate effect toward macro-economic and global environmental goals. Cybernetic systems thinking approaches are the conceptual framework investigated in this study, as these approaches suggest that a decentralized, polycentric system—for example, each community acting as one node in a larger, global system—has the resilience and capacity to create and sustain positive change, even if it is counter to top-down decisions and mechanisms. Thus, this paper will discuss how holistic systems thinking—societal, political, environmental, and economic choices considered in an interrelated context—may be central to building true resilience to climate change and creating sustainable development pathways. Traditional and Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems around the world hold holistic awareness of human-ecological interactions—practicable, reciprocal relationships developed over time as a cultural approach. This cultural holistic approach is also known as Systemic Literacy, which considers how systems function beyond "mechanical" aspects and include political, philosophical, psychological, emotional, relational, anthropological, and ecological dimensions. When Indigenous-led, these dimensions can be unified into participatory, community-centered conservation practices that support long-term human and environmental well-being. There is a growing recognition of the criticality of Indigenous leadership in sustainability practices, as well as that partnerships with Indigenous peoples and weaving knowledge systems, as a missing link to approaching global ecological crises. This review investigates the inequality in technological systems—the "digital divide" that further inhibits participation by communities and groups that retain knowledge of "place" and may offer the most transformative solutions. Following the review and synthesis, this study presents cybernetics as a bridge of understanding to Indigenous systems thinking. As non-Indigenous scholars, we hope that this study serves to foster informed, productive, and respectful dialogues so that the strength of diverse knowledges might offer whole-systems approaches to decision making that tackle wicked problems. Lastly, we discuss use cases of community-based processes and co-developed geospatial technologies, along with ethical considerations, as avenues toward enhancing equity and making advances in democratizing and decolonizing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating wind is becoming an essential part of renewable energy, and so highlighting perspectives of developing floating wind platforms is very important. In this paper, we focus on floating wind concepts and projects around the world, which will show the reader what is going on with the projects globally, and will also provide insight into the concepts and their corresponding related aspects. The main aim of this work is to classify floating wind concepts in terms of their number and manufacturing material, and to classify the floating wind projects in terms of their power capacity, their number, character (if they are installed or planned) and the corresponding continents and countries where they are based. We will classify the corresponding additional available data that corresponds to some of these projects, with reference to their costs, wind speeds, water depths, and distances to shore. In addition, the floating wind global situation and its corresponding aspects of relevance will be also covered in detail throughout the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As economic development continues to advance globally, countries are increasingly focused on the green transformation of their economies. This paper employs a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and entropy weighting methodology to construct and assess an indicator system for economic green transformation, taking into account environmental pollution. The analysis is based on panel data from 215 prefecture-level cities in China between 2015 and 2019. The two-way fixed effects model and moderating effect model are employed to investigate the influence of land finance on economic green transformation and to ascertain the moderating effect mechanism of local government debt. The study's conclusions are as follows: (1) Land finance impedes the transition to a green economy. (2) Local government debt is a major factor that restricts the influence of land finance on the transition to a green economy; as local government debt levels rise, land finance's role in impeding the transition to a green economy rises, and a positive moderating effect occurs. (3) Depending on the urban geographic location, the size of the economy and other factors, the impact of local government debt and land finance on the economic green transition varies. This empirical study demonstrates that the more local government debt there is in an eastern region or city with a bigger economic output scale, the more of an inhibitory influence land finance has on the economic transition to a green economy. In light of this, the paper suggests that the land finance policy be updated at the appropriate time, that the land market be regulated, that the government's reliance on land finance be gradually decreased, that the nature and amount of public debt be actively optimised, that the industrial infrastructure be enhanced to facilitate the transition towards a more environmentally sustainable economy, and that other suggestions be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper will build on existing scholarly assets, addressing how the avoidance of rural-to-urban labour migration as a solution to mitigate the challenges faced by left-behind children is pragmatically infeasible. As an alternative, this paper will engage in the discussion about the relevant policy development and existing policy gaps the Chinese Government has implemented and has been subject to, respectively, in order to locate the problems of how left-behind children continue to be exposed to emotional and psychological vulnerabilities, despite the Chinese Government's interventions. Methods: Bibliographic databases, Google Scholar and PubMed were searched. A combination of words (("left-behind children" OR "LBC") AND ("China" OR "Chinese") AND ("human rights" OR "mental health" OR "well-being") AND ("policy" OR "policies" or "policymaking")) was input into the search engines. A total of 38 papers deemed eligible and relevant were chosen non-systematically, studied and summarised. Results: Local rural governments lack any concrete measures designated for left-behind rural children to specifically support their mental health needs. Additionally, medical care coordination within the Chinese Government and across counties, respectively on improving the emotional and psychological well-being of left-behind rural children is disorganised. Moreover, there is a very limited collection of up-to-date and available datasets examining left-behind children's development and well-being. Discussion: This paper suggests, in detail, how the Chinese Government can strategically apply policies and interventions for the redistribution of resources and opportunities to left-behind children in rural China. This paper recognises the existing interventions initiated and implemented by the Chinese Government for resource redistribution and, simultaneously, recommends that the Government follow two localised American models for further resource redistribution per se that are designed for benefitting left-behind rural Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural tourism, as an emerging industry formed by the integration of various industries, has gradually become an essential method of rural economic development. However, few studies have comprehensively addressed how it develops. This paper aims to reveal the major trends and hotspots in the field of rural tourism in the past two decades. A scientometric visualization analysis was applied to the publications on this theme collected from the Web of Science database between 2000 and 2021. The results are shown as follows: (1) There was an overall increasing trend in rural tourism research globally from 2000 to 2021, with an average increase of 74 papers per year. However, the average citations for these papers are declining in recent years, dropping from 20.1 in 2016 to 13.2 in 2020. China, Spain, and the United States ranked in the top three in terms of the number of papers. (2) The most cited journals were The Journal of Agriculture and Environment, Tourism Planning and Development, and Tourism Management, with an average of 45.62, 39.15, and 29.22 citations, respectively. (3) The research hotspots showed obvious differences and characteristics in the two stages of 2000–2007 and 2007–2021. The sustainable development of rural tourism has become a hot topic, and will play an important role in achieving integrated urban and rural development and rural revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterprises are the most important core organizations of the country and modern society, and their growth has always been a focal point in the theoretical field. This paper aims to focus on the sustainable development of platform enterprises by exploring the mechanism of platform growth. Thus, this paper reviews the literature and analyzes the challenges faced by platform enterprises during the four stages of birth, expansion, leadership, and self-renewal, as well as the strategies they have adopted. The main aims of this paper are to help understand the growth process of platform enterprises and identify three key points that need to be addressed for sustainable growth, including the disadvantages of resource externalities, the importance of the restructuration of business models, and the urgency of fulfilling social responsibility. To address the exogenous nature of resources, platform enterprises should pay attention to the initiative of complementors, the distribution of benefits, and ecological orchestration. The impact of technology, especially artificial intelligence, on business models and the application of technology to restructure business models should be given attention. It is also necessary to pay attention to how platform enterprises undertake their social responsibilities. A synthesis framework with seven propositions for future research has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, numerous studies have highlighted the significance of integrating sustainability into higher education. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the literature on engineering education for sustainable development, emphasizing the inclusion of this concept within engineering curricula and recognizing the pivotal role that engineers play in achieving the sustainable development goals. Therefore, sporadic engineering faculties worldwide have begun acknowledging and assessing issues related to sustainability in their curricula. As several methods have been employed to assess its inclusion, the aim of this paper is to review the various methods used to gauge how sustainability is incorporated in their respective engineering curricula. We carried out a systematic review of the literature regarding sustainability as assessed specifically in engineering curricula using the Scopus and ERIC databases. We applied PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology and, as a result, 30 papers were included. The results produced 14 methods with the articles highlighting existing limitations. Therefore, the authors recommend the combination of at least two of the methods to efficiently evaluate sustainability in engineering curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Swedish Paradox is a well-known phenomenon related to high research and development (R&D) investment with supposedly low aggregate economic performance owing to economic saturation. The Korean economy has not yet become an advanced economy; however, its R&D performance is negligible. Recently, also the R&D share of the GNP has become much higher, and its contribution to the economic growth rate is rapidly decreasing, implying a negative relationship between R&D activities and economic performance. This study uses slacks-based data envelopment analysis to investigate investment performance at the local government level in Korea. Our findings reveal that the average score for R&D investment performance in Korea is 64%, indicating huge potential for an efficiency enhancement of 36%. Notably, among the 16 local governments examined, Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan areas showed the lowest R&D efficiency, while Gangwon and Gwangju exhibited superior performance. Since these two regions have promoted specific missions, such as the medical hub in Gangwon and the optical fiber strategic platform in Gwangju, precise and accurate differentiation appears necessary to avoid a lack of governance. To determine the workable mechanism of R&D support policies, we further divided R&D productivity into three categories by incorporating the Malmquist Index (MI). The paper productivity of R&D shows an increasing trend over the experimental period from 2016 to 2021. However, overall, the MI shows slightly deteriorating productivity with 0.978, owing to the aggravating effect of patents and commercialization of R&D. The success in the paper comes from the harmonized partnership between the strong push factor of the government and voluntary pull factor of the R&D support receiving universities. Thus, we suggest that the Korean government should not depend on the superficial effectiveness of R&D in the term but on public–private partnerships with stronger performance-oriented responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the critical period of strengthening the construction of ecological civilization, the construction of forest cities has become an important measure to promote urban ecosystem restoration and achieve sustainable development. Based on the mechanism of forest city promoting green development, the construction of a national forest city is regarded as a "quasi-natural experiment". Using China's urban panel data from 2005 to 2019, the impact of national forest city construction on urban green total factor productivity was evaluated using Multistage asymptotic double difference. The results show that National Forest Cities with environmental regulation can significantly promote regional green total factor productivity, which is still valid after a series of Robustness tests. Mechanism analysis shows that forest city construction not only affects territorial spatial planning but also forms a linkage with green technology innovation, mutual promotion and mutual promotion to jointly promote the sustainable development goals. This paper argues that building a national forest city is an important measure to achieve China's sustainable development goals in the new era, but in the process of policy implementation, it is necessary to implement the national forest city selection system according to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing energy consumption is vital to save natural resources and contribute to the sustainable development in any sector of society. In the building sector, there are many well-known energy efficiency strategies currently being applied. However, considering the advances in technology and in comfort studies, it is possible to see that the current building sector scenario demands new energy efficiency strategies. Such strategies need to be capable of identifying and assuring comfortable environments according to users' perceptions. Machine learning techniques can be a useful alternative to identify users' preferences and control lighting and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in buildings. This paper shows a systematic literature review on the use of machine learning algorithms on preference identification and environmental adequacy according to users' demands. Its contribution is to explore beyond the performance and configurations of the algorithms, addressing users' preference aspects as well. The strategies found in the literature provided promising results. The most used approach was supervised learning because data can be treated as categories. In general, the control systems have shown good performance, and so have the algorithms. Users were mostly satisfied with environmental conditions. Situations of dissatisfaction were associated with the occupant's willingness to use the system more than with the control system's performance. Furthermore, it is also possible to ally user-centred control and energy savings but this relies on occupants' characteristics and the control strategies used. We underline the importance of identifying whether the users are willing to deal with an automatic control system before making any decision, even if the operation of the system is based on their preferred environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the importance of forest ecosystems in regulating climate change and sustainable development. It highlights the threats that forests face due to climate change and urbanization, which can lead to degradation of their structure and function. The document presents 12 research papers that explore various aspects of forest management and sustainable development, including micro-scale studies on tree growth and soil composition, as well as macro-scale studies on land use and ecosystem services. The ultimate goal of this special issue is to provide strategies for achieving the sustainable management and high-quality development of forest ecosystems. [Extracted from the article]

This paper addresses the necessity of adopting renewable energy technologies in order to achieve sustainable development goals in light of increasing global challenges, with a particular focus on the current generation's well-being. It addresses the potential impacts of global crises, such as energy and food crises, on the transition to renewable energy. Using a descriptive and analytical approach, this paper examines the environmental and economic costs and benefits of renewable energy as well as the commitment of oil-producing countries to international environmental treaties. The research utilises an econometric model to analyse the relationship between sustainable development goals and global challenges. Data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Renewable Energy Agency are used to inform the analysis. The findings showed that the rights and well-being of current generations are currently maintained by the persistent use of fossil fuels in oil-producing nations. Fossil fuels continue to be, and may likely remain, the primary energy source in various sectors of development, despite their significant contribution to environmental and climate issues. The paper offers insights and recommendations for policymakers seeking to determine when government spending should best be allocated to renewable energy technologies, balancing national economic interests with international agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excessive use of energy from fossil fuels, which corresponds to population, industrialisation, and unsustainable economic growth, is the cause of carbon dioxide production and climate change. The Water–Energy–Food (WEF) nexus is an applicable conceptual framework that helps manage the balance between human development and natural resource constraints, and it becomes a valuable tool to address the challenges of resource depletion and clean energy. This article aims to analyse the relationship between the WEF nexus and clean energy through a statistical analysis and a systematic review of knowledge on energy sustainability. The methodology involves the selection of bibliographic information databases such as Scopus and Web of Science (WoS), a statistical analysis, specifically the Scientometrics applied to the information obtained, and the identification of 179 scientific publications related to the study variables through a screening process called Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The interaction of green energy and sustainability with the WEF nexus has been approached mainly by developed countries such as China (10%), the United States (9.49%), India (7.26%), and Brazil (5.02%). The review of 55 scientific papers identified strategies that balance economic growth and environmental impact, applying clean energy systems (e.g., solar and wind), and the importance of adaptation to the subsystems of the WEF nexus. This study also highlights adaptability to climate change in rural and urban communities. Therefore, it is consistent with the four pillars of sustainable development (Economic: 7 papers, Environmental: 22, Social: 18, and Cultural: 8). This study highlights the following: (a) the importance of the use of renewable energy either in mixed systems and consumption, energy storage, and seeking energy efficiency in systems adapted to diverse environments and (b) the relevance of community participation in the decision-making process for the use of clean energy, such as a strategy for climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial heritage of the city of Belgrade is the focus of this research, which highlights the possibilities of preserving industrial heritage from the perspective of a contemporary context and sustainable development. Guided by theoretical principles on the preservation of cultural and industrial heritage, their values, authenticity and spirit of place, as well as the idea of the necessity of integrating industrial heritage into the contemporary context, this paper aims to examine the possibilities for the preservation of industrial heritage following theoretically established principles, with the introduction of new uses and sustainable solutions. The analysis of the case studies of Belgrade's industrial heritage presented in this paper results from research conducted by the teachers, associates and students of the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture. The research focuses on the possibilities of translating the principles of preserving cultural and industrial heritage from their theoretical definition to practical application. The students' conceptual solutions for protection, revitalisation and presentation of the analysed case studies represent the research results. An important aspect of this paper is defining the criteria for valorising students' conceptual solutions, which are aligned with the principles of preserving cultural heritage and establishing sustainable development. The valorisation of students' conceptual solutions through a defined set of criteria indicates real possibilities for the simultaneous preservation of all the values of industrial heritage and its transformation into a social, ecological and economic resource of the contemporary city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study illustrates the linkages between the ISO's Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) and the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs), highlighting the role of the LADM in promoting effective land administration suitable for efficient computation of land/water (space)-related SDG indicators. The main contribution of this study is the formalization of SDG indicators by using the ISO standard LADM. This paper proposes several SDG-indicator-related extensions to the multi-part LADM standard that is currently under revision. These extensions encompass the introduction of new procedures for calculating indicators, the integration of blueprints for external classes to fulfil additional information needs and the design of interface classes for presenting indicator values across specific countries and reporting years. In an innovative approach, this paper introduces the Four-Step Method—a powerful framework designed to formalize SDG indicators within the LADM framework. Detailed attention is devoted to specific indicators, including 1.4.2 (secure land rights), 5.a.1 (women's agricultural land rights), 14.5.1 (protected marine areas) and 11.5.2 (valuation as a basis for direct economic loss). In short, the Four-Step Method is pivotal in eliminating ambiguities, enhancing the efficiency of indicator computation and securing more accurate indicator values that more truly reflect the progress towards SDG realization. This approach is also expected to work with other (ISO) standards for other SDG indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This state-of-the-art review paper aims to provide an overview of the current research on three categories of liveable cities, Smart, Sustainable, and Green (SSG). It explores how the discussions about these three categories have been brought together in the literature and identifies an integrated approach to developing more liveable cities of the future. The paper begins by introducing the research topic and methodology, setting out a broad definition for SSG cities as a starting point. Then, the review focuses on recent publications and research trends, with an emphasis on the most significant contributions to the convergence of the SSG categories. Special attention is paid to identifying gaps in current knowledge and suggesting areas for future research. Reviewing recent resources based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria in depth, using 11 relevant themes within the three aforementioned categories, provides a comprehensive and up-to-date summary of the current state of research in developing more liveable cities. Moreover, a summary of the main findings, providing a holistic view of the liveable future cities and implications for further research, policy, and practice offers a helpful resource for scholars, practitioners, policymakers, city authorities, consultants, and solution providers for SSG cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International consensus has been reached for the 2030 Agenda, and governments have adopted measures for the gradual implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this implementation, education plays a crucial role. Recently, the extent to which Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become the norm in national curricula, teacher education, and student assessment has been a focus of extensive research. The present study introduces the geography curriculum and the reform of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) in China in the 2000s. A global indicator framework for SDGs is used to analyze sustainable development (SD) content and characteristics in NCEE geography papers. Findings reveal that SD accounts for an average of 71% of score points among the 24 sets of papers. Sustainable agriculture, terrestrial ecosystems, settlements, and water are well reflected in questions, especially water-related ecosystems, resilient agricultural practices, transportation system, tourism, desertification, and degraded land and soil. Sustainable development questions have the characteristics of setting open questions, paying attention to question situation, being close to real life, being moderately difficult, paying attention to regional SD and human-nature relationship, and diversifying question-setting patterns. According to the analysis of papers, SD plays an important role in geography education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the structure of energy consumption (ECS) through green finance and the digital economy is one of the main paths to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. This paper explores the impact of green finance and the digital economy on the ECS of 30 regions in China from 2007 to 2022 using the Generalized method of moments(GMM) model, further analyzes its heterogeneity, and then provides a reference for the scientific development of relevant decisions. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The change in the ECS is closely related to the degree of optimization of the ECS in the previous year, and this is a process of dynamic adjustment. The level of digital economy development can improve the ECS of the country as a whole and in the eastern and central regions, while the western regions have not yet played a significant role due to the underdevelopment of the digital economy. Green finance can inhibit fossil fuel energy consumption in all regions, and it promotes cleaner, more efficient, and low-carbon energy consumption, thereby improving the ECS. However, the impact effect is the largest in the east and smaller in the west. (2) The urbanization levels of the country as a whole and that of the central and western regions show a positive correlation with the results of energy consumption. However, in the eastern region, it shows an inhibitory effect on fossil fuel energy consumption, which can optimize the ECS. The industrial structures in all regions have positive impact coefficients; the development of industry is not conducive to the optimization of the ECS. Trade openness can improve the ECS only in the eastern region; technological progress in all regions can significantly improve the ECS. Based on the background of carbon neutrality, this paper reveals that green finance and the digital economy promote cleaner, more efficient, and lower carbon energy consumption and reduce the level of energy consumption. This paper also provides a reference for the scientific formulation of relevant decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban digital infrastructure is the cornerstone of optimizing resource allocation and promoting sustainable economic development in the era of digital economy, and it will also affect corporate ESG performance. Based on the data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2021, an asymptotic difference-in-difference model is used to investigate the impact of urban digital infrastructure on corporate ESG performance based on the "broadband China" strategy and its underlying mechanism. This paper finds that urban digital infrastructure can promote corporate ESG performance. Further, urban digital infrastructure can contribute to corporate ESG performance by increasing research and development (R&D) investment, improving corporate governance, and increasing information transparency. Through heterogeneity analysis, the results show urban digital infrastructure contributes more significantly to the ESG performance of state-owned, small and medium, growth-stage, and low-profit companies and is more pronounced in non-heavy polluting companies and companies in the central and western regions. This paper has enhanced the theoretical framework of urban digital infrastructure and corporate ESG (environmental, social, and governance) performance, paving the way for a new approach to the collaborative development of cities and enterprises in pursuit of green and sustainable growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, scholars have embraced sustainability as a crucial concept deeply ingrained in architectural designs, particularly Islamic geometric patterns (IGP). These patterns hold significance in reflecting Islamic history, identity, and culture. This systematic review explores how scholars have integrated IGPs into modern design, considering the sustainability aspect. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) reporting checklist was used due to its organized structure as a guide to conduct this review (2012–2022). Data was collected through recognized databases (i.e., Scopus and ProQuest) that house a wide array of journals and publications. Selected journals were categorized based on sustainability pillars—environmental, economic, social, and cultural. In addition, case studies from the region are discussed, as studies didn't explicitly explore the connection between sustainability and the use of Islamic geometric patterns in modern design. Findings indicate that papers predominantly discuss the positive effects on environmental and economic sustainability through IGP implementation. Conversely, social sustainability received comparatively less attention from scholars. Case studies showed that most building designs in the Middle East use IGP to conserve Islamic history and identity, especially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This review sheds light on the potential of geometric patterns as a vehicle for sustainable design and contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sound and sustainable development of the international monetary system is the cornerstone of the sound and stable development of the global economy. This paper takes digital currency in China as its research object and utilizes a regime-switching transition auto-regression (STAR) model and nonlinear time-varying parameter–stochastic volatility–vector auto regression (TVP-SV-VAR) model to empirically analyze the relationship between digital RMB, RMB internationalization, and the development of the international monetary system. The results show that the relationship between DC/EP and the internationalization of the RMB is time-varying, with the above relationship being significantly different in various economic situations. DC/EP can boost the internationalization of the RMB, and thereby contribute to the diversification of the international monetary system. The results have important policy implications for the sound and sustainable development of economic and financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SDGs emphasize the importance of multi-stakeholder processes, particularly in promoting citizen-level participation. This paper aims to understand the current status of citizens' social participation and the challenges in promoting them in order to achieve SDGs and create a resilient society. To achieve this objective, the literature review method is used. The literature was obtained from source databases related to recent literature on citizens' participation with regard to SDGs. In the discussion and conclusion, this paper examines the possibility that one of the vital issues in promoting social participation of citizens could be information sharing. It also describes the cycle which citizens themselves become the main actors in generating information to promote citizen participation, and the information generated through this process leads further citizen participation. These results will be used as the basis for the following action research process. This paper is positioned as introductory in nature, and the importance of information sharing will be examined more closely in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, responsible sourcing and procurement (including green supply chain management) across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors have become notable contributors to sustainable construction strategies. This study aims to provide a systematic review of responsible sourcing literature across the AEC sectors of the UK to identify a suite of opportunities and obstacles to adopting ethical and environmentally supportive practices and to highlight avenues for further investigation. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) review process was adopted to identify, screen, and select (n = 80) articles (from 2000–2020) for review. Analysis of these articles identified the most frequently reported opportunities: (i) stakeholder value (40%); (ii) improved supply chain performance (39%); and (iii) competitive advantage (30%). The most frequently reported obstacles relating to the uptake of responsible sourcing are the following: (i) cost (44%); (ii) industry constraints (28%); and (iii) lack of frameworks/information and lack of awareness (25%). Given the industry importance of these themes, it is proposed that there is a necessity to explore and unravel the perceptions of industry experts about these issues so as to clarify the progress and possibilities for more widely adopting responsible sourcing across the AEC sector and, moreover, for clarifying their contribution towards achieving national and international sustainability targets (e.g., UN Sustainable Development Goals). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvements in and the assessment of land use efficiency are crucial pillars for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study reviews 208 representative papers, oral reports, and project reports to provide a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the current status and future trends of research on land use efficiency assessment. The findings reveal that (1) the number of papers on land use efficiency assessment is rapidly increasing, with research primarily focused on environmental science and ecology (n = 157, 75.48%). (2) Quantitative models are gaining popularity for land use efficiency assessment, with more than 46.63% of the studies adopting the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model. (3) The definition and analysis perspectives of land use efficiency are diverse, but research on relative land use efficiency and comprehensive analysis perspectives accounts for a significant proportion. (4) Constructing a large and complex model that incorporates geospatial effects, big data, and computer technology is a hot topic for future research methods. On the other hand, conducting land use efficiency research on a global scale is more conducive to achieving the SDGs. (5) The core to improving land use efficiency lies in the joint implementation of multi-pronged measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shadow economy's size and impact remain subjects of extensive research and debate, holding significant implications for economic policy and social welfare. In Lebanon, the ongoing crisis since 2019 has exacerbated severe economic challenges, with the national currency's collapse, bank crisis, and foreign reserve deficits. The World Bank reports Lebanon's financial deficit surpassed $72 billion, three times the GDP in 2021. Despite a drastic decline in GDP, imports have surged to near-pre-crisis levels, exacerbating economic woes and indicating a constant outflow of foreign currencies. Considering such contracting facts, this paper aims to investigate global factors influencing the shadow economy and discern their manifestations in Lebanon during financial crises. Our methodology involves a comprehensive literature review, alongside a case study approach specific to Lebanon. This dual-method strategy ensures a detailed understanding of the shadow economy's impact and the development of actionable insights for policy and economic reform. Through this approach, we seek to contribute to a nuanced understanding of Lebanon's economic landscape and provide valuable guidance for policy decisions aimed at reducing corruption, promoting transparency, and fostering a robust formal economy. The increase in the shadow economy raises the formal economy risk, as resources and activities diverted to informal channels hinder the growth and stability of the official economic sector. Although focusing on Lebanon, this analysis deepens the comprehension of the economic landscape and provides valuable guidance for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders, aiming to address the root causes of informal economic activities and promote sustainable growth in developing countries in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the interactions within the intellectual property pledge financing framework involving SMBMEs, banks, and third-party intermediaries, focusing on factors that promote sustainable cooperation. Methods: The research employs an evolutionary game model to simulate and analyze strategic interactions among the stakeholders, considering bounded rationality and asymmetric information. Results: Key findings include the positive correlation between SMBMEs' reputation and timely repayment, the adverse effects of patent devaluation on cooperation, and the reasonable loan interest rates for facilitating GPPFG cooperation. The study also highlights the need for a transparent information platform and reasonable breach of contract compensation. Conclusions: The paper concludes that an efficient GPPFG mechanism is crucial for SMBMEs' financial support and green transformation. It suggests that third-party intermediaries play a significant role in risk reduction and innovation facilitation. The study acknowledges limitations and calls for future research to explore technological innovations and improve intermediary service systems for SMBMEs' sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can government environmental policy harmonize environmental protection with economic output? We explore this issue from the perspective of forestry eco-efficiency, using China's National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone Policy (NECP), an environmental policy promulgated by the government of China, as the subject of this study. The study introduces forestry eco-efficiency as an indicator to assess the balance between economic development in the forestry sector and environmental conservation. The indicator, grounded in sustainable development theory, employs a super-efficiency SBM model that includes undesirable outputs to evaluate efficiency. Additionally, we empirically analyze the impact of NECP on forestry eco-efficiency by using the difference-in-difference (DID) model with provincial panel data from 2011 to 2020. Ultimately, we analyze the effects of spatial spillover by employing the spatial Durbin model (SDM). Our study yields the following conclusions. (1) In this paper, through hotspot clustering analysis, forestry eco-efficiency in each province is categorized into three categories: effective, semi-effective and ineffective. Our findings suggest that China's average forestry eco-efficiency falls into the ineffective category, highlighting the need to optimize resource allocation within the sector. (2) NECP significantly enhances forestry eco-efficiency, with robust findings across various stability tests. Thus, implementing government environmental policies can have a multiplier effect on forestry, i.e., it can synergize its economic development with environmental protection. (3) In provinces with a strong ecological foundation, the NECP significantly enhances forestry eco-efficiency. However, in other provinces, the improvement is only moderate. Furthermore, while the NECP has a substantial positive impact in the eastern region, it has yet to show a discernible effect in other regions. (4) The positive impacts of NECP implementation on forestry eco-efficiency have spatial spillover effects due to demonstration effects and comparative advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance is an essential indicator for measuring the sustainability of corporations. It has received increased attention from capital market participants after the proposal of the 'dual carbon' goal. Innovation is a necessary skill for corporations to compete in the market. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of innovation on the ESG performance of corporations based on the dual incentive perspective of government subsidies and equity incentives. Using data of China's A-share main board listed corporations from 2017 to 2022, OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) models are constructed to conduct empirical research. The results show that enhanced innovation can significantly improve corporate ESG performance. This paper also conducts other tests to ensure the robustness of the findings and address potential endogeneity issues. Further analysis shows that both using government subsidies as external incentives and using equity incentives as internal incentives can positively moderate the above findings. Heterogeneity analyses discover that government subsidies granted to asset-advantaged corporations have a more substantial moderating effect than those granted to asset-weakened corporations; equity incentives granted to core technical staff have a more substantial moderating effect than those granted to executives. The concept that innovation with dual incentives can enhance corporate ESG performance can aid in developing programs to improve their ESG performance and generate novel ideas for high-quality, sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic theory on sustainable development suggests that resource-rich countries should reinvest the rents from natural resource extraction in other forms of capital to ensure that future consumption level of the economy can be greater than or at least equal to the level of their current consumption. Several seminal papers in the early 2000s indicated that the correlation between genuine savings and future consumption was weaker than theory predicted, at least when genuine savings were measured using the World Bank estimates. This paper revisits the issue and replicates two of these earlier studies to see whether the correlation has become stronger over time, on the back of policy changes in resource-rich countries and of revisions to the World Bank estimates. The results indicate that the correlation between genuine savings and future consumption growth may be stronger for poorer countries than for richer, and for sub-Saharan Africa, the theoretical predictions appear to hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To contribute to the realization of the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the non-polluting and sustainable nature of new energy sources such as wind, photovoltaic power, and energy storage has gained widespread attention, and new-energy distributed power generation technology is being applied on a large scale. Due to the high penetration, decentralization, and source–load uncertainty in new-energy distributed power generation, the traditional centralized regulation and control method struggles to meet the demand for scheduling flexibility in a distribution network. Hence, a cluster-optimization scheduling method for distribution networks considering source–load–storage synergy is proposed in this paper. Firstly, by using the comprehensive index of cluster-active power balance and electrical-distance modularity as the objective function, a simulated annealing algorithm is proposed to improve the genetic algorithm for solving a distribution network cluster division model. Then, based on the results of the distributed cluster segmentation, an optimal scheduling model is established, with the objective of minimizing the comprehensive operating costs by considering clusters as units. Inter-cluster power interactions are then used to reduce cluster operating costs and to meet intra-cluster power balance requirements by automatically setting time-sharing tariffs between the clusters. Finally, an IEEE33 node system is taken as an example for verification. The results show that the proposed distribution network cluster division method has better electrical coupling and active power balance and that the optimal scheduling method of clusters can effectively reduce the system operation costs. Hence, the method studied in this paper can increase the flexibility of regional distribution grid scheduling and the reliability of the power supply, reduce regional energy mobility to reduce energy consumption, improve the utilization efficiency of energy, and promote the sustainable development of new energy access to the distribution network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of building a new-type power system, as the core of the energy system, the restructuring of the power system will inevitably have a linked impact on the coordinated development of the economy–energy–environment system. A "Dual Triangle" theoretical framework consisting of the "Energy Impossibility Triangle" and "Sustainable Development Triangle" was constructed in this paper. By combining historical statistical analysis with scenario predictive analysis, the historical characteristics of the "Dual Triangle" and future trends under different scenarios were analyzed, and the coupled interaction relationship of the "Dual Triangle" was also studied. Conclusions were as follows: The energy system gradually inclined towards economy and cleanliness from 2010 to 2022, and the operation status of the "Dual Triangle" was stable. A positive coupling relationship within the "Dual Triangle" in vigorously promoting renewable energy scenarios is close, which can be regarded as the preferred path for the reconstruction of the power system. The security and low-carbon phased development scenario is a development model that dynamically mitigates the challenges of the "Energy Impossibility Triangle". Security has become the core contradiction of the "Energy Impossibility Triangle". This paper conducts an integrated and innovative application of the "Dual Triangle" theory and provides a case basis for how to achieve the coupled interaction of the "Dual Triangle". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the construction industry places increasing emphasis on environmental conservation and sustainability, this trend has spurred profound research into the optimization of door and window performance. One of the critical components of windows is their frames. Over the past several decades, the design of window frames has undergone significant innovations, ranging from introducing new materials to novel design concepts. The performance of window frames is typically influenced by materials, structural design, and the surrounding environment. Consequently, this paper analyzes the common window frame materials in Chinese civil buildings through investigation. It explores commonly used types of window frames available in the market, focusing on their materials and structural designs. It analyzes issues observed during their usage, integrates findings from existing research, and discusses the performance of window frame materials. Additionally, it explores improvement strategies to meet the evolving demands of contemporary and future architectural doors and windows, providing valuable reference points for designers. Finally, approaching the discussion from a sustainable development perspective, the paper evaluates the environmental impact of wood, aluminum alloy, polymer, and composite window frame materials. It emphasizes that wood- and aluminum-clad wood windows represent sustainable options with versatile applications in diverse scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new sustainable building production mode, prefabricated building supply chains can realize energy saving, environmental protection and full cycle value maximization of building products. Prefabricated building supply chains often experience disruptions due to supply instability, transportation delay and force majeure, resulting in project delays and cost escalations and posing challenges to the sustainable development objectives of enterprises. Therefore, it is important and essential to study the strategy of enhancing the resiliency of prefabricated building supply chains, which has not been comprehensively explored in previous papers. This paper constructs decision-making models for supply chain cost resilience strategies under varying scenarios of supply disruptions, incorporating both redundant inventory and back-up supplier strategy. It considers the total cost and resilience of the supply chain as dual objective functions. Parameter-tuned non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-Π (NSGA-Π) algorithms were used innovatively to solve the project case, and the impacts of the redundant inventory coefficient and back-up supplier supply price coefficient on the model result were analyzed. The results indicate that the supply chain with resilience construction has a superior capability to cope with disruption. The results show that when there is a mild supply disruption, the general contractor uses the capacity within the supply chain and chooses a redundant inventory strategy to restore resilience. In the event of moderate disruption, both the easy inventory strategy and back-up supplier strategy are selected to maintain supply chain stability. In the event of a severe disruption, only the back-up supplier strategy is selected to cover the losses and maintain the project schedule. In addition, the choice of resilience strategy is impacted by the inventory levels and component prices of back-up suppliers. It further verifies the effectiveness of the model and the impacts of uncertain parameters in the model on the results. This study contributes to enhancing the resilience management of the prefabricated building supply chain by the general contractor, thereby elevating the overall efficiency and competitiveness of the supply chain and furthering the sustainable development of prefabricated buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global efforts to build sustainable e-commerce ecosystems through various prediction tools have suffered due to uncertainty in politics, the economy, and the environment. This paper proposes a new integrative prediction model to track the sustainable development of e-commerce. Using US e-commerce data, this study explores the prediction accuracy of the mixed data sampling (MIDAS) model in combination with the attention mechanism (AM) approach, analyzing the performance differences between the model's before and after improvements. More so, the paper evaluates the performance of the new prediction approach against other competing models using the prediction accuracy metric, the probability interval test, and the Diebold and Mariann (DM) test methods. The results indicate that the introduction of the MIDAS and the AM approaches allows the prediction model to fully utilize the effective information of the mixed-frequency data while simultaneously capturing the differences in the importance of the variables in terms of their time series and the non-linear relationship of the learning variables, thereby positively influencing the economic prediction of the e-commerce industry. Second, the proposed prediction model combines the ability of long-term and short-term high-precision prediction and performs multi-step probability prediction on the development of the e-commerce industry. It can better track abnormal changes in macroeconomic indicators and fit their fluctuation trends. Third, based on the results of the three evaluation indicators, the MIDAS–AM–Deep autoregressive recurrent neural network (DeepAR) model achieves optimal prediction accuracy, allowing it to provide more timely, accurate, and comprehensive predictions for e-commerce management decisions when macroeconomic conditions are undergoing significant transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar cells represent a promising innovation in energy storage, offering not only exceptional cleanliness and low cost but also a high degree of flexibility, rendering them widely applicable. In recent years, scientists have dedicated substantial efforts to enhancing the performance of solar cells, aiming to drive sustainable development and promote clean energy applications. One approach that has garnered significant attention is strain engineering, which involves the adjustment of material microstructure and organization through mechanical tensile or compressive strain, ultimately serving to enhance the mechanical properties and performance stability of materials. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in the application of strain engineering in solar cells, focused on the current hot research area—perovskite solar cells. Specifically, it delves into the origins and characterization of strain in solar cells, the impact of strain on solar cell performance, and the methods for regulating stable strain. Furthermore, it outlines strategies for enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of solar cells through strain engineering. Finally, the paper conducts an analysis of the challenges encountered in the development process and presents a forward-looking perspective on further enhancing the performance of solar cells through strain engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability-linked discussion has gained international importance, with the banking sector being an essential pillar of the new economy, particularly through channeling financial resources to environmentally friendly economic activities. It is, however, still unclear if ESG is profitable, both for the economy and banks. This paper aims at filling this gap by presenting, from a macroeconomic perspective, the impact of ESG efforts and the banking sector's contribution to a sustainable economy. Using panel regression models with fixed effects, the study investigates the impact of ESG factors and banking activity on economic growth. The results show a negative relationship between country-level ESG scores and economic growth, both in the short and long run, while increased financial intermediation by the banking sector, used as a proxy of potential green lending activity, does not necessarily enhance economic growth. Through delving into the interplay between the ESG score, economic development, and banking activity, this research could serve as a discussion point for economists, bankers, and policymakers when designing the economic and financial strategies for transitioning to a green economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review examines the essential components of a circular economy (CE) in relation to the agricultural sector. The bioeconomy and circular economy are crucial for sustainable global industrial growth, focusing on closed-loop systems. The sustainability debate centers on intergenerational equity and natural capital. The CE requires new environmental technologies and global coordination in order to combat climate change and biodiversity loss. In addition, efficient food production and waste reduction are essential due to population growth. However, biomass is vital for a bio-based economy, impacting food waste and climate change. Grasslands support sustainable dairy production and carbon sequestration. Thus, effective waste and wastewater management are critical, with biomass energy providing renewable alternatives. Nonetheless, biofuels remain key for sustainability, focusing on pollution control and Green Chemistry. It is well known that sustainable transportation relies on bioenergy, with ongoing research improving processes and discovering new fuels. One notable challenge is managing heavy metals in biofuel production, and this underscores the need for eco-friendly energy solutions. The main purpose for this review paper is to create a connection between circular economy aspects and the agricultural system, with focus on the following: bioeconomy research, biomass utilities, and biofuel production. Extensive research was performed on the specialized literature by putting in common the main problems. Key subjects in this paper include the use of biomass in agriculture, the problems of plastic recycling, and the function of the CE in mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss. Efficient food production and waste minimization are highlighted due to their relevance in a growing population. The study's detailed research and discussion aim to give important insights into how these practices might promote economic development and sustainability. Furthermore, the study covers important waste management issues such as food waste, plant composting, and chemical waste neutralization. These topics are critical to understanding the circular economy's broader implications for minimizing environmental damage and implementing sustainable waste management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]