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Climate-linked disasters result when natural hazards meet socioeconomic precarity. Recognizing this, scholarship in recent years has emphasized how the precarity that turns climate-linked hazards into disasters is produced within the same global political economy that enables climate change. Nevertheless, despite growing interest in the ways in which the dynamics of global economic history shapes contemporary hazard vulnerability, less attention has been directed toward the dynamism of the contemporary global economy and particularly the ways in which global material flows shape environmental risk. From this standpoint, this article argues, first, the need to account for the economic dynamics of global trade in shaping the factors that intensify disaster risk, and second, the role of multiscalar agency. Exemplifying this issue through a case study of international brick imports from South Asia to the United Kingdom, the article provides a heuristic example of how contemporary globalized flows of goods link local vulnerabilities to economic processes originating thousands of miles away. In an increasingly globalized world, it thus foregrounds a dynamic, global perspective on the genus of climate precarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a world where urbanization is becoming more and more widespread, big figures can be seen around internal urban migration further aggravating the environmental urban situation, which results from several previous factors. This is the case with globalization, online shopping, or polluting industrial and human sources. The major solutions are centered primarily on the concern for urban mobility, the involvement of the stakeholders concerned, the optimization of journeys, the use of lanes and roads, the choice of vehicles as well as the zoning or choice of logistics locations. Sustainability is one of the primary elements of flow management; it is one of the most important pillars of the concept of "urban logistics". Indeed, the final goal goes beyond the delivery of goods, going so far as to place the environment as an essential support for urban logistics. In this paper we present a literature review on sustainable logistics, we will try to answer the following problem: Urban logistics: Where are we? To respond to this problem, we are taking the following approach: Presentation of the basic concepts, choice of articles to be used for the study which will induce us to determine the axes and the main actors, with the aim of specifying the most predominant aspects which must be treated and prioritized in order to make urban logistics more optimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Slow Movement has gained considerable attention as a social movement to counteract increasing globalisation, commercialisation and marketisation in Western societies. It has dispersed into many other economic areas such as Slow Cities or Slow Travel. Events, however, have mainly been viewed as part of research focussing on Slow Food. A strategic approach and an analysis of whether and how events can be used to promote slower forms of life is lacking. This paper addresses the following research questions: (1) What are the main characteristics of a Slow Event?; and (2) How can events be used strategically to serve as prototypes for new ways of living and a more sustainable handling of the natural surroundings and the environment? A two-step analysis served as a methodical framework. First, literature related to the Slow Movement was analysed, with a focus on Slow Events. Second, semi-structured interviews verified and complemented the findings. This approach helped to identify the most important characteristics of Slow Events (including authenticity, size and deceleration) and to develop a definition of Slow Events. By promoting slower forms of life, supporting local businesses and preserving local traditions and the environment, Slow Events can create an added value for many destination stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The view that we live in the Anthropocene is increasingly gaining currency across scientific disciplines. Especially in sociology this is said to require a paradigm shift in analysis and theory formation. This article argues that such a conclusion is premature. Owing to a scholastic fallacy – the uncritical transposition of the concept from the natural to the social sciences – Anthropocene lacks analytic clarity and explanatory power evidenced by: a normative overreach that erroneously imagines an idealised world citizenry with collective action capacities; an obfuscation of the unequal distribution of ecological pathologies caused by capitalism; a normative indeterminacy concerning modes of redress; and an abstract ecological universalism offered as moral panacea. The article suggests that sociology needs to address the Anthropocene's heterogeneity marked by contradictory regional interests and inequalities that neither appeals to social justice or 'one humanity' nor an escape into a dissolution of ontological differences between actors and artefacts can redeem. To that end, sociologists are asked to undertake a critical reconstruction of the concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, corporate sustainability efforts have focused on the direct impacts of a company’s waste or the emissions associated with its operations, buildings, and vehicles. However, the majority of the US economy’s climate, water, and pollution impacts are the result of complex supply chains, strung together to deliver value-added products and services. To mitigate these indirect impacts (by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for example) and adapt to new risks, leading companies must engage with upstream suppliers and embed sustainability as a joint objective. Companies failing to do so may suffer damage to their reputations and operations. In a changing climate, increasingly frequent and severe weather events are making supply networks more vulnerable to disruptions and unanticipated costs. Investors and other stakeholders are responding by pressuring companies to disclose and quantify emissions and other supply chain environmental impacts. Despite significant progress made by some corporations in reducing their emissions and their exposure to potential hazards hidden in upstream operations, sustainability must be a society-wide effort. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this commentary I reflect upon the possibilities for action to deliver sustainable and just urban environments. I depart from the questions that inspire this special issue: what is it about cities that enables them to make a substantial contribution to environmental dilemmas? And how did cities become the darling trope of the international environmental policy regime? I use the metaphor of 'the Crystal Palace' to situate proposals for sustainable urbanism in a spectrum of options between naïve idealism and full-fledged cynicism. I argue that between those two extremes there are multiple alternatives to advance sustainable futures. Urban political ecology (UPE) is in a privileged position to reveal the contradictions inherent in the current incarnation of sustainable urbanism. That is why UPE scholars cannot miss the opportunity to produce context-relevant research to change urban sustainability policies and beliefs. In the second part of this commentary, I explore a case study already presented elsewhere in the special issue. The case of the successive unsuccessful projects for Olympic candidacy in Jaca (Spain) shows the impact of a series of speculative design exercises to build a technocratic eco-city. However, Jaca's Olympic dreams have historical and cultural roots in the town. Its inhabitants have both propelled and contested the Olympic project at different moments over the evolution of the project. Progressive forms of environmentalism also emerge from the encounter between urban history and utopian thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses strategic planning by international business enterprises and its relationship to environmental law and regulations in countries in which those companies operate. The challenge posed to international business enterprises by the widely varying stringency of such laws and regulations and their variability within specific countries due to political changes is acknowledged. International business enterprises in energy industries, the chemical industry, electronics industry and construction industry are examined for their environmental issues management. It is noted that the improvement of companies' environmental practices often involves a relatively low level of investment.

The article presents comment on the advent of post-globalization and mentions that open and inclusive values of liberalism appear at odds with belonging, which by definition is exclusive. It mentions that the disparaged inherent leads to belligerent nationalism and xenophobia. It also mentions that 18th century Romantic philosopher, Johann Gottfried Herder considered the great conquerors, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Charlemagne as the villains of history who stomped out native cultures.

The challenging competitive environment created by globalization causes significant transformation in business life. In this context, the problems, which employees have been facing, also have been changing. Although employees have been facing a variety of problems, one of the most important of them is mobbing. This study is prepared to research mobbing in Turkish banking sector which becomes an important issue. In order for this aim, a survey has been conducted on a sample of 213 participants. As a result of analysis, it is determined that 90.61% of participants were exposure from mobbing in the last one year. In addition, person's ego (97.50%) and unemployment in the country (66.88%) result in mobbing. Also, it is defined that 50% of participants continued to work without complaint and attitude of banks to mobbing is the most important factor in struggling with mobbing. It is the most shocking finding in the study that mobbing was seen in internal control and internal audit department which is expected to take place in struggling with mobbing. At the end of the study, dealing with mobbing cases by ethic committees to be established in the board of directors is recommended in order to prevent mobbing cases in banks. Issues stated in the study will guide to banks in preventing mobbing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic globalization is deepening China’s opening up to the world. China has promoted the development of foreign trade by extensively improving the level of its open economy. However, to determine whether the development of foreign trade has aggravated environmental pollution, attention needs to be paid. Taking Guizhou Province as an example, this study examines the relevant studies on the interaction between foreign trade and environmental pollution, and summarizes the current environmental pollution in Guizhou Province, and uses panel data at the municipal level of Guizhou Province from 2007 to 2016 to analyse the dynamic relationship between foreign trade and environmental pollution and further explore the environmental effect law of foreign trade. Results are found to be inconsistent with those of existing studies on the relationship between foreign trade and environmental pollution possibly due to the incorrect source of sample data and different estimation methods. The current situation of environmental pollution in Guizhou Province shows that the total discharge of industrial wastewater and industrial waste gas is on the rise and that the discharge of industrial solid waste increases in a small fluctuation. Emissions of environmental pollutants, gross domestic product, and foreign investment show a U-shaped relationship. Foreign trade layout affects the adjustment of the industrial structure, and its growth has resulted in negative effects. This study can provide a reference for understanding the internal relationship between trade and the environment, and diminishing the negative effects of foreign trade on the environment, and providing advice on environmental regulation, and promoting the coordinated development of trade and the environment in Guizhou Province [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Available science on climate change has increased significantly in recent years, yet its effective transfer to planning practice, particularly cities in the global South, is still limited. This paper explores the climate science-to-planning practice disconnect in the context of climate change adaptation in Southeast Asian cities generally, and Manila, Philippines specifically. We pose two simple, but important, questions: (1) what information do planning practitioners currently use to develop adaptive urban responses to climate change; and, (2) what additional knowledge and resources do planning practitioners need to effectively plan for climate change in the future? Survey and interview data collected across the Philippines suggest that planning professionals perceive access to, and sharing of, information as critical issues. Moreover, planning professionals contend that challenges with financial, technical, and staff resources, which have been perennial challenges of environmental management in Southeast Asia, persist despite significant new funding specifically earmarked for climate change adaptation. The climate science-to-practice disconnect, however, should be viewed as more than just an information/allocation deficit. Incomplete decentralization, haphazard urbanization, and the privatization of planning thwart attempts to translate climate science to planning practice in globalizing cities. As such, we argue that planning for adaptation to climate change requires more than just more and better information. It requires tackling the fundamental contradictions of planning in complex, globalizing cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using annual data from 1970 to 2014, this paper examines the effects of globalization on CO2 emissions in Japan while accounting for economic growth and energy consumption as potential determinants of carbon emissions. The structural breaks and asymmetries arising due to policy shifts require attention, and hence, an asymmetric threshold version of the ARDL model is utilized. The results show the presence of threshold asymmetric cointegration between variables. Threshold-based positive and negative shocks arising from globalization increase carbon emissions, while the impact of the latter is more profound. Energy consumption (economic growth) also has a significant positive effect on carbon emissions. Globalization, economic growth, and energy consumption significantly increase carbon emissions in the short run. We suggest that policy makers in Japan consider globalization and energy consumption as policy tools in formulating their policies regarding protecting sustainable environmental quality in the long run. Otherwise, the Japanese economy may continue to face environmental consequences such as undesirable climate change and massive warming at the micro and macro levels as a result of potential shocks arising from globalization and energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper aims to provide the concept of industrial innovation in research management. Methodology: This paper reviewed the diferent kinds of literature on industrial innovation and research management. The study formulated the knowledge outcome perspective of the industrial innovation in research management. Findings: This paper investigated the industrial innovation since the latter has not been defined clearly from a knowledge perspective. For the definition, the model of industrial innovation in research management is designed. Research limitations: This paper formulated the contribution of industrial innovation to develop knowledge and implementation of the research management. Social implications: Academics in a vocational college can generate potential innovation in the industry. Practical implications: The industrial innovation in the research management model was applied to adjust the learning materials in accordance with the continuous innovative changes in the industry. The framework model was based on a case study involving a polytechnic and the industry in East Java, Indonesia. Originality: This paper contributes for developing a knowledge-based model on industrial innovation in research management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seminal 1983 “Ferments in the Field” collection made limited reference to environmental issues and concerns. Considering communication media and technological artifacts as both nature and culture and, more specifically, through defining media as both infrastructural environments and content, we discuss how challenges brought about by environmental change can inform contemporary media and communication research and environmental communication. The materiality of e-waste, which has resonance for cultural, political, economic, and geographic analyses, is used as an illuminating case in point. We link the implications ensuing from the e-waste issue with the roles mediation and communication of environmental narratives play, and how they can be informed by such “medianatures,” as well as geopolitical considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A slow rate of economic development and a national commitment to sustainable development has enabled Cuba to maintain some of the best preserved marine ecosystems in the Caribbean region. Still, important environmental threats persist, at the same time that changes in the rate and magnitude of marine environmental impacts are occurring because of increased globalization, new relations between Cuba and the United States, and efforts to reform Cuba's economic model. Since Cuba lacks an explicit overarching national ocean policy, marine conservation is implemented through a combination of policy instruments. We evaluated nine major policy instruments to understand whether and how they create conditions for sustainable use and conservation of marine resources. Our evaluation is based on five key attributes identified in the literature: attention to multiple levels of ecological organization, operation at multiple spatial scales, coordination of interacting uses, adoption of precautionary and adaptive approaches, and establishment of a sound scientific basis for management. Although our evaluation suggests that Cuba's marine environmental-policy framework is relatively strong, with individual policies scoring on average 68% of the maximum for the five key attributes, we found a marked bias toward terrestrial ecosystems and issues. We also found that too little attention is paid to the inclusion of precautionary and adaptive approaches, which received a score of 22%, a significant deficiency in the face of ongoing ecological and socioeconomic changes. Cuba should develop a forwardlooking national ocean policy that integrates existing and future laws and policies, as current limitations in the policy framework could undermine the country's ability to achieve its sustainability and environmental protection goals as economic development pressures grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization is a very common concept used to characterize the current state of the world economy, but differently understood by those who characterize it as a phenomenon. Some perceive it as a complete uniformity, others, on the contrary, as a diversification of proportions, based on the observance of common principles. The aim of this paper is to present current understanding of globalization as well as environmental changes in the context of globalization and its influence on demographic evolution, population and the global environment. For impartiality in presenting the pros and cons of globalization have been considered both meanings of the concept, as found in literature but also in international operations, as well as positive and negative effects of the phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth, population concentration and the expansion of urban areas towards peri-urban regions have led to changes in urban structure and composition, and consequently changes in urban ecology. The purpose of this study is to estimate trees in the urban environment through quantification of vegetation cover using multi resolution spatial data supplemented with tree data acquired from field using pre-calibrated GPS. Optimal resolution for extracting trees was attained through fusion of multi resolution (spectral and spatial) data. Results highlight region with spatial extent of 741 sq. km with 9.5 million human population has about 1.48 million trees. Further, urban growth increment is expected to cover 95% of the landscape with paved surfaces by 2020 decreasing vegetation cover while severely affecting the local ecology and environment in addition to human survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential to enhance a city's international position and social development through mainstreaming urban greenery in its city branding exercise. The variety of services by urban greenery are theorised to be compatible with the economic and social purposes of city branding. Despite enjoying exceptional green cityscape with the presence of country parks and other green resources, the comparative strength is under-valued under Hong Kong's current brand. This Hong Kong-based study looks into the crucial linkages between city branding and urban greening by factoring in the perception of local residents, overseas investors/workers and tourists. The results from the questionnaire survey (n = 240) reveal that people generally favour incorporating more green elements into the brand, largely due to the positive relationship between urban greenery provision and quality of living. Together with the supplementary focus groups (n = 10) and email interviews, the findings throw light on the significance of these green resources in both projecting a liveable city image and enhancing the living quality for sustainable city development and management, as well as how adopting such brand can facilitate urban greening. The results offer new insights of city governance by highlighting the idea of branding a city green and the challenges in implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic threats to natural systems can be exacerbated due to connectivity between marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, complicating the already daunting task of governance across the land-sea interface. Globalization, including new access to markets, can change social-ecological, land-sea linkages via livelihood responses and adaptations by local people. As a first step in understanding these trans-ecosystem effects, we examined exit and entry decisions of artisanal fishers and smallholder farmers on the rapidly globalizing Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. We found that exit and entry decisions demonstrated clear temporal and spatial patterns and that these decisions differed by livelihood. In addition to household characteristics, livelihood exit and entry decisions were strongly affected by new access to regional and global markets. The natural resource implications of these livelihood decisions are potentially profound as they provide novel linkages and spatially-explicit feedbacks between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Our findings support the need for more scientific inquiry in understanding trans-ecosystem tradeoffs due to linked-livelihood transitions as well as the need for a trans-ecosystem approach to natural resource management and development policy in rapidly changing coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising advancements in manufacturing sectors force manufacturers to rethink and redesign their existing systems in order to cope with the challenges that emerged with globalization and environmental concerns. An increase in customer awareness and pressures from stakeholders shifted manufacturers' focus; no longer were financial benefits the primary concern in the contemporary business environment. As a result, many innovative strategies were brought into the realm of manufacturing systems, such as lean, green, agile, and sustainable manufacturing practices. Sustainable manufacturing has been praised in recent years for its significant benefits directed at triple bottom line factors (social, environmental, and financial), but the majority of manufacturing strategies remain limited to either one or two factors. No reliable guidelines exist to guarantee the successful implementation of sustainable manufacturing; available literature fails to explore such a complex research topic. Minding this gap, this study takes the opportunity to analyze and identify effective sustainable manufacturing practices that may help in a specific domain. This study proposes a framework to achieve the research aim in an Indian context, where sustainability issues are especially relevant. Initially, the common sustainable manufacturing practices are collected from literature resources and validated with focus groups. Then, the collected practices are compared with one another with the assistance of case industry decision makers. To analyze the practices, a multi-criteria decision making methodology was adopted, specifically DEMATEL. From the case results, we determine that among 22 common sustainable manufacturing practices, promoting 6R (reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, redesign, and remanufacture) concepts reveals the greatest influence on implementation. Clearly, focusing on 6R concepts will effectively improve sustainable manufacturing implementation in the organization. Finally, this study sheds some light on the future opportunities hidden in this research area by providing contributions towards both scientific and social means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the globalisation (Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in particular) on air pollution in Malaysia. To achieve this goal, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, Johansen cointegration test and fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) methods are utilised. CO emission is used as an indicator of pollution while GDP per capita and urbanisation serve as its other determinants. In addition, this study uses Malaysia's total trade with 10 TPP members as an indicator of globalisation and analyse its effect on CO emission in Malaysia. The outcome of this research shows that the variables are cointegrated. Additionally, GDP per capita, urbanisation and trade between Malaysia and its 10 TPP partners have a positive impact on CO emissions in general. Based on the outcome of this research, important policy implications are provided for the investigated country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of large scale DNA/RNA sequencing has become an integral part of biomedical research. Reduced sequencing costs and the availability of efficient computational resources has led to a revolution in how problems concerning genomics and transcriptomics are addressed. Sequencing-based pathogen discovery represents one example of how genetic data can now be used in ways that were previously considered infeasible. Emerging pathogens affect both human and animal health due to a multitude of factors, including globalization, a shifting environment and an increasing human population. Fish farming represents a relevant, interesting and challenging system to study emerging pathogens. This review summarizes recent progress in pathogen discovery using sequence data, with particular emphasis on viruses in Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for sustainability is changing how chemical engineers conceptualise new processes. The task also becomes more complicated by economic and social uncertainties, local diversity of renewable resources and globalisation. These realities are changing the nature of process design problems and recent advancements have been able to incorporate the multidimensionality and multiscale boundaries by exploiting the power of mathematical methods, decision support frameworks and insight based methods. In doing so, two main trends for methods development can be distinguished, the ones considering expanded boundaries for design from the lowest molecular level to the process level, and the ones from process to the higher levels of value chains, ecosystems and the planet. However, a truly integrated framework that captures the full range of scales and interactions from molecular to planetary levels is yet to be developed to be able to find superior designs that perhaps we had never thought of before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current share of sub-Saharan Africa in global carbon dioxide emissions is negligible compared to major contributors like Asia, Americas, and Europe. This trend is, however, likely to change given that both economic growth and rate of urbanization in the region are projected to be robust in the future. The current study contributes to the literature by examining both the direct and the indirect impacts of quality of institution on the environment. Specifically, we investigate whether the institutional setting in the region provides some sort of a complementary role in the environment-FEG relationships. We use the panel two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to deal with the simultaneity problem. Data consists of 43 sub-Saharan African countries. The result shows that energy inefficiency compromises environmental standards. However, the quality of the institutional setting helps moderate this negative consequences; countries with good institutions show greater prospects than countries with poor institutions. On the other hand, globalization of the region and increased forest size generate positive environmental outcomes in the region. Their impacts are, however, independent of the quality of institution. Afforestation programs, promotion of other clean energy types, and investment in energy efficiency, basic city infrastructure, and regulatory and institutional structures, are desirable policies to pursue to safeguard the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the liberal optimism of the long 1990s has faded into a world of growing inequality and resurging nationalism, there is less certainty about the prospects of economic convergence and global integration. Beyond the formidable human cost of maintaining a divided world, the possibility of incomplete globalisation also gives rise to a number of environmental risks. While environmental political theory generally sees strength in localism, history rather shows that a robust world trade system is crucial to offset local resource scarcities and that cosmopolitan norms of solidarity are essential for helping communities to rebuild after environmental catastrophe. In relation to climate change, statist thinking has led to a focus on non-scalable technologies and a silent acceptance of chronic poverty abroad as a way of avoiding a climate emergency. Contrary to such views, this paper argues that accelerating the transition to a fully integrated high-energy planet may more effectively mitigate Anthropocene risks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Whether globalization is sustainable is a contested issue. The quantitative literature on the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI) and the KOF index of globalization shows that globalization contributes positively to economic and human development, environmental performance, mortality, gender equality and physical integrity rights. However, globalization also drives within-country income inequality, especially in developing countries. Evidence on the effects of globalization on the ecological environment does not provide clear patterns; various dimensions of globalization have different effects on various pollutants. This article analyzes the statistical relationship between the most recent MGI (2012 edition) and the ecological dimension of sustainable development. The latter will be operationalized by considering four variants of the Ecological Footprint. The relation between globalization and sustainable development will be controlled for GDP per capita as a proxy for affluence and report the results for Pearson's correlations and multivariate regressions for up to 171 countries. We conclude that the overall index of globalization significantly increases the Ecological Footprint of consumption, exports and imports. The decomposition of globalization into different domains reveals that apart from the political dimension, all dimensions drive human pressures and demands on the environment. Globalization needs to go into new directions if it is to make a contribution toward all aspects of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The private sector continues to play an important role in filling local drinking water supply gaps across the Global South. In West Africa, a perfect storm of rapid population growth, infrastructure mismanagement, and globalization of consumer markets has resulted in the advent of an entire new industry around packaged water, primarily 'sachet water' sold in mechanically sealed plastic sleeves. Most local governments and international development agencies have historically perceived sachet water as a passing trend, but it has quickly become a primary drinking water source for the majority of households in many urban areas and continues to spread throughout the region and world. Sachet water is now an important component of regional water security, although with attendant issues related to governance, quality control, environmental pollution, and social justice. This paper reviews the seminal literature on sachet water in West Africa, with particular emphasis on Ghana and Nigeria, where most studies have focused. This review synthesizes governance issues, consumer and industry trends, and the latest on product quality in the literature from 2011 to 2016, with 2010 approximating an inflection point for the modernization of the industry. The ability of many West African nations to achieve universal access to safe drinking water may depend on their willingness to understand and incorporate the sachet water industry into an integrated drinking water platform. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1206. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1206 For further resources related to this article, please visit the . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early discussions and theoretical positions concerning rural change were developed by researchers from countries with post-production economies in order to explain the rural transformations. When discussing economic change in rural space over the last decades, Marsden, T. et al. (1993) presented a new perspective for understanding rural restructuring that includes new subjects, such as capital mobility, flexible production regimes, complexity in the relationship between technology and environment, economic deregulation and new political processes. According to these authors, in order to understand such processes, it is necessary to research the effects of globalization at local scale of action. A recurrent theme in rural studies has been the significance of diverse globalization processes as drivers of rural change (MARSDEN, T. 2003; ROBINSON, G.M. 2004; WOODS, M. 2005, 2007; PLOEG, J.D. VAN DER 2008). Multidimensional and multidirectional perspectives have indicated that rural space has become more embedded within a globalized rural world. Therefore, in recent years, researchers have displayed an interest in understanding the dynamics of the rural spaces in developing countries which are also being affected by global processes in different pathways (WILSON, G.A. and RIGG, J. 2003; RIGG, J. 2006; BRYANT, C.R. et al. 2008; PLOEG, J.D. VAN DER et al. 2010). In summary, this article forms a critique of the simplistic assumptions formulated in the literature regarding spatial change, which assumes the rural is essentially subject to external actions. I argue that the rural space should also be seen to possess its own dynamics which contribute to complex pathways and so adapts to new scenarios of spatial change in the contemporary world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Biological invasions are among the greatest global and regional threats to biomes in the Anthropocene. Islands, in particular, have been perceived to have higher vulnerability to invasions. Because of the dynamic nature of ongoing invasions, distinguishing regional patterns from global patterns and their underlying determinants remains a challenge. Objectives: We aim to comparatively examine global versus regional patterns of plant invasions and the possible underlying mechanisms. We also test whether there is a difference in degree of invasion and invasibility between mainland areas and islands. Methods: We compiled and analyzed data from published sources for 100 mainland areas (i.e., regions, countries, states, and provinces) and 89 islands across the globe. Results: We find that (1) the pool of exotic species available intrinsically decreases as area of the land considered increases (at global scale, all is native), thus global invasion patterns assessed by exotic fraction (proportion of exotics) are primarily determined by land area; (2) because 'exotic' is defined relative to the borders of the target region, 'boundary effects' can result in regional differences in invasion patterns without any ecological processes being involved; and (3) human population density is closely linked to exotic fraction within regions that are defined by a single administrative border. Conclusions: There were clear differences between global and regional patterns of plant invasions. We observed no difference in the exotic fraction-area relationship between mainland areas and islands, supporting what we refer to as the 'island-mainland continuum concept' (i.e., no clear separation in the degree of invasion between islands and mainland area with regard to the effects of area). Because of scale-dependency in many observed patterns, future focus should be placed on the links between local, regional, and global invasion patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing trade among nations is globalizing economies and driving environmental change. As a consequence, trade affects ecosystems, but trade is not currently a major topic in ecosystem research based on a survey of ecological journals. This survey reveals trade is rarely a title word or topic except for studies considering the movement of species or sustainability. However, when trade is considered at large scales, ecosystem mass balances are significantly influenced by traded products such as the nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizers and livestock feeds. Trade also depletes resource species leading to ecosystem alterations such as the elimination of large predators and filter feeders in aquatic ecosystems and landscape conversion with attendant changes in biogeochemistry and biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. Trade is a source of alien species introductions. Trade also creates telecouplings among distant locations that cause changes in ecosystems including changes that may affect whether an ecosystem is a source or sink in relation to atmospheric carbon dioxide. There is a need for improved data tracing traded products, understanding the linkages of trade between ecosystem sources and sinks, and developing new methods and models to analyze trade impacts. Studies of trade impacts in relation to questions about changing ecological processes and the trajectory of ecosystems represent an important frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model of the environmental management system implementation is proposed in this paper. For this model the methodology of the quality implementation evaluation with the use of Formalized Scoring has been developed. The verification proves that the evaluation of the quality of the environmental management system implementation is necessary. It also shows, among others, that there is a possibility to identify the areas difficult to realize. Due to this information the organizations preparing for the implementation of the environmental management system will be able to implement it in a better way. Because of this, they will probably gain more benefits for themselves as well as for the natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quest for development has shifted man's focus and intentions from 'nature' to 'needs'. Need fulfillment has away with the obligation of protecting and maintaining the nature and it composites. In the race for development, communities and region have out rightly targeted the natural environment as a source of it. Either the environmental resources are destroyed and used for economic growth and development; or they are used for biotechnological intervention to create modified breeds of consumable goods/medicines/other products, the use of which is further a threat for human's wellbeing. Development and Globalization can be largely linked with each other in context of environmental degradation as well as its protection. Sustainable development is of the most desired form of development of today's time. In response to it, globalization process has forwarded multiple strategies for protecting environment on an international level. A global climate region is aimed at to be created for the purpose of environmental maintenance, management and protection. The world over spread quest and demand for sustainability in developmental process cannot be achieved until the environmental purposed are entailed and incorporated in the mindset of the common masses as well that of the administrators. The academia today holds this major onus of doing a rigorous ecological research and establishing the hidden and un-surfaced linkage between human life and environmental degradation. The present paper has been written with the same perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the highly competitive modern-day industrial landscape, characterized by globalization and resource scarcity, manufacturers are striving to improve economic and environmental performance. Innovation that enables self-adjustment, control and optimization of the energy consumption of individual machines continues. However, more research is needed if such systems are to be deployed successfully, especially considering the complex characteristics of the energy flows in the factory. In this paper we propose a novel approach to the coordination of information, processing and sensing systems for energy and resource efficient production systems. By leveraging on a recently-developed framework focusing on physical flows of energy, materials and waste we propose a solution based on specific energy efficiency KPIs and an online data acquisition/processing system, that enables real-time monitoring of the current status of the machining process and lagging assessment of system energy efficiency. The proposed solution allows the identification of abnormal energy consumption during the operational machine cycle, caused by incorrect part dimensioning or erroneous cutting conditions programmed by the process engineer, enabling identification of potential disruptions with different gravity levels, and delivery of meaningful alarms for the operator. Adaptive control of the machine cutting conditions or even trajectory re-programming is then possible, by correlating the energy-consumption data with other data, such as head temperature. Furthermore, by analysing the energy consumption of value and non value adding activities over complete production cycles (such as a shift or day), it is possible to monitor the progress of production systems toward achieving energy efficiency targets and to conduct root-cause analysis of inefficient energy usage for continuous improvement programs. We tested the proposed solution, modeling, index system ad online data acquisition/processing platform, through an industrial case study by deploying the developed hardware and software modules on a Nicolás Correa S.A. VERSA milling machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper represents the beginning of a research done on the entire idea of sustainable development and natural resources' management. During the paper there were some conceptual limits needed to be premastered especially when it comes to interpreting at today's standards the principles adopted in resolutions that were developed more than 30 years ago. Efficient consumption for natural resources represents one of the key findings when it comes to achieving sustainability on the long run for the concept of development and its vertical and horizontal integration in the globalization mechanism. The paper also reaches the chronological and logical path of developing institutional entities that it would help protect natural resources, but also it would emphasize the idea of empowering sustainable development as an evolutionary and functional concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization pushes production and consumption to geographically diverse locations and generates a variety of sizeable opportunities and challenges. The distribution and associated effects of shortlived primary fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a representative of local pollution, are significantly affected by the consumption through global supply chain. Tele-connection is used here to represent the link between production and consumption activity at large distances. In this study, we develop a global consumption-based primary PM2.5 emission inventory to track primary PM2.5 emissions embodied in the supply chain and evaluate the extent to which local PM2.5 emissions are triggered by international trade. We further adopt consumption-based accounting and identify the global original source that produced the emissions. We find that anthropogenic PM2.5 emissions from industrial sectors accounted for 24 Tg globally in 2007; approximately 30% (7.2 Tg) of these emissions were embodied in export of products principally from Brazil, South Africa, India and China (3.8 Tg) to developed countries. Large differences (up to 10 times) in the embodied emissions intensity between net importers and exporters greatly increased total global PM2.5 emissions. Tele-connecting production and consumption activity provides valuable insights with respect to mitigating long-range transboundary air pollution and prompts concerted efforts aiming at more environmentally conscious globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging infectious diseases are of international concern because of the potential for, and impact of, pandemics; however, they are difficult to predict. To identify the drivers of disease emergence, we analyzed infectious disease threat events (IDTEs) detected through epidemic intelligence collected at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) between 2008 and 2013, and compared the observed results with a 2008 ECDC foresight study of projected drivers of future IDTEs in Europe. Among 10 categories of IDTEs, foodborne and waterborne IDTEs were the most common, vaccine-preventable IDTEs caused the highest number of cases, and airborne IDTEs caused the most deaths. Observed drivers for each IDTE were sorted into three main groups: globalization and environmental drivers contributed to 61% of all IDTEs, public health system drivers contributed to 21%, and social and demographic drivers to 18%. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that four of the top five drivers for observed IDTEs were in the globalization and environment group. In the observational study, the globalization and environment group was related to all IDTE categories, but only to five of eight categories in the foresight study. Directly targeting these drivers with public health interventions may diminish the chances of IDTE occurrence from the outset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores an optimal (pre-committed or ex-ante) environmental tax policy in a three-stage game in which polluting firms strategically choose the location of their plants after the government has chosen the optimal emission tax rate. We show not only that the optimal emission tax is non-decreasing with the declining cost of relocation (e.g., setup or fixed costs), or else, the progress of globalization but also that the firms may move back their relocated plants to the home country, causing the resulting welfare to decline. As a consequence, the domestic welfare varies in a non-monotonic way. We also show that such a counterintuitive non-monotonic relationship does not arise under time-consistent (ex-post) emission taxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on the importance of environmental conservation to humanity. Topics mentioned include the effects of globalization, technological development, and urbanization to the environment, the management of environmental sustainability, and the climate change prevention. Also mentioned are the role of social media to help people become aware of the environmental changes and the promotion of human-environment relationships.

This article outlines the role of globalized mass media in the perception of environmental and social threats and its reciprocal conditionality in the globalized society. It examines the reasons why the global environmental crisis will not lead to a world-wide environmental movement for change of the basic imperatives of the world economicpolitical system. Coherency between globalized mass media and wide-spreading of consumer lifestyle exists despite the fact that it deepens the devastation of environment and social conflicts. Globalized mass media owned by transnational corporations are not only a part of the current global economic-political system, but also the prerequisite of its creation and existence, as well as social contradictions and conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural globalization is blamed for destructive impacts on small farms in developing countries. Yet, many local societies are proactive in the face of these changes and show high adaptive capacity. Investigating their transformations with an integrative perspective and enough hindsight may reveal some of the bases of their resilience and adaptive capacity. Using field data and the panarchy concept of resilience theory, we analyzed the territorial and social dynamics of quinoa growers’ communities in southern Bolivia over the last four decades, a case study of regime shift in a poverty-stricken rural society which deliberately entered the global food market. Linking the dynamics of the household economy to the territorial and social subsystems over several decades, we gained insights into the interactions that shaped the rise of quinoa production in the region. We found that a vivid tradition of mobility allowing for pluriactivity on- and off-farm, combined with community self-governance, explains how local populations succeeded in articulating individual agency with collective control over their commons of land, seed resources, and social rules. Our vulnerability analysis points to landscape homogenization, social inequity, and increased dependence on external factors as potential sources of unsustainability. We conclude that, to cope with the changes of unprecedented magnitude they are facing, local producers should retain social cohesion and autonomous governance, without giving up on their heritage of mobility and economic redundancy. As regards theory, we identified cross-scale subsystem configurations critical for regime shifts, and confirm the value of panarchy in capturing complex socioecological dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary planning discourse and practice, different planning ideas co-exists. How this affects the transition towards a sustainable development is an important question for both research and practice. The aim of this study is to explore potential conflicts between planning goals caught between growth-led planning and sustainability commitments in a case study of Fredericia, Denmark. The paper discusses the underlying, framing and controlling conditions for transition dynamics. The analysis builds largely on the formulated policies, strategies or national goal achievements towards sustainable futures. These are put in the context of planning and political practices, which are interpreted from a sustainability rationale. Here this study introduces hypocrisy as a theoretical-analytical perspective to dispute actual sustainability practices to respond to continuous ambivalent planning measures. The author concludes that disregarding the inherently different internal logics of growths and sustainability leads to planning paradoxes and impedes sustainable transitions pursued. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This is a study of Korea’s case, the Korean peninsula, and it is an investigation aiming at a better understanding of the two countries - North and South Korea and the soils of the Korean peninsula. In addition, a new view point on the impact of geology, climate, rivers, globalization, rural sector on the environment and soils of the Korean peninsula is suggested. The study is based on and is apart of there search of Professor Sungjae Choo at Kyung Hee University Seoul, Korea and Marin Marinov, Ms Diana Videnova was interested in the Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental disputes often encompass both a conflict over the practical issue itself and, more fundamentally, a conflict over environmental worldviews (EWVs). In this study, a new two-dimensional tool has been created for measuring prevailing EWVs in individuals and organizations. Respondent’s place on the horizontal axis shows preference on an institutional scale where environmental issues should be handled. Therefore, thex-axis shows the relationship between social greens (highlighting local communities) and institutionalists (believing in strong global cooperation and institutions). The vertical axis describes focus on sustainability/nature vs. market/economy, thus showing preference between bioenvironmentalists and market liberals. EWVs were measured in Finnish political parties, actors in environmental administration, many non-environmental organizations and public innovation funders. Principal component analysis showed that the two-dimensional analysis fits well to the EWV analysis. Data (n = 1637) approximates symmetrically the bell curve of a normal distribution in both the axes, with neglible linear relation between the axes. A case study of seven Finnish political parties revealed remarkable EWV differences, logically compared to the existing research. Moreover, the respondent’s views on globalization were found to follow a very different logic from the environmental concern. An analytical tool of EWVs fosters harmonious decision-making, facilitating constructive solutions in environmental debate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With globalisation, the world’s native biotas are increasingly exposed to disease, parasitism, herbivory and competition from exotic organisms. The vulnerability of native biota to these exotic invasions is exacerbated by human disturbance and global climate change. Rust pathogens are some of the most important plant pathogens, including Puccinia psidii (myrtle rust or guava rust) that is now spreading worldwide at an alarming rate. P. psidii is native to South America and affects species in the family Myrtaceae, including the economically and ecologically important eucalypts. The Australian continent has a rich myrtaceous flora and is the centre of origin of most eucalypt species. P. psidii was first detected in Australia in 2010 and has since rapidly spread along its east coast. We assess the risk this exotic pathogen poses to the eucalypt flora of the southern Australian island of Tasmania, where the first incursion of P. psidii was detected in early 2015. Specifically, we tested the relative importance of phylogenetic history, habitat, endemism, and range size in predicting host susceptibility. Rust screening of seedlings from one to four populations of each of the 30 eucalypt species which are native to Tasmania, revealed significant genetic-based variation in response among host species and populations within the species. Significant population differences in susceptibility were detected in threatened, rare and endemic eucalypt species, as well as Australia’s main plantation eucalypt ( Eucalyptus globulus ) and the world’s tallest angiosperm species ( Eucalyptus regnans ). A significant proportion of the variation in host species susceptibility to this exotic pathogen was explained by phylogenetic history, while factors such as habitat, endemism and range size had no detectable effect. Species from subgenus Eucalyptus (13 species) were more susceptible than those from subgenus Symphyomyrtus (17 species) due to differences between the subgenera in the proportion of plants showing a symptomless response. These subgenera are here shown to differ in their leaf oil and wax chemistry. The potential contribution of these differences and other possible mechanisms causing these subgeneric differences in susceptibility are discussed. This study demonstrates the power of a phylogenetic approach to risk assessment for biosecurity and highlights the need for broader resistance screening within and between populations of species of high conservation or economic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of knowledge gaps and research priorities emerged during the third US National Climate Assessment (NCA3). Several are also gaps in the latest IPCC WG2 report. These omissions reflect major gaps in the underlying research base from which these assessments draw. These include the challenge of estimating the costs and benefits of climate change impacts and responses to climate change and the need for research on climate impacts on important sectors such as manufacturing and services. Climate impacts also need to be assessed within an international context in an increasingly connected and globalized world. Climate change is being experienced not only through changes within a locality but also through the impacts of climate change in other regions connected through trade, prices, and commodity chains, migratory species, human mobility and networked communications. Also under-researched are the connections and tradeoffs between responses to climate change at or across different scales, especially between adaptation and mitigation or between climate responses and other environmental and social policies. This paper discusses some of these research priorities, illustrating their significance through analysis of economic and international connections and case studies of responses to climate change. It also critically reflects on the process of developing research needs as part of the assessment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the biodiversity and the cultural intricacy with the tribal community in Rajasthan, India. It states that diversity and intricacy are not separate parts of the diversity of life but are intimately rated and mutually supports the other. It mentions that the cultural and biodiversity are facing common challenges in the age of globalization.