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Disposable paper cups comprise typical single-use plastic items, as they are lined internally with a thin plastic coating for waterproofing. They are consumed at a staggering rate worldwide, with the UK alone consuming around 7 million cups daily, thus annually producing around 30,000 tonnes of paper cup waste. Contrary to popular belief, less than 1 in 400 paper cups is currently recycled in the UK, which is in stark contrast to the waste hierarchy and the European Commission's ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan. Paper cups typically end up in landfill sites or even improperly disposed of, contributing to (micro)plastic waste and potentially polluting the world's oceans. The implications of the latter are not fully known yet and cannot be quantified by existing life cycle impact assessment methods. By employing the life cycle assessment methodology, UK's annual carbon footprint from paper cup consumption was found to be 75 kt of carbon dioxide equivalents, which is similar to that of manufacturing 11,500 mid-size passenger cars. Globally, their environmental footprint was found to be comparable to that of some 1.5 M average European inhabitants, indicating the nature and extent of the single-use plastics problem, which paper cups are just a typical example of. Paper cup recycling could reduce this environmental footprint by up to 40%, whereas switching to reusable cups appears to be more environmentally sustainable, achieving a threefold reduction in carbon emissions, which at global scale is more than twice Malta's annual carbon footprint. Results indicate that consumerism along with small daily choices, such as using reusable cups or bags instead of their disposable counterparts, could play a huge role in climate change. At policy level, no concrete measures to curb the superfluous consumption of paper cups, as well as of other single-use plastic items that are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, have materialised. Furthermore, it appears that decision- and policy-makers tend to step in to curtail wasteful and polluting practices only when environmental problems have started to generate widespread concern, instead of undertaking preventative policy measures. Image 1 • The environmental sustainability of disposable paper cups was examined. • 75 kt CO 2eq are emitted annually in the UK and 7.5 Mt CO 2eq globally. • Switching to reusable cups axes carbon emissions by threefold. • Robust LCIA methods should be introduced to account for (micro)plastic pollution. • Existing policy on single use plastics appears to be too little too late. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the technological responses to concern about the healthiness and sustainability of red meat consumption as well as growing global food insecurity has been the development of plant-based meats. While still niche industries, plant-based meats are increasing in diversity and visibility and are often accompanied by scientific claims about their potential contribution to sustainability, health and nutrition. In this paper we analyse these claims from the perspective of critical metrology, looking not only at the state of knowledge about plant- and animal-based beef but also how knowledge is being produced. Such research is vital in understanding not only what is known about a topic but also the limitations of that knowledge in terms of influences and gaps, to shape how research can be done better. The research is based on a scoping review of scientific papers that compare the sustainability and nutritional properties of plant- and animal-based beef, with a particular focus on the Australian context. Our analysis shows that there are some points of consensus, such as plant-based beef having lower greenhouse gas emissions than animal-based beef and that plant-based burgers have lower total fat and saturated fat than animal-based burgers. However, we also find points of difference due to variability in production systems, products and approaches to measurement. We discuss how a metrological regime is forming that bears the imprint and interests of the industries involved, influencing the metrics and geographies that are studied and creating critical absences in understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roads play a vital role in transportation systems, and their construction and maintenance expenses are high. Those reasons make crucial the examination of factors that accelerate road deterioration and those factors' negative impacts on societies. Climatic-related elements, especially temperature and precipitation, significantly affect the quality and lifespans of roads. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has reported that increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is causing changes in climate and that the rate of change has accelerated during the past several decades. To assess the impacts of changing climatic parameters on flexible-pavement performance, this study used 32 climate models to evaluate the performance of interstate, primary, and secondary roads across 11 diverse locations with varying traffic and climatic conditions. The study's findings reveal that changing climate exacerbates pavement distresses, leading to reduced pavement lifespans and increased numbers of reconstruction projects, which in turn raise demands for materials and equipment and contribute to higher GHG emissions. The effects of changing climate and changing climate's associated economic and environmental costs make the application of various engineering solutions to enhance pavement resilience essential, as described in this paper, in the absence of comprehensive emissions reduction strategies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analysed and summarised the significant research outputs published on the environmental impact assessment of mining and mineral processing industries through life cycle assessment. The paper presents valuable insights in identifying the gaps, where should the focus be in the mining and mineral processing industries for a sustainable future. Mining and mineral processing industries have been the key focus of research in many countries due to its increasing sustainability concerns that affect global warming and climate change. Use of heavy equipment that consumes electrical energy, mechanical energy, and an enormous amount of process heat is a key contributor to the overall impacts in the industry. Due to the use of heavy equipment and associated energy consumption, these industrial sectors contribute notably to global warming, human health, ecosystems, and resources. Among the various environmental impact assessment tools which are widely used to identify sustainability indicators, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-justified approach among the practitioners and researchers. Though state of the art technological tools and resources are being used now a days, there is still a research gap in identifying the key mining processes which need to be the focus of attention. Renewable energy integration in the mineral processing sector and process heating from green energy sources is becoming the emergent field of research. The review results reveal, the assessment indicators in human health and ecosystems are key factors that are mostly missing in the previous studies which are crucial for people or community living nearby mining area. This review paper identifies the research gaps to the existing literature that can form the base for future research direction in the field of LCA and sustainable energy integration in mining and mineral processing industries. • A review based on life cycle assessment studies in mining and mineral processing. • 16 metal mining industries are reviewed. • Summarised key factors of environmental effects using LCA. • Future research directions are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Much literature discusses higher education as an agent for sustainable development, but the extent to which higher education contributes to unsustainable economic and social systems receives less attention. This paper examines the environmental impacts of international student mobility in higher education. Combining several datasets, the paper presents a model of greenhouse gas emissions associated with international student mobility. Estimates suggest that these emissions are substantial and are rising faster than overall global emissions, but the emissions per student are slowly decreasing, largely due to changes in the patterns of mobility. The paper concludes that although international exchange is increasingly important, a meaningful consideration of higher education for sustainable development should take account of environmental costs of international mobility alongside its benefits. Highlights • Estimates emissions from international student mobility in higher education. • Considers emissions from travel and changes in consumption. • Estimates at least 14 megatons of CO 2 per year associated with student mobility. • Emissions per mobile student are decreasing as mobility patterns change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Despite the heightened urgency of curbing carbon emissions around the world, the healthcare sector in general, and the pharmaceutical sector in particular have received very little attention from the sustainability community in terms of their contribution to the global carbon footprint. In this paper, we conduct an analysis of the overall contributions and the historical emissions trends of the pharmaceutical sector, as well as an industry-specific comparative analysis of the major pharmaceutical companies in the world. Surprisingly, our analysis reveals that the pharmaceutical industry is significantly more emission-intensive than the automotive industry. We also use a previously published mathematical framework linking national target emissions to the target emission intensity of the pharmaceutical sector to derive the emission intensity of the pharmaceutical sector required for the US to meet its reductions commitments per the now defunct Obama-administration commitments at the 2015 Paris Agreement. We identify the excess emitters among the top-15 Pharmaceutical companies, from those that are leading the pack with their emissions improvement efforts. The results are quite instructive as we find a far greater variability amongst the Top-15 pharmaceuticals than the Top-10 automotive companies, suggesting a very disparate set of environmental practices within the industry. The paper should elicit further in-depth studies of the environmental performance of the pharmaceutical sector and help inform policy makers, business leaders and academicians on how to help curb this unwarranted level of emissions in this important and growing industry sector. Graphical abstract We conduct an analysis of the overall contributions and the historical emissions trends of the pharmaceutical sector, as well as an industry-specific comparative analysis of the major pharmaceutical companies in the world. Surprisingly, our analysis reveals that the pharmaceutical industry is significantly more emission-intensive than the automotive industry. We also use a previously published mathematical framework linking national target emissions to the target emission intensity of the pharmaceutical sector to derive the emission intensity of the pharmaceutical sector required for the US to meet its reductions commitments per the now defunct Obama-administration commitments at the 2015 Paris Agreement. We then use the same framework to identify the excess emitters among the top 15 Pharmaceutical companies, from those that are leading the pack with their emissions improvement efforts. There again, the results are quite instructive as we find a far greater variability amongst the Top 15 pharmaceuticals than the Top 10 automotive companies. Image 1 Highlights • Assessment and comparative analysis of GHG emissions of Top-15 global pharmaceutical companies. • The pharmaceutical industry emission intensity is about 55% higher than the automotive's. • There is a great level of variability in emissions (up to 5x) between peers with comparable revenues. • We calculate the intensities and maximum emissions required to comply with the Paris Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals agreed by the United Nations in September 2015 comprise 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at integrating matters related to sustainable development into the overall economic, environmental and social frameworks of countries. Whereas the SDGs have a global dimension, their action implementation depends on the level of priority different countries give to them, and on how sustainability issues compete with a country's main problems. The aim of this paper was to identify the main Sustainable Development Goals approached by experts from different geographic regions, according to their experience and research area, and to discuss the relation between these goals and the main local issues and challenges of each region. The methodology starts with snowball sampling to collect information from experts from all geographic regions, through contact networks of universities in different countries. With the information about the goals researched by the participating experts, an analysis of the relation between the study focus and the geographical regions of origin was conducted. A total of 266 specialists from North America, Latin America/Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania participated in the survey. Based on the sample used, it can be said that there is a relation between the local problems or challenges observed in some regions and the main areas of interest of the surveyed experts, with a general emphasis on the study of goals 4, 11 and 13. Based on the data gathered, the paper presents a set of examples of positive and negative situations in the various regions, and considers the extent to which some Sustainable Development Goals are being pursued by research on a worldwide basis. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • The SDGs are now being implemented by many countries. • There are differences in the emphasis to the implementation of the SDGs across different geographical regions. • Goals related to Climate Action, Sustainable Cities and Education seem to be among the most popular ones. • The research gaps suggest that many SDGs deserve more attention in order not to "leave anyone behind". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Increased global competition in the agricultural sector is rapidly changing the structure of farms and farming. As the number of small and diversified farms (often family-owned) decreases, the number of large and specialized farms (often corporate-owned) is increasing. In this transformation, the agricultural sector is more and more concerned with strategy, innovation, and competition in the effort to be more productive and more profitable. At the same time, the sector faces demands that it become more environmentally responsible in its policies and practices. This paper proposes a Lean Implementation Framework that small and mid-size farms can use as they aim to increase production and profit and yet support environmental sustainability. This case study takes an action-oriented research approach that focuses on the implementation of a Green Lean approach at 34 Swedish farms using various Lean tools. The paper describes how training sessions, farm visits, workshops, and counseling were used to introduce the farmers to the benefits and risks of the implementation of a new business model that added Green elements to the traditional business model design. The paper concludes with recommendations for adaptations to the Framework and suggestions for future research. Highlights • Lean principles and practices in Green initiatives for the agricultural sector. • Challenges and outcomes when implementing Lean tools. • Environmental effects of implementing Lean tools. • Lean Implementation Framework for the agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Chemical Process Industry (CPI) only hydrogen production from steam methane reforming produces more greenhouse gas emissions than light olefins production. Various solutions have been proposed to reduce the CO2 emissions from olefins production. It is not clear which solution is best, particularly when you consider other sustainability factors. In this paper we report the results of our cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of three highly promising solutions: a so-called low-emission steam cracking furnace, the electrically driven RotoDynamic reactor (RDR), and a blue hydrogen-fired furnace. Life cycle inventory data is obtained from a first principles model for steam cracking, validated with industrial data, and combined with data obtained from process simulation. Our study shows that if the electrical supply is grey then the RDR-based cracking process has a 41% higher impact on climate change than the reference base case, a conventional plant with state-of-the-art furnaces. The low-emission furnace is only 7.2% higher. When using a mixed electrical grid, like Belgium's, the climate change impact for the RDR is 1.5% higher and the low emission furnace is 6.6% lower. With a grid that uses fully renewable power generation the RDR solution is an impressive 27% lower than the base case and the low-emission furnace 17% lower. We also analysed the impact of firing the furnaces with blue hydrogen from (a) a conventional steam-methane reformer and (b) an innovative gas-heated reformer: both (a) and (b) using carbon capture and storage (CCS). The climate change impact is reduced by 8% and 18% respectively compared to the base case. Since the blue hydrogen solution uses very little electricity, the climate change impact is insensitive to the method of electrical power generation. • Prospective LCA of 3 promising steam cracking concepts has been performed. • RotoDynamic reactor results in 27% lower carbon footprint if powered by a "green" grid. • Low-emission furnace has a 16% lower carbon footprint in a "green" grid. • Low-emission furnace is preferable if the case of "grey" or mixed grid. • "Blue" hydrogen combustion allows a reduction of carbon footprint up to 18%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behaviour, practices and culture constitute a powerful human factor in the energy system; in particular the interactions between technologies, practices and norms lock individuals in to certain patterns of (often inefficient) energy use. Consequently, behaviour change has gained traction amongst policymakers as a key area of intervention given the impact energy-related behaviours have on climate change. Given the increasing emphasis within policy perspectives in the European Union, it is surprising that a gap in understanding of the success factors of behaviour change initiatives remains. This paper addresses this gap by identifying and characterising behaviour change initiatives across five European countries (the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, and Spain). The paper provides insights into the success factors and commonly encountered barriers to behaviour change initiatives. Initiatives are classified into 6 broad categories (community-based interventions; information and awareness based interventions; eco-districts; show-case events; energy switching; and smart-technology focused interventions). The results suggest that there are significant knowledge gaps between what is known to work to engage individuals in behavioural change and what is currently being applied in practice. An over-reliance on education and awareness-raising projects is evident, illustrating that such projects do not sufficiently aim for sustained behavioural changes. A dearth of projects incorporating fiscal measures, regulations or legislation to drive behaviour change reflects reluctance on behalf of decision-makers to engage widely with diverse approaches to foster lifestyle change. This paper contributes understandings of the different models and delivery tools employed to change energy-related behaviours; insights into the critical success factors that underpin best practice and the barriers to action; and a ‘what works in practice’ overview of the meaningful approaches to change behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, as many other threats, requires more activity from the government, and people inquire about this, rightfully so. However, the public and private sectors nowadays have a joint responsibility with society. Global warming has come out of the scientific community and shows that climate change is an important social, economic, and political issue. Currently the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions by transportation sector are the main polluter of the planet. For this reason, in this paper we propose a reflection on transport, which is an important sector of the economy, responsible for the generation of many jobs and wealth but, at the same time, it has negative impacts on people, companies, and the environment. Recent investigations demonstrate that mobility problems affects the life quality of the people, business productivity and gross domestic product (GDP) performance. In the face of the changes that we are experiencing, it is important to find alternatives that assistance governments in the decision-making to solve the problem of traffic in large and medium-size cities and bring well-being to the population. The goal is to provide accurate tool to help take the best decisions in situations that most of the time has a lack of economic resources and transparency. Another motivation is to increase the productivity of companies and achieve sustainable development by reducing mobility problems and CO 2 emissions. As outcomes of the paper, an in-depth study is presented on the subject that indicates a gap in the literature with fuzzy logic applied to sustainability. We indicate a sustainable option for the transport sector using algorithms for decision-making, and broaden the discussion on climate change and solutions to reduce the impacts caused by humanity. When the models were applied through a conceptual study, it was possible to provide an instrument generated on the use of algorithms that can aid decision-making by getting qualitative data from a discussion with stakeholders on a topic. Finally, the document identifies the importance of the participation of stakeholder, reinforces legitimacy and transparency in decision-making processes and above all present a tool that can help governments to solve this problem. In short, this work proposes an original and valuable tool to be applied in the decision-making process for the sustainable transport sector based on the stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the management of the urban water cycle can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change mitigation in cities. Stormwater in urban areas has traditionally been collected and conveyed to sewage treatment plants, a practice that has continued with the need to manage increased superficial flow. This paper presents the Low Impact Development (LID) measures to improve water management in the new urban development of Valdebebas in Madrid, and the associated benefits. Stormwater was considered a sub cycle; by shortening the water cycle the local use of rainwater was achieved while reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions for off-site treatment. The article analyses the urban water cycle from a preventive approach. It considers how urban design features such as topography and pavement selection were used to convey surface water from impermeable areas to permeable ones (vegetated or permeable pavements) and the infiltration of water into engineered soil, reducing the need for off-site conveyance infrastructure, and the amount of water discharged into municipal treatment installations. Moreover, the captured water increases soil water content available for plants and trees which play an important role in absorbing CO 2 . Water exceeding soil capacity is collected in the subsurface Sustainable Drainage system (SuDS), including infiltration boxes where water is temporarily stored before moving through the soil toward ground water reserves. This paper describes the approaches and criteria used to design a large scale SuDS infrastructure in the district of Valdebebas, in northeastern Madrid (Spain), and analyses its performance, followed by a comparison with the predictions under three climate change scenarios, which consider not only the variation in peak flows and runoff, but also the reduction in GHG emissions. Additionally, it presents a sensitivity analysis for the main variables in the design of SuDS, and a multicriteria analysis, to compare the different drainage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goals of this opening paper of the Special Issue are threefold: First, it offers a brief review of the relevant extant literature on the drivers and barriers affecting climate change and the impacts of the organizational changes of MNEs required to face challenges posed by climate change. Then, it provides a comprehensive outline of the papers included in this Special Issue. The papers included in this Special Issue develop a range of topics, such as the contextual factors that influence the design of MNEs' strategies and practices related to climate change, interconnected and critical barriers to MNEs' green business models, the indirect effects of climate change impacts on MNEs, a multilevel framework for assessing strategic organizational responses to climate change, sustainable innovation practices developed by MNEs, and determinants and long-term performance outcomes of corporate carbon strategies, to mention a few. Finally, it proposes some potential avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of digital revolution many cities around the world have invested significantly in the design and implementation of smart city projects and initiatives to provide solutions to the challenges of climate changes and urbanization. At the same time, various efforts have been made to evaluate performance and outcomes of those projects and initiatives. This study provides a critical analysis of 34 selected smart city assessment tools to highlight their strengths and weaknesses and to examine their potential contribution to the evolution of the smart city movement. The selected tools are evaluated against an analysis framework that covers criteria related to comprehensiveness, stakeholder engagement, context sensitivity, strategic alignment, uncertainty management, interlinkages and interoperability, temporal dynamism, flexibility, feasibility, presentation and communication of the results, and action plans. Results indicate that selected tools have achieved limited success in addressing these criteria. In particular, only few tools have addressed criteria related to stakeholder engagement, uncertainty management, interlinkages, and feasibility. The paper argues that assessment tools should capitalize on the advancements in smart solutions and big data analytics to develop better strategies for addressing these criteria. In addition to highlighting weaknesses that need to be addressed in the future, results of this study can be used by interested target groups such as smart city developers, planners, and policy makers to choose tools that best fit their needs. Image 1 • A framework for critical analysis of smart city assessment tools is introduced. • Thirty four assessment tools are analyzed using the framework. • There is a lack of balanced distribution of indicators across different themes. • Temporal changes, flexibility, and reporting criteria are relatively well addressed. • Feasibility, interlinkages, and uncertainty management criteria are rarely addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biscuits are a major product category in the global confectionary sector. Despite this, their environmental impacts are poorly characterised. Therefore, this paper sets out to evaluate the life cycle environmental sustainability of the following widely-consumed types of biscuit, both at the product and sectoral levels: crackers, low fat/sugar, semi-sweet, chocolate-coated and sandwich biscuits with chocolate or vanilla cream. The results obtained through life cycle assessment demonstrate that, in addition to being healthier, low fat/sugar biscuits have the lowest impacts across most of the 18 categories considered. Chocolate-coated biscuits are environmentally the least sustainable. The most significant life cycle stage for all types is the raw materials production, causing 41%–61% of the total impacts, with flour, sugar and palm oil being the key hotspots. Replacing palm with rapeseed oil would improve five impacts but worsen another five, including a 34% increase in agricultural land occupation and marine eutrophication. Therefore, the cultivation and production of palm oil, rather than its replacement, should be targeted for improvements. The second most crucial stage is manufacturing, contributing up to 54% of the impacts, followed by transport with up to 35%. Reducing energy consumption by 25% in manufacturing would reduce primary energy demand by 8%–12%, fossil fuel depletion by 9%–12% and global warming potential by 6%–9%. The latter would increase by 55% if land use change related to cocoa was involved, despite a very small amount of cocoa in the biscuits (∼1%). The analysis at a sectoral level in the UK, the leading consumer of biscuits in Europe, reveals that biscuits contribute 7.4% of primary energy demand and 0.5% of greenhouse gas emissions of the whole UK food sector. These results can help guide manufacturers in mitigating the hotspots in the supply chain and consumers in selecting environmentally more sustainable biscuits. • The environmental sustainability of six types of biscuit is evaluated for the first time. • Low fat/sugar biscuits have the lowest impacts and chocolate-coated the highest. • Global warming potential of chocolate biscuits is 55% higher with land use change. • Flour, sugar and palm oil are the key hotpots, followed by biscuits manufacturing. • Biscuits contribute 7.4% of energy demand and 0.5% of GWP of the UK food sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the importance of sustainability in the ceramic industry, focusing on how companies measure and monitor their sustainability indicators. Economic crises and climate change have led scholars over the years to focus their attention on reducing impacts and monitoring sustainability indicators with particular attention to the energy sphere. In the scientific literature it emerges that there is no set of indicators for the ceramic industries suitable for monitoring company data. To address this emerging gap, the paper takes a ceramic company as a reference and proposes a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to help manufacturing companies monitor their economic, environmental, and social sustainability performance. The study aims to fill these gaps by underlining the importance of investing in the digitization of processes and in Industry 4.0 digital technologies to obtain constantly updated and real-time information for sustainability monitoring. The research also emphasizes the applicability of these findings to other manufacturing enterprises, offering a methodology for self-monitoring sustainability. The article suggests the development of a "Sustainability Digital Twin" as a tool to help business managers make informed decisions and design products with all aspects of sustainability in mind. The integration of sustainability and digitization is highlighted as a crucial aspect for achieving sustainable ceramic production. The proposed KPIs and the digitization of processes can provide data to implement strategic plans for sustainable production. Therefore, this study has contributed to fill the gaps in the literature by demonstrating that the digitization of production processes allows for a more specific assessment of economic, social and environmental impacts by ensuring transparent communication of performance to stakeholders. [Display omitted] • Conception of a new framework integrating sustainability, digitization, and circular economy. • Definition of new methodology for measuring the impacts of the ceramic industry. • Selection of KPIs for sustainability for the ceramic industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat of climate change and global resource scarcity has prompted changes in the way that goods are produced and consumed in the construction industry. An important way for the industry to contribute to the green transition is to substitute conventional building materials with biogenic materials that require less energy to produce and bind atmospheric carbon in their growth, thus effectively capturing and storing carbon inside the building stock. An increased use of biogenic materials not only necessitates new technical development but also major changes in existing production and consumption practices. While extant research has investigated barriers in relation to the uptake of low-carbon building materials, less attention has been placed on investigating the measures that support the transition to increased use of biogenic materials. Drawing on insights from socio-technical transition analysis, the paper explores barriers and drivers that influence the uptake and diffusion of biogenic materials in the Danish construction industry. Sixty distinct barriers are identified including cultural, infrastructural, technological, market, political, techno-scientific, and industrial network barriers. The study also identifies measures, which could contribute to an increased use of biogenic materials. These findings are combined in a roadmap for a transition towards an increased use of biogenic materials in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the dynamics of urbanization and induced environmental changes on a regional scale is essential for policy makers to address the growing challenges of local sustainability and global climate change. Choosing the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China as a case study, this paper focuses on the long-term urbanization process, its consequences on the spatio-temporal changes on the landscape and associated carbon sources and sinks, and policy drivers behind these changes. Differing from previous research, this paper highlights a systematic analysis of the dynamic process and policies related to urbanization and associated environmental changes through the integration of interdisciplinary, region-based and data-intensive approaches. The results indicate that the urbanization of the YRD region experienced a three-staged trajectory from regressive during 1960–1978 to progressive but unbalanced development from 1978 to 2010. Landscape changes occurred at an unprecedented rate with the encroachment of urbanized terrain on cropland, cropland exploitation, and the reclamation of forest and water as the dominant types. Both carbon sources and sinks have increased significantly from 1995 to 2010, while the spatial net carbon intensity of built-up land shows a significant jump due to the faster growth of carbon emissions than the already astonishing expansion of urban land. Policy implications include improving the social welfare systems, strengthening ecological land conservation and urban sprawl control polices, and reforming the economic structure, especially in Jiangsu province, toward a low-carbon one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interconnectedness of value chains, the different motivations of actors, and the complexity of urban ecosystems (UE) have given rise to calls for more comprehensive approaches to diagnosis urban sustainability. In this regard, the circular bioeconomy (CBE) is attractive for, in theory, it ensures regenerative capacity and offers the possibility of improving the resilience of ecosystem services. However, there is a risk that the delineation of the narrative will be limited to issues narrowly defined by key actors, without considering value creation beyond financial. This paper explores how the alignment of CBE principles can support the services provided by UE, considering their socio-ecological needs. To this end, we propose an adaptive theoretical framework supported by a qualitative and comparative analysis of the current scientific literature. The main contributions of the paper are: (i) propose an original structure using the nature-based solutions (NbS) concept as background and (ii) provide a new typology built from the biophysical boundaries, drivers, barriers, strategies, and indicators identified. The framework presents itself as an instrument capable of guiding further research in the thematic area, facilitating the identification of trade-offs, benefits, and co-benefits, and represents a step forward in the search toward generalisation, reducing uncertainties and utopian notions that mould the CBE. [Display omitted] • Circular bioeconomy and urban ecosystem agendas need to be aligned. • New typology is presented to identify and group the main principles. • Holistic view of circular bioeconomy is essential to stimulate critical thinking. • This framework could help develop practices as it reduces uncertainties and expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Due to the increasing awareness of climate change, depletion of natural resources, and increasing world population, companies in the agri-food sector need to redesign their existing supply chains and take into account both the economic and environmental impact of their operations. In practice not all the required information is available in advance due to various sources of uncertainty in agri-food supply chains. In this research a multi-objective two-stage stochastic programming model is proposed to analyse and evaluate the economic and environmental impacts to account for uncertainty in agri-food supply chains. A mushroom supply chain in the Netherlands is presented as an illustrative case study. Optimal production planning decisions calculated with a two-stage stochastic programming model are compared with the results of an equivalent deterministic model. The results of the optimizations show that accounting for stochasticity in important model parameters can reduce the difference between expected and realized economic performance by approximately 4% on average. Moreover, this paper demonstrates that including stochastic model parameters can reduce the environmental impact without compromising the current economic performance. Given the assumptions in the setup of the case study and the available information, it is concluded that applying a 2-stage stochastic programming approach for production planning decisions can lead to improved economic and environmental performance in an agri-food supply chain. New findings in real-life case studies are needed to get profound insights and understanding on the impact of uncertainty on production planning decisions in sustainable agri-food supply chains. Highlights • A bi-objective stochastic programming model is implemented for a real-life case. • Trade-offs between environmental and economic indicators are quantified. • Solutions of deterministic models overestimate the actual trade-off. • Accounting for uncertainty improves the environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The critical role of everyday practices in climate change mitigation has placed experimental approaches at the top of the environmental policy agenda. In this paper we discuss the value of behavioural approaches, practice theories, pragmatic tinkering and speculative thinking with respect to experimentation. Whereas the first two have been much discussed within sustainability science and transition research, the notions of pragmatic tinkering and speculative thinking radically broaden the scope of experimental research and its contribution to sustainable everyday practices. Pragmatism brings to the fore the need to coordinate multiple practices and understandings of good eating, as these may clash in practice. Through this lens, the value of experimental research lies in revealing frictions that need to be resolved, or tinkered, in practice. Speculative experimentation, in turn, refers to the power of experiments to challenge the experimental setting itself and force thinking about new possibilities and avenues. We investigate the value of all four approaches in relation to our experiments with sustainable eating in the Finnish and Nordic context. Our elaboration justifies the need to broaden the conception of experimental research in order to capture the multiplicity of sustainable eating. Hence, we call for attentive, speculative experimental research aimed not only at testing solutions for sustainable everyday practice, but also at reflecting on the practice of experimentation itself. Highlights • Key role of everyday practices in sustainability transition calls for experimentation. • We explore and test four approaches to experimentation in sustainable eating. • Sustainable eating calls for attentive, speculative experimental research. • Attentiveness to tensions raised by experiments force new questions and solutions. • Reflecting on the practice of experimentation is fundamental to ethical transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Urban environmental governance is critical for responding climate change. Existing policies have been inefficient for addressing complicated socio-ecological issues. In order to further promote related studies, it is critical to have a comprehensive review so that recent research progresses can be summarized and future research directions can be identified. Under such a circumstance, this paper aims to conduct a bibliometric review on urban environmental governance, with a focus on addressing climate change. Based on 1697 articles published from 1997 to 2017 and searched from Web of Science, a systematic method combining bibliometric analysis and network analysis is applied to uncover the dynamic trends, academic collaboration and research hotspots. Results show that the overall publication quantity had been gradually improved. The key journals include Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainability and Energy Policy. Authors from USA have the most publications and international co-authorships, followed by China and UK, while the most influential institution is the Chinese Academy of Science. Moreover, research keywords have been identified, including GHG emission, energy, water, health and transport. In terms of research methods, life cycle assessment and ecological footprint are the dominating methods. In order to further improve research in this field, it is crucial to combine different methods so that more innovative perspectives can be presented. Research findings from this study can also provide valuable policy insights to policy-makers so that appropriate urban environmental governance policies can be raised to mitigate the overall greenhouse gas emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The use of biomass for production of chemicals is gaining interest because of its potential to contribute towards a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental benefits linked to the substitution of fossil resources. But, conversely to biofuels, studies focusing on environmental impacts of biomass-derived chemicals are scarce. This paper uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental sustainability of bio-ethylene from poplar produced by the following three thermo-chemical routes: direct and indirect dehydration of ethanol and production of olefins via dimethyl ether. The indirect route is the best option for most impact categories for all three allocation methods considered: system expansion, economic and energy basis. However, the dimethyl ether-to-olefins route has the lowest global warming potential. In comparison to ethylene produced bio-chemically from sugar beet, the thermo-chemical indirect route has lower impacts for all categories except human, terrestrial and freshwater toxicities. All three thermo-chemical alternatives show a significant reduction in global warming potential (up to 105% in the case of dimethyl ether-to-olefins) and depletion of fossil fuels when compared to conventional ethylene production from fossil fuels. However, the results also suggest that bio-ethylene produced by any of the three thermo-chemical routes would lead to a significant increase in most other impact categories relative to fossil fuels. Therefore, while trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the overall environmental sustainability of bio-ethylene suffers from the increase in other environmental impacts. Highlights • Three thermo-chemical bio-ethylene processes are compared environmentally. • Indirect route is best for several impacts but the dimethyl ether is better for GWP. • Indirect route is better than 1st generation ethanol dehydration except for toxicities. • Net saving in GHG emissions of 44%–105% achieved compared to fossil alternatives. • However, other impacts are higher than for the fossil alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban food systems are connected with several pressing issues, including urban population growth, resource scarcity, and climate change. To cope within these issues, urban food systems need to become more sustainable in their practices, as well as resilient in the face of extreme weather events. While scholars have started to investigate this topic, no comprehensive analysis has yet addressed what entails sustainable and resilient urban food systems. Through a systematic review of the literature, this paper aims to improve our understanding of the key components of sustainable and resilient urban food systems. This study reviewed 53 publications and identified components related to the health, social, economy, environment, and governance domains. Only 5 of the works included in the review discussed sustainability and resilience to the impacts of climate change in urban food systems simultaneously, so there is an opportunity for original research and analysis. The most frequently identified components of urban food systems relate to: access to healthy food; connectivity between urban and rural areas; having a strong local food economy and food production; reducing food waste; and, having active participation of all actors in decision making. There is some level of consensus on linking sustainability and resilience, but diversity in food sources and the development of social capabilities need to be emphasised for climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional piped drainage systems are currently being challenged by climate change and urbanization, leading to pluvial flooding, with negative consequences for people's properties and lives. Sustainable stormwater management has been suggested as an alternative, but implementation of its infrastructures is often limited to demonstration zones. Governance factors are among the main reasons for the slow pace. A literature review analyzing 44 peer-reviewed papers was conducted to examine the challenges from a governance perspective. The challenges identified were summarized based on actors, resources, rules of the game, and discourses. Challenges such as unclear leadership and responsibilities, lack of funding, lack of cost data on sustainable stormwater management solutions, lack of space and knowledge, lack of uniform guidelines, and lack of stakeholder participation were found to be the most prominent reasons. Suggested solutions to overcoming these challenges include e.g., researchers acting as knowledge brokers, the involvement of social capital among local stakeholders, re-using vacant land, establishing uniform guidelines, and increasing market incentives to engage stakeholders. The governance structures of stormwater management were categorized as hierarchical, closed and open co-governance arrangements, while open co-governance arrangement was suggested as a useful governance structure. The difference is that the latter structure engages stakeholders, which is of benefits to increased sustainable stormwater management implementation. More research on social-economical aspects is suggested. These findings can improve understanding among decision makers and other relevant actors of challenges related to implementing sustainable stormwater management as a primary solution to the current climate and urbanization challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents life-cycle environmental impacts and health hazards of the ilmenite and rutile processing routes which are very little explored despite a significant quantity of production worldwide. The study is carried out through a life-cycle environmental-impact assessment of the ilmenite and rutile mining production processes in Australia, using the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) method under 14 significant impact categories and the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method for 10 significant impact categories. The dataset is collected from EcoInvent and the Australian Life cycle assessment database considering Australia as the geographic region. The major impact categories are climate change, human health (cancer), human health (non-cancer), ecotoxicity, and eutrophication. The analysis results show that the highest impact is caused in climate change, at 0.295 kg CO 2 eq, which is due to the large amount of electricity consumption in the ilmenite extraction process. Then, human toxicity-non cancer effects (4.42E-09 CTUh) and particulate matter (0.000155 kg PM 2.5 eq) are also noteworthy. Water resources depletion is affected due to the chemical emissions from ilmenite ore, which are found to be 0.00163 m 3 water eq. Rutile production impacts greatly on climate change at 1.535 kg CO 2 eq owing to large-scale electricity consumption. Electricity consumption for rutile also affects human toxicity-non cancer (2.3E-8 CTUh), particulate matter (0.00081 kg PM2.5 eq), and terrestrial eutrophication (0.024 molc N eq). Water-resources depletion from rutile is due to the ore, which are found to be 0.0085 m 3 water eq. The comparative assessment between ilmenite and rutile implies that rutile has more impact on the environment than ilmenite due to the electricity consumption and fossil fuel consumption. This result is validated through further analysis using the Cumulative Energy Demand method. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out to elucidate that the electricity grid mix from country-to-country contributes to sustainability by reducing the environmental impacts significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen could be used as a ‘cleaner’ cooking fuel, particularly in communities that rely on biomass and fossil fuels, to reduce local pollution and related health effects. However, hydrogen must be produced using sustainable feedstocks and energy sources to ensure that local impacts are not reduced at the expense of other impacts generated elsewhere in the life cycle. To this end, this paper evaluates life cycle environmental impacts of renewable hydrogen produced in a proton-exchange membrane electrolyser using solar energy. The aim of the study is to find out if hydrogen produced in this system and used as a cooking fuel is environmentally sustainable in comparison with conventional cooking fuels typically used in developing countries, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), charcoal and firewood. The results suggest that hydrogen would reduce the climate change impact by 2.5–14 times to 0.04 kg CO 2 eq./MJ compared to firewood (0.10 kg CO 2 eq./MJ) and LPG (0.57 kg CO 2 eq./MJ). Some other impacts would also be lower by 6%–35 times, including depletion of fossil fuels, summer smog and health effects from emissions of particulates, both locally and across the rest of the life cycle. However, some other impacts would increase by 6%–6.7 times, such as depletion of metals and freshwater and marine ecotoxicity. These are mainly due to the solar photovoltaic panels used to generate power for the electrolyser. In terms of the local impacts, the study suggests that hydrogen would reduce local pollution and related health impacts by 8%–35 times. However, LPG is still environmentally a better option than hydrogen for most of the impacts, both at the point of use and on a life cycle basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of producing second-generation biofuel in Italy from Brassica carinata, a non-edible flowering plant of the Brassicaceae family, in a context of rotation with wheat (and eventually other crops). The framework considered allows to rule out issues of ILUC and is highly relevant in a country where extensive monoculture is extremely widespread and there is a high degree of dependence on foreign imports for both biofuels and biofuels-related raw materials, especially from countries such as Indonesia, where the adverse impacts of first-generation biofuel production on the environment are most felt. Using yield and cost data from 5 experimental fields in Italy and taking into account potential returns from the sale of biodiesel and its by-products, glycerine and expeller/meal, the economic sustainability of the entire biodiesel production chain (cultivation, oil extraction and oil refining) is established. Implementation of the Argonne National Laboratory's GREET life cycle model, suitably adjusted so as to apply it to the BC case, confirms also a high environmental sustainability. The range of positive economic effects and externalities that may be triggered by the development of a BC-derived biofuel production chain justifies some form of policy intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transdisciplinary research is increasingly used in projects dealing with transitions to sustainable, resilient and low-carbon societies. Transdisciplinary research projects require collaboration and coordination between researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds. Academic literature provides valuable insights on designing, facilitating, leading and evaluating transdisciplinary projects. While a substantial body of literature explores the challenges associated with transdisciplinary research, there is a scarcity of case studies exploring the challenges faced during different phases of project execution. In this paper we present a reflective account and analysis of our experiences during the first fifteen months of a transdisciplinary research project. The project is used as a case study, following a participatory action research methodology. Our findings verified the three types of challenge mentioned in the literature – inherent, institutional and teamwork related. This paper identifies a fourth type – emergent – that has not been discussed in the literature. Emergent challenges introduce uncertainty into TDR projects and are uncontrollable. Such challenges require research consortium leaders to develop adaptive strategies, and to take a mediation and leadership role in dealing with them. The article makes the following recommendations: emergent challenges require emergent strategies; funding should be more flexible to account for the nature of TDR research; TDR could be evaluated on the basis of its overall impact rather than on inflexible ‘deliverables’; academic publishing strategies must be incorporated into TDR projects; team development and co-location should be facilitated; and academic institutions should include performance and promotion criteria encouraging researchers to undertake roles in TDR projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is one response to the challenges faced by agriculture due to climate change. As with other sustainability transitions, technological innovation is highlighted as playing a critical role, however, the adoption and diffusion of technological innovations in OECD countries is slow. The aim of this paper is to identify key socio-economic barriers, in terms of supply and demand, that inhibit the adoption and diffusion of CSA technological innovations in Europe. To achieve this aim, a theoretical framework is constructed based on a literature review of socio-economic barriers effecting adoption and diffusion. This framework is explored with data from semi-structured interviews with CSA technology providers and members of agricultural supply chains, such as farmers associations and consumer goods producers (the end-users of the technology). Data was collected on the barriers they experienced, with interviews conducted in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Italy. This data was thematically coded and categorised to identify key barrier typologies. The results demonstrate that barriers exist on both the demand (user) and supply (technology provider) sides. The paper provides recommendations for increasing the adoption and diffusion of CSA technological innovations, as well as implications for the CSA and innovation literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are mainly responsible for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere and thus for climate change. The European Union (EU) set up a series of strategies and policies to facilitate the elaboration of climate change mitigation and adaptation of urban plans. To do this, it is necessary to measure the city's GHG emission level. The Urban Carbon Footprint (UCF) and its derivation, the Relative Carbon Footprint (RCF), represent the most appropriate tools for obtaining this important information. The present paper applies these indicators to a small city (150 000 inhabitants) located in Southern Italy, a novelty for academic studies, which usually concentrate on megacities. The study focuses only on CO 2 emissions, as these represent 90% of the total GHGs released in urban areas. The findings showed that in 2015 the total UCF was equal to 288 ktCO 2 , specifically deriving from electricity and natural gas consumption. Moreover, Residential, Industry and Tertiary are the most carbon-intensive economic sectors. The RCF was equal to 0.30; the city emission levels were lower than the national average. Therefore, the municipality represents a typical “net-consumer” community, dominated by homes with territorial emissions due to consumption and characterized by a low number of industries and an average income per capita that is 50% lower than the national one. Starting from these results, the study proposed an urban action plan according to the EU mitigation and adaptation policies. This plan could help the local government improve its environmental sustainability, even if more public city-level data is required for a more comprehensive analysis. Finally, it would be more appropriate for all actions to be aligned under a unique policy process to seize the opportunity to link the various local intervention policies from different fields, taking into account their existing funding, tools, processes, and resources. Capitalizing on the adaptation/mitigation connection will allow municipalities to leverage their climate change action efforts and accelerate progress toward their climate and energy goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Global Mining Initiative, the mining industry came together to understand the industry's role in the transition to sustainable development and to ensure its long-term contribution. The industry has since then come a long way and improved its sustainable development performance in many areas. But how far has the industry been considering environmental (“strong”) sustainability in its approach? And how does this compare to companies in other sectors and leading organizations such as the United Nations, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Global Reporting Initiative? This paper presents results from a literature review, looking at how far the mining industry has considered environmental sustainability in its approach. It explores, if the current efforts of the largest mining companies are aligned with the efforts of companies from other industry sectors, as well as the position of leading organizations. We conclude that the mining industry is not setting on the wrong sustainability paradigm at this stage, but is at risk of falling behind societal expectations on climate change and the leaders from other industries on natural capital considerations. The industry can improve by considering the Paris Agreement in its approach to climate change, considering natural capital as an industry, e.g. through working with the Natural Capital Coalition and more broadly by pro-actively thinking about what the consequences of “strong sustainability” would mean for their business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and energy security have emerged as the biggest concerns of the present century. Renewable energy sources are not continuous, dependent upon geographical location as well as climatic conditions, and require a very large land footprint. Future of nuclear energy is also uncertain because of public apprehensions and subsequent government policies. To overcome the issues derailing these two virtually carbon-free energy sources, a new hybrid or integrated nuclear-renewable energy system is being proposed and seen as an attractive option. Such integrated energy systems are conceived as a nuclear power reactor coupled with renewable energy generation and industrial processes that may simultaneously tackle the concerns regarding grid flexibility, climate change, energy security, optimal return on invested capital, and settling public concerns. Apart from highlighting the key challenges associated with nuclear energy and renewable energy sources while operating as an independent power generation system, the present paper delineates the various aspects associated with integrated nuclear-renewable energy systems. It may be speculated that integrating nuclear energy and renewable energy into a single hybrid energy system, coupled through informatics linkages, would enable to overcome the demerits present when they operate individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many scholars, commentators and activists have been involved in often fierce debates about the normative desirability of economic globalisation. This issue remains highly contested to this day. Judgements as well as evidence on the positive and negative impacts of globalisation on the economy, society and ecology can be seen as statements on the sustainability of globalisation: is globalisation leading to a world in which people now and in the future can have a good quality of life? This paper explores the sustainability of globalisation by analysing its ‘social robustness’. It argues that in order to be considered sustainable, a policy, trend or process should be acceptable to a broad range of people in society. A text and discourse analysis, based on Cultural Theory, demonstrates the overall dominance of the ‘individualist’ perspective across various organisations of global policy significance delineating sustainable futures within three core themes of global governance: climate change, the economy and health. This analysis contributes towards a more inclusive discussion on global issues that matter in the context of a sustainable future for all. A more socially robust form of globalisation is possible, but only if marginalized perspectives are included in the policy debates and thereby allowed to contribute to solving humanity's most pressing issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is a strategic crop for Iran with respect to food security and environmental impact. In the northeastern Golestan Province irrigated and rainfed wheat production systems co-exist. In the light of climate change the comparative assessment of the two systems regarding productivity and sustainability is of urgent importance. This paper aims to contribute to a more informed debate on the viability of irrigation in marginal crop production regions. For this purpose, the present study investigates productivity and environmental impact of 540 wheat producing farm households (259 irrigated; 281 rainfed) in Golestan by partial life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology using greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and product carbon footprint (PCF) as environmental sustainability indicators. The study finds huge heterogeneity among wheat producers with regard to yield, GHG emissions and PCF. Comparing irrigated and rainfed production showed that irrigation in average leads to 22% higher yields. However, the environmental impact of irrigated production is disproportionally high leading to 110% higher GHG emissions and 62% higher PCF, which highlights the trade-off between productivity and environmental sustainability. The major contributors to total GHG emissions of wheat production are energy for irrigation (only in irrigated production), N 2 O emissions related to fertilization and residue handling, diesel for machinery, and emissions related to fertilizer production and transport. Increased GHG emissions and PCF in irrigated compared to rainfed production are not only attributed to the energy required for irrigation, but also to increased fertilizer and other production inputs. Splitting the farmers into high, medium and low yield groups indicates the potential for increasing yields through increased input intensity without negative effects on PCF. The study's results demonstrate the potential of better balancing the trade-offs between productivity and sustainability of wheat production in marginal wheat production regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a paradigm that affects many sectors due to an increasing of stakeholders’ pressure, economic or political reasons. The wine industry is concerned about sustainability in both senses: it confronts threats from sustainability issues, such as climate change, chemical exposure and water and energy availability and its activities have their own impacts. In this sense, understanding sustainability in the wine world requires identifying definitions and principles, but also a review of current practices. This paper sets forth a cross-country analysis about current sustainability assessment frameworks in six countries (South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, US, Chile and France) in order to identify their main aspects, drivers and issues. A cross-analysis discusses the presentation, the scale, the scope, the governance, the deepness, the learning potential and the content, in a cross-disciplinary perspective. The common grounds are summarized in terms of main indicators linked with official guidelines. Most of the frameworks are certifications or labels in voluntary programs, using a qualitative approach to check compliance with guidelines, without proposing the improvement of sustainability performance. They are more focused on operation and on mitigating impact. All frameworks have indicators considering the main environmental issues to the wine industry. The frameworks development should move toward a more effective proposition for improving wine sustainability, in order to answer to the operational challenges with a strategic thinking. The analysis performed can contribute to the development of sustainability programs, improve current methods and encourage the diffusion of sustainability practices to the individuals or in terms of national programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last few years the world has witnessed severe climatic conditions, be it in the form of unprecedented droughts or devastating floods, tornadoes, landslides along with major earthquakes and Tsunamis. Are these natural calamities natural and normal or are these the manifestation of man's adverse impact on the environment? If the nature and frequency of numerous geo-climatic upheavals that the earth is experiencing is compared to the worst case scenario of the climate change advocates, the resemblance seems amazingly similar. A plausible explanation for this could be the fact that mankind does not know how to reign in its need for continuous economic growth without adversely affecting ecological sustainability! This problem of achieving and maintaining sustained economic growth seems to be a problem that is unique to the modern post industrial economy. It is being increasingly realized that the ancient civilizations may have economic systems and practices that was based on living in harmony with nature. Hence, there is a growing clamor to learn from the wisdom of the ancients and incorporate their ideas and practices or in other words learn from the philosophies that have stood the test of time. That tribal wisdom may be better equipped to deal with natural calamity was vividly displayed a few years ago in India. When the massive Tsunami of December 26th, 2004 ravaged Asia, one of the hardest hit region was the remote chain of some 500 islands known collectively as the Andaman and Nicobar. Inhabited by hunter gatherer tribes that have little contact with the outside world, anthropologists initially feared the tribes could have been completely wiped out. However it was soon discovered that the tribal community used their ancient knowledge of nature to escape the Tsunami. One of the tribes that lives there are the Onge. They are estimated to have lived in the islands for 30000–50000 years. Numbering some one hundred individuals, they are on the verge of extinction. However, in the Tsunami, they suffered no casualties as their folklore speaks of large waves that follows earthquakes, so all of them retreated to the high grounds. As north east India is home to numerous traditional societies that have followed old age practices up to the modern times, this region could make significant contribution to the sustainability discourse. Tribal communities and indigenous religions the world over are accepted repositories of ancient knowledge and wisdom. Significantly, with the tribal communities, such knowledge systems are living traditions. Thus such living knowledge systems could be an important source of guidance for modern man in his quest for sustainability. For the purpose of this paper, the Khasi sacred forest were used as a case study to understand what lessons it can offer in our quest to conserve our forests and also achieve sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pervasive misinformation about climate change might be reduced if colleges were to include the topic within general education curriculum. This paper analyzes the general education (or “core”) curriculum in the top 100 universities and liberal-arts colleges in the U.S. to assess the proportion of core courses that highlight climate change or climate science. The probability that a student takes at least one climate-change course via the core curriculum is estimated at 0.17 across all schools. The probability is higher at research universities than at liberal arts colleges, in core programs that have more science and social science courses, and at public universities in states with a Democrat-controlled legislature than in states with a Republican-controlled or split legislature. Drawing on cases of best practices in the U.S. identified from the data set, the authors discuss strategies that could ensure a higher likelihood that the core curriculum includes education on climate science and climate change. The study advances the broader research literature on sustainability in higher education programs by bringing it into conversation with research on the college core curriculum and by focusing both on the specific issue of climate-change education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide a novel taxonomy of green initiatives and to investigate their diffusion among logistics service providers (LSPs). The term ‘green initiative’ has been defined as a multifaceted concept which incorporates three perspectives: the managerial perspective (the aim), the organisational perspective (the practices), and the technological perspective (the technological tools). Starting from a systematic literature review, we developed the WH 2 framework to identify a taxonomy of green aims, green practices and technological tools that can be used by LSPs to achieve their environmental sustainability (ES) strategies. A web-based document analysis methodology was carried out to investigate the degree of diffusion of green initiatives in 464 LSPs. This methodology was conducted through six main steps: 1) document search; 2) document selection; 3) manual analysis; 4) computer-assisted analysis; 5) confirmation analysis; 6) triangulation of findings. The results highlight that the LSPs investigated tend to plan their ES strategies without setting out in an integrated manner the green aims related to the different typologies of service provided and mainly neglect those related to logistics and management services. As for the green practices, their low level of diffusion shows the attempt of LSPs to combine management and environmental efficiency without a defined ES strategy roadmap. As for the technological tools, the results highlight that these are more commonly adopted than green practices. Nevertheless, LSPs tend to adopt traditional systems instead of collaborative technologies. The results make it possible to identify three main gaps among LSPs: a technological gap, a cultural gap, a managerial gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to attain a truly sustainable society it is necessary for people to make ‘the sustainable choice’ in daily life, business and governance. Instrumental in increasing the awareness and understanding about sustainability issues and improving people's behaviour regarding sustainability issues is sustainability education. However, sustainability education is not yet widespread and is found to not always be effective in tackling people's behavioural aspects regarding sustainability issues. This paper addresses a novel form of sustainability education that has potentially both a wide reach and tackles behavioural aspects of sustainability issues directly: serious gaming. It is shown how an entertainment game, a scenario expansion for the popular board-game Settlers of Catan, can be used to educate a broad audience on sustainability issues. Through a causal analysis of the educational mechanisms embedded in the game scenario the strategies that players might use were found. Subsequently, workshops were held to observe how players are affected by playing the game. The results suggest that playing the game affects people's attitude towards sustainability and, predominantly, the sustainability of the behaviour. Although only the second finding could be supported by statistical tests, the anecdotal observations and quantitative findings do point in the same direction. It was found that the sustainability concepts embedded in the game together with the gameplay dynamics drove the educational effects of the game. These game dynamics enable players to experience real sustainability issues: players are forced to reconsider their strategies, not necessarily to save the Island of Catan, but for their own victory in the game – which is a strong lesson related to sustainability in general and climate change specifically. Future research should focus on conducting larger-scale surveys supporting the execution of statistical tests. In addition, this research points at the untapped potential of teaching sustainability concepts through entertainment games and suggests that game developers incorporate sustainability concepts through educational mechanisms in their games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wine is the main economic resource in the 'Area of Jerez', located in the south of Spain. It is one of the most important wine tourism destinations in the world. However, its sustainable production process, so strongly influenced by climatic conditions, can be clearly affected by the phenomenon of global warming. The ageing process of "Sherry wine" takes place in buildings known as 'Cathedral warehouses', an example of Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs). For centuries, they have been used to provide specific ecological conditions for biological ageing without any type of mechanical heating/cooling system. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of climate change on this production model. For this, the annual thermal behavior of a representative winery was monitored during several years. The first energy simulation model of this type of buildings was developed and validated (daily R2 = 99%; hourly R2 = 97%). Finally, the model was simulated by modifying the outdoor climatic conditions (9 years training data sets) for a climate change scenario, applying the 'morphing' method for the transformation of the weather data. The results show that, by the middle of this century, the average outdoor temperature will increase by 2.3 °C (in summer up to 3.6 °C). As a consequence, the temperature in the ageing zone would exceed the comfort limit for 19% of the year, (up to 34% in hot years). For 2080, the prediction is even worse (average value of 27%). As a result, the microorganisms responsible for this unique process could not maintain their activity. This fact will force the sector to face a harsh reconversion through the adoption of new mechanisms and strategies, which endangers the economic sustainability of an entire region dedicated to this practice. Beyond the specific case, the work highlights the need to evaluate the future behavior of NZEBs through simulation. [Display omitted] • Assess the impact of climate change in a Near Zero Energy Building. • "Cathedral warehouses" will lose their usefulness by the middle of this century. • Comfort limits will be exceeded 19% of the year, interrupting biological ageing. • The economic sustainability of an entire region would be endangered. • The need to evaluate the future behavior of Near Zero Energy Building is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During the last decades numerous environmental problems have been exacerbated, and in some cases created. Traditionally, such problems have been addressed through environmentally sound technologies. The diffusion of such technologies has, however, been slow, where the focus has primarily been on high-polluting sectors. This paper explores the environmental actions of a relatively low-polluting sector, the insurer industry, in regards to environmentally sound technologies, by schematizing the concept of environmentally sound technologies as it is defined in Agenda 21. The Agenda 21 definition is critical when discussing environmentally sound technologies, as typologies of academic scholars are defined from the perspective of manufacturers ignoring the role of relatively low-polluting sectors when dealing with environmental issues. Five focus points from a climate change statement issued by the Nordic insurance industry are then integrated into the schematic framework. Case study examples from 16 Nordic insurance companies and secondary data of insurers' activities are used to illustrate insurers' role in enhancing development and utilization of environmentally sound technologies. Although the insurance industry offers many examples of its role in the development and utilization of environmentally sound technologies, this paper highlights the following points (1) there are still areas for improvements, (2) there is a large capacity that could be utilized, and (3) business opportunities are expected to increase once climate change consequences become more apparent. Due to the slow uptake of environmentally sound technologies, it is important to strengthen the focus on the role and obligation of low-polluting sectors as a part of the supporting infrastructure dealing with environmental sustainability issues. This paper shows the potential of opportunities arising from the synergies between environmentally sound technologies and finance and service providers to address such issues. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Despite many studies in literature demonstrate the environmental sustainability of organic food, a debate is still open in the scientific community on the effect of organic farming on global warming and climate change mitigation. This paper aims to contribute to a more informed debate on the actual contribution to climate change in terms of GHG emissions of organic and conventional agriculture. For this purpose, the production process of an organic vs conventional wholemeal bread locally produced in central Italy by a small-medium bakery enterprise was compared and the carbon footprint (CF) was assessed by means of the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. We found that the CF of 1 kg of the conventional wholemeal bread was 24% less respect to the same organic bread, with 1,18 and 1,55 kg CO 2 eq respectively. On the contrary, if the CF is assessed per unit of cultivated area (hectare), wheat organic cultivation showed a better performance in terms of GHG emissions than conventional by 60%, with 1,15 and 2,87 Mg CO 2 eq ha −1 respectively. The higher CF per unit of organic product is due to the lower yield per unit of area cultivated with organic farming and to the consequent attribution to a smaller amount of products of the GHG emissions generated in the field phase of the life cycle. Whereas, the CF per hectare is higher when conventional practices are applied due to the higher use of raw materials (higher seed density, agrochemicals for fertilization and plant protection) respect to the same organic system. Results of the study demonstrate that organic farming for wheat cultivation in Italy is a low-carbon agriculture with a lower contribution to climate change in terms of GHG emissions per hectare respect to the conventional wheat cultivation, although implications of the reduced productivity and the consequent need of more cultivated land should be considered. However, more research is needed to better explore the potential of organic farming and to improve organic food production, optimizing the balance between the use of resources and yields, to ensure sufficient organic food supply at global level. A more comprehensive assessment of the actual GHG emitted in the atmosphere from both organic and conventional agricultural systems can be provided when the CF is assessed per unit of area, in addition to the CF per product unit, especially if also the carbon sink of the agrosystem is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of carbon accounting as a rapidly developing area of sustainability management and this special issue. The global nature of greenhouse gas emissions as well as increasing climate change impacts is a context that demands new, more holistic approaches to preventing and reducing the negative impacts of climate change. This requires improved ways to anticipate and to fulfil new information requirements and to provide guidance on how to use the evolving accounting approaches for transparency, accountability and decision-making in governments, companies, academia and in non-profit organizations. Different types of carbon accounts – scientific, political, economic and corporate, are evolving. They are related but are not properly interlinked in policy or strategic. On the corporate level, carbon accounting can support carbon management with two basic approaches, carbon accounts for un-sustainability and carbon accounting for sustainability improvements. Both approaches play an increasing role for corporate functions such as production, distribution, procurement, supply chain management, innovation, communication, and marketing. Carbon management accounting can support all organizational levels in decision-making, regardless of whether a department is particularly challenged to comply with regulations, to better organize energy and material flows for substantial reduction effects, or is motivated to increase eco-efficiency, product innovation or legitimacy. This paper distinguishes different company-internal areas of application and methods of carbon accounting. To support corporate decision-makers environmental management accounting framework provides a structured overview of methods distinguishing physical and monetary approaches to carbon accounting. With the expanding scope of carbon accounting practices to include supply chains and product life-cycles, researchers are challenged to develop new methods, such as input–output assisted hybrid accounting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Air travel plays a vital role in today's life because it makes remote destinations accessible and short getaways possible. Despite its benefits, air transportation contributes heavily to climate change. Behavioral change is seen as a key driver in mitigating the environmental impacts of air travel. One way to encourage behavioral change is to use eco-labels. This study explores how an eco-label could be developed for the airline industry to function as a potential driver for behavioral change. 12 interviews with airline industry experts were conducted and thematically analyzed. Empirical results were then combined with prior research and the following five criteria essential for the development of an airline eco-label were identified: credibility, comparability, clarity, transparency and participation. Out of these five criteria, participation seemed to be the most challenging to realize. Based on these criteria, this paper could be understood as a first step towards the introduction of an industry-wide eco-labelling scheme for the airline industry that could help reduce the environmental impacts of aviation through behavioral change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional manufacturing industry is facing significant transformation. Fundamental to this transformation, are the challenges of a changing social, economic, political and environmental future in response to climate change, global competition and limits to finite resources. These challenges have motivated a transition towards a new sustainable trajectory. Within a range of disciplinary fields, scholars have studied and developed conceptual frameworks to explain the processes, outcomes and effectiveness of particular transitions, yet, there remains limited evidence drawing together these conceptual approaches to identify the elements and attributes essential to holistic, practical and long lasting transitions within established manufacturing regions. To address this gap, this paper introduces an interdisciplinary framework, ‘Attributes of Sustainable Transitions’, by reviewing and integrating four existing conceptual approaches (Advanced Manufacturing, Sustainability Transitions, Spatiality of Regions and Transition Regions) to identify attributes of sustainable transitions within the manufacturing industry sector. In the process, this article also focuses on regions as important spaces for transitions, an emphasis currently missing from traditional economic approaches. Examples from international and Australian case studies are used to support the conceptual analysis, paving the way for future empirical research based on Australian firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the interest of climate change mitigation, policy makers, businesses and non-governmental organisations have devised initiatives designed to reduce in-use emissions whilst, at the same time, the number of energy-consuming products in homes, and household energy consumption, is increasing. Retailers are important because they are at the interface between manufacturers of products and consumers and they supply the vast majority of consumer goods in developed countries like the UK, including energy using products. Large retailers have a consistent history of corporate responsibility reporting and have included plans and actions to influence consumer emissions within them. This paper adapts two frameworks to use them for systematically assessing large retailers' initiatives aimed at reducing consumers' emissions. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) is adapted and used to analyse the strategic scope and coherence of these initiatives in relation to the businesses' sustainability strategies. The ISM ‘Individual Social Material’ framework is adapted and used to analyse how consumer behaviour change mechanisms are framed by retailers. These frameworks are used to analyse eighteen initiatives designed to reduce consumer emissions from eight of the largest UK retail businesses, identified from publicly available data. The results of the eighteen initiatives analysed show that the vast majority were not well planned nor were they strategically coherent. Secondly, most of these specific initiatives relied solely on providing information to consumers and thus deployed a rather narrow range of consumer behaviour change mechanisms. The research concludes that leaders of retail businesses and policy makers could use the FSSD to ensure processes, actions and measurements are comprehensive and integrated, in order to increase the materiality and impact of their initiatives to reduce consumer emissions in use. Furthermore, retailers could benefit from exploring different models of behaviour change from the ISM framework in order to access a wider set of tools for transformative system change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 2050, aviation emissions are forecasted to account for 25% of the global carbon budget. Thus, in addition to airlines' sustainability efforts, individual consumer action is needed in order to reduce the environmental impact of air travel. The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent consumers value environmental sustainability when selecting flights in terms of the trade-off between cost, time, comfort, and CO 2 emissions. Hence, a choice-based conjoint survey was conducted to understand the monetary, temporal, and comfort trade-offs consumers are willing to make for a reduction in CO 2 emissions in both short-haul and long-haul flights. The 426 collected responses were analysed using conditional logistic regressions. The results indicate that air travellers are willing to pay more (6.7–21.2 €/100 kg) or travel longer (13–41 minutes/100 kg) to reduce the environmental impact of their trip. Moreover, displaying CO 2 emissions as a percentage of an individual's annual carbon budget increased air travellers' perceived monetary and temporal value of environmental sustainability, to 11.8–26.3 €/100 kg and 22–65 minutes/100 kg respectively. • Displaying flights' environmental impact affects stated consumer behaviour. • Air travellers indicate they are willing to pay more for an eco-friendlier flight. • Flyers indicate they are willing to travel longer to reduce flight emissions. • Displaying CO 2 emissions as % of person's annual carbon budget shows better results. • Transparent information on emissions can lead to more sustainable flying behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 2050, aviation emissions are forecasted to account for 25% of the global carbon budget. Thus, in addition to airlines' sustainability efforts, individual consumer action is needed in order to reduce the environmental impact of air travel. The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent consumers value environmental sustainability when selecting flights in terms of the trade-off between cost, time, comfort, and CO 2 emissions. Hence, a choice-based conjoint survey was conducted to understand the monetary, temporal, and comfort trade-offs consumers are willing to make for a reduction in CO 2 emissions in both short-haul and long-haul flights. The 426 collected responses were analysed using conditional logistic regressions. The results indicate that air travellers are willing to pay more (6.7–21.2 €/100 kg) or travel longer (13–41 minutes/100 kg) to reduce the environmental impact of their trip. Moreover, displaying CO 2 emissions as a percentage of an individual's annual carbon budget increased air travellers' perceived monetary and temporal value of environmental sustainability, to 11.8–26.3 €/100 kg and 22–65 minutes/100 kg respectively. • Displaying flights' environmental impact affects stated consumer behaviour. • Air travellers indicate they are willing to pay more for an eco-friendlier flight. • Flyers indicate they are willing to travel longer to reduce flight emissions. • Displaying CO 2 emissions as % of person's annual carbon budget shows better results. • Transparent information on emissions can lead to more sustainable flying behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy (CE) has gained momentum among scholars, the business community, and policymakers as it fosters the circularity of resources in production and consumption systems. Extensive conceptual research has scrutinized the CE concept, yet little attention has been paid to analyzing how the CE is conceived, consented, and implemented using Twitter data. To address this gap, this study used a Twitter Analytics framework that combines descriptive, content, and network analyses to extract meaning from Twitter data. The results show that practitioners have mainstreamed the CE discourse, sharing reductionist views about the concept in terms of drivers, practices, and outcomes. Notably, many Twitter users stressed an urgent need to tackle climate change and global sustainability challenges by adopting reactive approaches to manage them. Yet, only a few regarded the potential of proactive approaches such as collaboration to empower the CE transition through closer relationships. Also, many users pinpointed recycling as a crucial CE practice, emphasizing the ultimate goal of achieving environmental sustainability. However, such perspectives disregard the CE's vision and potential to radically transform production and consumption systems. In this regard, a critical implication is that the CE concept risks becoming a buzzword. This paper provides scholars and practitioners with critical reflections that can shed light on what truly constitutes the CE, how it should be implemented, and why it matters. • A Twitter Analytics framework is used to analyze the circular economy (CE) debate. • This study offers descriptive, content, and network insights into the CE debate. • Key drivers, practices, and sustainability outcomes were identified. • This study underlines how to rethink a paradigm change to a sustainable CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]