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In this paper we propose citizen-driven, public data visualization as a tool to support social and civic purposes in public spaces. We argue for the potential of this approach, motivating it with recent trends and developments in the areas of information visualization, urban computing, and urban screens, and we layout a transdisciplinary research approach and methodology. Through three studies approaching our research goal from design, empirical, and reflective perspectives, we show how visualization interfaces, situated in public spaces can improve perception, and lead to sustained behavior change; can increase social awareness and discourse; and can influence meaningful participation and a range of social interactions related to locally relevant topics. We conclude by discussing implications for the design, use and evaluation of citizen-driven public visualization as a tool increase public awareness, participation and discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel cell and electrolysis depend critically on catalysis. Haldor Topsøe has been a leader in this field and initiated many innovations. The paper reviews the types of fuel cells, electrolyzers, and the thermodynamic aspects involved, and then discusses the technology from the viewpoint of available feedstocks. Important phenomena that determine the stability of the devices, such as carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning, are reviewed as well. Although fuel cells are still awaiting their commercial breakthrough, high-temperature electrolysis in combination with the catalytic synthesis undoubtedly has potential in sustainable energy scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the motives and experiences of attendees at a Slow Food festival to gain an understanding of how people engage with ethical consumer projects. Slow Food is a global social movement aimed at promoting food that is regionally, ethically, and sustainably produced, and convivially consumed. The movement uses culinary tourist events, such as food festivals and farmers' markets, to promote its philosophy and attract new members. There have been no empirical studies of ethical consumption using a Slow Food event as a case study. This study uses an ethnographic approach and a framework of virtue ethics to explore the views of people attending a major Slow Food festival in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in situ with 33 participants (19 consumers and 14 stallholders) to discover their rationales for attending the festival, and their perspectives on ethical consumption. Transcripts were coded and thematically analysed, resulting in three themes reflecting varying degrees of public virtues (altruistic motivations) and private virtues (personal wellbeing): the quest for virtuous lifestyles through ethical consumption, the importance of co-production, and the challenges of putting ethical consumer projects like Slow Food into daily practice. The findings reveal the manner in which virtue ethics affects foodways and highlights the contingent and challenging nature of practising ethical eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food consumption is an important factor in shaping the sustainability of our food supply. The present paper empirically explores different types of sustainable food behaviors. A distinction between sustainable product choices and curtailment behavior has been investigated empirically and predictors of the two types of behavior have been identified. Respondents were classified into four segments based on their sustainable food behaviors: unsustainers, curtailers, product-oriented consumers, and sustainers. Significant differences between the segments were found with regard to food choice motives, personal and social norms, food involvement, subjective knowledge on sustainable food, ability to judge how sustainably a product has been produced and socio-demographics. It is concluded that distinguishing between behavioral strategies toward sustainable food consumption is important as consumer segments can be identified that differ both in their level of sustainable food consumption and in the type of behavior they employ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uncertainty of the hydrological environment and unbalanced water resource allocation result in a high risk of irrigation water shortages in regional agriculture, which seriously affects the sustainable development of agricultural systems. In this paper, we propose a risk regulation based modeling approach for the optimal allocation of agricultural water resources in a complex stochastic environment. The approach includes a conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) model, two-stage stochastic programming (TSP) model, two-dimensional joint distribution probability (JP) model, fractal criteria, and a multiple forms of chance-constrained programming (CCP) model. The model can weigh the contradiction between the intended target and associated penalties attributed to unknown hydrological events, measure the risk between system benefits and expected losses in agricultural water allocation at different confidence levels, and address the randomness in the objective function and constraints (including the left end term, right end term, and left and right end terms). To verify the applicability of the method, it is applied to the Jinxi Irrigation District in China to optimize the allocation and risk regulation of limited water resources under the variable runoff conditions of the Songhua River and crop water demands in the irrigation area. By adjusting parameters such as risk preference and probability of violation, the risk of water shortages in the irrigation area can be regulated, and the multidimensional impacts of different water allocation schemes on agricultural economic benefits, social benefits, ecology and environment can be determined. The case study reveals that the CTSP-CCJP method is sensitive, applicable to complex and uncertain environments and important for the efficient use of agricultural water resources and risk reduction. • The stochastics of water supply and demand linkage are considered. • The multiparameter stochastic uncertainty is transformed. • The risks between system benefits and expected losses are balanced. • The sustainability of a risk regulation-based water allocation scheme is evaluated. • The impact of water scarcity on sustainable development is mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems has raised concerns because of their adverse effects on ecosystem functions and human health. Plastic waste management has become a universal problem in recent years. Hence, sustainable plastic waste management techniques are vital for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Although many reviews have focused on the occurrence and impact of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), there has been limited focus on the management of MNPs. This review first summarizes the ecotoxicological impacts of plastic waste sources and issues related to the sustainable management of MNPs in the environment. This paper then critically evaluates possible approaches for incorporating plastics into the circular economy in order to cope with the problem of plastics. Pollution associated with MNPs can be tackled through source reduction, incorporation of plastics into the circular economy, and suitable waste management. Appropriate infrastructure development, waste valorization, and economically sound plastic waste management techniques and viable alternatives are essential for reducing MNPs in the environment. Policymakers must pay more attention to this critical issue and implement appropriate environmental regulations to achieve environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity is an essential part of properly functioning ecosystems, yet the loss of biodiversity currently occurs at rates unparalleled in the modern era. One of the major causes of this phenomenon is habitat loss and modification as a result of intensified agricultural practices. This paper provides a starting point for considering biodiversity within dairy production, and, although focusing primarily on the United States, findings are applicable broadly. Biodiversity definitions and assessments (e.g., indicators, tools) are proposed and reviewed. Although no single indicator or tool currently meets all the needs of comprehensive assessment, many sustainable practices are readily adoptable as ways to conserve and promote biodiversity. These practices, as well as potential funding opportunities are identified. Given the state of uncertainty in addressing the complex nature of biodiversity assessments, the adoption of generally sustainable environmental practices may be the best currently available option for protecting biodiversity on dairy lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes to define sustainability in terms of leaving it possible for future generations to sustain certain defined targets. It is shown that variants of genuine savings and the ecological footprint can then serve as indicators of sustainability. The link between sustainability and intergenerational welfare is examined, and it is shown how to incorporate indicators of sustainability into a social welfare measure, including risk in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU Soil Thematic Strategy calls for the application of sustainability concepts and methods as part of an integrated policy to prevent soil degradation and to increase the re-use of brownfields. Although certain general principles have been proposed for the evaluation of sustainable development, the practical application of sustainability assessment tools (SATs) is contingent on the actual requirements of tool users, e.g. planners or investors, to pick up such instruments in actual decision making. We examine the normative sustainability principles that need to be taken into account in order to make sound land-use decisions between new development on greenfield sites and the regeneration of brownfields – and relate these principles to empirically observed user requirements and the properties of available SATs. In this way we provide an overview of approaches to sustainability assessment. Three stylized approaches, represented in each case by a typical tool selected from the literature, are presented and contrasted with (1) the norm-oriented Bellagio sustainability principles and (2) the requirements of three different stakeholder groups: decision makers, scientists/experts and representatives of the general public. The paper disentangles some of the inevitable trade-offs involved in seeking to implement sustainable land-use planning, i.e. between norm orientation and holism, broad participation and effective communication. It concludes with the controversial assessment that there are no perfect tools and that to be meaningful the user requirements of decision makers must take precedence over those of other interest groups in the design of SATs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community resilience, the capacity of a community to adapt to change in ways that result in positive impacts on its well-being, is increasingly used as a framework for understanding and enhancing the sustainability of forest-dependent communities as social–ecological systems. However, studies linking community resilience to the implementation of forest management programs are limited. This study uses community resilience literature and analyzes data collected from interviews to study barriers of forest-dependent communities of collaborative forest management (CFM) in two forest-dependent communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Analysis revealed the barriers in community response to CFM programs in these two communities comprise institutional shortfalls in the design and implementation of the CFM program that have constrained the incentives, capacity and opportunities for communities to successfully adapt to the program. The paper offers recommendations on how the CFM program can contribute to building the resilience of communities in managing their forests. The first is to build institutional capacity of communities to play an active role in forest governance, and the second is the prioritization of well-being and livelihood enhancement as forest management goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the growing concerns on the climate change and sustainability on petrochemical resources, DOE selected and announced the bio-based top 12 building blocks and discussed the needs for developing biorefinery technologies to replace the current petroleum based industry in 2004. Over the last 10 years after its announcement, many studies have been performed for the development of efficient technologies for the bio-based production of these chemicals and derivatives. Now, ten chemicals among these top 12 chemicals, excluding the l -aspartic acid and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, have already been commercialized or are close to commercialization. In this paper, we review the current status of biorefinery development for the production of these platform chemicals and their derivatives. In addition, current technological advances on industrial strain development for the production of platform chemicals using micro-organisms will be covered in detail with case studies on succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid as examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban water and wastewater systems face uncertain developments including technological progress, climate change and urban development. To ensure the sustainability of these systems under dynamic conditions it has been proposed that technologies and infrastructure should be flexible, adaptive and robust. However, in literature it is often unclear what these technologies and infrastructure are. Furthermore, the terms flexible, adaptive and robust are often used interchangeably, despite important differences. In this paper we will i) define the terminology, ii) provide an overview of the status of flexible infrastructure design alternatives for water and wastewater networks and treatment, and iii) develop guidelines for the selection of flexible design alternatives. Results indicate that, with the exception of Net Present Valuation methods, there is little research available on the design and evaluation of technologies that can enable flexibility. Flexible design alternatives reviewed include robust design, phased design, modular design, modular/component platform design and design for remanufacturing. As developments in the water sector are driven by slow variables (climate change, urban development), rather than market forces, it is suggested that phased design or component platform designs are suitable for responding to change, while robust design is an option when operations face highly dynamic variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wetland system possesses diverse functions such as preserving water sources, mediating flooding, providing habitats for wildlife and stabilizing coastlines. Nonetheless, rapid economic growth and the increasing population have significantly deteriorated the wetland environment. To secure the sustainability of the wetland, it is essential to introduce integrated and systematic management. This paper examines the resource management of the Jiading Wetland by applying group model building (GMB) and system dynamics (SD). We systematically identify local stakeholders' mental model regarding the impact brought by the yacht industry, and further establish a SD model to simulate the dynamic wetland environment. The GMB process improves the stakeholders' understanding about the interaction between the wetland environment and management policies. Differences between the stakeholders' perceptions and the behaviors shown by the SD model also suggest that our analysis would facilitate the stakeholders to broaden their horizons and achieve consensus on the wetland resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deliberation, dialogue and systematic learning are now considered attributes of good practice for organizations seeking to advance sustainability. Yet we do not know whether organizations that span spatial scales and governance responsibilities can establish effective communities of practice to facilitate learning and action. The purpose of this paper is to generate a framework that specifies actions and processes of a community of practice designed to instill collective learning and action strategies across a multi-level, multi-partner network. The framework is then used to describe and analyze a partnership among practitioners of Canada's 16 UNESCO biosphere reserves, and additional researchers and government representatives from across Canada. The framework is a cycle of seven action steps, beginning and ending with reflecting on and evaluating present practice. It is supported by seven characteristics of collaborative environmental management that are used to gauge the success of the partnership. Our results show that the partnership successfully built trust, established shared norms and common interest, created incentives to participate, generated value in information sharing and willingness to engage, demonstrated effective flow of information, and provided leadership and facilitation. Key to success was the presence of a multi-lingual facilitator who could bridge cultural differences across regions and academia-practitioner expectations. The project succeeded in establishing common goals, setting mutual expectations and building relations of trust and respect, and co-creating knowledge. It is too soon to determine whether changes in practices that support sustainability will be maintained over the long term and without the help of an outside facilitator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Green Deal along with directives promoting Circular Economy support sustainability transition and foster green growth through developing appropriate funding. However, information on how to access such funding affects firms' decision to expand their business strategy. This paper investigates the effect of information about financing tools on the adoption of Circular Economy business activities by exploring whether the better-informed firms are 'greener' and what influences such decision through a switching endogenous regressor model to account for endogeneity and selectivity bias. Data on European SMEs is combined with country-specific characteristics and econometric results indicate that better informed firms are by 65 percentage points more likely to adopt an activity promoting Circular Economy, highlighting that awareness about funding tools is crucial for sustainability transition. Evidence advocates for mainstreaming information regarding funding sources to pave the way towards green growth. A rebound effect regarding the use of renewables is observed whilst evidence points towards the rejection of Porter Hypothesis. Policy makers should target in fostering a greener business environment for the firms that engage in Circular Economy practices through increased information on funding options. Findings are also pertinent to the ongoing discussion and policy agenda around acceleration of the transition to a greener European Economy. • We explore whether better informed firms are greener and what drives that decision. • Firms with information on funding tools are by 65% more likely to be greener. • Mainstreaming information about funding paves the way towards green growth. • Better informed firms are not deterred by the complexity of funding procedures. • Funders should reward trailblazing firms by simplifying funding acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of expressway construction projects (ECPs) poses overwhelming challenges to the physical environment around the world. The challenges are supposed to be addressed with the enforcement of environmental policies (EPs). In this regard, developed countries have gained rich experience in EP formulation while developing countries are making efforts to improve policy decision-making on environmental sustainability. This study compares ECP-related EPs (EREPs) between China and the US by conducting a historical analysis with materials from 1960 to 2018 and text mining-based evaluation with materials from 2009 to 2019. The comparison results indicate that (1) an EREP framework is composed of two systems, namely outer factors and inner EPs; (2) the upper-level EPs exhibit a periodic and plan-dominating trend in China and an explanatory tendency in the US; (3) Chinese EPs are focused on pollution mitigation, whereas US EPs highlight the impacts on human health; (4) Both attach less importance to environmental protection measures at the project-level EPs. This paper provides a longitudinal comparison and analysis of EREPs in two huge countries, implying that EREPs are a snapshot of national rules and backgrounds. The findings lay a foundation for future research to examine the innovation of environmental policies, especially for those countries with massive expressway construction projects and the related environmental issues. • Comparing environmental policies (EPs) for expressway projects in China and the US. • EPs exhibit a periodic trend and are committed to controlling pollution in China. • US EPs shows an explanatory tendency and highlight the impacts on human health. • There is a lack of diversity of environmental protection measures in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to highlight the position of meat reduction in what EU consumers think "eating a healthy and sustainable diet" involves and who has a role to play in achieving food system change. The data are based on the Eurobarometer 93.2 survey (mid 2020). The participants were asked to make their own selections out of a variety of food-related items and actors, linked to meat ("Eating meat less often") and other aspects of diets ("Eating more fruit and vegetables"). Their responses were analyzed separately in two EU regions: Northwest Europe-consisting of the 10 richest EU countries with the highest scores on economic and social sustainable development indicators- and the East and the South. Three principal components of dietary thinking were distinguished, relating to 1) nutrition issues, 2) easy "light green" issues and 3) more demanding "deeper green" issues, respectively. The analysis also distinguished three types of actors in the value chain (food chain actors, supporting actors, and governmental actors). In Northwestern Europe, a majority of consumers saw a role for themselves in making the food system more sustainable and a large minority saw meat reduction as part of a healthy and sustainable diet. Both responses were much less common in the East and South. In the Northwest, meat reduction was relatively strongly related to "deeper green" thinking but also weakly to nutrition-focused thinking, whereas the opposite was found in the East and South. However, meat reduction had no prominent position in their considerations. For policy-makers, therefore, it is crucial that both nutrition and environment can be motivating factors for consumers to consider meat reduction, albeit to different degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to insufficient understanding of human-water interaction, many water-related problems arise in watersheds, posing severe threats to the sustainability of watershed development. Although water environmental carrying capacity (WECC) is a powerful tool to support sustainable development of watersheds, few studies considered aquatic ecological factors and uncertainty in indicator values, leading to losses of sample information in the evaluation of WECC. This paper developed a systematic framework for comprehensive WECC assessment that included the indicator system and a novel variable fuzzy pattern recognition (VFPR) approach. The WECC index system incorporated aquatic ecological factors, and addressed uncertainties associated with the indicator values. The proposed VFPR-based assessment model could realize successive evaluation to retain more original information of the sample and distinguish similar result values by treating the sample as having a continuous degree of membership instead of the traditional point form. In addition, it could be more adaptable to various circumstances including extreme cases, and closely reflect the impacts of indicator changes on the results. The established evaluation framework has been applied to Dongjiang River Basin in Guangdong Province. The spatial differences and main influencing factors of WECC in the study area were analyzed. Results show that 50% and 16.7% of the sub-regions in the study area would be subject to a poor level of WECC under pessimistic and optimistic circumstances, respectively. WECCs in the upper and lower reaches are the best and worst, respectively, which is in line with the levels of economic development in the Dongjiang River Basin. The proposed method can also be applicable to many other problems involving numerous indicators. • Traditional VFPR model was improved from both model structure and model parameters. • A systematic framework was proposed for continuous and comprehensive evaluation of WECC. • Water ecology and the uncertainty in indicator values were considered in the index system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable operations of energy production systems have become an increasingly important policy agenda globally because of the massive pressure placed on energy resources needed to support economic development and population growth. Due to the increasing research interest in examining the operational impacts of energy production systems on the society and the environment, this paper critically reviews the academic literature on the clean, affordable and secure supply of energy focussing on methods of assessments, measures of sustainability and emerging issues in the literature. While there have been some surveys on the sustainability of energy production systems they have either tended to focus on one assessment approach or one type of energy generation technology. This study builds on previous studies by providing a broader and comprehensive examination of the literature across generation technologies and assessment methods. A systematic review of 128 scholarly articles covering a 20-year period, ending 2018, and gathered from ProQuest, Scopus, and manual search is conducted. Synthesis and critical evaluation of the reviewed papers highlight a number of research gaps that exist within the sustainable energy production systems research domain. In addition, using mapping and cluster analyses, the paper visually highlights the network of dominant research issues, which emerged from the review. • Sustainable energy production assessment research is growing. • A systematic review of 128 scholarly articles is conducted. • Major themes include environmental impact, assessment approaches and energy policy. • Most evaluation approaches allow compensation between sustainability dimensions. • Little evidence of systems thinking outside lifecycle assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Qualitative content analysis of online, magazine and trade articles about the 21st Century smart home. • Identifies energy-intensive vision of 'pleasance' and its seven qualities. • Shows how plesance may undermine energy savings from smart devices (thermostats and lighting). • Suggests alternative low-energy visions for designing the desirable smart home. In recent years, household sustainability has received increasing attention in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. This has largely been driven by the argument that through interaction design, we can create 'smart homes' that enable households to be more responsible with precious resources, such as food, water and energy. However, the assumption that home automation technologies lead to improved sustainability may not hold. As a contribution to this discussion, this paper demonstrates how home automation devices promote a lifestyle vision which may undermine intended energy savings. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of smart home articles, we identify and interrogate the industry vision of 'pleasance'. We highlight seven qualities that underpin this vision: aesthetic experience, fun and cool, customisation and control, convenience and simplicity, peace of mind, extension and expansion, and effortless energy-saving. We analyse how energy-intensive pleasance is embedded within two commercially available types of devices: smart thermostats and networked lighting. We show how these devices and the pleasance vision that they mobilize may encourage householders to use more energy. The paper concludes with design suggestions on how HCI community can re-envision pleasance through the examples of thermostats and networked lighting to achieve energy reductions and sustainability outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food-related issues are on the rise in urban areas around the world. Issues include unhealthy food habits and eating practices, disconnection from food and culture, social isolation and environmental unsustainability. There has been increasing consideration of pedagogical approaches, or food pedagogies, to address these challenges. This paper aims to identify the key elements and influences over food-related activities within food pedagogies that strive to improve urban health and sustainability. A scoping literature review was conducted using five electronic databases. Of the 271 abstracts identified, thirty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. The review identified four key elements: 'Everyday food experiences', 'Social relations', 'Culture', and 'Sustainable lifestyles' and two main influences: 'Professionals involved with food-related activities' and 'Spaces of learning/experiencing food-related activities'. The key elements and influences embrace pedagogical and practical attributes of food pedagogies that address the complex food-related issues. However, limited published research examines food pedagogies or attempts to develop an agreed, theoretically informed framework. This review provides understanding of important knowledge and practical implications of food pedagogies for multiple stakeholders involved in food-related activities, useful to the development of food education programs and food policies or initiatives for societal health and sustainability in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of circular economy, wastewater can be used to address some of the 21st century's challenges regarding the transition to renewable resources for water, energy, and nutrients. Despite all the research, development, and experience with resource recovery from urban wastewater, its implementation is still limited. The transition from treatment to resource recovery is complex due to the difficulty of selecting unit processes from a large number of candidate processes considering the operational limitations of each process, and sustainability objectives. Presently, a multi-criteria decision support tool that deals with the difficulty of unit process selection for resource recovery from wastewater has not been developed. Therefore, this paper presents the conceptual framework of a decision support tool to find the optimum treatment train consisting of compatible unit processes which can recover water, energy and/or nutrients from a specified influent composition. The framework presents the relationship between the user input, the knowledge library of technologies and a weighted multi-objective nonlinear programming model to aid process selection. The model presented here shows, not only how the processes are selected, but also the four-dimensional sustainability impact of the generated treatment train while considering the weight provided by the user. Thus, this study presents a reproducible framework which can support private and public decision-makers in transparent evidence-based decision making and eventually the systematic implementation of resource recovery from urban wastewater. [Display omitted] • The framework of a tool to generate wastewater resource recovery trains is presented. • The trains consist of compatible processes, recovering multiple resources. • Processes are selected by a weighted multi objective nonlinear programming model. • The model optimises economic, environmental, technical and social objectives. • 4D sustainability gives objective, transparent options promoting resource recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mine waste can create long-term and occasionally catastrophic environmental degradation. Due diligence of mine waste in the form of monitoring and maintenance requires a constant supply of societal resources. Furthermore, mine waste is unlikely to disappear with current mining methods and instead, it is more likely to accumulate at a faster rate due to decreasing primary ore grades and increasing societal demands. However, mine waste can be a societal asset, as it can offer an alternative source of partly critical raw materials (CRMs) that can augment primary sources and provide an opportunity to mitigate supply-risk while ensuring sustainability and easing geopolitical tensions. Cobalt is a critical raw material that is largely a by-product of mining of copper, nickel and platinum-group element ores. It is an element that the renewable energy and high-tech sectors critically depend on and for which no reasonable substitutes currently exist. The majority of the global cobalt production stems from the Central African Copperbelt. Published cobalt production figures for the Central African Copperbelt were used to evaluate cobalt tailings from the Central African Copperbelt. As part of a waste valorisation framework that focuses on primarily on the technical aspects of mine waste valorisation, this study assesses the application of key geostatistical methods, such as kriging and conditional simulation, followed by uniform conditioning, to evaluate the resource potential in a hypothetical copper-cobalt tailing deposit from the Central African Copperbelt. The results indicate that methods such as traditional algorithmic kriging, sequential Gaussian simulation and uniform conditioning are highly effective tools in resource modelling of mine waste. The resource assessment framework component developed in this study makes it possible to systematically characterise, profile and model any mine waste storage facility and thus supplements other framework components discussed in an accompanying paper to maximise mine waste utilization. • Reusing mine waste is increasingly environmentally desirable. • A new valorisation framework is introduced for mine waste. • Ordinary kriging, sequential Gaussian simulation and uniform conditioning are effective for tailings modelling. • Models need to be constructed prior to tailing resource extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers often struggle to assess food's environmental impact. A product ranking based on a standardized scoring approach (aggregating multiple indicators) that is easily accessible, for instance, via a mobile app, could serve as a simple decision aid for consumers. However, to avoid information overload, research is needed in which format such information should be presented. This paper examines how different information levels of an eco-score ranking influence decision uncertainty and sustainable food choice. In an online experiment (n = 332, representative by age and gender), we compared a basic eco-ranking and an extended eco-ranking (eco-rank plus additional indicators: transportation distance and eco-certifications) against a control group (no eco-ranking) in three different food categories: milk, juice, and eggs. The basic eco-ranking successfully lowered decision uncertainty compared to the two other groups. In contrast, the extended eco-ranking did not reduce consumers' decision uncertainty level. Further, the basic (extended) eco-ranking increased the likelihood of choosing a sustainable product by 26 (17) percentage points compared to the control group. Thus, providing access to a simple eco-ranking can help avoid information overload and increase sustainable consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to achieve a holistic understanding of the current IoT scenario by conducting a comparative analysis of the prevailing literature regarding IoT applications in the agricultural domain. Also, it proposes a framework for IoT adoption in the case sector. A systematic literature review was conducted with a methodology that focused on scientific articles authored in the English language that were published in peer-reviewed journals in the last five years. Initially, 179 research papers were extracted from the SCOPUS database and finally, 82 relevant articles were considered for the study which were classified into various categories and studied thoroughly. Based on a comprehensive survey of the selected articles four research questions were identified and successfully addressed. The results highlighted that research efforts pertaining to IoT applications of agriculture have matured from their initial conceptual stage and now reached the implementation phase. Also, it was observed that Machine Learning based algorithms were utilized extensively in recent research studies. For the first time, an exhaustive study has been conducted holistically to comprehend the recent advances in the field of IoT applications for the agricultural sector. [Display omitted] • A holistic understanding of the current IoT scenario in the agri-food domain is offered. • A framework for IoT adoption in the agri-food supply chain is proposed. • Four novel research questions were identified and addressed. • ML-based algorithms were utilized extensively in recent research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever-growing demands for energy, the unsustainability of fossil fuel due to its scarcity and massive impact on global economies and the environment, have encouraged the research on alternative power sources to work upon for the governments, companies, and scientists across the world. Enzymatic biofuel cells (eBFCs) is one category of fuel cell that can harvest energy from biological moieties and has the future to be used as an alternative source of energy. The aim of this review is to summarize the background and state-of-the-art in the field of eBFCs. This review article will be very beneficial for a wide audience including students and new researchers in the field. A part of the paper summarized the challenges in the preparation of anode and cathode and the involvement of nanomaterials and conducting polymers to construct the effective bioelectrodes. It will provide an insight for the researchers working in this challenging field. Furthermore, various applications of eBFCs in implantable power devices, tiny electronic gadgets, and self powered biosensors are reported. This review article explains the development in the area of eBFCs for several years from its origin to growth systematically. It reveals the strategies that have been taken for the improvements required for the better electrochemical performance and operational stability of eBFCs. It also mentions the challenges in this field that will require proper attention so that the eBFCs can be utilized commercially in the future. The review article is written and structurized in a way so that it can provide a decent background of eBFCs to its reader. It will definitely help in enhancing the interest of reader in eBFCs. [Display omitted] • A general introduction along with the background and advances in the field of eBFCs are explained. • The challenges in the preparation of anode and cathode for the employment in eBFCs are mentioned. • Enzyme immobilization and stabilization at surface of electrode via Physical adsorption, Covalent binding, Entrapment, and Cross-linking are reported with example with their advantages and disadvantages. • Bioelectrode preparation from nanomaterials and conducting polymers are explained. • Summarized the current improvement in eBFCs along with their potential applications in implantable biomedical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li-ion batteries are daily present in our electronic devices. These batteries are used in electric and hybrid vehicles supporting the current agreements to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the electric vehicle demand has increased in the world. As Li-ion batteries are composed of critical metals in which there is a risk of interruption of supply in the medium term, recycling is the key to a sustainable future without internal combustion vehicles. Understanding the current scenario and future perspectives is important for strategies of new battery design, recycling routes and reverse logistics, as well as policies for sustainable development. This paper presents an overview of current and future vehicles used worldwide. An increase from 1.3 to 2 billion vehicles is expected worldwide until 2030; an outstanding demand will occur mainly in BRICS countries. The data demonstrated a correlation between the number of vehicles in use and GDP. Patents and processes designed for recycling Li-ion batteries and the new developments on pyro-, hydro-, and bio-metallurgical routes have been revised. The manuscript describes the importance and benefits of recycling as regards the supply of critical metals and future trends towards a circular economy. • The main consumption of EV will be in China, the USA and Europe. • Different types of EV batteries would difficult the design of recycling processes. • Hydrometallurgical route has the advantageous of producing of high pure products. • Biohydrometallurgical and solvometallurgy are ascending technology for battery recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Norse Greenlanders were dependent on wood for making houses, boats, utensils, tools and as fuel. Due to Greenland's northerly latitude and short, cool summers, the local woody taxa include relatively few species, most of which are low-growing shrubs. Consequently, it has been argued that import of timber was necessary to meet the wood requirements of the Norse Greenlanders. The taxa of archaeological wood assemblages from five Norse sites in Greenland, the episcopal manor Garðar/Igaliku (Ø47) , Tatsip Ataa Killeq (Ø172) , Tasilikulooq (Ø171) , Narsaq (Ø17a) and Gården under Sandet (GUS) were analysed to determine whether the wood was native, import or driftwood. This paper demonstrates that farmers in Greenland used mainly driftwood and native wood, while high-status sites like Igaliku had access to sporadic timber imports from mainland Europe and North America. Furthermore, the proportions of driftwood taxa from the Norse settlements are more or less the same as of Inuit and pre-Inuit cultures in Greenland and the Smith Sound. These results suggest that the Norse Greenlanders were not reliant on imported wood but were in fact mostly self-sufficient in regard to their timber resources. • Wood was used for various vital purposes like house construction, transport, for furniture, tools and household items. • Wood taxa analysis has proven to be a successful method to provenance wood in archaeological wood assemblages in the North Atlantic. • The native woodland was an important resource at the middle-sized farms, while at the a higher status farm, the proportions are far lower. • The Norse Greenlanders relied primarily on driftwood and native woodland. • Import of timber to Norse Greenland did not have a major impact on the wood procurement strategy as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household food waste is a significant environmental challenge, and almost half of the total global food waste comes from households. Thus, it is crucial to understand why food is wasted at home. This paper proposes a new method, Fridge Studies, that provides knowledge on food waste drivers adding to the research currently documenting the amounts and types of food wasted. Fridge studies is based on social practice theory, suggesting that waste is produced through food handling practices. By rummaging through the fridge together with the study participants, this method provides thick descriptions of practices that generate food waste in an efficient manner. Researchers and participants talk while rummaging, selecting food items and telling their story, as well as photographing the fridge and its content. The method was developed as part of three projects on sustainable food consumption in Norway and has been employed in 57 households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European-wide environmental obstacles of inefficient and unsustainable recycling systems and flows constrain household waste (HW) management, endangering the circular economy. The European 2020 strategy and ongoing environmental disasters indicate the ineffectiveness of the current HW sustainability practices. This paper introduces an artificial intelligence (AI) approach for calculating urban residual waste, based on its generation level. It reforms the current diverse and high discrepancy levels of HW residual for EU-countries and Ukraine. Adopting a k-means clustering method with a multi-criteria taxonomic development level index (TIDL), it produces uniform clusters with higher accuracy and manageability. Findings discover and remedy opaque managerial practices, enabling sustainable and environment-friendly development at national and regional levels for EU-countries. Results reveal an increased number of clusters in crisis, contributing to a methodological reference for environmental planning. In conclusion, this AI approach could have a European-wide impact on sustainable economic value-chain, converging toward an eco-friendly economy. [Display omitted] • Analysis of household waste management strategies in EU and Ukraine. • A methodological reference for environmental planning that moves away from the current centralized model. • Implementation of k-means household waste clustering approach with situational analysis and planning. • AI clustering approach with a multi-criteria taxonomic index for higher accuracy and manageability of waste. • Exploration of integrated AI-development economics for EU-Ukraine environmental policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to plug inefficiencies due to agrifood losses and wastes, which pose a significant threat to the sustainable supply of nutritional agrifood commodities/products. Country-specific evaluations of the extent of agrifood losses/wastes, including the pathways and impacts on net agrifood production, are crucial to inform interventions, research, policies and investments. This kind of knowledge is scarce in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, many of which are food insecure. This paper presents an estimation of and the bioenergy potential for agrifood loss and waste (AFW) – the edible and inedible residual biogenic fractions of crops and animal commodities/products – in Nigeria. Our findings reveal that Nigeria generates 183.3 ± 8.9MT of AFW per annum. About 27% of the average annual total domestic supply of edible agrifood commodities/products is lost before reaching markets/consumers. The intrinsic bioenergy potential of the inedible AFW fraction generated annually in Nigeria is estimated to be 1,816.8 ± 117.3PJ; this is sufficient to meet 2030's bioenergy targets and replace a third of its total (grid, off-grid and self-generation) supply targets. However, Nigeria lacks regulatory, policy and institutional frameworks specific to AFW management. This study recommends a sustainable approach to managing AFW, addressing the interlinked challenges of bioenergy production, public health and environmental sustainability. Besides addressing knowledge gaps in the Nigerian agrifood sector, the information generated in this study is well-timed to inform decision-making and policy formulation on decentralised AFW-based bioenergy interventions to achieve energy supply targets in the country by 2030 and beyond. This study is also strategic to guide future research/interventions that align with AFW utilisation/clean energy generation in SSA. • In Nigeria, agrifood waste (AFW) remains underexploited and poorly managed. • On average, 56.9 ± 3.3MT of edible agrifood is lost or wasted annually. • Inedible AFW bioenergy potential could meet 1 3 of Nigeria's 2030 electricity target. • Barriers, and an enabling environment for exploiting AFW bioenergy, are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although environmental rehabilitation projects that did not succeed are not uncommon, there are few research papers that deal with the subject. Works on the rehabilitation of borrow pits are even more rare. In an attempt to fulfill some gaps, the present study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a program for the restoration of a clay borrow pit used for the construction of a hydroelectric plant, twenty years after its execution. In order to assess the current degradation stage and to identify the possible errors of this intervention, the area was mapped using an unmanned aerial vehicle, which allowed the identification of the remaining physical structures, dimensioning of the actual degraded area and characterization of vegetation cover and types of exposed soil. Physical and chemical parameters of the degraded area soils were compared to those of a contiguous preserved area, which was used as a control. Soils of the degraded area are significantly more compacted (with significant reduction in macroporosity) and depleted in organic matter and nutrients. The results showed that the methodologies used in the rehabilitation project were not sufficient to recover the resilience of a deeply degraded ecosystem. The long-term success of a rehabilitation project is only possible with the guarantee of the ecological sustainability of the area, which is largely related to the restoration of soil ecological processes. Most of the time, this cannot be achieved with the simple use of classical erosion control and revegetation techniques and without the addition of sediment material to aid the process. • Unprecedented study on a borrow pit rehabilitation project in the Cerrado biome. • Traditional rehabilitation techniques do not work in areas with total soil removal. • Soil functions must be restored to ensure a long-term successful rehabilitation project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water security is an issue across the world as communities face ageing infrastructure, population increases and climate change. The application of digital water metering (DWM) to properties has had a demonstrable impact on water savings at the property and network levels, on efficiencies within water utilities, as well as on improvements to customer satisfaction scores. Gathering and processing near-real-time water usage data is very important for both end-users and utilities, as well as demand and supply management planning. The potential contribution of DWM to the three pillars of water sustainability (environmental, economic development and social equity) is often overlooked. In Australia and other jurisdictions water utilities are facing up to the challenge of climate change. However, business cases promoting DWM are often unsuccessful because the benefit side falls short of the cost side. This study sought to identify possible DWM benefits not previously considered through an extensive review of academic and industry literature, and then to view those benefits through the lens of sustainability. The 77 identified benefits of DWM were catalogued and a taxonomy was created. The study elicited the opinions of experts, before quantifying them, thus identifying two distinct contexts of benefit value; subsequently, it surveyed the views of customers and developed a stochastic model of benefit value. The model, named DWM360, was applied to the project data of a large metropolitan water utility in Australia to model their DWM proposal for cost savings, contribution to sustainability and uplift in customer satisfaction. This paper presents a novel focus on how the benefits of DWM assist water sustainability. It considers differing social norms that impact consumer acceptance of changes in metering and water charges. The study will be of interest to researchers as well as practitioners looking to identify sustainability aspects of DWM. [Display omitted] • Sustainability contribution of digital water metering (DWM) benefits identified. • Business cases for DWM strengthened by considering more benefits and sustainability. • Benefits of DWM arranged into a taxonomy based on of sustainability pillars. • Value contribution of DWM benefits modelled using Monte-Carlo simulation. • Social norms can impact successful community acceptance of DWM rollout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethanol distillation generates a huge volume of unwanted chemical liquid known as distillery wastewater. Distillery wastewater is acidic, dark brown having high biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, contains various salt contents, and heavy metals. Inadequate and indiscriminate disposal of distillery wastewater deteriorates the quality of the soil, water, and ultimately groundwater. Its direct exposure via food web shows toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects on aquatic-terrestrial organisms including humans. So, there is an urgent need for its proper management. For this purpose, a group of researchers applied distillery wastewater for fertigation while others focused on its physico-chemical, biological treatment approaches. But until now no cutting-edge technology has been proposed for its effective management. So, it becomes imperative to comprehend its toxicity, treatment methods, and implication for environmental sustainability. This paper reviews the last decade's research data on advanced physico-chemical, biological, and combined (physico-chemical and biological) methods to treat distillery wastewater and its reuse aspects. Finally, it revealed that the combined methods along with the production of value-added products are one of the best options for distillery wastewater management. • Distillery wastewater and its ecotoxicity on flora and fauna reviewed in details. • Current trends in physico-chemical and biological treatment have been reviewed. • Combined treatment proved to be more beneficial and sustainabledum • Lab and field scale use of distillery waste as a substrate has been highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable Development Goal 6.2 of the Agenda 2030 is addressed to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all. Further, one of the major principles underlying the Lisbon Charter is that sustainable and safe management of wastewaters are fundamental to the health of communities and their sustainable socio-economic development. Within this framework, the management of sewage sludge in a sustainable manner is one of the critical issues facing modern society, due to the growing rise of its production, increasing difficulties in properly locating treatment and disposal works, and complying with more stringent environmental quality requirements, thus requiring a re-thinking of its management. This paper discusses major concepts and principles for re-thinking the sludge management in order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives. • Sludge management should be the starting-point when planning wastewater systems. • Institutional and Governance aspects must be evaluated for effective re-thinking. • A holistic view point shall be integrated while re-thinking sludge management. • Need of procedures to reduce sludge amount, improve quality and maximize recoveries. • Addressing wider challenges from technical viewpoints to the socio-economic reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmer household livelihood choice has been critical in ecosystem and natural resource sustainability in developing countries. This paper investigates the choices of farmer household livelihood in a Karst environment in China by using a multinomial logistic regression model to analyze 676 farmer household questionnaire responses from 6 counties in Anshun City, Guizhou Province. The results show that factors such as land quality, regional accessibility, government policies, and farmer households' characteristics have significant effect on farmer household livelihood choices. Even though farmers are unwilling to live in areas of rocky desertification and soil erosion, the proportion of those who live in those areas is high, because alternatives are limited by environment conditions and farmer households' situations. Good regional traffic accessibility facilitates farmer households' part-time non-agricultural employment. Meanwhile, the Rocky Desertification Control Project increases migrant laborers. The study suggests that government policies diversify the choices of farmer household livelihoods in different eco-environment regions. • Land quality and regional accessibility policies, etc. have significant effect on farmer household livelihood choices. • Relocating the Poor and Targeted Poverty Alleviation have non-significant effect probably. • Good regional traffic accessibility facilitates farmer households' part-time non-agricultural employment. • The Rocky Desertification Control Project increases migrant laborers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the problem of septage mining on islands in accordance with the circular economy (CE) concept. Islands are natural and socioeconomic systems wherein seasonal tourism and agriculture are the major economic activities, while environmental and health security are the top priorities. The majority of the individual housing facilities on islands are not connected to a public sewage system, thereby rendering the treatment and disposal of septage difficult. A significant degree of seasonal variability is observed in the quantities and characteristics of the septage produced, which hinders the sustainability of potential solutions. Consequently, there is a need to elucidate the benchmarks of a sustainable solution and quantify the CE implementation. This problem was solved using a simple two-step process. First, a concept for septage management was selected based on a waste hierarchy approach. Second, a sustainability policy was quantified by evaluating a composite indicator that accounts for economic, environmental, and social issues. The application of the sustainability index enables the assessment of the cumulative impact of the proposed solution on the environment of the island. The applied methodology has proven to be useful in the creation of a sustainable management concept that minimises negative impacts and protects resources. The proposed septate mining concept can strengthen the self-sustainability of islands and alleviate the threat to their business and environment. • Conventional septage management cannot solve the environmental problems of islands. • Septic tanks are a reliable for achieving a circular economy on the islands. • Septage hierarchy is a tool for evaluating the processes that protect the environment. • Indicators are useful tools to support the progress of the circular economy. • Composite indicators provide a cumulative assessment of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Circular economy principles were adopted by European Commission, to support a sustainable growth. They contain general rules that should be considered in all situations. At present, during pandemic, some waste disposal practices are under evaluation to guarantee safety conditions. For example, in view of the recent results reporting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in sewage sludge, the possibility that it diffuses in the environment is alarming. The situation may result critical in densely populated cities, which are the largest sources of sewage sludge. In this frame the diffused practice of reuse of this waste in agriculture is under revision. In this context, incineration may represent a valuable alternative strategy to manage sewage sludge during pandemic. Indeed, due to thermal treatment, the destruction of organic micropollutants and pathogens, eventually present in the waste, is guarantee. Moreover, it is fundamental to highlight that also if the management of sewage sludge changes, the ash resulting from its combustion may have suitable reuse opportunities, and their landfilling should be avoided. This work presents the available possibilities of sewage sludge ash recovery in building applications and shows the results obtained by the analysis of their sustainability. The approach is based on the use of embodied energy and carbon footprint values, to make a simple and fast new method able to be a suitable tool to support and promote sustainability also in critical situations (such as pandemic) and when all the information about a technology are not available, making not possible to perform a full-LCA approach. This work aims to be not only a reference paper for promotion of strategies able to increase waste management safety, but also an example showing that circular economy principles should be pursued also if boundary conditions can change. • Sewage sludge incineration is the safest choice for sewage sludge disposal during Covid-19 pandemic. • Sewage sludge ash (SSA) can be reused as adsorbent material and in the manufacture of building materials. • ESCAPE methods can be useful to evaluate the sustainability of SSA. • ESCAPE methods provide a fast analysis during the design phase of the product (preliminary to LCA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is one of the world's largest emerging economies and, therefore, has a critical role to play in ensuring global sustainability, while the Indian economy is also prioritizing energy security. The paper explores the dynamic linkages between energy security captured through national-level energy use, foreign direct investment (FDI), economic output, carbon emissions, and trade openness in India spanning the period from 1978 to 2016 in a multivariate framework based on the theoretical premise of an Environmental Kuznets Curve. Time series econometric modelling based on the ARDL model and VECM Granger causality tests are employed for this purpose. The results confirm the presence of a co-integrating relationship and finds a strong energy-output–CO 2 –FDI long-run nexus. A 1% increase in FDI results in a 0.013% reduction in energy use. Energy use is found to be Granger caused by output, carbon emissions, FDI and trade openness in the long-run. The adoption of energy-efficient techniques through FDI is essential for reducing carbon emissions in India based on our findings. The Indian government should also galvanize FDI inflow in the renewable energy sectors by assuring incentives to investors to concurrently achieve favorable macroeconomic outcomes and ensure sustainable economic development. These are globally important policy lessons for other developing and emerging economies. • India is one of the world's largest emerging economy. • Dynamic linkages between energy, economy and the environment is studied for India. • Multivariate modelling framework is based on Environmental Kuznets Curve. • A 1% increase in FDI results in 0.013% reduction in energy use. • A long-run nexus relationships exists between the energy, economy and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity is one of the major and widespread challenges in the recent era that hinders global food security and environmental sustainability. Worsening the situation, the harmful impacts of climate change accelerate the development of soil salinity, potentially spreading the problem in the near future to currently unaffected regions. This paper aims to synthesise information from published literature about the extent, development mechanisms, and current mitigation strategies for tackling soil salinity, highlighting the opportunities and challenges under climate change situations. Mitigation approaches such as application of amendments, cultivation of tolerant genotypes, suitable irrigation, drainage and land use strategies, conservation agriculture, phytoremediation, and bioremediation techniques have successfully tackled the soil salinity issue, and offered associated benefits of soil carbon sequestration, and conservation and recycling of natural resources. These management practices further improve the socio-economic conditions of the rural farming community in salt-affected areas. We also discuss emerging reclamation strategies such as saline aquaculture integrated with sub surface drainage, tolerant microorganisms integrated with tolerant plant genotypes, integrated agro-farming systems that warrant future research attention to restore the agricultural sustainability and global food security under climate change scenarios. Image 1 • Distribution, causes and climate change vulnerability of salt-affected soil highlighted. • Management strategies of salt-affected soil under climate change discussed. • Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of management strategies reviewed. • Different innovative reclamation strategies warrant future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a unique review of hydrogen production methods with wastewater treatment to depict a clean and sustainable approach. Various methods for hydrogen production from wastewaters are identified and discussed with recent details by discussing the critical challenges, opportunities, and future directions. Five main performance sectors are considered in detail for each hydrogen production method of the recent case studies, including economic, environmental, social, technical, and reliability. Eight hydrogen production methods are reviewed, including anaerobic method, photo fermentation, dark fermentation, electrolysis, electrodialysis, photocatalysis, photoelectrochemical methods, and super water gasification. A comparative assessment of six reviewed methods for hydrogen production, including environmental, economic, energetic, and exergetic impacts, is evaluated. The comparative assessment results indicate that dark fermentation technology is the most economical method, and it is followed by microbial electrolysis and photofermentation. The most environmentally friendly method for the lowest global warming potential (GWP) is the microbial electrolysis method, and it is followed by photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical methods. Furthermore, the highest energy and exergy efficiencies have been recorded for the microbial electrolysis to be 68% and 64.7%, respectively. • Hydrogen production methods, along with wastewater treatment, are reviewed. • A comparative study of the nine hydrogen production methods is performed. • The results indicate the dark fermentation method is the most economical method. • The microbial electrolysis method is listed as the lowest environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the existing world population, set of environmental impacts, and predicted changes in dietary trends, one can expect that, in the coming decades, food security will remain high on the list of sustainability concerns. In relation to this challenge, Europe's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must address a diverse set of goals: (i) guarantee a stable and affordable food supply; (ii) preserve the socioeconomic stability of farmers by guaranteeing their economic viability; (iii) protect the environment by reducing pressures on agroecosystems; and (iv) improve food security by reducing import dependence. Policies related to these diverse goals are likely to generate adverse side-effects. A particularly uncomfortable concern is Europe's massive reliance on imported feed commodities. The European Union (EU) is unlikely to be capable of domestically producing currently imported agricultural commodities and a significant move to internalize imports would dramatically increase pressures on local ecosystems. Faced with that potential predicament, it is essential to have a robust information system capable of simultaneously addressing a variety of policy concerns. In response, this paper presents a novel accounting framework—Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM)—capable of generating an integrated set of indicators entangled across different scales and dimensions of analysis. Our versatile approach establishes a set of quantitative relations between: (i) the dietary intake of the society (desirability of the food supply); (ii) processes under human control (viability of the food system); (iii) processes outside of human control and associated with external biophysical limits determined by embedding ecosystems (feasibility of the food system); and (iv) the dependence on imported products (food security). The analysis of such relations can be tailored to the legitimate perceptions of different social actors affected by policies, anticipating potential conflicts and providing useful information for deliberation and negotiation. Our approach is illustrated with an analysis of the European agricultural system, covering the EU-27 plus the UK and Norway. Image 1 • EU food security both affects and is affected by global food security. • The EU cannot re-internalize the production of its massive feed imports. • EU environmental protection depends on the externalization of agricultural activities. • Global megatrends suggest to rethink current EU food security policies. • An informed deliberation relies on multi-level and multi-dimension indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish has several benefits that make it a desirable part of a healthy diet. It is also a high-protein product that can be used as a relatively efficient meat replacer. Both from a health and sustainability perspective, however, it is important to consider the optimum number of fish servings per week and to examine whether fish and plant protein can be brought under the same heading of alternative protein sources. To explore the consumer perspective on these issues, this paper draws on a brief literature study and a re-analysis of survey data from the Netherlands collected earlier. The hypothesis was that affinities with fish consumption and plant-based protein sources are to a certain extent related to each other, based on common relationships with food involvement, which set them apart from meat. The results showed that the hypothesis needed to be nuanced: fish consumption was associated exclusively with affinity with spicy meals based on authentic plant protein sources (e.g. nuts) and this relationship was partially based on food involvement. The results are in line with current Dutch recommendations that encourage consumers to eat one serving of fish per week and that stimulate those who already eat more than one serving of fish to replace the rest by plant-based protein sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the biggest sector of the global economy, an understanding of environmental management in small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is necessary for improved sustainability. This paper explores the role of contextual factors for ISO 14001 adoption and improved environmental performance in SMEs. It finds that socio-political factors (e.g. legislation, regulation and legitimation) guide the initial adoption decision. Nevertheless, beyond this, substantive performance improvements (i.e. improved internal processes and procedures) are received, based on symbolic (i.e. legitimacy-based) reasoning. Particularly, operational improvements subsequently lead to improved financial and environmental outcomes, as well as external social performance evaluations. This not only suggests that environmental performance is a multidimensional concept that extends beyond the firm, but also that ISO 14001 adoption in SMEs is based on the interrelation of symbolic and substantive performance effects over time and space that cannot be separated analytically in research practice. The findings are presented as particularly useful for SMEs in terms of highlighting the performance benefits of ISO 14001 adoption. • The socio-political context guides ISO adoption in SMEs, rather than owner-manager values. • Environmental performance is a multidimensional concept. • Symbolic and substantive performance benefits interplay through ISO 14001 adoption in SMEs. • ISO 14001 is often misinterpreted by SMEs, thus hindering substantive performance improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of the building sector represents the progress of civilizations. There are environmental, social and economic implications, impeding the sustainability performance of buildings. A holistic life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework is inevitable to address the integrated sustainability performance of residential buildings. This paper aims to develop triple bottom line indicators to assess the sustainability performance of buildings, including sustainability objectives, impact categories and key performance indicators (KPIs) to implement in the life cycle sustainability assessment framework. The indicators have been developed through the consensus survey involving area experts from four key stakeholders' categories including, government and Engineers Australia, academia, practitioners, and structural engineers. A list of KPIs was compiled through a literature review, followed by an online census survey to collect feedback from the participants in terms of relevance and importance of initally selected KPIs. Secondly, a modified list of triple bottom line (TBL) KPIs and their weights was developed based on respondents' feedback. Finally, the threshold values were assigned to the selected KPIs and the LCSA framework was tested using a hypothetical case study. The LCSA framework using these scientifically valid KPIs would assist stakeholders to assess the sustainability performance of residential buildings and to identify the hotspots for proposing well-informed industry strategies in Western Australia. • KPIs for sustainability assessment vary with products and services and also they are region specific. • Relevant KPIs for discerning sustainability performance of Australian buildings were ascertained involving local experts. • Threshold values of selected KPIs were determined to find out the deficiency of building sustainability performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In regions experiencing aquifer depletion, planning for groundwater sustainability requires both accurate accounting of current groundwater budgets and an assessment of future conditions, with changes in recharge and pumping. Hydrologic variability, climate change effects on water flows, changing water infrastructure operations, and inherent uncertainties in modeling, challenge the plans to achieve groundwater sustainability. This paper examines the importance, magnitude, and policy implications of uncertainties in groundwater overdraft estimation for water management in California. We review water balance estimates from two regional-scale groundwater models—C2VSim and CVHM—for sub-regions within California's Central Valley, and examine the variability and uncertainty in historical and future estimates of groundwater overdraft. Assuming reductions in agricultural water use for sub-regions with overdraft, we estimate the probabilities of ending groundwater overdraft for different periods. We also obtain the economic costs associated with these reductions in agricultural production. Results from both groundwater models show significant inter-annual variability in flows affecting groundwater storage, and our model comparison highlights the uncertainty in water budget estimates for Central Valley sub-regions given the differences between models. The analysis of the probabilities of achieving sustainability at the sub-regional scale show that the average overdraft rate is important and that greater variance in annual groundwater storage increases uncertainties in ending overdraft, especially for shorter periods. Greater reductions in annual net water increases the reliability of achieving groundwater sustainability, but rising rapidly agricultural economic losses. Setting management thresholds below groundwater levels can ease meeting sustainability criteria, but also can introduce a false pathway to sustainability. Finally, we discuss policy implications for the design of local groundwater sustainability plans and state assessment and regulation of local plans. • Many regions in California's Central Valley use groundwater unsustainably. • Uncertainty in models and future hydrology challenge groundwater sustainability. • Comparison of models shows significant uncertainty in estimates for water budgets. • Less water use increases sustainable paths but also agricultural economic losses. • Consideration of uncertainty and costs is essential for planning for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability of products and services has become a compulsory requirement and an essential requirement for organizations, governments, markets and society in general. Among the various ways of measuring sustainability that have been developed, those based on life cycle thinking provide one of the frameworks for assessing the potential impacts of products and services. However, despite sustainability of triple bottom line parameters (ecological, financial and social), the life cycle assessment is the most mature and prominent available tool. In addition, integration methodologies have come up, like life cycle sustainability assessment (integrating the three sustainability dimensions) and life cycle engineering (including the technical or functional aspect). The application of these methodologies to emergent materials and technologies represents a huge challenge, because there is lack of proper indicators, lack of information and contradictory information is common. This is the case of biocomposites, built with nature-based materials harvested in a myriad of ways in several regions of the globe. So, this paper presents a systematic literature review about the research done on the realm of sustainability assessment methods application to biocomposites. It reveals knowledge and information gaps to apply these methodologies. The integration of the existing methodologies is proposed as a way to allow a holistic sustainability assessment of biocomposite materials. • Adequate and accurate local/global indicators to life cycle inventory are scarce. • Integration of LCSA and LCE provide a better holistic sustainable perspective. • Selection of suitable stakeholders are strategic for defining the indicators. • Life cycle thinking is key in the material decision-making route for biocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biosphere faces an uncertain future! Embracing change, uncertainty and complexity calls for creative transformative pathways. Biosphere stewardship provides a novel multi actor approach towards sustainability. Despite the critical role of individual environmental stewards, biosphere stewardship emphasizes the importance of collective action, and therefore governance. Biosphere stewardship denotes novel governance configurations with the capacity to effectively approach to sustainability transformation. In this paper we seek to advance understanding of how biosphere stewardship actively shapes trajectories of change to foster social-ecological resilience and human wellbeing. Considering the crucial role of governance and more specifically its two pillars of collaboration and learning, we conduct our study of biosphere stewardship through the lens of adaptive co-management. We first set out a framework for diagnosing and analyzing the process of biosphere stewardship. Secondly, we provide evidenced-based insights from applying the framework in four UNESCO biosphere reserves situated in Canada and Sweden to shed light on how active collective shaping of biosphere stewardship occurs and what it produces. In view of the lack of framework for environmental stewardship, we suggest that the present study makes a considerable contribution by providing an appropriate holistic and systemic framework with operational measures. The study also highlights how the comprehensive and consensual understanding of stewardship is proving to be a means of catalyzing biosphere stewardship by enabling effective crafting of policy design and strategic interventions. Moreover, the application of the framework to four case studies reveals the importance of the governance process attributes (collaboration and learning) in mediating outcomes from biosphere stewardship. Finally, the framework provides the basis to address new stewardship enquiries, which require further research in this field. • We present a framework for diagnosing and analyzing biosphere stewardship process. • We provide insights from applying the framework in four UNESCO biosphere reserves. • The framework helps understand how biosphere stewardship shapes transformation. • Consensual understanding of stewardship can catalyze biosphere stewardship process. • Collaboration and learning mediate outcomes from biosphere stewardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a standard approach for evaluating the environmental impacts of products and processes. This paper presents the LCA of Living Wall Systems (LWS), a new technology for greening the building envelope and improve sustainability. Impacts of manufacture, operation, and use of the systems selected, were evaluated through an LCA. LWS are closely related to several environmental benefits, including improved air quality, increased biodiversity, mitigation of heat island effects, and reduced energy consumption due to savings in indoor cooling and heating. Two prototypes have been selected, taking into account the modularity and the use of organic substrate as selection criteria. The systems evaluated were a plastic-based modular system and a felt-based modular system. The inventory data was gathered through the manufacturers. The LCA approach has been used to assess the impact of these solutions by focusing on the construction phase and its contribution to both the energy balance and the entire life cycle of a building. This approach has never been done before for LWS. The study found that out of the two systems through the manufacturing, construction, and maintenance stage of the LCA, the felt-based LWS has an impact on almost 100% of the impact categories analyzed, while plastic-based LWS has the lowest influence on the total environmental impact. • Two prototypes of modular living wall systems analyzed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. • Life cycle approach to evaluating environmental impact and energy savings on buildings of the living wall systems as a passive system. • The environmental performance of living wall systems can be improved by selecting materials according to LCA results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]