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This article maps the scientific production and the contents associated with the sustainable development goals and their integration with universities during the past 21 years. Although many of the topics related to sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been addressed in different studies for decades, it is since 2015 onwards that they gained greater prominence due to the inclusion of higher education as an important actor in the fulfillment of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations SDGs. For the purpose of this paper, a bibliometric analysis of 871 papers, 535 documents in Scopus, and 336 in Web of Science (WoS) from 1998 to 2019 was performed, and the Bibliometrix analysis tool was used. The objective of this mapping is to answer the following research question: Is the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals and Universities a field of study? An analysis of the network of collaborators and trend topics in Scopus and WoS allows us to identify the concurrence and relationships of some keywords, such as sustainable development, sustainability and planning, and some background words, such as humans and global health. In another analysis, the word "higher education" is related to change. This article suggests that the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals in Universities is becoming a field of study under exploration, with a peak of production in 2016 and that has remained stable in the last three years, but thanks to the leading role assigned to Universities, intellectual production should increase in the following years.

The purpose of this study was to address the impact of international collaboration on education for sustainable development in the context of early childhood education in rural China. Government stakeholders in three Chinese provinces participated in a 14-day program in Bergen, Norway, focusing on early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS). The overarching questions were how the participants experienced the transformative learning in a study-abroad program, how they perceived their experiences affected their "glocal" awareness of ECEfS, and how they reflected upon their experiences to form new glocal perspectives of ECEfS. The theoretical framework of the study was inspired by Mezirow's perspectives on transformative learning. In this study, 11 participants wrote narratives and reports about their experiences in Norway and were later interviewed about their understanding of ECEfS and the steps they were taking after the training period. We identified three E's: experiencing cultural shocks and "outsider" status, engaging critical reflections upon ECEfS, and envisioning commitment to future action, with five key components of transformative learning--a disorienting scenario, emotional response, critical reflection, perspective change, and commitment to future action within the ECEfS. Implications for intercultural experiences as catalysts to trigger transformative learning, and for building a dialogic relationship and hybrid organizations as agents of positive social change, and recommendations are included in the final section of this paper.

Elevkanalen is a web-based digital educational resource containing videos, animations, pictures, learning paths, texts, quizzes, and many features that meet the Norwegian authorities' requirements for adapted and inclusive learning issued by The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (UDIR). The interest of this paper is to examine how the editors of Elevkanalen comprehend video as an educational resource and accordingly contribute to a discussion of professional assessment and didactical utilisation of video in teaching and learning. The protagonists of video-based learning are generally not reluctant to advocate the benefits of using video in education. Nevertheless, in order to be beneficial, it is reasonable to suppose that a deliberate and professional didactical utilisation is required. Video-based learning is at the centre of this study, and the ICAP theory is applied to critically assess video as a learning resource. Moreover, this is discussed in relation to perspectives on education for sustainable development

Education is the core of the factors that improved people for a better lifestyle and increases the level of society' development. Quality education is one of the most vital goals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to actualizing these factors. Using relational network data envelopment analysis (DEA), which have three interrelated substages, this current paper computes the educational economy efficiency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries bearing in mind the characteristics related to SDGs. The contribution of our study is the use of a novel approach to computing the educational economy efficiency using relational network DEA with GAMS. Even though some interesting differences reveal in the efficiency of the countries, the findings show that countries with high-efficiency scores are clustered around countries like Latvia, Slovenia, and Korea.

Teachers' experiences and attitudes play a critical role in outdoor education. In this study, we aim to explore how 5th-10th-grade (10-15 years-old students) teachers use the natural environment in their teaching practices, with special attention to the link to sustainable development (SD). In total, 42 in-service teachers were invited to participate in the study. The data collection was based on the participating teachers' individual written texts concerning their previous outdoor teaching practices, the link to SD and the related assessments. Based on content analysis, three main themes emerged from the data, including (1) teaching biology/ecology concepts, (2) exploring visible pollution and (3) applying a context- and inquiry-based approach. However, we found that outdoor teaching was scarcely linked to SD. The research results' implications for outdoor education and teachers' professional development are discussed in this paper.

This paper discusses the impact of and close interplay between global discourses on children, notions of (a good) childhood at the national and local levels and childhoods as these are lived and experienced in particular social contexts. Two increasingly powerful global images of children are explored: Children as individual subjects with rights to participation as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and children as human capital and early childhood investment. I argue that the market-oriented politics and "global images" of childhood are connected to particular ideological notions of what it means to be a human being, and an increasing individualization, separating children from an intergenerational social order. The discussion is empirically grounded in case studies in Norway and Ethiopia. The paper highlights the contradictions especially with respect to safeguarding local livelihoods and knowledge suggesting limits to the "sector based" approach to children's participation and rights to education. It highlights the need to move the focus from children as objects of investments to a "politics of recognition", in ways that value individual dignity and knowledge as constructed by children and adults within local "belonging communities". (Contains 6 notes.)

In this paper, we explore how a Norwegian teacher education institution promotes education for sustainable development (ESD) through a residential field course. The residential field course was located in a mountain area and data were collected through participant observation. The data included--together with instructional artefacts--evaluation schemes and assignments written by the student teachers, and the analysis was based on categories for science ESD. Through exemplary teaching experiences in an outdoor environment and pupil-active teaching methods, such as inquiry learning and phenomenon-based teaching, the student teachers gained experience in outdoor education and of stepping into the unknown in a safe learning environment. This was further connected to ESD pedagogy.

The cooperation of indigenous peoples with international collaborations such as the Arctic Council is unique because it has both national and regional dimensions, and internal and external perspectives. Subjects important to the Saami people relative to sustainable development include conservation, fisheries, housing, reindeer-herding, creation of an Arctic University, self-determination, and an indigenous action plan. (TD)

Emphasis on the need for Norwegian student teachers to conduct part of their teacher education programme abroad is increasing. Among the arguments for this emphasis is the idea that globally aware teachers have better intercultural competence that can facilitate sustainable development and more just education. Evidence to support these claims is contested. In this paper, we explore how facilitators of student teachers’ mobility between Norway and countries in the Global South reflect on student mobility as part of the (de)colonial project. We apply decolonial frameworks (Mbembe, 2016; Mignolo, 2021) that interrogate the colonial matrix of power (CMP) (Quijano, 2000) to identify and challenge colonial relations and expectations. Findings are based on interviews from four facilitators from Tanzania and Zambia (Global South) and three teacher educators from Norway (Global North) who facilitate Norwegian student teachers’ mobility. The findings show that student facilitators from the Global North had more freedom to shape mobility activities, including the freedom to choose partners, reproducing asymmetrical power relations exerted through mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ideals of productivist agriculture in the Western world have faded as the unintended consequences of intensive agriculture and pastoralism have contributed to rural decline and environmental problems. In Norway and Australia, there has been an increasing acceptance of the equal importance of social and environmental sustainability as well as economic sustainability. Alongside this shift is a belief that primary production needs to move away from an intensive, productivist-based agriculture to one that may be defined as post-productivist. In this paper, we argue that the dualism of productivism and post-productivism as concepts on agricultural policy regimes are too simplistic and discuss whether multifunctional agriculture is a better concept for a comparison of rural primary production at two extreme points of the scale, the market-oriented, liberalistic Australian agriculture and the market-protected small-scale Norwegian agriculture. We argue that multifunctionality in Australia rates relatively weakly as an ideology or policy and even less as a discourse or practice and hence is situated toward a "weak" end of a continuum of a level of multifunctional agriculture. In Norwegian agriculture, multifunctional agriculture has thrived within a protectionist setting with the support of the public, the state and agricultural actors. In this sense it is very clearly a policy, practice and discourse that aims to preserve and conserve rural spaces, the cultural landscape, the farming way of life and food safety. Norway is as such situated toward a "strong" end of a continuum of a level of multifunctional agriculture.

The global renewable energy landscape is changing rapidly. Green energies reduce greenhouse gas emissions, diversify the energy supply, and lower dependence on volatile and uncertain fossil fuel markets. The future looks promising for green energy sources, which are taking on an increasingly important role, especially in the current context, as governments are trying to identify viable solutions to the energy crisis and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Worldwide, there is a growing interest in and support for green energy sources, a factor that could help accelerate the current energy transition. Despite these positive developments, much remains to be done globally to make the energy transition a reality. In this respect, the European Union member states have committed to a wide neutrality target by establishing an increase in the total share of energy from renewable sources to 55% (by 2030) and, at the same time, reducing the net greenhouse gas effect emissions by at least 55% until 2030 to reach the neutrality target by 2050. Green energy sources are essential for long-term efforts to mitigate climate change and will play an important role in improving energy security and accessibility. The efforts of every country to strengthen the energy sector through the development of green energies will reduce geopolitical risks and disproportionate external costs for society. The large-scale use of green energies will contribute to sustainable development. The objective of our research is to review the literature on green energy in the context of sustainable development by analyzing research conducted by various authors and international organizations on these topics. The period considered for this study is 2011–2020. Our research focused on the EU 27, but the review also took into account the results obtained by other countries worldwide, such as China, the USA, Norway, and Iceland. The main research method used was the analysis of scientific papers, studies developed by international organizations, and a wide set of agreements and political commitments assumed by different states for developing green energy as a solution for sustainable development. The obtained results show an interesting international debate about green energies and how they can contribute to sustainable development. This paper's results also show that in 2019 at the global level, low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear power and renewable energy, accounted for 15.7% of primary energy (solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal and wave and tidal), while in 2021, for the EU 27, the share of energy from renewable sources reached 22%. According to international statistics, more than 90% of the governments of many countries are making investments to efficiently capitalize on green energy sources and to design new models of sustainable economic and social development, in order to lower pollution levels, reduce the dependence on fossil fuel imports and limit the climate change impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Problems of Sustainable Development / Problemy Ekorozwoju is the property of Faculty of Environmental Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the introduction of national carbon neutrality targets, carbon emission reduction actions in developed countries have become a hot topic as part of the international community's drive to take action to mitigate climate change. Carbon emission efficiency is an important indicator that can be used to measure progress toward carbon emission reduction targets. The relationship between green technology innovation and carbon emission efficiency has not been adequately studied, and the transmission mechanism is not yet clear. Based on the above research gaps, taking 32 developed countries that have proposed carbon neutral targets as research samples, this paper used spatial econometric models to explore the impact of green technology innovation on carbon emission efficiency and adopted spatial mediation model and spatial moderation model to analyze the transmission effects of economic development, urbanization, and financial development on environment-related green technology and carbon emission efficiency. This paper aimed to provide a policy basis for developed countries to mitigate carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality goals as soon as possible. The following results were obtained: (1) Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland were found to be efficient in terms of carbon emissions, while most developed countries were in an inefficient state. (2) Environment-related green technology innovation significantly improved carbon emission efficiency. (3) Economic development and urbanization had a mediating role on green technology innovation and carbon emission efficiency. In other words, green technology innovation could have an indirect impact on carbon emission efficiency by influencing economic development and urbanization. (4) Financial development could positively moderate the sensitivity of carbon emission efficiency to green technology innovation. Improving the level of green technology innovation is one way to improve carbon emission efficiency, and the mediating effect of economic development and urbanization can be used as a focus point to improve carbon emission efficiency. The pressure of carbon emission reduction can be moderated by finance development. The results of this study provide theoretical support that will assist developed countries in achieving their carbon neutrality targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of business-to-business car sharing and electric cars—shared electric cars (SECs)—has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from local travels during work time in organisations. In this paper, we analyse the uptake of SECs in two communities of mobile workers in Norway based on a combination of community of practice and affordances theories. The term community-based affordance is coined to describe how new mobility technologies are enacted and made sense of in the community, leading to transformations in work and mobility practices. Five community-based affordances are located for the SEC-system as follows: replacements of private cars, customised use of vehicles, rapid reimbursement, co-riding to meetings and commuting mode reconfigurations. Together, these affordances indicate how an SEC- system can contribute to the development of sustainable mobility practices in enterprises with many mobile workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores what happens when the ideal of sustainable development meets the real and pressing problems in coastal zone planning. Insights into how coastal zone planners understand environmental problems and navigate political visions, knowledge requirements, stakeholder involvement and local conditions, are key to understanding how to develop a holistic approach in line with sustainable development. The paper applies Q-methodology to identify the dominant discourses and explore planners' perceptions and practices for sustainable coastal zone management. The Q sorts were realized in 2018-2019 in Northern Norway with planners in 10 small municipalities and 8 county level representatives. It is argued that it provides new insights into the challenges that planners face in striking a balance between the overarching values and the practical tasks that planners face in everyday planning; and that the interpretation of factors using Q-methodology should focus on all statements to ensure holism and avoid overlooking important information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital models have become key sites of biological practice and science policy. This paper examines efforts to craft a digital salmon model for metabolic research. It traces the data configurations of feed, food, and health in Norway's bioeconomy aspirations—from cell culture studies in the lab to an integrated digital repository and public health nutrition trials in schools. A response to policy calls for more sustainable aquaculture, digital models become lynchpins for intensified data sourcing. I describe how datafication and digital model integration enact a particular mode of management, focused on profitability and human preferences, when optimizing fish feed to sustainability goals. Integrating molecular biology and mathematical functions, digital modeling promotes the idea of a prediction machine for preemptive optimization of feed and food across settings. Yet, unforeseen disruptions to aquaculture, for instance, by algae and lice, expose the complexity of marine food webs and the limitations of digital models. Even while in the making, the digital fish model becomes performative and shapes knowledge practices much beyond the lab. As knowledge infrastructures, models participate in the remaking of metabolic relations, recalibrating decision-making, while feeding back into and co-shaping the very entities and environments they were crafted to investigate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Temida is the property of Victimology Society of Serbia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss how and to what extent creative dialogue processes can have an impact on regional political planning processes in Norway. Politicians at Nordland County invited representatives from six different regions in Nordland to participate in café dialogues. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical material is collected from café-dialogues in Northern Norway in which representatives from civil society, business organizations, local government, and NGOs participated. The data processing is based on triangulation of hermeneutic interpretation, frequencies, and factor analysis. Findings – The findings indicate that most people want a “greener” future; this can be described as sustainable societies based on ecological production, distribution, consumption, and redistribution. People take on a more radical position in their ideas about the future than most politicians. The factor analysis grouped the participants into the following categories; “Ecological economics”, “Small is beautiful”, “Entrepreneurs”, and “Growth and control”. A large number of the participants are categorized either as “Circulation economics” or “Small is beautiful”. Practical implications – To solve the challenges of modern society politicians can instigate more radical solutions than they are in the habit of doing. The participants in the café dialogues describe fundamental changes in order to attain viable local societies per 2030. Originality/value – In this paper the authors demonstrate that cultural creatives in the USA give a relevant context for interpreting attitudes to change in small societies in Northern Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable global energy production is back-stopped by hydropower which is responsible for a significant share of the green energy produced worldwide. Hydropower, however, does not come without some environmental impacts but has worked to reduce those impacts. Here, we discuss the historical, legislative, and design configurations of hydropower facilities located in three of the world's most important producers: Brazil, Canada, and Norway. The background is intended to inform the collection of scientific papers from each country aimed at assessing and improving the sustainability of hydropower production that form the core of this special issue on sustainable hydropower. We review the development and key legislative history for hydropower in each country and point out the common backgrounds and interests each nation has in the continued sustainable development of its hydropower resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper is an attempt to advance the critical discussion regarding environmental and societal responsibility in economics and business. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents and discusses as a holistic, organic perspective enabling innovative solutions to challenges concerning the responsible and efficient use of natural resources and the constructive interplay with culture. To reach the goal of sustainable development, the paper argues that it is necessary to make changes in several dimensions in mainstream economics. This change of perspective is called a turn towards sustainability. To illustrate the theoretical discussion, the paper gives some practical examples from the reprocessing industry in Norway. Findings - The paper finds, first, effective and efficient use of natural resources is necessary to implement circular value chains. Second, sustainable development presupposes a perspective integrating economic, natural and cultural values. Third, to organize the interplay between all stakeholders we introduce an arena for communicative cooperation. Originality/value - The paper concludes that circulation economics presupposes a change in paradigm, from a mechanistic to an organic world view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the great importance of sustainable development for a country, it is possible to say, having reviewed the literature widely, that this research is the first to use a Multi-Criteria Decision Method (MCDM) to analyze the sustainability of EU countries, considering different dimensions and weighting the criteria with the help of a group of experts. This paper therefore sets out a Multi-Criteria Model for analyzing the development of sustainability in EU countries (and Norway and Iceland). This required prior filtering and analysis of the data from the Eurostat database. The model was built with the multi-criteria Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. Four experts in sustainability participated in the weighting process. The results of the AHP model are identified by areas of sustainability, with the highest value found in Norway, and the rest are found around it forming rings of sustainability, where sustainability decreases the further a country is from Norway. This research could be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each country with regard to sustainable development, and by analyzing the measures taken by Norway and other countries with very high sustainability, by continuous improvement processes, reach similar levels of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of the sustainability of countries for afordable and clean Energy requires a framework with relevant criteria, simultaneous inclusion of multiple criteria in the evaluation, and consideration of the dynamics of changes in performance over time. A wide variety of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approaches using different algorithms for multi-criteria aggregation are currently available. These methods are suitable for sustainability assessment because they allow the consideration of multiple criteria, the construction of a hierarchical structure of criteria, and the assignment of significance to criteria weights. However, MCDA methods have the limitation of being able to evaluate a data set for a single moment in time, which is insufficient for the sustainability paradigm. The mentioned limitation of MCDA motivates researchers to develop approaches that adapt MCDA methods to temporal assessment. The purpose of this paper is to present the application of a method called Data vARIability Assessment Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (the DARIA-TOPSIS method) for multi-criteria temporal assessment of European countries for affordable and clean energy. This aspect of sustainability is included in Sustainable Development Goal 7 proposed by United Nations in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The DARIA-TOPSIS method combines the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method for multi-criteria evaluation with a Gini coefficient-based measure of result variability. The method has identified the best-scored countries in terms of implementing sustainable energy policies focused on affordable and clean energy, including Norway, Iceland, and Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making cities more sustainable is high on the agenda in many countries, but a major challenge is the identification of which actors should contribute, and how. This paper departs from an assumption that visions may guide urban development work, and examines and compares national and local governments’ visions of future sustainable cities in Norway. The case study is the urban multilevel governance program ‘Cities of the Future’. Previous literature on urban sustainability and multilevel governance stresses the importance of shared visions and goals between stakeholders. However, the paper finds that, in the context under investigation, visions were partially dis-aligned between national and local stakeholders. Nevertheless, participants from both national and local governments considered the Cities of the Future program as successful. This was especially due to the learning networks facilitated by the program. The paper critically discusses the assumption of alignment and suggests a shift of attention from the content of vision to the processes of vision making . By this, we may understand visions as possible trading zones for the negotiation of future directions in urban sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycentricity has become a principle of strategic regional planning in order to concentrate land use and optimise infrastructure. This paper discusses the possibilities and challenges for a polycentric strategy in relation to Norwegian regional planning. The focus is on the spatial strategy in The regional plan for land use and transport for Oslo and Akershus, and its reception among local authorities, upon which the plan's implementation depends. We have studied the plan's aims and principles in relation to the interests of municipal and district councils as these are communicated in consultative statements in the planning process. The plan aims to increase competitiveness, sustainability, efficient land-use and transport in the region. Polycentric principles are favoured in order to ensure territorial cohesion based on the aims. Even though the plan is generally supported, local authorities point to the risk of intra-regional competition, unequal resource distribution, and unsustainable densification in regional centres. These are challenges that may hamper the sustainable development of the Oslo metropolitan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the umbrella of sustainable development, the bioeconomy presents one vision for overcoming complex sustainability challenges, such as climate change, by replacing non-renewable resources with renewable biological resources. But how will the efforts to implement this transition be received by the general public? Among Norwegians, the acceptance of a bioeconomic transition appears to be relatively high, and this study identifies critical enabling conditions in Norway that may be necessary to foster social acceptance in other countries as well. We employed a theoretical framework of social acceptance to demonstrate the complexity of this social phenomenon as a basis for an open and qualitative methodological approach. The study finds that trust, extinguished hopes of a pure life and intrepidness are enabling conditions that make people more receptive to new developments and future cultural adaption. As these fear averse conditions are not experienced globally, lower social acceptance of a bioeconomic transition can be expected elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study investigates local food producers’ economic sustainability by examining the impact of six variables: external and internal barriers, the number of economic operators, the imbalance of power, the number of distribution options, and waste. Methods: The investigation uses mixed methods of questionnaires and interviews. The data was collected using a self-completed questionnaire, which was answered by 57 local food producers across Norway, and four semi-structured interviews with professionals in the food industry. The quantitative data was analyzed with the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and the qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic analysis. Results: The study has statistically confirmed three out of eight hypotheses. The three hypotheses show that when the number of economic operators in the supply chain increases and also imbalances in the sales channels increase. Additionally, the imbalance of power in the sales channels has a negative effect on economic sustainability, and external barriers have a negative effect on the imbalance of power in the sales channels. The interviews supported seven of the hypotheses, although four of them were not supported. Discussion: The empirical evidence presented in this study indicates that the lack of balance within the supply chain exerts a substantial influence on the economic sustainability of local food producers. By adopting a comprehensive approach, this research demonstrates that a more holistic perspective leads to enhanced economic sustainability. Additionally, it elucidates the diverse ways in which various factors impact the economic sustainability of local food produce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second-home tourism has long traditions in Norway. However, the building and use of holiday homes or cabins is undergoing important changes with consequences for a sustainable development of activities and consumption within this sector. This paper explores how traditional norms about holiday-home or cabin life in Norway are challenged by new standards, activities and ways of organizing family life. By drawing on an analysis of in-depth interviews with 12 families living in central parts of eastern Norway, the paper discusses the strong hold of norms and ideals that are associated with the use of holiday homes. However, the traditional Norwegian ideals attached to the primitiveness of cabin life and outdoor recreation is challenged by new norms related to convenience, comfort and extraordinary experiences. Based on the interviews the article explores how these conflicting interests are negotiated and how compromises are reached within the household context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the Norwegian Prime Minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland, as chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Norway became an early mover in politics for sustainable development (SD). The pursuit of SD goals has been expressed in several national policy documents, though it was not until 2002 that Norway adopted an explicit ‘National Strategy for Sustainable Development’. This was followed up by a ‘National Action Plan for Sustainable Development’ in 2003. Neither of these initiatives has been actively implemented, and both are now being evaluated and revised by the current ‘red–green’ coalition government. The article presents and assesses strategic SD initiatives from 1989 to the present day. The major conclusion of the analysis is that the Norwegian SD profile is ‘long on promise’ and ‘short on delivery’, and that one major reason for this is the influence of a booming petroleum economy on distributional politics. An exceptional growth in public revenues due to oil and gas fosters intense political competition over the dispensation of economic and welfare benefits – both between political parties and within governing coalitions – and undermines the ‘political will’ to pursue the SD agenda. Given the ability to also use the surplus for development assistance, Norway stands forth as an SD ‘frontrunner’ in international aid, and an SD ‘laggard’ in sustainable production and consumption at home. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The recent growth of the aviation industry, which poses significant environmental challenges, has heightened the pressure on the sustainability of airports. Airport sustainability requires a holistic approach that encompasses economic, social, environmental, and operational aspects. In this regard, the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda provides a roadmap for the aviation industry. However, despite recognizing the importance of SDGs, aviation authorities and airports often fail to effectively integrate them into their activities and annual reports. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the significance of SDGs for airports and select the airport that prioritizes SDGs the most using Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodologies. METHODS: This study introduces a novel approach that integrates Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) methods, which are MCDM techniques, to enhance airport sustainability. The SWARA method is employed to evaluate and assign weights to the SDGs in the context of airports. RESULTS: SDG 8 holds the highest level of significance among the goals concerning airports, while SDG 14 falls outside the scope of airport sustainability aspects. Then, five international airports that have been designated as green airports by aviation authorities and assessment organizations are selected, and the optimal alternative is determined using the WASPAS method, considering the weights obtained through SWARA. CONCLUSION: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is the top choice due to its successful implementations and reports aligning with the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to frame the development and directions of business sustainability efforts.Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was undertaken with respect to a convenience sample of reputable companies in Norway, which have implemented significant business sustainability efforts within their organisations, their business networks, the marketplace and in the society, beyond the level of mere compliance.Findings Different directions are associated with the development of corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability. Business sustainability efforts are not static, but dynamic and based upon continuous flexibility to changes and adaptations over time.Research Limitations/implications The current study highlights the need for further research into the development and directions of corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability in the marketplace and society. A key suggestion for further research is to further explore the existence of other directions.Practical Implications The directions reported, provide a framework to assess the development or the status of companies’ business sustainability efforts in the marketplace and society. Corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability develop over time as experiences are gained and personal impressions move the identified directions forward.Originality/value This study contributes to seven interconnected directions of corporate efforts in connection with business sustainability that are both relevant and potentially fruitful to both scholars and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to determine the extent to which companies’™ efforts of sustainable business practices consider stakeholders within their organisations, business networks, the marketplace and society, and to develop and test a stakeholder construct in the context of companies’™ business sustainability efforts within their business networks, the marketplace and society by identifying underlying dimensions and items. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-method approach was used. First, qualitative research involving a case study approach was followed so as to describe how companies in different industries in Norway implement and manage sustainable business practices. This was followed by a quantitative research phase to empirically measure and test a stakeholder construct in the context of business sustainability efforts, which is reported here. Findings – The results report both an initial factor solution as well as a refined factor solution. The factor analyses confirmed five stakeholder dimensions related to business sustainability in a cross-industry sample of organisations, their business networks, marketplace and society. These include: the focal company, downstream stakeholders, societal stakeholders, market stakeholders and upstream stakeholders. The results indicate satisfactory convergent, discriminant and nomological validity, as well as reliability of each dimension. Research limitations/implications – The study provides a stakeholder construct in the context of business sustainability efforts in focal companies and their business networks, the marketplace and society, based upon five common dimensions. The multi-dimensional framework may be used in both qualitative and quantitative research in future. It may also be used to assess stakeholders’™ business sustainability efforts. Practical implications – The multi-dimensional framework is useful for practitioners to obtain an indication of stakeholders’™ business sustainability efforts in relation to focal companies and their business networks, the marketplace and society. Originality/value – The study provides a general stakeholder construct in the context of business sustainability efforts in business networks, the marketplace and society. The proposed framework can be incorporated in further studies and could be used to assess the general status of stakeholders’™ sustainability efforts in their networks, the marketplace and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how political conditions and external events influenced the rise and fall of offshore wind on the political agenda in Norway between 2005 and 2012. In this sense, the paper contributes to recent debates about the role of politics in sustainable transitions. Key findings are that changes in government posts combined with a need for the offshore petroleum industry to diversify created favourable conditions for offshore wind. However, offshore wind as a solution to articulated problems was insufficiently developed when the window of opportunity opened up. The analysis then shows how a recovery in the offshore petroleum industry and new changes inside government closed the window of opportunity. The paper concludes that we should attend more to the interests of government actors, and conflicts inside government, in the analysis of energy transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how and in what way different regional industrial development paths emerge through narratives about a natural resource-based industry in a peripheral region. The way in which industries are portrayed can shape how individuals or groups interpret the role of the industry, and thereby foster positive or negative attitudes towards it. We explore the dynamics in the traditional and slow-innovative lumber industry in Norway where digitalisation has recently 'turned the table' and contributed to upscaling and renewal of the production process. We identify heterogenic narratives among policy makers and within the industry itself. The pro-innovative narrative articulates a viable source of economic growth in the region and the industry as a key player in the bioeconomy, contrasted with a traditionalist view of the industry as containing low-skilled workers, low innovation performance and strong vulnerability towards extra-regional market changes. We argue that there are important reasons to concentrate on the role of narratives and discursive practices in regional development. • The regional industry path development literature has shown limited interest in the lumber industry, and has almost totally overlooked the industry from a narrative approach in connection to the periphery. • The way in which industries are portrayed can shape how individuals or groups interpret the role of the industry, and foster positive or negative attitudes towards it. • The pro-innovative narrative articulates a viable source of economic growth in the region and the industry as a key player in the bioeconomy, contrasted with a traditionalist view of the industry as containing low-skilled workers, low innovation performance and strong vulnerability towards extra-regional market changes. • The traditional con-narrative raises the threshold (or hinders it) for innovation capability in the region by highlighting problematic issues for the lumber industry through its reputation. The con-narrative highlights important barriers for renewal, and the role of institutional lock-ins is essential to understand this in greater depth. However, the analysis demonstrates that the progressive approach and innovation narrative lower the threshold and facilitate innovative capability in rural regions by highlighting enabling factors upon which regional business sectors rely. • Possible new development paths are disputed even among the firms belonging to the same sector and operating in the same geographical area. Hence, tackling the topic of narratives and power relations when studying regional development dynamics is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a quarter of a century, sustainable development has been on the political and research agendas. Within the field of landscape ecology, a wide array of research has documented the effects of alternative land uses, analysed driving forces of land use change and developed tools for measuring such changes, to mention but a few developments. There have also been great advances in technology and data management. Nevertheless, unsustainable land use continues to occur and the science of landscape ecology has had less influence on landscape change than aimed for. In this paper we use Norwegian examples to discuss some of the reasons for this. We examine mismatches in the spatial and temporal scales considered by scientists, decision-makers and those who carry out land use change, consider how this and other factors hinder effective communication between scientists and practitioners, and urge for a stronger focus on what it is that motivates people to action. We suggest that the concept of landscape services can be useful not only for researchers but also provide valuable communication and planning tools. Finally, we suggest more emphasis on applying adaptive management in landscape ecology to help close the gaps, both between researchers and policy and, even more crucially, between researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – "Business sustainability" refers to the total effort of a company – including its demand and supply chain networks – to reduce the impact on the Earth's life- and eco-systems. The objective of this paper is to describe a business sustainability model based upon a case study of a European manufacturer. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach was applied describing the efforts of business sustainability in the demand and supply chain networks of a Norwegian office chair producer. It is based upon a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews with top executives of the company as well as observations and content analyses of internal and external documents about the company's efforts of business sustainability. Findings – The case study shows that business sustainability is not about doing just one thing, but that a multitude of simultaneous efforts (e.g. actors, resources and activities) should be in place. Furthermore, business sustainability is not only about a company's own business operations, but its whole demand and supply chain networks which need to be included and taken into consideration. Research limitations/implications – The case study in focus is limited to just one company's effort of business sustainability and its demand and supply chain networks. It provides a business sustainability model that offers opportunities for further research. Practical implications – Focusing on the corporate impact of the natural environment can be highly profitable. Business sustainability and by extension the carbon footprint of demand and supply chain networks is becoming a criterion in the decision-making process of customers across industries. Business sustainability is a concern to everybody in society as the indicatives of climate change and global warming become more evident and troublesome. No one can have missed the fact that the weather is becoming more extreme, causing damage around the globe. Originality/value – The authors argue that research into business sustainability needs at this stage of development to be inductive rather than deductive – it may be an irreversible mistake to try to re-package existing theory into business sustainability, as climate change prediction and the poor condition of the Earth have not been fully understood or comprised in previous theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many oil companies have adopted the concept of sustainable development and claim that their production is sustainable. This might seem odd given that the oil industry depletes a non-renewable resource and that oil production also contributes to climate change. This paper analyses how the industry attempts to resolve this paradox, using the Norwegian oil industry as a case study. It is demonstrated how four rhetorical operations are used. By employing the topic of definition, the industry argues that it is sustainable because it (1) strives to cut its emissions and (2) manages oil resources with a long-term perspective until such time as technology will provide solutions. The industry then uses the topic of comparison to (3) discredit other energy sources as ‘unrealistic’ options and (4) compare the production in Norway with more polluting oil production elsewhere. Understanding this type of rhetoric is crucial for validating or criticizing the sustainability claims of the industry. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper's purpose is to highlight conflicting interests between combating climate change and the technique of carbon capture and storage (CCS) within the Norwegian petroleum industry. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is written in a conceptual form. The theoretical starting point is that strong sustainable development is necessary to combat climate change. The practical example is state-of-the-art of CCS, and whether this contributes to combat climate change or not. Findings - This paper finds using circulation economics adds essential environmental preconditions to the technique of CCS. First, the global environmental gain must not be outnumbered through an increase in production volume. Second, if the technique does not contribute to strong sustainable development then the producers must instead limit the extraction of petroleum. Research limitations/implications - The figures in this paper build upon the current knowledge within this research area. Extensive research is taking place, and may change the figures. The findings and conclusions of this paper will not be affected though by changes in figures. Practical implications - The findings of this paper show that it is necessary to use a holistic and global theoretical approach in choosing tools to combat climate change. Originality/value - The paper uses a relatively new economic theoretical approach to highlight environmental aspects regarding a technique of capturing carbon, which is currently being developed to combat climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews some of the literature and guidance provided for businesses considering responses to the environmental aspects and impacts of their tourist activities. It concentrates on the role of destinations and stakeholders within the destination cooperating and networking to improve environmental performance and on generating a 'green' image. In order to move towards a type of tourism consistent with sustainable development (sustainable tourism), it is argued that we need to see enhanced management of a destination, creating opportunities for networking and cooperation between, in particular, service providers. In a case study of Lillehammer, Norway, three projects negotiated, developed and delivered by service providers in the area are examined. These projects looked at hotel management, transport and aesthetics. Success factors are identified, including the involvement of stakeholders, the development of locally orientated codes of conduct, the role and participation of local authorities and the importance of leadership. Findings add to the body of practical help in moving destinations towards sustainable tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brundtland report and Agenda 21 focus on the global environment and development problems. Though Norway is usually considered a pioneer with respect to sustainable development, analyses have shown that this has not been the case with respect to Local Agenda 21. Still, Norwegian municipalities have strengthened their institutional capacity on environmental policy, and have thereby strengthened their ability to follow up the recommendations in Agenda 21. Through the high-profile government-financed reform programme, Environment in the Municipalities, which ran from 1988 to 1996, a great majority of the municipalities have employed their own environmental officers, and environmental considerations have gradually obtained a footing in municipal planning. So far, however, it is the local environmental problems that have received most attention rather than global environmental and development problems. By the start of the 21st century a crucial question is, therefore, whether the growing number of Local Agenda 21 initiatives in Norway will in fact adopt the global perspectives outlined by the Brundtland report and Agenda 21, or just keep on with a 'business as usual' environmental policy approach. So far national environmental policy in Norway seems to be reluctant to face the global problems, leaving the municipalities with the great challenge of being the 'engine' in steaming up Norwegian environmental politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of studies show that efficiency improvements alone will not be sufficient to attain the substantial emission reductions needed to mitigate global warming to a target of 2 °C. Consumption side changes are likely to be needed to achieve sufficient emission reductions. The United Nations emphasize the importance of developed countries taking the lead in lowering emissions to achieve the sustainable development goals. This paper assess to what extent Norwegian households can lower their carbon footprint consistent with territorial emission reductions towards the 2 °C target of global warming through implementing a set of behavioral actions. We evaluate the efficacy of the set of actions both initially and after considering rebound effects. A multiregional environmentally extended input-output database is linked with the Norwegian consumer expenditure survey to analyze both average and marginal expenditure per unit of increased income. Further, linear programming is applied to examine the changes needed by households to reach different emission reduction targets. We find that households implementing the full set of actions without re-spending can obtain a 58% decrease in their carbon footprint. When accounting for the effect of re-spending, this reduction drops to 24–35%, which is not within the requirements of the 2 °C target. The optimization analysis suggests households can achieve reductions up to 45% by restricting re-spending to specific goods and services. This indicates that curbing the rebound effect is key to achieving real reductions in household carbon footprints. We show that changing consumption patterns can significantly contribute to lowering anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions without compromising the level of economic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This qualitative study investigates how young students expressed, explored and expanded their ideas of how they could contribute to sustainable development. We analyse a trajectory in a Norwegian 8th grade class, focusing on the students' emerging understanding through microblogging and talk in individual, group and whole class activities. The material analysed are logs from a microblogging tool and transcribed video recordings from two lessons. We examined the trajectory as a whole to understand how the topic was treated, we sorted students' microblogs thematically, and we used interaction analysis to investigate talk excerpts. The results show that the students initially tended to suggest everyday actions related to reducing consumption, and that through classroom interactions about a challenging idea their understanding broadened. The combination of microblogging activities and discussions facilitated the travelling of ideas between activities and participants, prompted the students to question, elaborate and reason, supported broad participation, and helped students create links between everyday actions and wider sustainability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate focal firms' business sustainability relationships in connection with their stakeholders in supply chain networks. A questionnaire survey was sent to a sample consisting of large Swedish firms, with 107 usable questionnaires returned. The results reveal which stakeholders are of interest for firms in sustainability efforts. The results are compared with earlier findings from Norway and Spain in a triangular approach. The former is a similar country, while the latter is different to Sweden in several ways. In addition, the study uncovers which stakeholders in the supply chain network should be considered. The study also demonstrates how firms can implement business sustainability in their supply chain networks and shows the extent to which different stakeholders are considered in sustainability efforts. The study contributes to sustainability research and stakeholder theory in supply chain networks. Opposite to earlier findings, this study showed only minor influences from national culture and institutions on firms' sustainable business practices in supply chain networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although biodiversity is crucial for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), following the current trajectory, we risk failing SDG 15. Using a new indicator quantifying the loss of functional habitat (habitat that is simultaneously suitable and well-connected), we show that the real impact of renewable energy is far larger than previously assumed. Specifically, we estimate that the construction of hydropower reservoirs in south Norway caused a loss of ca. 222 km2 of functional habitat for wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)—which is far larger than assumed based on land inundation indices (110 km2). Fully mitigating these impacts is challenging: scenario analyses reveal that the measures proposed by societal actors would yield only a fraction of the habitat lost (2–12 km2) and could cause trade-off risks with other SDGs. Using indices of functional connectivity is crucial for environmental impact assessments, as entire ecological networks for several species can be affected far beyond the reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine spatial planning (MSP) in Europe is in a paradigm shift as all (coastal) European countries now have established practices for the production of marine spatial plans. Though international guidelines and an EU directive for MSP provides policy frameworks, the formulation of national policy designs for MSP remains a national responsibility resulting in vastly different practices. Focusing on three Northern European countries; Denmark, Germany and Norway, this paper presents examples of how national policy designs for marine spatial planning are structured, and how the current practice in each country is influenced by local planning cultures. This mapping gives insights to a number of challenges facing planning authorities when planning for sustainable development. Ambiguity dominates the framework of marine spatial planning and the central sustainability concepts it contains. This paper gives voice to the planning teams, as they are key-players in generating meaning in this ocean of ambiguity, giving insights to their understanding of sustainability in the planning of futures for sustainable seas. • The ambiguity of marine spatial planning (MSP) frameworks makes for heterogeneous MSP policy designs and practices. • The use of sustainability concepts in MSP policy designs is ambiguous and without guidance for implementation. • The understanding of sustainability is left to the planners, of which some does not build their own understanding. • National planning cultures in MSP authority largely depend on the type of agency (e.g. environmental vs. economic). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a little more than 10 years, Norway went from being a laggard in low energy construction to mandatory Passive House energy consumption levels for all new buildings. This is a remarkable story of expert-led sustainable change, in which considerable resistance had to be overcome. Based on a distant and a close reading of Norwegian print media coverage of low energy buildings between 2005 and 2012, we analyse one aspect of this success story: representations of research-based expert authority. Our empirical study is motivated by a concern for expert authority in conflicts that arise when sustainability policies are implemented. We found three distinct, but complementary groups of representations, cautious dissemination of research findings, open engagement in public controversies, and seductive 'home stories'. In a division of labour, we argue, they were able to assert research-based authority that persisted despite heated public controversies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex sustainability challenges of the 21st century need to be addressed through integrated interdisciplinary approaches, combining science, law, and ethics with concrete, timely, and effective solutions. This study offers a legal framework and a case study to the needs posited by the Agenda 2030 on sustainable development. Starting from an analysis of the first part of the Agenda, the article unfolds by exploring the possibility of defining environmental compliance through environmental responsibility, environmental duties, and the virtuous case of agroecology. The case study focuses on a climate-smart practice applied to the sea and delves into the environmental, nutritional, and health benefits of the marine biomass from Northern Norway. The theoretical framework and the case study will emphasize the importance of systemic approaches to sustainability for putting integral ecology models into action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]