Environmental issues are a pressing global concern, thus requiring a comprehensive understanding of behaviors that promote sustainability. This study examines pro-environmental behavior among Soegijapranata Catholic University students by integrating the Norm Activation Model (NAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A quantitative approach was used through a closed questionnaire distributed to 280 students. Data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 22.00 showed that pro-environmental intention is the most significant direct determinant of students' pro-environmental behavior (CR = 5.883, P < 0.001, and the value of direct influence is 0.728). This finding emphasizes the novelty of combining moral motivation from NAM and rational aspects from TPB, resulting in a more comprehensive analytical framework. Practical implications include designing interventions, such as educational campaigns and policies, to enhance pro-environmental behavior in higher education settings. This study provides theoretical contributions and practical insights to support sustainability efforts in academic institutions.

This article examines the challenges, scenarios, and future of solid waste management (SWM) in Ukrainian communities. Urgency stems from worsening environmental conditions and Ukraine’s commitments under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Over the past decade, initiatives like the National Waste Management Strategy till 2030 have promoted recycling, reuse, and systematic SWM. The study analyzes current waste management and recycling practices, community-level efficiency, and technical and financial aspects of disposal and recycling methods. Using qualitative methods, it evaluates scenarios and optimal strategies, highlighting the need for infrastructure modernization, investment, and stronger local coordination to achieve an EU-aligned, sustainable SWM system. This study advances knowledge by combining scenario-based modeling with qualitative assessment to evaluate Ukraine’s municipal waste management under post-war reconstruction and EU circular economy principles. It introduces an adaptable framework integrating environmental accounting, investment estimation, and governance analysis for community-level systems. Unlike previous descriptive studies, it provides scenario-driven evidence to guide policy and financial decisions for Ukraine’s gradual EU alignment. The ongoing Russian invasion, which has disrupted infrastructure and generated hazardous waste, adds complexity to data collection and investment assessments, and should be considered when interpreting the results.

The paper investigates fiscal aspects of waste management policy and waste management at the communal level in the Slovak Republic. For this purpose, cross-sectional data on the municipal level averaged over five years (2017 - 2022) were used. The results reveal a significant fiscal gap between municipal waste management revenues and expenses, which are indirectly transferred to the consumers (households), and will worsen their financial situation and the related public welfare. The econometric modelling comprising quantitative and qualitative variables (ANCOVA) model was used to determine the factors significantly impacting waste management expenses. The results suggest that introducing the policy of waste prevention through a higher share of separated waste is associated with a significant increase in waste management expenses. This study contributes to the understanding of the impacts of financial incentives on waste management at the municipal level, revealing an unintended externality that points to a consequence leading to an increase in the financial burden on consumers in the form of additional costs. It is a counter-productive aspect of the policy, which should not cause a decline in public welfare and discourage consumers from waste separation. The results also suggest that current policies to promote separate collection may also inadvertently increase costs for municipalities, affecting their fiscal planning and efficiency, particularly at the environmental level. Further research is recommended in this area to gather more evidence and provide recommendations on the future implementation of waste management policy at the municipal level. For a more successful closure of the investigated issues in waste management, it is necessary to examine and minimize the revealed externalities, thereby ensuring a long-term sustainable waste management policy.

The Swedish wine culture is comparably young, and its domestic wine production is even younger, starting with the official approval by the European Union in 1999. While domestic wine production currently contributes modestly to the Swedisheconomy, the industry is experiencing notable growth. It attracts investments, gains national and international media attention, and demonstrates a strong determination to thrive. Swedish winemakers have by now shown the ability to produce highly appreciated and award-winning wines from locally grown grapes. Furthermore, recent studies conducted within the context of ongoing global warming indicate the possibility of a future, more extensive wine industry in cold climate regions, such as southern Scandinavia.In this study, we evaluate the great potential of recent emerging Swedish wine regions, which demonstrate the crucial role ofresearch in achieving industry success. Some pioneering Sweden-oriented viticulture and oenology research has been conducted, someof which is shown in this paper, indicating a possibility to diversify the used grapevine cultivars in the Swedish production. Overall, more research will be needed to advance wine farming in still relatively unknown territories. Given Sweden’s robust sustainability goals and the absence of rigid regional wine regulations, there is both a need and an opportunity for the development of locally adapted, sustainability-driven wine production methods. In this context, unique opportunities exist for practitioners and researchers to explore highly sustainable approaches, such as regenerative viticulture and multifunctional agriculture. These approaches have proven successful in other parts of the world, despite their current limited broader application.

The plant family of Brassicaceae (Syn., Cruciferae after the four petals in cruciform arrangement) comprises over 3,700 species of 338 genera including vegetables, crops, fodder crops and wild species. The most species-rich genera are the wild plants Draba (440 species), Erysimum (261 species), Lepidium (234 species), Cardamine (233 species), and Alyssum (207 species) (http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/; Simoncsics, 2017). The families of Armoracia, Raphanus, Sinapis, Wasabia, Arabidopsis (Rédei, G. [1921-2008], 1975; TAIR - www.arabidopsis.org) with over 50 species (http://www.theplantlist.org), and Thlaspi jankae (pennycress Janka, described in Hungary by Janka, V. [1837-1890]) also belongs to Cruciferae. Genus Brassica comprises 37 species and numerous subspecies (ssp.) and over 3.000 registered cultivars (cv.) growing globally. Here we analyze genomes and genes of brassicaceae species based on in silico data mining (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) to reveal further rationale for the extreme levels (Li et al., 2024) of plant organs mutations, molecular diversity, phenotypic plasticity, diversification, domestication, evolution, selection, speciation and breeding of brassicaceae species.

Human activities have greatly raised global temperatures by producing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, posing several environmental issues. Addressing these difficulties, we propose a scalable methodology for increasing CO2 absorption by reforestation on privately owned agricultural land. This strategy focuses on planting commercially valuable and high carbon-sequestering trees, such as mulberry, fig, olive, linden, almond, and hemp, on a one-hectare area. The design features ten rows of trees with hemp planted between them to maximise land utilisation and revenue creation. Economic predictions indicate a yearly income of € 41.064 per hectare from plant-based goods and € 992,40 from carbon credits, totalling € 42.056,40. The net CO2 absorption per hectare is 16,54 tonnes per year. This approach helps farmers financially while simultaneously helping to minimise climate change by balancing emissions and absorption. Diversifying crops improves resistance to market variations, while hemp boosts soil fertility and rotational crops. This method, which balances environmental and economic stability, demonstrates that sustainable practices may generate revenue. Based on Siena's previous successes in reaching carbon neutrality, this approach provides an effective strategy for achieving positive carbon results that may be applied in a variety of climates and locations. Implementing such initiatives is crucial for sustainable growth, reducing our environmental footprint, and ensuring a resilient future.

This study explores the relationship between corporate credit ratings, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings, and Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions for the largest 100 publicly traded companies by market capitalization in the U.S. and the EU. By integrating credit ratings from Moody’s and S&P Global, ESG ratings from Refinitiv and S&P Global, and emissions data from corporate sustainability reports, this research addresses the inconsistencies in how emissions transparency impacts creditworthiness. Employing statistical analyses such as correlation, regression, and quartile comparisons, the study provides novel insights into the weak association between ESG ratings and actual emissions performance. The findings reveal that higher credit-rated companies tend to report higher Scope 1 and 2 emissions, while ESG ratings, despite being seen as indicators of sustainability, fail to consistently reflect a company’s emissions data, particularly Scope 3 emissions. This study contributes to the literature by underlining the methodological divergences among ESG rating agencies, emphasizing their limited alignment with environmental performance metrics. Highlighting the need for a standardized ESG reporting framework, this paper calls attention to the limitations of current ESG scores as a proxy for corporate sustainability and their implications for credit rating assessments.

In recent decades, the steady increase in plastic packaging waste has presented humanity with an increasingly difficult challenge. In order to solve the waste management problem, a deposit refund system is one option that has been proposed. This system was introduced in Hungary on January 1, 2024. In order to improve this system, our study aimed to collect good practices from countries that have been using DRS for a long time. To this, we conducted a comparative analysis of the six countries (Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany) that have been using the system the longest. We examined plastic waste and its recycling rate, recycling and return rates, the number of return points per capita, the relationship between average wages and deposit fees, and the types of systems. Finally, we compiled a list of best practices and highlighted those that we believe could be used to improve the Hungarian system. This includes the convenient location and smooth operation of vending machines, communication with consumers, the involvement of multiple actors, and the use of mobile collection points.

Urban environments pose novel challenges to signal communication of Urban-adjusted birds. The present study compared spectral and temporal traits of Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) dwelling in Semirural and Urban sites in terms of Low, High, and Peak frequencies and syllable duration. We recorded 270 calls from approximately 224 individuals from 3 sites2 urban and one semirural, 90 calls from each area. We also correlated the Temperature and Humidity with each of these parameters using the Pearson correlation coefficient at 95% CI. Calls were found to be of higher frequencies in the Metropolitanurban area than in the semirural area. One-way ANOVA analysis showed significant differences (P<0.05) in all call parameters among the sites. Peak frequency was found to be slightly higher in the Semirural area as compared to the noisy urban site by about 45 Hz, but less as compared to the Metropolitan area of Ahmedabad. Syllable duration was highest in semirural area. Temperature and Humidity did not have a significant impact on birdsong (P>0.05). Our study emphasises urban environment affects both spectral and temporal traits of birdsong significantly and forms the primer for studying the effects of weather on birdsong. Urban Canyon effects and urban composition have more impact on signal transmission and communication as compared to weather parameters. However, additional study will be required to emphasise the quantification of impervious surfaces and noise levels and consider recording distance while making Urban and semirural comparisons.

FinTech banking solutions offer a valuable set of technological tools that can be used to improve sustainability. Therefore, consumer acceptance and applicability of FinTech solutions is an important issue, especially among Generation Z, as this age group represents a relevant segment of future consumers. According to studies, men have a more positive attitude towards technology adoption than women. It is important to understand the mindset of women in this context, and this paper focuses on them to analyse the key determinants of FinTech service usage. Therefore, the objective of this analysis is to examine the attitudes of Generation Z women in Hungary by assessing the factors that influence their use of FinTech services. The novelty of the analysis lies in the selected population, as women are less likely than their male counterparts to have digital skills in a professional capacity. This may be reflected in their openness to financial technology solutions. The analysis is based on a questionnaire due to its sociological dimension, with a prospective sample of university students from Gy?r. The methodology is based on factor analysis, which is capable of distinguishing the factors that influence the use of FinTech services based on a statistical analysis of variables (Likert scale). The results show that there are several factors influencing women's FinTech usage habits, which service providers should pay attention to. The findings of the current study can help FinTech companies shape their marketing and service strategies to improve their ability to reach and retain potential and existing female customers.