Bold Action Research Articles

Business-as-usual trends will largely miss 2030 global conservation targets.

To address climate change and global biodiversity loss, the world must hit three important international conservation targets by 2030: protect 30% of terrestrial and marine areas, halt and reverse forest loss, and restore 350 Mha of degraded and deforested landscapes. Here, we (1) provide estimates of the gaps between these globally agreed targets and business-as-usual trends; (2) identify examples of rapid past trend-shifts towards achieving the targets; and (3) link these past trend-shifts to different levers. Our results suggest that under a business-as-usual scenario, the world will fail to achieve all three targets. However, trend-shifts that rapidly "bend the curve" have happened in the past and these should therefore be fostered. These trend-shifts are linked to transformative change levers that include environmental governance, economic factors, values, and knowledge. Further research on trend-shifts, as well as bold action on underlying levers, is urgently needed to meet 2030 global conservation targets.

Stronger NDCs With Cities, States, and Regions: Recommendations for National Governments

Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to societies and ecosystems worldwide. Without the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the globe and bold action to reduce climate impacts, the world will face devastating consequences to be felt for generations to come. Yet current climate commitments are not in line with pathways needed to achieve net zero emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Countries can significantly enhance the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) through a more collaborative and integrated approach with subnational governments to fully align with the Paris Agreement goals. This document supports national governments in the facilitation of input from subnational governments in the NDC development process. It has been written with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 2025 NDC deadline in mind, but it will support countries beyond this milestone and can be considered a tool for designing all successive NDCs.

Szwedzkie doświadczenia Jana Wejhera i „grupa do zadań specjalnych” Zygmunta III

Jan Wejher (Weiher), the starost of Puck (1580–1626), contributed to the importance of his family at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. Jan owed much to the protection of King Sigismund III, whose support he reciprocated primarily in the military field. Participation in the expedition of 1598 and the bold actions of Jan brought King’s recognition, who from then on constantly burdened him with important tasks. The article analyzes the early stage of Wejher’s career, which determined his later success. Wejher’s important task was being a member of a small but very competent group at the king’s side, working to regain the Swedish throne.

Situational awareness and situational heroism: a close reading of testimonies from the London Bridge terror attack 2019

ABSTRACT Based on an-in depth analysis of two testimonies, this article explores how ordinary people can become ‘situational heroes’. On 29 November 2019, Darryn Frost and Steve Gallant were caught up in a terrorist attack in central London. In that situation, Frost and Gallant demonstrated a high degree of situational awareness and took bold and swift action to stop the attacker. Using the literary method of close reading, I analyse their testimonies with a particular eye towards two questions: how did the two men perceive the dangerous situation? Can and should they be seen as heroes? As a convicted murderer and long-serving prisoner, Gallant was certainly no hero in the conventional sense. Yet, in 2023 he received The Queen’s Gallantry Medal for ‘for acts of exemplary bravery’ alongside with Frost and a few others. This, I argue, is symptomatic of a broader shift towards situational awareness and towards what I call situational heroism. As it is less about being a hero and more aboutacting heroically in particular situations, situational heroism is less elitist and more inclusive than many historical forms of heroism. However, it also raises new ethical questions.

Preface

Chairman’s Preface Dr. Talal Al-Wahaibi Chairman, ICES 2024 Dean, College of Engineering A’Sharqiyah University, Ibra, Oman Welcome to the International Conference on Energy and Sustainability (ICES 2024) — a nexus where academia’s brightest minds, industry pioneers, and passionate researchers converge to ignite discussions and exchange ideas that will shape the future of energy and sustainability. As we gather here, whether in the halls of A’Sharqiyah University or through the digital expanse connecting us across the world, we do so with a unified purpose: to explore avenues for a greener economy and a sustainable future, not just for Oman but for our global community. Under the wise directives of His Majesty, Oman is on an ambitious journey to establish the ‘Oman Sustainability Centre’ and achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. It is a bold vision that requires equally bold actions, and through the collaborative effort of this conference, A’Sharqiyah University reaffirms its commitment to being a catalyst in this national endeavor. Please note that the proceedings here represent a selection of the work presented at ICES 2024. Some papers have been extended beyond this collection for publication in collaboration with esteemed journals. This curated volume captures the breadth of discussions and contributions made during our event, yet there is more to be found in the associated journal issues. In these proceedings, you will find the essence of ICES 2024 distilled into words and studies. Each page carries the weight of our collective aspiration and the detailed insights that emerged from our two-day engagement. The College of Engineering at A’Sharqiyah University is proud to host this event, which aligns perfectly with our vision to become a beacon of excellence in the domains of energy and sustainability. The objective of ICES 2024 extends beyond the dissemination of research; it is to cement relationships among the academic community and industry leaders, to spark innovative partnerships, and to foster a collaborative network that transcends borders. In this confluence of local wisdom and international expertise, we find the greatest potential for impactful change. The proceedings before you are a testament to the rigorous inquiry and innovative spirit that characterizes ICES 2024. They are a record of the thoughtful discourse that took place, the challenging questions raised, and the forward-thinking solutions proposed. I am deeply grateful to every participant, speaker, organizer, and attendee — your contributions have been the lifeblood of this conference. Together, we have created a platform for meaningful conversation and set the stage for impactful action. List of Steering Committee, Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee and About the Conference are available in this Pdf.

Opportunities to grow tribal clean energy in the US.

Bold action is needed to address unmanageable time scales, limited access to information, and a need to build capacity.

What compels bipartisan lawmakers to support coral reef legislation in the U.S. Congress

As coral reef ecosystems disappear at an alarming rate, the United States and the wider world need bold policy action to stop the loss of climate sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs. How are coral reef conservation policies making it onto the policy agenda? This research analyzes the rationale behind partisan policy-maker support for conservation of climate-vulnerable ecosystems. Using public policy theory that focused on theories of communication including framing and ambiguity, the authors evaluated 137 policy documents from three cases of conservation policy at international, national, and subnational scales. This research finds that legislators from different political parties have two main rationales for supporting coral reef conservation policy: ideas of governance and economics. Coral reefs are used by legislators to showcase their capacity to enact governance in a bipartisan way. Lawmakers from both parties increasingly prioritize grass roots or community-based conservation conservation as their preferred institutional framework for governance as seen in our data. For economic rationale, lawmakers emphasize community development efforts that complement coral reef conservation. Other significant predictors of rationale for support for coral reef conservation policy include lawmakers belonging to the Democratic Party, possessing a long-term liberal ideology, and coming from states that have coral reefs or coastlines.This study proposes a new model of why decision-makers support conservation policy which includes the presence of agreement on governance, human well-being, economics, geography, home ecosystems amid differing political parties. This research provides evidence of how conservation policy agendas are set despite gridlock in legislatures, and how more controversial policies (e.g. those that address climate change) may come to be included on the future agenda.

Windcatchers as a Green Ventilation Device: A Lost Tale From Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan

The rapid urbanization process is majorly associated with extreme climate change and many other urban issues that pose new challenges in terms of urban resilience. Bold climate action is one of the main principles addressed by UN-Habitat in Sustainable Development. This problem demands an immediate reduction in carbon footprints. One way of doing this is to revive the traditional climate-controlling techniques/natural ventilation methods in architecture. Windcatchers have been used as a passive technique for ventilation for many centuries. The windcatchers of Hyderabad (Mangh/Hawadani/Badgeers/Malqaf) were a dominant identity of vernacular architecture. This article aims to understand the traditional methods of dealing with climate-controlling techniques in architecture by (1) studying windcatchers in both vernacular and modern buildings in the context of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan by (2) understanding the user’s perspective about windcatchers. A comparison of four buildings in Hyderabad, Pakistan, was performed. The findings of this study show that old Windcatchers in Hyderabad are in dilapidated condition and are found insignificant because they are not fulfilling the current needs of the users looking for modernized solutions. However, newly built windcatchers are well appreciated by users because of their well-functioning mechanism in relation to the local climate and current living requirements. The performance study of windcatchers conducted in this research represents an initial step towards developing a more extensive guide for utilizing windcatchers in passive cooling systems for buildings located in hot regions.

A thought-provoking response

The Society of British Dental Nurses replies to the Nuffield Report (2023) Bold Action or Slow Decay?

Diet-Related Disease Prevention in a Rural Australian Setting: Understanding Barriers, Enablers, and the Role of Rural Health Services in Supporting Changes in Local Rural Food Environments

Bold and comprehensive action is needed to prevent diet-related diseases in rural areas, which includes improving food environments to enable healthier dietary practices. Rural health services are integral to the health of rural populations, yet their role in community disease prevention is not swell understood. This study sought to understand health service, local government, and food outlet stakeholders’ perspectives on (1) the drivers of unhealthy retail environments in a rural setting; (2) the role of rural health services in supporting changes in local food environments; and to (3) identify characteristics of potential interventions. Two Group Model Building workshops were held with health service and local government leaders (n = 9), and interviews were conducted with local food outlet participants (n = 13). Key themes included ‘enablers to healthier food environments’, ‘barriers to healthier food environments’, ‘Rural health services are a leading broker of knowledge for healthy food environments’, and ‘characteristics of desirable healthy food environment interventions.’. Rural health services can play a key role in addressing the current barriers to healthy food environments in rural areas. Effective promotion of healthier diets in rural populations will require consideration of key stakeholder perspectives and the development of further evidence on the role that rural health services can play in improving the healthiness of food environments.

NGO-isation, Local Faith Actors and ‘Legitimate’ Humanitarian Action in South Sudan

This paper explores findings from research carried out alongside a humanitarian project called ‘Bridging the Gap (BtG): The Role of Local Faith Actors in Humanitarian Response in South Sudan’. BtG aimed to better understand the barriers that stand in the way of engagement between local faith actors (LFAs) and international humanitarians (IHs) and to introduce learning opportunities (e.g. training and workshops) to address these. We share perspectives from the LFAs who participated in this ‘localisation’ project about what it means to become ‘legitimate’ humanitarian actors that are recognised and trusted by the international system and why this is important for them, as well as what BtG tells us about the legitimacy of the international humanitarian system from the point of view of LFAs and LFAs’ legitimacy in the eyes of their local communities. We also reflect upon the ways in which the processes of NGO-isation and professionalisation that accompany this journey to become ‘legitimate’, can compromise and undervalue the very qualities that local actors are presumed to possess. This does not indicate the failure of the localisation agenda, but that bold action is needed to make localisation more inclusive in ways that might challenge some areas of humanitarian orthodoxy.

The white light vibrations of Norman K. Denzin

With Norman K. Denzin’s death on 6 August 2023, the global community of qualitative researchers lost a visionary scholar and vocal crusader in broad areas of critical and interpretivist theory, pedagogy, and practice. His pioneering work included contributions to symbolic interactionism, symbiotics, performance studies, autoethnography, and narrative performance to name a few. Founder of the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI) and several prominent journals devoted to critical scholarship, he also coauthored the influential Sage handbooks on qualitative research. His impact was titanic. This article examines his influence in one discrete area of journal editorship. However, it also draws broader conclusions about his enormous contributions including: his panache for bold action in the face of paralyzing situations, his efforts to create safe and respected academic spaces for other scholars, his leadership in challenging normative academic culture, his deep-seated belief in the transformational power of qualitative inquiry, and his ever-evident moral compass set on enacting inclusive, compassionate, and socially just communities. A tireless crusader for a more utopian society, his white light vibrations will continue to provide a source of energy for those looking to perform a better version of humanity.

¿Podría el crecimiento económico impulsar a Costa Rica a reducir su degradación ambiental?: Curva de Kuznets Ambiental (1990-2021)

According to the goals proposed and ratified by the Paris Agreement on 2015 and by the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in 2021, the world should attempt to maintain the global average temperature well below 2° above pre-industrial levels in the long run and to restrain the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. One country undertaking bold and charismatic environmental action is Costa Rica. Since the late 1960s, this country has implemented both avant-garde policymaking and practices in the environmental field.As a means of contributing with the analysis and understanding of how to determine this country’s effectiveness and efficiency in its environmental efforts, this research aims to analyze the relationship between Costa Rica’s CO2 emissions per capita with economic growth, expressed via Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (constant 2015 dollars). Thus, the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis will be tested to determine if Costa Rica is a good example. Using the database from the World Bank’s (2023) World Development Indicators and from Global Change Data Lab (2023) as a basis of analysis and through the application of quantitative correlational analysis with a type of longitudinal nonexperimental design with time-series data from the year 1990 to the year 2021, it is argued that increases in CO2 emissions per capita are influenced positively with a statistical significance at a 5% error margin by GDP per capita (constant 2015 US dollars), and by energy consumption per capita. Alternatively, CO2 emissions per capita are influenced negatively with statistical significance at 5 % error margin respectively by GDP per capita squared (constant 2015 US dollars) and land use change per capita. However, these results cannot be confirmed with reliability and robustness because of the ambivalence and ambiguity present in the proposed model as a consequence of the likelihood of the presence of multicollinearity among the variables and the lack of normality of the dependent variable. Despite the initial promising results of a high goodness-of fit test, an acceptable F-statistic, the lack of heteroscedasticity, and an acceptable result showing no autocorrelation presence, the hypothesis of this study cannot be answered affirmatively. Despite these results, there is room for more research to confirm if the EKC hypothesis continues to be applicable in this country. This study could serve as a reference point for decision-makers regionally and internationally to guide their local environmental efforts towards concrete achievements for obtaining a clean planet in the future.

Perseverance, partnerships and passion: ingredients for successful local government policy to promote healthy and sustainable diets

BackgroundLocal government authorities are well-placed to invest in evidence-based food policies that promote a population-wide shift to healthy and sustainable diets. This study describes the contextual factors that facilitated or impeded policy-making related to healthy and sustainable diets within a ‘best-performing’ local government in Victoria, Australia.MethodsGuided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), data from semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in developing the City of Greater Bendigo’s Food System Strategy were analysed using the seven-stage Framework Method.ResultsSemi-structured interviews (n = 24) were conducted with City of Greater Bendigo employees (n = 15) and key stakeholders working for local organisations (n = 6) or at a state or national level (n = 3). Interviewees mostly held positions of leadership (n = 20) and represented diverse areas of focus from health (n = 7), food systems (n = 4) and planning and public policy (n = 3). Data analysis revealed 12 cross-cutting themes; eight facilitating factors and four impeding factors. Facilitating factors included perseverance, community engagement, supportive state policy, effective leadership, a global platform and networks, partnerships, workforce capacity and passion, and the use of scientific evidence. Impeding factors included access to secure, ongoing financial resources, prohibitive state and federal policy, COVID-related disruptions to community engagement and competing stakeholder interests. Overall, this study suggests that the City of Greater Bendigo’s success in developing an evidence-based local food system policy is built upon (i) a holistic worldview that embraces systems-thinking and credible frameworks, (ii) a sustained commitment and investment throughout the inner-setting over time, and (iii) the ability to establish and nurture meaningful partnerships with community groups, neighbouring local government areas and state-level stakeholders, built upon values of reciprocity and respect.ConclusionsDespite insufficient resourcing and prohibitive policy at higher levels of government, this ‘best performing’ local government in Victoria, Australia developed an evidence-based food system policy by employing highly skilled and passionate employees, embracing a holistic worldview towards planetary health and harnessing global networks. Local government authorities aspiring to develop integrated food policy should nurture a workforce culture of taking bold evidence-informed policy action, invest in mechanisms to enable long-standing partnerships with community stakeholders and be prepared to endure a ‘slow-burn’ approach.

Ancient theatre acoustical qualities reconstruction dilemma for modern use and the international charters

PurposeThe general attitude of the ancient theatre conservation strategies and policies is still concerned primarily with their architectural physical appearance without considering their authentic scientific acoustical qualities. The paper attempts to illustrate and discuss how to enhance their acoustic heritage to arouse the audience's interest and needs. Thus, supporting their reconstruction based on recent acoustical research and community needs-related concerns and opportunities for ancient theatre's modern use.Design/methodology/approachIt is based on reviewing the main issues related to reconstruction in the international charters and conventions and how to infuse ancient theatres with their full role. It discusses the dilemma and debates regarding the theatre stage wall, colonnade (portico) restoration and anastylosis. Is it sufficient enough to recover the theatre sound volume? Or to rethink for full physical reconstructions of these missing related acoustical theatre architectural elements to their original level and layout as in ancient times in parallel to their virtual reconstruction?FindingsThe cultural significance of the authentic theatre's acoustical qualities needs to reform the conservation strategies and policies for a more flexible and resilient approach. It should be postulated, re-examined and advocated parallel to their 3D virtual reconstruction in the related international charters and conventions.Practical implicationsThe paper's implications are not immediate; it is far-reaching. It suggests the importance of acoustics in analysing historic theatre performance venues and reforming conservation strategies and approaches. This issue is especially critical for architects, conservators, the heritage community and the public audience.Originality/valueRecommendations are made for potential bold reconstruction actions that may be taken to achieve further sustainability, comfort, and permeability in modern theatre-use performances. Their physical reconstruction for improving the performance of contemporary theatre use regarding retaining the acoustic cultural significance should be more flexible and resilient in the charters.

A Continuous Quality Improvement Framework for Sustainable Action and Advancement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Physical Therapy.

To address racial and ethnic disparities, physical therapy organizations, educational institutions, and clinical practices seek to advance diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and social justice in health care. Although our professional organizations have crafted proclamations, resource lists, developed new accreditation standards, and strategic plans, we lack a unifying framework and action tools for substantial and sustained progress. In addition, the DEI acronym is missing the essential element of belonging (B), that is, sharing a sense of purpose and feeling safe to contribute opinions as a valued member of an organization. Therefore, the purpose of this position paper is to propose the utilization of a continuous quality-improvement (CQI) framework using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to advance DEI-B in physical therapy education and practice. The CQI framework and PDSA cycles are data-driven, iterative approaches for identifying areas for improvement, implementing interventions, collecting data, analyzing outcomes, and taking evidence-based next action steps. Application of this framework can enhance sustainability of DEI-B goals and foster progress toward the proposed accreditation criteria of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education in this critical area. Tenants for PDSA team success are presented, and PDSA cycles are described. Addressing racism and advancing DEI-B efforts in the physical therapy profession requires bold, sustained, and intentional action that incorporates standards, strategies, and methods for measuring change. Examples of PDSA DEI-B initiatives, interventions, and outcomes are provided to illustrate how this approach can be implemented within a physical therapy education program. Using this CQI framework provides our profession with a DEI-B roadmap for advancing incremental and sustained progress.

Integrated urban scenarios of emissions, land use efficiency and benchmarking for climate neutrality and sustainability

Urban areas represent key opportunities for mitigation efforts through supporting renewable energy systems, improving urban planning, and increasing resource efficiency. This research work develops two types of urban emissions scenarios in green growth-oriented contexts with and without local ambitions. These scenarios are further coupled with improvements in existing land use efficiencies and multi-dimensional analyses. The method is applied to 45 urban areas, including 15 cities that are selected as Mission Cities in Europe. Different urban emissions scenarios indicate possibilities for reducing 135.80 ± 0.87 MtCO2eq of annual urban consumption-based emissions in 2020 by 58.72 MtCO2eq in 2030 along a 100% renewable energy pathway. Urban land use efficiency scenarios are used to determine annual carbon dioxide sequestration penalties that range between 8.25 and 14.95 MtCO2 in 2050 due to more built-up area in local biomes. Monte Carlo simulations support the analyses of urban emissions and sequestration penalties on a cumulative basis. Among illustrative scenario combinations, net cumulative urban emissions are 1725.93 MtCO2eq in the most favourable scenario that is 50.6% lower than those in the least favourable scenario. Multi-dimensional analyses based on a city index for benchmarking indicate an average improvement of 11.500 for Mission Cities with the quickest response for mitigation. The results have implications for guiding bold policy action and integrated urban planning to increase mitigation efforts for climate neutrality and sustainability.

Lessons learned from 30-years of operation of the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion, Louisiana USA

Wetland loss is a worldwide issue with estimates of loss ranging from 50% to 71% in the 20th century. Louisiana's coastal zone lost approximately 4,830 km2, or 25% of the land area between 1932 and 2016 due to a variety of natural and anthropogenic forces that both erode and prevent the growth or maintenance of existing land. Freshwater diversions were constructed along the Mississippi River to convey freshwater, nutrients, and sediment from the Mississippi River to Louisiana's coastal basins to combat saltwater intrusion, nourish the marshes, and stimulate fisheries. The Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion (CFD) was authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 1928 and 1965, the 1974 Water Resources Development Act, and a 1984 Environmental Impact Statement, with construction completed and operations started in 1991. The CFD has been largely successful from the standpoint of the project's authorized goals. Early on in the project, the CFD helped combat saltwater intrusion in a 2,730 km2 basin and re-established the gradient from fresh to salt marsh, by creating conditions favorable to fresh marsh species. Although not a specific project goal, the CFD also built more than 700 acres of new emergent wetland between 1991 and 2016. By critically assessing 30 years of CFD governance, operations, monitoring, and adaptive management, lessons learned are developed that provide valuable information for making the operations and governance of current and future diversions more effective, transparent, adaptive, and trusted by the basin communities. Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan pivots to the use of river diversions to focus on land building and large-scale ecosystem restoration by mimicking natural processes that originally built the Louisiana deltaic landscape, rather than the more common small-scale restoration that has occurred over the past decades. However, large-scale restoration projects, by their nature, impact a wide variety of stakeholders and tend to cross political boundaries. Lessons learned from the CDF highlight the need for flexibility in the long-term and specificity in the short term in governing the operations of a large-scale coastal project. Recommendations developed for modernizing project implementation into the future given changing estuaries and climate will help increase effective implementation of larger-capacity river sediment diversions and other ecosystem-scale projects. It is time for big and bold action to restore south Louisiana and other coastal environments worldwide, and critical to success is using results from numerous past studies, applying lessons learned from existing projects like the CFD, and projections of future conditions.

Strong voices for a healthier future

RNs take bold action to address evolving nursing issues.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF RUSSIA’S IMPERIALISTIC AND OCCUPATION POLICY IN UKRAINE

In this research paper, the author analyzes the actions taken on behalf of the Russian government in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, attention is paid to measures such as the pseudo-referendums held at the end of September 2022 in the east and south-east of Ukraine, the Kremlin’s propaganda, the policy of the occupiers related to the establishment of pro-Russian administrations, control of the local population, deportation of Ukrainians, the distribution of Russian passports, the introduction of a Russian education system and other measures of Russification as well as mass violations of the fundamental principles of human rights.
 In October 2022, the Russian State Duma unanimously supported the incorporation of the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics” and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions into the Russian Federation.
 After the pseudo-referendums held in the four temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, on September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed “agreements” with the representatives of the occupation regime on the acceptance of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions into Russia.
 The documents were published on October 3, but it remained unclear where, in the occupants’ opinion, the borders of Russia now lay in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
 These actions contradict the basic principles of international law on the territorial integrity of a state and the inviolability of borders. The results of the “referendums” were not recognized by any country in the world, including the closest allies of the Kremlin such as Belarus, or even those countries that had recognized Abkhazia and the so-called “independence” of South Ossetia (Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria, Nauru). Accordingly, the holding of pseudo-referendums is another weak attempt by Russia to impoverish Ukraine’s statehood, especially since Russia lost control of a significant portion of its “newly-joined territories” as a result of bold actions on the part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.