Sustainable Development Indicators Research Articles

Forecasting Sustainable Development Indicators in Romania: A Study in the European Context

Forecasting Sustainable Development Indicators in Romania: A Study in the European Context

Key forecasts and prospects for green transition in the region of Central Asia beyond 2022

BackgroundThe transition to energy-sustainable systems is a globally accepted concept, but it is implemented with various degrees of success around the world. The aim of this paper is to determine the status of green transition in five Central Asian countries (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic) that are among the highest energy consumers globally and the most vulnerable to climate change. Despite a notable improvement in living conditions across all countries over the past two decades, the region remains underdeveloped. Economic growth is based on the export of natural resources and remittance inflows, but the structure of the economy is monolithic.Main findingsUpon analysing transition indicators for the period 2000–2020, no evidence of significant changes towards a sustainable energy transition is found. All countries in the region (except Uzbekistan) have recorded an increase in carbon emissions, while the carbon intensity of the energy mix is almost the same. While there has been visible progress in reducing energy intensity, the countries in the region remain among the most energy-intensive economies. Despite the region’s substantial potential for renewable energy production, it remains underutilized.ConclusionsA multitude of varied problems accompanies the green transition in Central Asian countries. The energy market that has not yet been liberalised, along with significant subsidies and low energy tariffs, discourages investments in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency initiatives. A high level of corruption, rigid legislative and institutional infrastructure, and insufficient capital are additional factors that determine the speed, scope, and effectiveness of the green transition. Thus far, the primary focus in these countries has been on ensuring energy security. However, there has been a discernible surge in investments (particularly from China) in renewable energy projects. Although energy efficiency and climate change issues are formally defined, the energy transition goals are often declarative without an action plan that provides concrete steps in transition process. Strategic planing of economic development that includes all related sectors (not only the energy sector) and paying attention to socio-economic and environmental indicators of sustainable development are prerequisites for successfully implementating the energy transition in these countries.

Spatial Analysis on Resource Utilization, Environmental Consequences and Sustainability of Rice–Crayfish Rotation System in Jianghan Plain, China

The rice–crayfish rotation system (RCR), originating in the Jianghan Plain, is developing rapidly in various regions of China and has been characterized by unbalanced regional development, which has also led to widespread concerns and discussion on its environmental impacts and sustainability. This study selects representative RCR production areas in the Jianghan Plain, including Jianli, Qianjiang, Shishou, Shayang, Gong’an and Honghu, to analyze resource inputs, resource utilization efficiency, environmental impacts and sustainability by employing the emergy analysis method. Our analysis of Jianli, Honghu, Qianjiang, Gong’an, Shishou and Shayang reports total emergy inputs ranging from 6.46 × 1016 to 8.25 × 1016, with renewable rates between 78.38% and 84.34%. Shishou leads in the unit emergy value (5.58 × 10−1) and the emergy yield ratio (5.30). The sustainability evaluation finds that the environmental loading ratio is from 0.19 to 0.28 and the emergy index for sustainable development varies between 1.27 and 3.00. This analysis indicates that the southern regions have higher inputs and efficiency, with southeastern areas showing lower environmental impact and higher sustainability. We also underscore the impact of non-renewable resources on environmental outcomes and sustainability, suggesting tailored development strategies for the rice–crayfish rotation system’s optimization and sustainable growth.

Assessing the ecological security of the Three Gorges reservoir complex ecosystem based on the improved three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint model

The ecological security (ES) of the reservoir complex ecosystem (RCE) is one of the critical components of watershed water security and sustainable development. Hence, accurately assessing the ES of the RCE is of utmost importance. This study proposed a novel ecological security assessment model based on the improved three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint (ESM-IEEF3D), which integrated various emergy flows during the RCE's construction and operation into a three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint (EEF3D) calculation account. The Three Gorges Project (TGP) is selected as a case study to evaluate the ES from 1993 to 2022 comprehensively. The results showed that the Three Gorges RCE mainly showed an ecological remainder state, and the inflow runoff enormously promoted the TGP's sustainability. The EEF3D indicated a fluctuation decrease trend with a mean value of 7.18 × 102 ha, illustrating that TGP's ecological security and sustainability levels are gradually improving. Regarding the ES evaluation indicators, the TGP's resource dependency and ecological pressure on the natural ecosystem and the external socio-economic system are steadily relieved. Furthermore, the Three Gorges RCE's resource utilization condition is safe, the structural characteristics are healthy, and the eco-economic coordination degree is continuously enlightening. Finally, applicable policy implications for improving the ecological security of Three Gorges RCE were provided. This study helps to understand the complex relationship between humans and ecosystems. It provides a novel framework to be used as an evaluation index and policy insights for hydropower ecological security and sustainable development.

PROBLEMS OF TRANSITION TO A GREEN ECONOMY IN MODERN CONDITIONS (BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS AND THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN)

PROBLEMS OF TRANSITION TO A GREEN ECONOMY IN MODERN CONDITIONS (BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS AND THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN)

An exploratory diagnosis and proposed index of technological change and sustainable industrial development in selected OECD member countries

Industrial development has resulted in economic progress and the well-being of the society. At the same time, the impact of the industrial complex has disrupted the environment and resulted in climate change related impacts. The purpose of this study was to carry out an exploratory diagnosis and propose a technological change and sustainable industrial development index at the international level. Therefore, a network study was conducted to identify the main nodes and thematic clusters associated with cleaner production. A patent analysis was applied to technologies related three selected/relevant areas of cleaner production, i.e. carbon footprint, wastewater treatment, and renewable energy. Additionally, based on factor analysis, an index including different indicators related to scientific, technological, economic, environmental, and social issues was developed and proposed in this study.

Successful Implementation of SDG'S Concept in Citra Raya Tangerang Housing

Citra Raya Tangerang is an area developed by the Ciputra Group since 1994; since 2011, Citra Raya Tangerang has implemented the EcoCulture concept, which is expected to turn residents into a green community that cares about a clean environment. The EcoCulture concept has similarities with sustainable development or SDGs, which aims to eradicate poverty, improve prosperity and care for the planet Earth. 17 (seventeen) achievements are used as indicators of achieving sustainable development. To achieve these 17 (seventeen) achievements cannot be done alone; collaboration between various parties is needed to achieve these goals. Citra Raya Tangerang, by implementing the EcoCulture concept since 2011, has succeeded in achieving seven goals out of 17 indicators of sustainable development. The achievements that Citra Raya Tangerang has made are number 3. Good Health and Well-Being, 6. Clean Water and Sanitation, 7. Affordable and Clean Energy, 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth, 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12. Responsible Consumption and Protection, 13. Climate Action. The achievement of these seven indicators was not carried out by Citra Raya Tangerang alone but involved several other stakeholders. This stakeholder consistency applies the things that are part of this indicator so that the prepared plan can run well. Residents who consistently sort waste, local governments who provide support and other third parties who collaborate to achieve this goal. Citra Raya Tangerang management continues to strive to provide the best service to its residents. The effect of this collaboration means that sustainable development goals can be achieved gradually.

How does governance quality affect the shadow economy-sustainable development nexus? New insights from a dynamic threshold analysis

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the shadow economy on three sustainable development indicators while considering the moderating effect of the governance quality, and to highlight the non-linearity of the considered relationship.Design/methodology/approach A sample of 82 countries covering the period from 1996 to 2017. The dynamic first-differenced generalized method of moments (FD-GMM) panel threshold model is implemented to control for non-linearity.Findings The shadow economy hinders sustainable development in countries with low-governance quality, while the opposite result holds in countries with high-governance quality. The critical thresholds triggering the switch from one regime to another vary across the sustainable development indicators. Boosting growth requires enhancing the legal system and the economic dimension of governance, while promoting environmental quality requires the implementation and enforcement of specific environment-friendly regulations.Originality/value The study addresses non-linearity and the moderating effect of governance quality. The use of six governance indicators allows to gauge the ability of each governance dimension to curb the negative effects of the shadow economy. Considering the three objectives of sustainable development allows to identify specific policy recommendations for each of them.

Policy planning and practical implementations of coastal adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of sea level rise in the coastal region of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

Coastal adaptation is a scientific process, and social, economic, and political adjustment of coastal management policies to minimize the climate impact and increase the resilience in the coastal system. The Kanyakumari coastal region encompasses industrial, ecological, residential and tourist hotspots with high sensitivity for the impact of sea level rise. We used mixed policy tools to evaluate the impact in the coastal region and develop adaptation strategies which are integrated into existing management. To be an effective implementation of adaptation policy, we propose five guiding principles: (i) Develop a coastal settlement management plan for accelerated sea level rise in each fishing hamlet by incorporating the plan into sub district planning. (ii) Entitle a Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter (MCS) in each fishing hamlet and each one access for refugee seekers during a cyclone and later for internally displaced persons (IDPs). (iii) Develop a database system at village level to set up the coastal adaptation policies against sea level rise and a database system should be update time to time (climate, population, migrants, vulnerability data). (iv) Setup an Agricultural Conservation Practices (ACP) and Wetland Reclamation Plan (WRP) in the wetland-rich coastal plain region. (v) Practical approaches to linking the coastal adaptation plan in the study area to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets and indicators are proposed.

Can the Opening of High Speed Rail Boost Corporate ESG? - Empirical Evidence from China

ESG provides quantitative indicators of corporate sustainable development, which is currently an important reference basis for evaluating the development of enterprises in various countries. However, fewer scholars have studied corporate ESG performance based on the perspective of high-speed railway opening. Therefore, this paper takes China, where high-speed rail is developing rapidly, as the study area, and uses the relevant data of Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2021 to study the relationship between high-speed rail opening and corporate ESG performance. We find that (1) the opening of high-speed rail will enhance firms' ESG performance. (2) Firms with higher external attention have better ESG performance. (3) Financing constraints play a moderating role.

Relationship between sustainable development indicators and SMEs’ development indicators: Evidence from the EU countries

This study aims to identify whether achieving sustainable development goals influences SMEs’ development and assess its degree. The dataset on SMEs’ development indicators and SDGs 2, 8, 9, 12, and 13 for the panel of EU-27 countries in 2011–2020 was collected using Eurostat and OECD datasets. Breusch and Pagan Lagrangian multiplier test for pooled OLS/panel data random effects and Hausman test for fixed/random effects were utilized. The results were in favor of random effect GLS regression for SDG2 models, SDG9 models, and SDG12-13 (Model 1) and fixed effect GLS regression for SDG8 models and SDG12-13 (Model 2), respectively. Based on bibliometric analyses using VOSViewer 14 and a comprehensive literature review, 19 independent variables have been selected from the “Sustainable development indicators” catalog covering five sustainable development goals; SMEs’ turnover and SMEs’ employees employed are used as the dependent variables to reflect SMEs’ development. The empirical evidence suggests a significant relationship between individual sustainable development and SMEs’ development indicators. It was found that all seven sustainable development indicators of SDG 2 (Zero hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production) have a significant relationship with the indicators of SMEs’ development. Instead, only a part (8 out of 13) of the sustainable development indicators of SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate action) have a significant relationship with two or one of the SMEs’ development indicators. Therefore, achieving sustainability goals stimulates the development of SMEs itself. AcknowledgmentThis study is supported by the British Academy’s Researchers at Risk Fellowships Program (Award Reference: RaR\100673).

Evaluating plans for sustainable developmentin Arctic cities.

Cities located in the Arctic often have extreme geographic and environmental contexts and unique sociopolitical and economic trajectories that, when combined with amplified effects of climate change in the region, impact future sustainable development. Well-recognized and standardized sustainable development indicator (SDI) frameworks such as ISO 37120 or UN-Habitat City Prosperity Index are often used to compare data across cities globally using comprehensive sets of indicators. While such indexes help characterize progress toward development and guide short- and long-term decision-making, they often lack relevance to specific contexts or characterize future visions of urban growth. To evaluate the extent of these deficiencies and to provide a comparative analysis of approaches to sustainable urban growth in the Arctic, this paper analyzes city planning documents for five northern cities - Anchorage (USA), Utqiagvik (USA), Reyjavik (ISL), Iqaluit, (CAN), Whitehorse, (CAN) - for goals, targets, and indicators and compare these to thematic areas and indicators defined by ISO 37120:2018 Sustainable Cities and Communities. The results confirm that although international SDI frameworks may be useful for comparative analysis of cities across diverse regions, they exclude important local factors that influence goal-oriented urban sustainability planning strategies employed in the Arctic region.

THE DILEMMA OF FALTERING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN IRAQI SOCIETY

Sustainable development has its economic, social, environmental, and other dimensions. With great interest, whether at the level of developed or developing countries, because of its impact on preserving current and future ecological resources and capabilities, as it represents the goal and means for every country that seeks to develop and change reality and create a better future to achieve the goals it aspires to and push the wheel of growth and development towards achieving sustainable growth. Social justice and an environment free of corruption, pollution, and economic problems. Iraq is one of the countries that went through abnormal economic conditions more than four decades ago due to wars, economic blockades, and sanctions, and the subsequent political, economic, social, and environmental developments contributed to the lag in sustainable development indicators. The deterioration of the quality of potable water, the waste and depletion of resources, the increase in the rate of desertification, and the decline in public spending. Talking about the possibility of achieving the desired sustainable development in Iraq is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Therefore, our research attempted to analyze the reality of development in Iraq by examining some indicators of sustainable development and proposing future visions for developing capabilities that would achieve the desired development and a safe, stable, and sustainable environment. The research reached a conclusion emphasizing the necessity of activating, developing, and sustaining development programs to maintain a reasonable amount of decent living and healthy living in a fair and equal manner for all without discrimination.

Global Impact of Urbanization on Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis

This paper demonstrates a comprehensive assessment of bibliometric analysis of published research on the global impact of urbanization on environmental consequences. Scopus database was used to collect data on the global impact of urbanization on ecosystem research from 2000-2023 and scrutinizes the progression of publications, keyword analysis, co-citation of authors, citation of documents, co-authorship of authors, and most efficient and influential authors, countries, and institutions. A total of 4322 research papers (journals) were published during the period (2000-2023). This bibliometric study was carried out with the Vos Viewer software. The study's findings demonstrate that the number of publications has continuously increased between 2000 and 2023. In 2020 and 2022, there were 396 and 635 publications, respectively. The top three influential journals in terms of citations are Remote Sensing of Environment (2415 citations), Ecological Economics (1456 citations), and PLoS (1410). From 2000 to 2023, the most often appearing terms were urbanization (3028), urban area (1111), people (853), land use (769), environmental monitoring (594), environmental effect (570), sustainable development (567), and climate change (534). We created a time series with four periods (2000-2005, 2006-2011, 2012-2017, and 2018-2023) based on the periodic changes, which also shows the trend. In more specific terms, this study demonstrates not just a logical structure but also the development of keywords throughout time. The empirical evidence also shows that while this field initially focused on a few themes, it has since broadened to include the many aspects of urban sustainability. This analysis also identifies the most efficient and influential authors, institutions, and nations in terms of total publishing (TP), proportion of cited publications (PCP), total citation (TC), h-index, and g-index. Yang K is the most prominent author, China and the United States are the most efficient nations, and the Chinese Academy of Science is the most powerful organization. The top two nations by co-authorship are China (40695 citations and 1527 publications) and the United States (41119 citations and 833 publications). Additionally, it is noted that while environmental concerns continue to dominate, basic socioeconomic problems like equality, justice, and public participation are underrepresented. Sustainable development indicators, energy, ecologically friendly infrastructure, water, the use of land, and urban planning are prominent subject topics, with the first three exerting a larger influence in shaping the field's growth. This research may be utilized as a resource for people intrigued in learning more about the evaluation of urban sustainability and its advancement.

DOES ECONOMIC INDICATORS OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PRESENT A PROMISING TREND OF RURAL DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT? ATTITUDES OF VOJVODINA RURAL RESIDENTS

To be considered sustainable, tourism in rural destinations should provide long-term economic benefits and have a push-up effect on the population’s determination to engage in sustainable tourism. Also, sustainable tourism must reduce the negative effects of business activities on the natural environment and improve the quality of life as well as the standard of living of the local population. In order to check the impact of sustainable tourism on the development of rural destinations, economic indicators of sustainability are most often used, as measurable indicators of sustainable development. In the paper, we examined the attitudes of 421 local residents using the TIAS scale, in 17 Vojvodina villages. Only those who declared that they are involved in the tourism economy were taken for further analysis. It was concluded that positive economic indicators of sustainable development are “wind in the sails” of the development of rural destinations, and that sustainable tourism is a desirable economic activity in the villages of Vojvodina to whom more and more residents are turning, especially women as of very sensitive category.

Ассимиляционный потенциал природы и территорий: нетривиальные следствия управления устойчивым эколого-экономическим развитием

Ecological-economic systems, which are in a state of unstable dynamic equilibrium under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, strive for sustainability if human economic activity is able to maintain the assimilation potential at the level of reproduction of natural resources and environmental quality by devoting part of the income to the environmental agenda. Within the framework of the law of balanced environmental management T=1.618·t·a, sustainable environmental and economic development is achieved by allocating funds at the level (t) of the GDP growth rate (T) to the environmental agenda for the regions. The value of the ecological situation coefficient (ESC) in the law of balanced environmental management for the Russian Federation varies around the golden numbers 0.618, 1.618, 2.618, depending on the level of economic development in the biosphere, artificial maintenance of the quality of the environment in it, as well as in the future possibility of terraforming the solar planets systems. An indicator of sustainable, harmonious environmental and economic development is a linear relationship between the assimilation potential (a) and the EES at the level of golden numbers 0.618, 1.618, 2.618. In this case, sustainable environmental and economic development can be achieved in any environmental condition as long as balance is maintained between the rate of economic growth and allocations of funds for the restoration of the assimilation function of nature. But they must be directed to the environmental agenda in strict accordance with the golden proportion relative to the main directions of environmental activities, even in conditions of transformed (converted) nature, and in the near future, in conditions of terraforming. However, then all development costs will go exclusively to maintaining the habitat in multiples of the golden numbers of 1.618 and 2.618 in the coefficient of the law of balanced environmental management.

ICT penetration and life expectancy in emerging market economies: panel evidence from asymmetric causality analysis

BackgroundLife expectancy is a significant result indicator of public health and sustainable development. Therefore, one of the final objectives of all economic and social policies is to increase the life expectancy. In this context, a limited number of researchers have investigated the relationship between ICT penetration and life expectancy. However, multiple interaction channels exist between ICT penetration and life expectancy. Furthermore, the studies have usually focused on the effect of ICT penetration on life expectancy through regression and ignored the effect of life expectancy on ICT penetration to a large extent. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the empirical literature by investigating the causal relationship between ICT indicators and life expectancy.MethodsThis study uses symmetric and asymmetric causality approaches to investigate the two-way interaction between ICT indicators and life expectancy in emerging market economies over the 1997–2020 period. Employment of the asymmetric causality test enables us to analyze the hidden relationships between ICT indicators and life expectancy, unlike the traditional causality test.ResultsThe results of the symmetric causality test uncover a bidirectional causal interaction between mobile subscriptions and life expectancy but a one-way causal relationship from life expectancy to internet usage. However, the asymmetric causality test results uncover a unidirectional causal relationship between mobile subscriptions and life expectancy in China, Colombia, Czechia, Egypt, Greece, India, Kuwait and Turkiye due to positive shocks from mobile subscriptions. On the other hand, a bidirectional causal interaction exists between internet usage and life expectancy in all countries due to negative shocks from internet usage and life expectancy. Last, a unidirectional causal relationship exists between internet usage and life expectancy in all countries due to positive shocks from internet usage.ConclusionICT indicators significantly influence life expectancy health in a sample of emerging market economies. Therefore, internet usage and mobile devices are significant tools to improve life expectancy.

Финтех как фактор улучшения корпоративных ESG-показателей

The article considers the relationship between the financial technologies development and sustainable development indicators on the example of emerging markets’ companies. While environmental, social and corporate governance attracts significant attention in discussions about corporate sustainability, its implementation depends on the development of financial technologies. The mechanisms by which the fintech development affects corporate sustainability indicators in emerging economies remain relatively unexplored. The necessity to understand how the development of financial technologies affects the corporate spheres of ESG reinforces the relevance of the research since it is of great importance for the formation of effective sustainable development strategies. The study uses a comprehensive methodological approach, which includes analysis of data on companies’ financial performance and assessment of the fintech development level in various regions, as well as analysis of its impact on sustainable development corporate indicators. The author uses statistical methods of analysis and mathematical models, as well as comparative studies to obtain more accurate and objective data. The results indicate an obvious relationship: companies operating under less financial constraints demonstrate noticeably higher indicators of sustainable development, especially in regions with developed fintech ecosystems. The research provides a detailed understanding of how the use of fintech can contribute to improving the indicators of sustainable development in emerging markets’ companies. The scientific novelty of the study lies in its in-depth analysis of the factors driving the corporate sustainability development under the influence of fintech technologies, which expands the understanding of the fintech impact on corporate sustainability indicators and opens up new prospects for future research in this area.

The illusion of the Holy Grail of decoupling: Are there countries with relatively high SDGI and moderately low ecological footprint?

The development of sustainability indicators at the national level emerged due to the limitations of using GDP as a measure of well-being, sustainability, and resilience. Over time, various indicators and rankings have been formulated, with a shift in focus from solely economic growth to a more encompassing perspective. The objective of this study was to create a new ranking, based on the integration of two methodologies, namely UN Sustainable Development Goals Index (SDGI), and the Global Footprint Network's Ecological Footprint (EF), in order to identify meaningful clusters of countries based on both measures. Hierarchical clustering was utilized to group countries, while the Nearest Neighbour method was employed to filter out outliers, and the Ward method determined the final clusters. Additionally, the Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the relationship between the 17 SDGIs and the EF. The clustering outcomes revealed that a three-cluster solution can be considered satisfactory. The results obtained with the new method demonstrate that the environmental dimension of SDGI is a sufficient metric for environmental sustainability in terms of ranking countries.

Altmetric functions of foreign current research information systems (CRIS-systems)

Altmetric methods enable to facilitate assessing research results on the basis of their citations and use by other users. The author addresses Current Research Information Systems (CRIS) as the core resources to reflect research output of individual research institutions. The purpose of her study is to analyze the experience of applying altmetrics in foreign CRIS. Besides, she reviews the studies in altmetrics and characterizes in brief altmetric indicators and their providers. Based on the analysis, the author suggests that Altmetric.com and Plum Analytics are the main source of altmetric data. Three groups of indicators are specified, namely: social metrics (twits, likes, reposts, comments), influence metrics (saving bookmarks and favorites, citing from different information resources, meeting a sustainable development goal), and use metrics (clicks, views, loads, library lending). The influence metrics is an alternative metric characteristic for foreign CRIS, as it is a sustainable development indicator based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.