Climate Action Research Articles

First Law a gift to healing and transforming climate and just us!

PurposeThese words of introduction locate me on my tribal ancestral lands, and centres me as belonging to the Martuwarra, Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. My family and community’s inter-generational lived experiences of colonisation are grounded in the characteristics and learnings of “conflict, manipulation, dived and rule” as invasive unjust strategies of oppression and anti-dialogic action. These characteristics of oppression reflect invasive and unjust developments, colonialism continues to impact on our daily lives and threaten our cultural heritage, lifeways and livelihoods (Freire, 2005).Design/methodology/approachI understand the Net Zero: Heritage for Climate Action is a first of its kind, a capacity development project that aims to use Indigenous knowledge to develop integrated strategies for disaster risk reduction, climate action and peacebuilding (Jarillo and Crivelli, 2024). Importantly, one of the aims of the Net Zero Project is to enhance risk reduction and coping capacities of vulnerable heritage communities. In this way, my video story speaking directly to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) highlights the interconnected issue of heritage safeguard, upholding cultural rights and sustainable development of our people who are vulnerable cultural bearers, importantly, how we are working to effect change locally, while strengthening efforts globally, as we see ourselves as planetary citizens with a duty of care to Mother Earth and humanity (Redvers et al., 2020).FindingsThe opportunity for freedom is being created through the growing coalitions of hope (Poelina, 2020). Organisations with a regenerative focus are connecting, networking, collectively thinking and transforming our world by being brave and challenging legal systems to recognise “rivers” as the lifeblood of our planet and our survival co-dependent on “a declaration of peace with Indigenous Australians with natures laws and first law” (RiverOfLife et al., 2024). Together we are decolonising our thinking; uniting and bringing together a pluriverse of ideas and actions to right size our planet and give humanity and Mother Earth a climate chance (RiverOfLife et al., 2024).Research limitations/implicationsThe final question, I ask my country and the world to sustain my culture, my home, my lifeways and my livelihood “can we achieve peace, harmony and balance”? Can we shift from business as usual, to the new economies, through intentional communities, through bicultural and bioregional planning and development? If the answer is yes, then there is hope for humanity, and the young ones yet to be born. Let us adopt the values, ethics and virtues found in First Law as a gift to healing our lands, our people and climate.Practical implicationsIt is clear from the voices of Yi-Martuwarra people, “If [our] River Dies, We Die” (Moore et al., 2023). When we stand united, we hold the dreaming time, from past, present and future, and we sing together a new “Martuwarra River Time” song. Through this moral and ethical partnership of hope the Net Zero Project Heritage for Climate Action ignites the opportunity to transform climate change, climate chaos and provide the climate chance through just us!Social implicationsYi-Martuwarra people highlight the need for dialogue, unity, cooperation and multiple forms of evidence, to understand the cumulative impacts of development. It is clear from the voices of Yi-Martuwarra people, “If [our] River Dies, We Die” (Moore et al., 2023). When we stand united, we hold the dreaming time, from past, present, and future, and we sing together a new “Martuwarra River Time” song. Through this moral and ethical partnership of hope the Net Zero Project Heritage for Climate Action ignites the opportunity to transform climate change, climate chaos and provide the climate chance through just us!Originality/valueAs the impacts of climate change continue to intensify, it is imperative to centre Indigenous well-being in adaptation efforts by enabling bottom-up approaches via community-led solutions, promoting land rights, protecting traditional heritage and cultural practices and cultivating social connections. Given the increasing recognition of well-being as a fundamental marker of successful adaptation, it should be central to climate change research and policymaking, but for this to be of benefit to Indigenous Peoples and local communities context-specific understandings of health and well-being are necessary (Jarillo and Crivelli, 2024).

Stochastic Differential Games of Carbon Emission Reduction in the Four-Tier Supply Chain System Based on Reference Low-Carbon Level

This paper takes corporate social responsibility goodwill and consumers’ reference low-carbon level as endogenous variables of joint carbon emission reduction in the “supplier–manufacturer–retailer–consumer” supply chain system. The joint carbon emission reduction strategies of this four-tier system are analyzed from a dynamic perspective by considering random factors that affect the endogenous variables. Three stochastic differential games are proposed to examine the mechanism between each player, namely the cooperative model, Nash non-cooperative model, and Stackelberg master–slave model. Compared to the Nash non-cooperative game, the manufacturer/supplier-led Stackelberg master–slave game leads to Pareto improvement in the profits of the entire supply chain system and each player. The cooperative game demonstrates the highest expected emission reduction and corporate social responsibility goodwill, but also the highest variance. More importantly, the reference low-carbon level embraces consumers’ subjective initiative in the dynamic of carbon emission reduction. This level is an internal benchmark used to compare against the observed low-carbon level. This paper provides a theoretical foundation for strategic decision-making in emission reduction, contributing to sustainable development. By addressing environmental, economic, and social sustainability, it promotes climate action through carbon reduction strategies and offers policy recommendations aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Showing climate action: exploring Fridays for Future Germany’s visual activism on Flickr

This article examines how Fridays for Future Germany (FFFG) uses photographs of climate protests to convey the politics of climate change to wider audiences. The author argues that FFFG is an ideal-type form of visual activism in which visual imagery is central to its climate activism. The article builds on climate change communication scholarship and visual social movement studies to contribute an inquiry about FFFG’s visual activism. The focus is on FFFG’s visual self-representations on the social media platform Flickr, which promises to give insights into its strategies of self-legitimation. The empirical analysis discusses the recurring visual patterns in FFFG’s visual activism based on illustrative examples and provides an interpretive reading about the implications of certain ways of seeing and showing climate action. The conclusion puts the findings in a wider political context, highlighting the importance of visualization in the (self-)legitimation of FFFG in debates about global climate governance.

Digital Twin Technology and Social Sustainability: Implications for the Construction Industry

To date, a plethora of research has been published investigating the value of using Digital Twin (DT) technology in the construction industry. However, the contribution of DT technology to promoting social sustainability in the industry has largely been unexplored. Therefore, the current paper aims to address this gap by exploring the untapped potential of DT technology in advancing social sustainability within the construction industry. To this end, a comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted, which identified 298 relevant studies. These studies were subsequently analysed with respect to their use of DT technology in supporting social sustainability. The findings indicated that the studies contributed to 8 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a strong focus on SDG11 (77 publications), followed by SDG3 and SDG9, with 58 and 48 studies, respectively, focusing on promoting health and well-being and fostering resilient infrastructure and innovation. Other contributions were identified for SDG13 (30 studies), SDG7 (27 studies), SDG12 (26 studies), SDG4 (21 studies), and SDG6 (11 studies), covering areas such as climate action, responsible consumption, affordable energy, quality education, and clean water and sanitation. This paper also proposes future research directions for advancing DT technology to further enhance social sustainability in the construction industry. These include (i) enhancing inclusivity and diversity, (ii) workforce safety and well-being, (iii) training and skill development, (iv) policy and regulatory support, and (v) cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Understanding Public Opinion towards ESG and Green Finance with the Use of Explainable Artificial Intelligence

This study leverages explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) techniques to analyze public sentiment towards Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, climate change, and green finance. It does so by developing a novel multi-task learning framework combining aspect-based sentiment analysis, co-reference resolution, and contrastive learning to extract nuanced insights from a large corpus of social media data. Our approach integrates state-of-the-art models, including the SenticNet API, for sentiment analysis and implements multiple XAI methods such as LIME, SHAP, and Permutation Importance to enhance interpretability. Results reveal predominantly positive sentiment towards environmental topics, with notable variations across ESG categories. The contrastive learning visualization demonstrates clear sentiment clustering while highlighting areas of uncertainty. This research contributes to the field by providing an interpretable, trustworthy AI system for ESG sentiment analysis, offering valuable insights for policymakers and business stakeholders navigating the complex landscape of sustainable finance and climate action. The methodology proposed in this paper advances the current state of AI in ESG and green finance in several ways. By combining aspect-based sentiment analysis, co-reference resolution, and contrastive learning, our approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of public sentiment towards ESG factors than traditional methods. The integration of multiple XAI techniques (LIME, SHAP, and Permutation Importance) offers a transparent view of the subtlety of the model’s decision-making process, which is crucial for building trust in AI-driven ESG assessments. Our approach enables a more accurate representation of public opinion, essential for informed decision-making in sustainable finance. This paper paves the way for more transparent and explainable AI applications in critical domains like ESG.

Public responses to hard climate policies in OECD member countries: prevalence of contention at the post-adoption stage

ABSTRACT Effective climate action is likely to require hard climate policies (e.g. regulation, pricing, phase-outs), but such policies are often contested. Contention can arise not only during policy development and decision making but also at the post-adoption stage where adopted policies may be challenged, threatening policy durability. However, existing research has not systematically analyzed patterns of actual public responses to hard climate policies following their adoption. This is needed to understand response variety and the prevalence of contention. In this paper, we systematically assess public responses in a sample of 50 national-level hard climate policy packages (covering framework and energy policies) across 21 OECD member countries between 2009 and 2022. We categorize public responses (support, acceptance, non-acceptance, backlash) using a typology involving disapproval and mobilization to assess the prevalence of post-adoption contention among mass publics. We draw on newspaper data specific to each case to detect contention. Findings reveal a relatively low prevalence of post-adoption contentious responses to hard climate policies. Nonetheless, contention is pronounced in some cases and is mainly associated with carbon taxation/pricing although not exclusively. The most contentious responses, labeled as backlash, cluster in the latter half of the study period. Findings suggest a need to analyze drivers of contention among mass publics which may be complex and involve factors spanning policy design, institutional politics, and societal context.

Uneven transitions and disparate mobility patterns for South Africa’s electric paratransit

The electrification of sub-Saharan Africa’s paratransit industry is mainly seen in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals around climate action, clean energy, health, and sustainability. However, a vital objective of the transitions is a “just energy transition” through equal access for all in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The transition to electric paratransit may have unintentional and adverse implications on equality for different groupings, an aspect not considered before. This paper evaluates the viability of the transition for two distinct groupings in South Africa’s paratransit sector from the same town. We used two datasets from Stellenbosch, South Africa, and its surrounding areas, with the two groups identified based on home location. Group A comprises lower-middle-income communities, while Group B comprises impoverished communities. We found differences in mobility patterns and driving efficiencies, with Group A having a higher electrification viability rate of 82% compared to Group B’s 32%. The transition will not be equal for these two groups. Electrification of the paratransit industry needs sufficient policies and incentives to ensure a just transition for all. Moreover, policymakers and infrastructure planners need to take special care in considering representative mobility data sources to ensure the representation of all groupings’ mobility in the data.

Global spillovers of US climate policy risk: Evidence from EU carbon emissions futures

International climate policy risk spillovers occur when expected changes to climate policy stringency in one country affect expected climate policy stringency in another country. We develop an event study procedure to identify such spillovers in emissions trading systems, specifically examining the impact from the United States (US) to the European Union (EU). Distinguishing between policy events likely to reduce US commitment to climate action (‘brown events’) and those likely to increase it (‘green events’), we find that the average brown US policy event is associated with an anticipated increase in future EU carbon permit supply, leading to a cumulative 7.1% drop in EU carbon prices over the event window. Conversely, green US policy events are linked to an expected decrease in future EU permit supply, resulting in a cumulative 4.7% rise in EU carbon prices. These findings suggest that financial markets anticipate EU regulators to align with the direction of US climate policy. Our results underscore the significance of regulatory risk spillovers in global climate policy coordination.

Income and inequality pathways consistent with eradicating poverty

Abstract To investigate concurrent climate action and poverty eradication, we present combined income growth (GDP/capita) and domestic income inequality (measured as Gini coefficients) pathways that pursue (absolute and relative) poverty eradication reflecting the three narratives of Sustainable Development Pathway (SDP). The GDP/capita pathways are modifications of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP1 scenario, including one post-growth future for high-income countries and higher growth for all currently lower-income countries. Current inequality levels, together with the total national income from the GDP pathways, determine the inequality reductions required to eradicate poverty in individual countries; they are based on a methodology that specifies the relationship between poverty, inequality, and growth. Our pathways show rapid and sustained reductions in within-country inequality (Gini), even with high economic growth. The speed of redistribution is limited to the highest historically observed changes in inequality. We identify which countries face the greatest difficulties in meeting their poverty eradication targets and estimate the level of international transfers needed to fill the gap for those countries. Our findings reconfirm the importance of reducing within-country inequality in eradicating global poverty.

Current climate action trends in party‐political manifestos: A content analysis provides hints to move forward

AbstractParty manifestos offer valuable insights into evolving climate political agendas, warranting relevant content to understand parties' priorities and approaches to climate resilience. Through a content analysis of Portuguese party manifestos from the 2019, 2022, and 2024 elections, this study aims to address key research questions regarding SDG 13 targets. The results demonstrate a positive trend within SDG 13, albeit predominantly focused on targets 13.1 and 13.2. Left‐wing parties exhibit stronger commitment compared to their right‐wing counterparts, with variations observed based on European affiliations. Across all SDG 13 targets, left‐wing party manifestos consistently covered a broader spectrum of themes compared to their right‐wing counterparts. Green parties exhibit a partial higher commitment relative to the dominant governance parties in Portugal, which is recently governed by a right‐wing coalition. Findings aim to inform and potentiate refinement of climate policy agendas, contributing to future sustainability initiatives in Portugal and beyond.

Bio-sourced multifunctional adsorbent of chitosan and adipic acid activated-dragon fruit peels for organic dye removal from water: Eco-friendly management and valorization of biomass

Employing sustainable biomaterials obtained from waste biomass and biopolymers provides a very promising method for eliminating organic dyes from wastewater. This study presents a novel adsorbent of modified dragon fruit peels and chitosan, addressing wastewater treatment and environmental waste management. Precisely, a bio-sourced multifunctional (high level of functional groups) adsorbent (hereinafter, CHS/DFP-ADP) was developed from chitosan and adipic acid activated-dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peels. This biomaterial was applied to effectively adsorb organic pollutants (safranin O dye, SAF-O) from water. The adsorption variables, namely A: CHS/DFP-ADP dosage (0.02–0.08 g), B: pH (4–10), and C: duration (10–40 min), were modeled and optimized using the Box-Behnken Design (BBD). The results of the BBD model showed the optimum adsorption parameters for achieving the highest level of SAF-O removal (94.83 %) were as follows: CHS/DFP-ADP does = 0.049 g, the pH ∼ 10, and the contact duration = 40 min. The experimental results on the dye adsorption by CHS/DFP-ADP demonstrated conformity with the pseudo-first-order and Freundlich models. The biomaterial demonstrated a significant capability to adsorb SAF-O dye, with an adsorption capacity of 607.2 mg/g. The adsorption process of the cationic dye on the CHS/DFP-ADP involves several interactions, such as Yoshida H-bonding, electrostatic forces, n-π, and H-bonding. This work aligns with the principles of green chemistry and sustainable development, offering an innovative approach to tackle environmental concerns and promote the circular economy. The present effort meets several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).

Issues of Climate Change in Nepal

This study discusses the multifaceted impacts of climate change on Nepal's environment, economy, and society. It highlights the country's vulnerability to climate-related challenges such as erratic weather patterns, glacial melting, and the resulting socio-economic consequences for its population. The document also outlines Nepal's efforts to address these challenges through policy frameworks like the National Climate Change Policy and the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA). Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of international cooperation, community-based adaptation initiatives, and the promotion of renewable energy as key strategies to build resilienceand mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in Nepal. The paper serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding the complexities of climate change in Nepal and the various measures being implemented to safeguard the country's future. It provides valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners involved in climate action, emphasizing the need for a coordinated and multi-faceted approach to address the evolving impacts of climate change.

Strategic approach to accelerating regional bioenergy development: Bioelectricity for emission reduction and sustainability

The western Himalayas hold significant potential for generating bioelectricity from dry pine needle biomass. This approach provides multiple benefits, including forest fire prevention, electricity generation, and emission reduction. However, despite these advantages, the growth of this sector has fallen short of expectations. The projected electricity generation potential from pine needle biomass in this region could lead to a significant annual emission reduction of 1.7 MtCO2e through forest fire prevention and an additional 0.49 MtCO2e by displacing carbon-intensive grid electricity. Regional bioenergy development plays a crucial role in the global energy transition and aligns with SDG 13, "Climate Action," and SDG 7, "Affordable and Clean Energy." By focusing on bioenergy as a renewable and accessible energy source, local and regional communities can contribute to climate action while simultaneously ensuring affordable and clean energy for their communities. Therefore, this paper employs a hybrid SWOT-AHP analysis as a strategic planning tool to achieve emission reduction targets by stimulating regional bioenergy growth. Twenty-nine SWOT factors were identified under four variables, and then the AHP technique was employed to assign priority weights to both SWOT variables and factors. Combining SWOT with AHP analysis provides quantitatively determined priorities for the factors, enabling their objective comparison. Eventually, this study offers a comprehensive perspective that leads to policy recommendations and serves as a valuable resource for relevant stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers seeking to achieve emission reduction goals through bioelectricity generation.

Addressing Challenges to Ensuring Justice and Sustainability in Policy and Infrastructure for Texas Water Resources in the 21st Century

Environmental justice and sustainability have both become major concerns for water resource management, particularly with recent federal emphasis on environmental justice under the Biden administration in the United States. Texas, like many U.S. states, lags behind the federal government in this emphasis. While many localities have made progress in some respects—for example, some major Texas municipalities have included equity and sustainability metrics in their recent climate action plans—others have not. This has left a patchwork of persistent water management and availability issues that are exacerbated by extreme weather and worsening impacts of climate change. We provide a review of many of Texas’s water equity and sustainability challenges, both now and in a more extreme climate future. These include water access, affordability, contamination, flooding, drought, and aging infrastructure. For example, many Texas counties rank highest in the nation for flood risk, including coastal counties with high populations of disadvantaged communities and counties containing populations that live in persistent poverty in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Additionally, approximately 44,000 Texans, or about 0.4% of the state population, lack access to complete plumbing facilities in their homes. The costs of water infrastructure leaks (estimated at about 51 gallons of water per day statewide) are shared across customers of all income levels, though they place a disproportionate burden on low-income customers. We then assess existing statewide and local policy and planning efforts and gaps in addressing these concerns in Texas. We focus particularly on the role of efforts to incorporate community voice—the ideas, concerns, needs, and expertise of impacted community members, dismantle causes of injustice, and improve equity in spending. If communities are not intentional with future development, new water infrastructure could continue to perpetuate existing harms. Thus, we provide a research agenda and recommendations for addressing some of the policy and planning gaps and persistent environmental justice issues. We aim to help water managers and policy makers identify and dismantle sources of inequity, particularly through including community voice.

Applying cultural perspective in Indonesia municipal solid waste management process towards a grounded climate concept and action: A mini-review of opportunities and challenges.

This mini-review emphasises the role of municipal solid waste (MSW) as the biggest contributor to climate change, as well as the need for more grounded climate action. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2023 Synthesis Report by the co-facilitators on the technical dialogue Key Finding 3 of applying the 'whole-of-society' approach in this article is interpreted as a cultural approach in MSW management planning and implementation process. Using anthropological critiques of development, the cultural approach is frequently considered an obstacle or a justification for a project's failure rather than an important aspect of the people being developed. Therefore, the goal of this mini-review is to showcase the findings and explore the practical application of UNFCCC Key Finding 3, emphasising its importance in every phase of the solid waste management process for climate action. This mini-review argues that applying a cultural perspective presents both opportunities and challenges. More importantly, without careful acknowledgement and consideration, opportunities can become challenges, if not vice versa. The discussion section explores the ways in which religious and economic conditions might offer a contextual understanding and effective techniques for managing MSW at the local level. To apply Key Finding 3 in practice, academia needs to move away from generality and embrace multiple 'modernities', while practitioners also need to include cultural perspectives to complement scientific knowledge.

Indigenous knowledge for climate action at the Ekyisalhalha kya Karoro sacred site, adjacent to Rwenzori mountains national park in Kasese

PurposeThis case study examines the contribution of Indigenous knowledge (IK) and practices to climate action at Ekisalhalha kya Kororo sacred site, adjacent to Rwenzori Mountains National Park in the Kasese district of Western Uganda. This paper is intended to make a case for IK as an important component of climate change mitigation strategies especially if the knowledge is profiled and publicised. The paper presents aspects of traditional knowledge in terms of ceremonies, rituals, norms and customs that can be re-energised for climate change.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed mainly a participatory and qualitative data collection methodology. The data were collected in Kasese district largely from the local government officials, cultural leaders, civil society actors and representatives of indigenous minority communities such as the Basongora. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources, at the desk and through community interactions to collect various narratives based on IK. Primary data were collected during individual interviews, by administering a semi-structured questionnaire and holding focus group discussions with different stakeholders in Kasese, Uganda. The respondents were carefully identified and included cultural leaders, young people, local government authorities and representatives of civil society organisations responsible for implementing climate change mitigation strategies.FindingsClimate change effects are manifest in rising temperatures, flooding, desertification and other natural hazards. The Kasese district, in particular, has faced several climatic change catastrophes and there has been limited use or mainstreaming of the existing IK of the communities in the region in different climate action interventions. Amongst the key research findings was that IK can be utilised to address or mitigate climate change risks/hazards and provide valuable insights into climate adaptation strategies, including rain-water harvesting, weather forecasting and preparedness, and sustainable farming practices. In addition, it is easily accessible, especially in areas that modern science has not reached.Research limitations/implicationsFew elders with IK related to climate change mitigation and the disconnect between young people and IK bearers were limitations encountered during data collection.Originality/valueThe information in the article is an original compilation by the authors based on previous published work from the NetZero Heritage for Climate Action research project.

Advances in microalgae-based lutein production and extraction: enhancing bioavailability and applications in health and industry

BackgroundNatural lutein, a bioactive xanthophyll, is widely used in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, aquaculture, and cosmetics due to its broad health benefits, especially in protecting ocular health and chronic and acute syndromes. Microalgae have become a preferred sustainable platform for high-value lutein production, surpassing marigold petals in content (∼2 mg g−1) and consistency. MethodsThis review highlights advancements in upstream lutein production and downstream extraction techniques, focusing on scalable and sustainable bioprocesses. Under optimal conditions, microalgae cultivation in open and closed reactors for 2–4 weeks is examined. Comparative yields among studies are analyzed, detailing which technologies and their combinations offer superior yields for commercial production. Significant FindingsMicroalgae demonstrate high lutein content (∼10–17 mg g−1) and productivity (2–7 mg L−1d−1). The review identifies key advancements in smart delivery systems and bioavailability enhancement strategies, which are novel aspects of lutein research. The review aims to expand lutein distribution and its health benefits by addressing production challenges, market potential, and commercial opportunities. Aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the review promotes good health (SDG 3), economic growth (SDG 8), industry innovation (SDG 9), and climate action (SDG 13).

Sustainable careers within greening economies

Sustainable Livelihoods are more adaptable than precarious jobs, for career development through Decent Work. An essential element for Career Sustainability is Climate action, that includes Just Transitions from carbon-intensive to carbon-neutral or regenerative work. This paper analyses a municipal transition from coal-mining to a more carbon-neutral, city economy, which has foregrounded just transition for miners, and improved the wider ecosystem. The Polish city of Katowice in Poland illustrates how work and career structures, in this case municipal, can work for people in everyday life and their future careers. The case may also serve as a lighthouse project for future just transitions, as part of sustainable career development, by greening economies and supporting access to decent work for all.

India’s Security and Climate Policy: Navigating the China Challenge

In a world rich in climate knowledge but short on climate action, it is important to understand the political reasons behind the apparent failure of states to address this planetary crisis. One underexplored dimension of this phenomenon is the impact of broader geopolitics and rivalry, in specific the ability and willingness of potential and actual security and economic rivals to leave their contention at the gates of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This article focuses on India’s multifaceted approach to its ‘China challenge’ with and outside the climate regime. While conventional scholarship focuses on the security and economic dimensions of this rivalry, this study offers a distinct perspective that examines whether this rivalry might lead to a breakdown of cooperation and an increased potential for conflict and weaponisation of seemingly disconnected issue areas. Drawing on a comprehensive triangulation of policy documents, government statements and scholarly literature, this article evaluates the domestic and international factors shaping India’s climate-related China policies, including the countries’ unique economic ambitions, development imperatives, energy needs and global climate commitments. Furthermore, the article examines Sino-Indian interactions in international arenas such as the UNFCCC and Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS), and how these interactions influence global climate governance.

Corporate social responsibility: A Driver for green organizational climate and workplace pro-environmental behavior

In line with the United Nation's sustainable development goals (SDGs), the unsustainable use of scarce natural resources and worldwide environmental degradation call for the immediate implementation of green behaviors across all organizations. As environmental issues originate from human activities, they necessitate the realization and execution of employees' workplace pro-environmental behaviors (WPEB) and their stimulators. Drawing on social exchange and social identity theories, this study first investigates the mediating role of green organizational climate in the relationship between various forms of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employees' WPEB. It further examines the mediated moderation via green shared vision. An adapted survey questionnaire was distributed to senior-level and middle-level managers of large and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Pakistan, and 349 responses were gathered. The partial least-squares technique was used for data analysis. The findings indicate that all forms of perceived CSR positively correlate with a green organizational climate, which further significantly leads to employees' WPEB. The results also show that a strong shared green vision among employees can improve the relationship between the green organizational climate and employees' WPEB and vice versa. Moreover, multi-group analysis shows that the relationship between customer-centric perceived CSR and green organizational climate was stronger for medium-sized firms than large ones. Thus, to ensure the implementation of SDGs such as decent work and climate action, firms' top management must recognize the importance of investing in both internal and external CSR initiatives to foster a green organizational climate leading to employees' WPEB. Companies should communicate their participation in CSR activities to all stakeholders through public platforms to increase inspiration. Policymakers should further introduce CSR excellence awards and non-compliance penalties to encourage firms' extensive participation.