Context Of Sustainable Development Research Articles

Green Logistics Context of Sustainable Development: The Case of The European Union and Turkey

Lojistik ve ulaştırma altyapısındaki gelişmeler, ticaret hacmini artırma ve uluslararası rekabet gücü açısından hayati öneme sahiptir. Lojistik faaliyetlerinin artışı ise sera gazı ve karbondioksit emisyonlarındaki yükselmeyle birlikte çevre üzerinde olumsuz etki yaratmaktadır. Lojistik faaliyetlerinin olumsuz etkisini azaltmak amacıyla ortaya çıkarılan yeşil lojistik ile çevresel, sosyal ve ekonomik hedefler arasında sürdürülebilir bir dengenin kurulması amaçlanmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı lojistik faaliyetlerindeki gelişimin sera gazı ve karbondioksit emisyonu üzerindeki etkisinin araştırılmasıdır. Bu kapsamda, 2010 – 2018 döneminde Avrupa Birliği üyesi 26 ülke ve Türkiye’de gerçekleşen lojistik faaliyetlerin sera gazı ve karbondioksit emisyonları üzerindeki etkisi panel regresyon modeli ile analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonuçlarına göre, ülkelerin lojistik faaliyetlerindeki gelişim ile sera gazı ve karbondioksit emisyonları arasında negatif ve anlamlı bir ilişkiye ulaşılmıştır. Aynı zamanda çalışma sonuçlarına göre yenilenebilir enerji kaynaklarının kullanım oranı ile sera gazı ve karbondioksit emisyonları arasında negatif ve anlamlı bir ilişki tespit edilmiştir.

Realization of a Geographic Information System for aid decision-making for forest management

This work aims to create a decision support and geographic information system aimed at optimizing the management of forest capital in the Adrar region. Through this awareness, we question the place of geographic information in the dialogue process and the approach to sustainable development. Cadastral data, satellite images, cartographic and photographic data will be presented. Data processing and data integration will be discussed. The expected results must provide knowledge beyond reach without these tools. They clarify the importance of satellite images and the spatial component of geographic information. In the current context of sustainable development, geographic information appears necessary for decision-making.

Fostering innovation competencies in tourism higher education via design-based and value-based learning

There is growing imperative for the development of innovation competencies to address both economic and social/environmental issues in the travel sector, within the context of sustainable development and the fourth industrial revolution. This paper explores a unique combination of design-based and value-based learning to foster students' innovation competencies, utilising a case study involving 60 Master of Tourism students in ‘Innovation in Tourism’ course. Results suggest that the combined pedagogies are effective in fostering creative problem-solving, system thinking, goal orientation, teamwork and networking. However higher education institutions need to better adapt both the administration and the curriculum to accommodate different tasks and teaching roles.

Can city-to-city cooperation facilitate sustainable development governance in the Global South? Lessons gleaned from seven North-South partnerships in Latin America

ABSTRACT The search for mechanisms that can bolster sustainable development governance is underway. Bilateral city-to-city partnerships (C2C) have been put forward as platform through which cities can strengthen sustainable development in urban landscapes. Here, we critically examine claims about the capacity of these international cooperative arrangements, originally designed and deployed as development aid delivery mechanisms, to promote sustainable development. Our systematic examination of the extant literature on bilateral North-South C2C in Latin America fails to provide sufficient evidence that C2C can deliver on its promise to promote robust governance, both generally and in the specific context of sustainable development. Instead, it seems that C2C is more likely to support than challenge entrenched practices which can weaken sustainable development governance. Identifying these tendencies is a first step in formulating strategies that may enhance C2Cs and other transnational partnerships aimed at improving urban sustainable development in the Global South.

Applying Citizen Science for Sustainable Development: Rainfall Monitoring in Western Nepal

We introduce a case-study agnostic framework for the application of citizen science in a sustainable development context. This framework is tested against an activity in two secondary schools in western Nepal. While the purpose of this activity is to generate locally relevant knowledge on the physical processes behind natural hazards, we concentrate here on its implementation, i.e., to obtain a better understanding of the dynamic of the activity and to learn how it should be implemented. We determined the social capital of secondary schools as a gateway to the local community: they provide a unique setting to bring different stakeholders together. We find that co-designing a teaching programme is an effective means of both complementing local curricula and ensuring continued buy-in of local stakeholders (i.e., teachers). Student engagement depends on the local relevance of teaching materials, with more holistic or global concepts, such as climate change of lesser importance. Our activity focused on rainfall, including student-led data collection. These rainfall data provide a very good fit to co-located rain gauge data, with an average difference on weekly readings of 11.8%, reducing to 8.3% when averaged over all student readings. The autonomous development of student-organized science clubs suggested that our original framework underestimated students' capacity to apply knowledge elsewhere creatively. These clubs may be used to obtain participant feedback to improve and tailor future activities. Quantitative assessment of long-term sustainability remains challenging, due in part to high levels of student turnover. We suggest that integrating scientists wherever possible within a school or local community has a direct and positive result on participant retention.

Assessment of the State of Ichthyofauna from Danube River – Caleia Branch, Romania: A Sustainable Development Context

Evaluating the state of ichthyofauna at both the Lower Danube level and at the national level contains knowledge gaps regarding species dynamics, with the most complex studies regarding species composition being undertaken more than 50 years ago. Over time, the Danube River - an important navigation route that connects Western Europe with Asia - has suffered a series of anthropogenic interventions that led to river discharge regularization, interruptions of longitudinal/latitudinal connectivity and reductions in floodplain area. These anthropogenic activities may negatively impact suitable fish habitats leading to demographical effects. The Danube is regarded as a river with high species richness that provides a source of income for the local population by the practice of commercial fishing. The area of interest for this study was selected taking into account the fact that, in the last decade, it was subject to hydrotechnical works that aim to redistribute the river discharge to improve navigation conditions. The ichthyofauna population dynamics is analyzed using an 8 year-long dataset that includes baseline data before the project started and a monitoring period after the project ended. The results indicate the presence of 38 fish species (excluding anadromous fish species – sturgeons and shads). The identified fish species are classified in two categories: 1) species of commercial interest and 2) species of Community interest. This study provides evidence that the high mobility capacity of the fish species is the main factor affecting species dynamics as support of the national efforts in action to stop the degradation of aquatic habitats and biodiversity, in response to goal 15 “Life Earth” of the UN 2030 AGENDA for sustainable development.

Transboundary River Hydrodynamic Conditions Assessment in Sustainable Development Context. A Case Study of Danube River: Chilia Branch - Bystroe Channel Area

Located in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, the Chilia branch serves as country boundary between Romania and Ukraine. The former state started in 2004 a project intended to increase the navigability capacity of Bystroe Channel, the environmental impact of the works carried out being discordantly considered by the Romanian and Ukrainian authorities. The Inquiry Commission established under the Espoo Convention, of which both countries are part of, delivered its final opinion that the project was likely to have a significant adverse transboundary impact on the hydrodynamic local conditions and habitat loss for fish and birdlife. Statistical analysis was operated on daily and monthly averaged water discharge values and the results were graphically displayed as hydrographs and probability curves and distribution. Addressing the in situ data measurements deficit for the Chilia branch - Bystroe Channel Area, measurement campaigns have been carried out in order to monitor the alterations of the hydrodynamic parameters. Using the specialized Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers technique, there have been recorded water flow parameters (water discharge and water current velocity vectors) and the data used for analysis and 2D and 3D representation of the hydrodynamic conditions.

Industry 4.0 enablers for a cleaner production and circular economy within the context of business ethics: A study in a developing country

To achieve sustainability, businesses are adopting Cleaner Production (CP) and Circular Economy (CE) practices for producing better quality products at the lowest cost while decreasing the negative environmental impact of their operations. The implementation of these practices is highly influenced by Industry 4.0 technology’s enablers, particularly within the context of ethical and sustainable business development. In this paper, a novel framework is proposed to assess the importance of Industry 4.0 enablers for implementing CP practices embedded in CE in the context of ethical societies and assess an industry’s readiness. Firstly, the most effective context-related Industry 4.0 enablers are extracted from previous studies and validated through a Fuzzy Delphi method. Secondly, the Interval-Valued Fuzzy Sets (IVFS) based Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is applied to evaluate the enablers’ weight. Due to existing ambiguities in the enablers, IVFS was applied to model the uncertainty in an interval [0,1]. The final results indicate that the most important enablers are “Technical Capability”, “Security and Safety”, Policy and Regulation”, “System Flexibility”, “Education and Participation” and “Support and Maintenance” respectively. Thirdly, the Fuzzy Evaluation Method (FEM) was followed to evaluate the readiness score of Industry 4.0 enablers for implementing CP practices embedded in CE and evolving ethical principles of corporate social responsibility. This paper contributes to the CP, CE and ethics body of knowledge by proposing a framework for assessing the dimensions of Industry 4.0 enablers during the implementation of CP and CE practices and to provide ethical and sustainable business development.

Sustainable Tourism and The Roles of Tour Guides in Destinations: A Qualitative Case Study in Turkey

The sustainable tourism approach is the way to ensure a destination’s development and protec-tion. Since there are important links between the visitor and the destination, tourist guides may contribute to the destination’s resources management and economic and socio-cultural impact. They could set a deep contact with tourists in destinations and have positive results on tourist sustainable behaviors. The aim of the study is to identify the dimensions of the roles attributed to tourist guides in the promotion of sustainable tourism and to determine the content of these roles within an exploratory perspective. In this research, the qualitative research method has been adopted in the phenomenology research design in order to reveal the meanings that tour guides have experienced. The data was obtained through deep-interviews with tourist guides and evalu-ated with descriptive analysis technique. According to the findings, the roles of the tourist guides are dimensioned as “adopting consulting role, taking over inspection, sustainability training, raising tourists’ awareness, promotion of the local economy, and sustainable tour management” within the context of sustainable tourism development. The paper indicates the contributions to the tourism literature with the determination of roles tourist guides serve in the promotion of sus-tainable tourism in detail, as limited studies have been conducted in Turkey.

Application Of Problem Based Learning Model Using Education For Sustainable Development Context In Improving Critical Thingking Ability For Junior High School Students At Heat Theory

Indonesia ranks 6th from the bottom based on four annual studies Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2015. Based on the results of the TIMSS and PISA, it was said that Indonesian students only mastered low-level questions and lacked high-level questions (HOTS) which included requiring students to think analytically, creatively and critically. Therefore, this study aims to improve students critical thinking skills with the Problem Based Learning model using the education of sustainable development (ESD) context on the heat theory. This study used a one group pretest-posttest design with a sample of 31 students from one of junior high schools in Bandung city. The instrument used was a critical thinking ability test and sustainability awareness profile questionnaire. The acquisition of <g> shows the ability to think critically: Provide a basic explanation of 0.72; build basic skills 0.69; concluded 0.69; make further explanation 0.47; and set the strategy and tactics 0.38. Obtaining sustainability awareness questionnaire 63.33% with the category “practice that are done” based on this, it can be concluded that the problem based learning model using ESD context can be used to improve students' critical thinking skills.

Public Health and Sustainable Development: training future generations in a developing country

The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Colombian Caribbean Region is a priority, specifically in the city of Santa Marta, because in this city are several factors involved in public health problems known as Social Determinants of Health: the city has lack of vegetation and high population density which can be a conditioning factor for the progressive increase in temperature and for heat index; and power outages are common. Therefore, in this paper is presented the curricular design of the course “Public Health and Sustainable Development” offered at Universidad del Magdalena. This course covered three topics in its order: 1) the relationship between sustainability and health; 2) the knowledge about SDGs and their global agenda; 3) and ways for increase healthy life and sustainable development in context. With these three topics the SDGs analyzed were: #3 Good health and well-being #4 Quality education, #6 Clean water and sanitation, #7 Affordable and clean energy, #11 Sustainable cities and communities, and #13 Climate action. The evaluation was based on rubrics, the students presented oral workshops and group written reports, and a final report that addressed the relationship between health and public and SDG. It can be concluded that the students achieved a first level of knowledge in the relationship between public health and the SDGs. This work identified that there are three main environmental problems of the city of Santa Marta: the public supply of drinking water for human consumption, continuous increase of high temperatures, and lack of vegetation. In this way, new buildings must generate an impact on public health, guaranteeing a healthy urban environment. In Santa Marta, the University must have a central role as an integrating axis, promoting healthy and sustainable behavior in society; and based in this work there are elements for a climate emergency declaration in Universidad del Magdalena.

Biomass valuation in the context of sustainable agricultural development in Romania

Achieving a sustainable agricultural development in Romania represents a major challenge in adapting to new environmental conditions and ecological efficiency. Agriculture has proven over time to be a sustainable producer of biomass, able to offer both in terms of main production of energy crops, and through secondary production or byproduct. In this context the main aim of the manuscript is to asses and analyzes the biomass valuation in the larger context of sustainable agricultural development in Romania. The results prove that biomass is an eligible candidate in valuing the agricultural potential and develop future mechanism in promoting renewables. Taking into consideration these aspects, the manuscript is in line with the current researches in field analyzing the biomass potential in developing new clean and sustainable energy production.

Collaborative survival and the politics of livability: Towards adaptation otherwise

Abstract Climate change promises to bring forth a future of uncertain and challenging events in which divergent worlds collide, conflict, and collaborate for survival in transitionary times. Yet, collaborative adaptation responses remain not well understood, particularly in terms of the relational and political dimensions of this practice. This paper seeks to push beyond collaboration as an assumed good and contributes to deeper theorization and conceptualization of the arts of collaborating within the context of climate adaptation and sustainable development. The paper draws upon participatory and ethnographic engagements in the struggle for collaborative adaptation to rapid glacier melt in the Peruvian highlands between 2015 and 2018. Insights are derived from various qualitative methods that allowed for following through a network of local to global adaptation actors (State institutions, development NGOs, and campesinos) as they worked towards a common goal of becoming resilient to ensuing radical landscape changes. By paying attention to divergent adaptation imaginaries, as well as historically produced uneven geographies of power upon which current adaptation strategies are materializing, this study illuminates “frictions” that emerge from collaborative engagements and the systemic oppression of local ways of knowing and being. This study finds that, through a privileged adaptation discourse, State and transnational actors enact a techno-scientific and developmentalist-adaptation reality that is indifferent to the needs and preferences of highland inhabitants. I argue that, adaptation in this way performs a “coloniality of power” that perpetuates the erasure of social alterity from world-making projects. As a counter-proposal, I call for doing adaptation otherwise, that is, decolonially. This practice is informed by the relational ontology of highland campesinos, and strives to create an alternative approach to formal adaptation that allows for rights of self-determination and the empowerment of designs from “below”.

PROBLEMS OF STATISTICAL STUDY OF “GREEN ECONOMICS” AND GREEN GROWTH POTENTIALS IN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT

The purpose of the research. The research subject purpose is theoretical and practical aspects of the statistical assessment of the green economy potential in the sustainable development context. The methods. The article is based on the categories of theoretical (hypothesis, concept, theory, problem) and empirical (facts, empirical summarizations, empirical dependences) level of the issue, distinctive features of which are: objectivity; categorical character; rationality; testability; high level of generalization; universality and use of special tools and methods of cognition. General scientific and special methods of research are used to achieve the article’s purpose and solve its problems, namely: methods of analysis, abstraction and synthesis, induction and deduction, and system structuring method; hypothetico-deductive method; method of historical and logical integrity; method of idealization; methods of classification and system generalization; statistical methods. Considering that further “greening” of socio-economic indicators constitutes a vital problem remaining on the agenda of global and national institutes of development, the article’s objective is to develop an integral approach to the revision of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) built by the UN approach, through comparing existing approaches to the statistical assessment of the green economy state and the green growth potential, taking into account the proposed energy indices and indicators. Results. It is demonstrated that because none of the integral indicators of “green economy” development has been widely adopted by now, national and international statistics have no grounds for separating green goods and services as a specific sector of the national economy. Practical implications. The System of Environmental- Economic Accounting (SEEA) has been adopted as a basic tool for the assessment of indicators reflecting the causal links between the economy and the environment. It is substantiated that most part of the data for measuring green growth processes has to be possibly collected by SEEA. Value/originality. The importance of the assessment of the dynamics of national economy greening is demonstrated, because this type of analysis enables one to assess the change in the environmental impact of the new economic model by analyzing the factors and identifying most effective methods for decreasing environmental pressures of economic activities. The advantage of such assessment is that it can be made on the basis of the available statistical data. Considering that energy indices and indicators are widely used in many international reporting systems to assess the state of green economy and the potential of green growth in the sustainable development context, we made an attempt to systematize all the indicators by the two main groups: direct and indirect. It is revealed that international organizations (ОЕСР, UNEP and the World Bank) attempt to unify the existing approaches in constructing their own algorithms for the assessment of “green growth”, in particular with the indicators of Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, national statistical agencies attempt to build a set of statistical indicators for the assessment of green economy development as indicators of demand for green products. It is demonstrated that harmonized definitions of economic activities concerned with the green industry and green jobs and comparable key indicators, if used internationally, will enable for the statistical assessment of the green economic development in space and time.

Drivers of combined assurance in a sustainable development context: Evidence from integrated reports

AbstractExternal assurance engagements performed by auditors and consultants to test sections of organisations' sustainability and integrated reports have become commonplace and are examined in detail by the prior research. Less often considered is how different types of internal and external sources of assurance form part of a combined assurance model that organisations rely on to ensure the integrity of information used for internal decision making and reporting to stakeholders. As a result, this paper offers an important contribution to the academic literature by providing one of the first reviews to deal specifically with the operation of combined assurance. The research considers if firm size and profitability, industry membership and select governance features are associated with the use of more sophisticated combined assurance models for ensuring relevant and reliable integrated reporting. Multiple regression, complemented by supplementary analysis, reveals that larger firms that are more profitable and members of environmentally and socially sensitive industries are not necessarily using extensive combined assurance models. These organisations rely on robust assurance methodologies, but the coverage of their combined assurance models is restricted. Similarly, board experience is substituting for the use of complex assurance methodologies. Board size and independence are only associated with a stronger commitment to implementing codes of best practice dealing with combined assurance but not with the coverage of the assurance models or the assurance methodologies being applied. The results may be indicative of the fact that internal controls and systems required to support integrated thinking and reporting are still in a developmental stage, making it difficult for them to be the subject of any formal verification by internal or external assurance providers.

Exploring the Pillars of Sustainable Development in the Context of Ghanaian SMEs

This paper explores the pillars of sustainable development in the environmental, socio-economic, and political context of Ghana, with a basic focus on its Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs). Sustainable development has developed into a common mantra within the discourse of present-day development. However, given its universal and the enormous acceptance it has acquired over the years, the term still appears vague as several gaps still exist that questions the context, meaning and insinuations of sustainable development for practice. Extensive literature was reviewed to explore the pillars of sustainable development in Ghana, one of the emerging countries in Africa. The paper recognizes and maintains that the whole question linked to sustainable development cut across generations and are fundamentally grounded on three major pillars: social, economic and environment. The study recommends that key players in the interior of the United Nations, private sector, governments, civil society organizations need to be repetitively watchful of the relationships and compromises among these pillars of sustainable development. Keywords: SMEs, sustainable, environmental, development, political, economic, social, Ghana DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-14-04 Publication date: July 31 st 2020

PRINCIPLES OF PREPARATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REPORTING

The purpose of the article is to determine the principles of sustainable development reporting, which provide in its preparation quality informative content and informational value for effective management decisions by internal and external stakeholders. The structure and content of modular GRI Standards are analyzed. The internal and external advantages of sustainable development reporting are indicated. The definition of sustainable development reporting is given. The tasks of preparation of the reporting on sustainable development are specified. The essence of the principles provided by the GRI recommendations is analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the fundamental principle of materiality. The steps for deciding on the materiality of the information are indicated. The indicators that characterize the essential aspects of the enterprise activities are given. The basic information identifies data on legal entities, the reporting of which has been included in the consolidated financial statements; coverage of the methodology for determining the content of reporting and its boundaries; boundaries of significant aspects within the company and in the external environment; notifications of significant changes compared to previous reporting periods. The process of determining the materiality of facts for reflection in sustainable development reporting is indicated. The list of basic principles of sustainable development reporting, which includes the principles of the context of sustainable development, materiality, completeness, strategic direction, systematization, is offered. A list of additional principles, the observance of which will provide comprehensive coverage of the degree to which the company achieves the goals of sustainable development: the principles of neutrality, economy, reasonableness, logic and synergy, is proposed. Qualitative characteristics (comparability, accuracy, timeliness, clarity, reliability, relevance), which should be met by sustainable development reporting, have been determined.

Circles of Coastal Sustainability: A Framework for Coastal Management

The coastal zone is a space where many social, economic, and political activities intersect with natural processes. In this paper, we present an adaptation of the method of ‘Circles of Sustainability’, used to provide a visual assessment of indicators that define sustainability profiles for cities. It is used as a basis for a ‘Circles of Coastal Sustainability’ (CCS) framework that can be used at multiple spatial scales to assess indicators of critical processes that facilitate/constrain sustainability of the world’s coastal zones. The development of such a framework can support management by identifying key features that influence environmental sustainability and human well-being. CCS presents a holistic assessment of four interdependent boundary domains: Environment and Ecology, Social and Cultural, Economics, and Governance and Policy. This approach improves its utility and usability for decision-makers and researchers. CCS adds to existing assessment frameworks that are often focused on particular themes and/or domains that confine their utility to the context of sustainable development and the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which demand an inherently holistic and integrated evaluation. CCS is a holistic framework designed to assess the boundaries to sustainability for socio-ecological systems at multiple scales for the world’s coasts.

A Study of Quality Assessment in Higher Education within the Context of Sustainable Development: A Case Study from Czech Republic

Quality has become an increasingly important and critical success factor at higher education institutions, particularly universities. Numerous discussions have been held about education quality in the context of sustainable development. However, the quality of that education strongly depends on the overall quality of the management system which operates at schools. The principal aim of this article is to present the approaches to the quality management systems’ development and their assessment at universities, and share some lessons learned from this area of research. Some possibilities of the ISO 9001 standard’s implementation, as well as the application of excellence models as a response to community demands, will be discussed, especially in the context of the recently-introduced Act No. 111/1998 Coll on Higher Education Institutions, which requires quality assurance and quality evaluation. A case study from The VSB-Technical University of Ostrava shows approaches, results and effects of the quality management system implementation.

Indicators of competitiveness of a region in the global sustainable development context

The development and improvement of the level of competitiveness of any country is based on a surefooted understanding and use of national advantages that any state possesses in one way or another. Competitive advantages, in turn, are based on national and regional determinants of development and can be ensured by the activities of economic entities in various industries and regions. Thus, economic entities play a major role in increasing the competitiveness of a country and a region. At the same time, the results of their activities should contribute not only to increasing competitiveness, but to achieving sustainable development of both the country and the region. At present, the integration of the principles of sustainable development in the system of assessing the competitiveness of a region is a rather urgent problem.The article proposes a system of indicators for assessing the competitiveness of the region in the framework of the concept of sustainable development in each of the three areas that are available and can be used to monitor and control the sustainable development of the Russian regions. A conceptual framework for the sustainable development of the amber industry in the Russian Federation and the Kaliningrad region has been developed.The comparison of indicators of socio-economic development of the region and leading indicators in the extractive industry is carried out. The minimum general set of indicators of the region’s competitiveness was determined, which would be possible to track and compare across all regions implementing the concept of sustainable development.There is no conflict of interests.