Sustainable Development Issues Research Articles

Analyzing the newspapers’ coverage of sustainable development goals in UAE

This study examines how United Arab Emirates (UAE) national newspapers reported on sustainable development goals (SDGs) following the country’s announcement that it would host COP28 climate change summit in 2023. We analyzed the content of a systematic random sample of news articles published in leading Arabic and English language newspapers over a one-year period. Results indicate that sustainable development issues, particularly related to the environment and economy, were covered widely and mostly positively, and were framed in the context of achievements rather than challenges. We also observed significant differences in SDG reporting between the two newspapers selected for our study. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The analysis of electricity consumption in Kazakhstan

The energy sector is a fundamental element of the economic structure of any state, determining its sustainability, competitiveness and ability to innovate. In this context, Kazakhstan, which has significant reserves of hydrocarbons, energy sources and renewable properties, finds itself at the crossroads of solving issues of energy policy, innovation and sustainable development. The electricity sector is a priority resource necessary to maintain the economic security of the country. This is relevant due to the rapid growth of industrial production and demography in order to maintain increasing demand and increase electricity generation in the country. The purpose of this scientific work is focused on the economic analysis of electricity generation and consumption, as well as the identification of shortcomings and the proposal of recommendations to ensure the sustainable development of the energy sector in Kazakhstan. Using the scientific method of analysis, the study aims to identify trends that determine the level of electricity consumption in the country, as well as to offer recommendations for the sustainable and effective development of this industry. The article is a valuable contribution to strengthening and modernizing the energy system of the country. The results of the research are: the current state of Kazakhstani energy sector is revealed against the background of anti-Russian sanctions, increased energy prices and global uncertainty; a comparative analysis of electricity production is carried out; an economic assessment of primary and final energy consumption from 2015 to 2023 was carried out; the reasons for changes in electricity generation and consumption from the perspective of industrial and consumer demand growth were substantiated; shortcomings were revealed and proposals were made to improve the development and consumption of electricity in the republic. The results obtained have significant potential to initiate certain transformations in the energy sector of Kazakhstan. The article is a scientific work contributing to the development of theory and practice in the field of energy in Kazakhstan. This research contributes to the further development of energy consumption and improvement of the country's energy infrastructure, ensuring its sustainability and competitiveness in the long term.

How can we halve food waste by 2030 in a consumerist world?

The United Nations’ target for halving Food Waste (FW) and the related actions required by the 2030 Agenda should be achieved in just six years, and there is a lot to be done. Considering that FW worldwide is causing 8% to 10% of GHG, the phenomenon has become a preoccupation for the European Union (EU). As a member state, Romania is aligned with the EU policy lines regarding environment and sustainable development. Bearing in mind the consumption-based economic model, the governmental approaches, and challenges regarding environmental and sustainable development issues, a robust civil society is needed to influence the adoption of efficacious and improved public policies regarding FW and to contribute to maintaining green topics on the public agenda. This paper aims to identify the factors that explain civil society's ability to influence public policies on FW and keep these green topics on the governmental agenda. In this sense, I have carried out a literature review to identify the current situation and the levers available to Romanian civil society and data analysis. Data was gathered via 11 semi-structured in-depth interviews with representatives of central public authorities, HoReCa, civil society, and Romanian consumers conducted in the spring of 2022 for my dissertation paper. The interviews revealed that civil society as a soft power can influence Romanian public policies regarding FW and has a crucial role in covering the critical areas of education, communication, awareness, and changing consumer behavior. Moreover, the data underlines that, second to the central authorities, civil society is the next stakeholder responsible for taking action to reduce FW. The development and evolution of a solid and vigilant civil society is essential for influencing the adoption of effective and improved public policies regarding FW and contributes to maintaining green topics on the public agenda to achieve the ambitious goals set by the international community, which aim at the well-being of people, and the Planet, but also of the future generations.

Powerful News Sources Versus Advocate-Journalists as Factors Affecting the Editorial Agenda-Building on Sustainable Development Goals

ABSTRACT While journalism scholarship has extensively investigated the actors shaping news content, there is a paucity of research on how different factors influence newspaper editorial agendas for sustainable development issues. To bridge the gap, this longitudinal study examines newspaper editorials during two distinct periods in a developing country: T1, when the SDGs were adopted in 2015, and T2, when two state officials with a pro-development agenda came into power in 2018. A quantitative content analysis was performed on (N = 11,453) editorials collected from six mainstream Pakistani newspapers published in English and Urdu languages. Results suggest that the SDGs’ launch year failed to influence editorialists to sufficiently emphasize human development issues. However, when powerful news sources, prioritizing sustainable development over internal and external disputes, discussed these issues, their influential positions and government public relations support steered editorialists to shift focus from conflict-oriented content to human development. Concurrently, editorialists, though sporadically, also functioned as advocate journalists. Under the influence of this professional role, they allocated more coverage to issues such as rising inflation and unemployment, reflecting the hardships faced by common people, despite attempts by powerful sources to downplay these public concerns. This role positioned them as key influencers in shaping the editorial agenda.

Preparing new secondary science teachers in the context of sustainable development goals: green and sustainable chemistry

Abstract School science teachers have an important role to play in preparing young people for a sustainable future. Yet their teaching is usually constrained by national school curricula, which may be slow to change to address the issues of sustainable development. Initial teacher education should anticipate the required changes in school curricula so that newly qualified teachers are better equipped to implement the changes when they happen. This paper is based upon the situation prevailing in South Africa, a country with some of the best and some of the worst schools in sub-Saharan Africa. It suggests ways that the BEd course for physical science education student teachers can be developed toward education for sustainable development, while accepting the constraints of the national curriculum, which has become the defining structure of the BEd.

Methodological bases of personnel management in the context of implementation of the “green office” concept

“Green” human resource management is a strategic approach that recognizes the relationship between environmental sustainability and human resources. This can lead to numerous benefits, including cost savings, improved employee engagement, and long-term organizational sustainability. The article examines the methodological foundations of human resource management in the context of implementing the green office concept. The purpose of the study is to identify the components of the conceptual model for implementing the policy of “green” human resource management at enterprises. The basic procedures of “green” human resource management are researched. It is identified that environmentally oriented HR initiatives can be considered as an organizational mechanism aimed at ensuring that employees behave in a “green” way. It is proved that “green” human resource management plays an important role in shaping the environmental values of employees and improving their environmental behaviour, contributing to the formation of the need to create answers to sustainable development issues in the human resource management systems of organizations. A promising direction for further research is the scientific substantiation of the list of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of the “green” policy of an enterprise in terms of personnel management.

The Preface: IICESSD 2023

On behalf of the conference committee, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all of the attendees to our 3rd International Interdisciplinary Conference on Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Development (IICESSD 2023) which was held on 25-26 September 2023 at Best Western Plus Coco Hotel, Palu, Indonesia in a hybrid format. The conference theme is “Towards networking for the environment and sustainable development issues in the digital era“. The objective of the conference is to share knowledge and research network between institutions nationally and internationally. The participants attend from Australia and Asia as the representatives of the lecturers, students, and researchers. The keynote speakers were Prof. Dr. Ir. Amar, M.T (Rector of Tadulako University), Prof. Tim Robert (Newcastle University), Prof Sukree Langputeh (Fatoni University Thailand), Prof. Roseline A Saufi (University Malaysia Kelantan), Dr. Albertus Denny Handoko (STAR A Singapore), and Dr John Holdsworth (Newcastle University) who sharing their valuable insight of promoting networking on environmental and sustainable development concerns. Our technical program was rich and varied with 6 keynote speakers and around 70 technical papers split between 4 parallel oral sessions each day: (1) Agriculture and forestry for the environment and sustainable development; (2) Health for the environment and sustainable development; (3) Engineering science for environment and sustainable development; and (4) Green economy, entrepreneurship and good governance for sustainable development. The conference of IICESSD 2023 was organized and sponsored by the Postgraduate Universitas Tadulako, Palu Indonesia as well as the local organizing committee members who have all worked extremely hard on the details of important aspects of the conference programs and social activities. Special thanks go to the IOP Publishing EES that agreed with the works of this proceeding conference in an open-access volume of IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Prof. Daud K. Walanda, IICESSD 2023 Chair List of Organizing and Scientific Committee, Secretariat committee, Accomodation/venue committee, Publication committee, Programme committee, Technical committee, List of Editors, List of Reviewers are available in this Pdf.

Was the link between enterprise and consumers neglected on sustainable development issue? Antecedents and consequences of customer relationship management practices

Was the link between enterprise and consumers neglected on sustainable development issue? Antecedents and consequences of customer relationship management practices

The integrated environmental sustainability strategy of BSB City, Semarang

The integrated environmental sustainability strategy of BSB City, Semarang

KEPUTUSAN ADOPSI INOVASI PERTANIAN SAYUR ORGANIK

The decline in the quality of agricultural land due to residues of synthetic chemical inputs is a serious problem being faced in agricultural development in Indonesia. Starting from these problems an important issue of sustainable agricultural development is organic farming. This research has been carried out on CV. GS Organic in 2023, with the aim of a) describing the process of adopting organic farming innovations at CV. GS Organic, b) describes the internal factors and external factors that influence the adoption of organic farming innovations in CV. GS Organic, c) describes the type of organic farming decision making in CV. GS Organic. This type of research is qualitative with a case study approach. Data collection methods are by observation, in-depth interviews and documentation. The data analysis method uses the interactive Miles and Huberman model. The results showed that the factors that determine the adoption of innovation in CV. Organic GS is the initiative of the farmers themselves, as well as the factors that influence farmers' decision making, namely internal factors and external factors. Internal Factors: a) Cosmopolitan Level, b) Motivation. External Factors: a) Reference Group, b) Sources of Information, c) Characteristics of Innovation. Farmers' perceptions of the characteristics of innovation that determine innovation adoption are relative advantages from an economic standpoint, advantages from a social prestige perspective, relative advantages from a convenience standpoint, conformity with espoused values, conformity with prevailing norms, conformity with farmer's needs, trialability (Triability). in a small area, ability is observed from technical advantages, ability is observed from the point of view of economic advantage. The type of decision made on the CV. Organic GS in making decisions, namely optional decisions.

A Study on the Impact of ESG Ratings on the Innovation Capability of Chinese-Listed Companies

According to the report "Global Innovation Index 2023" released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China's global innovation index(GII)ranks 12th, indicating that the government must speed up the construction of the technological innovation system. Enterprises also need to increase investment in innovation. At the same time, enterprises inevitably face the issue of sustainable development. ESG rating is an indicator to measure the ability of sustainable development and the potential of enterprises. In recent years, the Chinese government has advocated a new concept of high-quality development, which is positively aligned with the ESG concept. However, some companies also believe that the ESG concept is a policy requirement and rule limitation and cannot improve the competitiveness of the enterprise. At the same time, domestic scholars lack research on ESG, mainly on the relationship between ESG and financial indicators. This article selects listed companies from 2013 to 2022 as research samples to study the relationship between ESG ratings and patent applications, conduct regression analysis, and clarify the positive effect of ESG indicators on the innovation ability of enterprises. At the same time, heterogeneity testing is conducted for different market sizes, and this promoting effect is more significant for large-scale enterprises. The conclusion provides direction for further promoting the implementation of ESG concepts in enterprises. The government, society, and enterprises should all play their roles to jointly promote the high-quality development of enterprises.

УСТОЙЧИВОЕ РАЗВИТИЕ ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНЫХ БЮДЖЕТОВ

In this article, the authors consider the issues of sustainable development of territorial budgets (state and local). Special emphasis is placed on changing the role of municipal finance in modern conditions: they become not only the economic basis of local self-government, but also the political exchange «state-population». The authors conclude that the strategy for the development of local government and municipal finance are issues of the federal level of government. Further, the presented analysis of the development of territorial budgets and the proposed approaches to increase their sustainability are of practical importance and can be recommended for implementation in relevant legal acts.

Energy optimization of the smart residential electrical grid considering demand management approaches

-Many researchers have investigated the optimal energy scheduling to meet the demand regarding sustainable development issues and the economic and technical indices. This study presents the day-ahead operation of a smart residential distribution electrical grid as a bi-stage-multiple-criteria decision-making modeling. The proposed energy optimization is implemented based on optimal demand management in upper-stage and multiple-criteria decision-making in lower-stage. The multiple-criteria problem is modeled from the viewpoint of the grid's operator to optimize energy consumption costs, power losses and demand side comfort. The optimal demand management in upper-stage is coordinated considering price traffic in the upstream grid. The load shifting approach and load interruption approach are presented as optimal demand management for residential consumers. The operation of demand management by using load shifting and load interruption approaches is done via deferrable loads and clippable loads in smart residential homes, respectively. The proposed energy optimization in both stages by improved sunflower optimization (IFSO) is handled, and the TOPSIS method is proposed for the best trade-off of the multiple-criteria decision-making. The day-ahead energy operation is applied on the 33-bus distribution network to investigate the effectiveness of the residential distribution electrical grid considering obtained results from mathematical modeling and demand management approaches.

Evaluation and influencing factors of green transformation in three major urban agglomerations in China

Since the 21st century, the world has increasingly focused on the issue of sustainable development, and the green transformation issues have become a new hot topic worldwide. Green and low-carbon transformation has become an international consensus. Urban agglomerations are important connections between urban development and regional coordination, as well as important spatial carriers for economic activities. They are not only the main source of carbon emissions, but also the main battlefield for energy conservation and emission reduction. As an important field for carbon reduction, the green transformation of cities is crucial for achieving the “dual carbon” goals. This article focuses on 48 cities in the three most mature and influential urban agglomerations in China from 2011 to 2019, namely, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, and the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration. The three-stage DEA model and Malmquist index model are used to measure the green transformation efficiency of the three urban agglomerations from both dynamic and static perspectives, and a Tobit regression model is constructed to explore the influencing factors of green transformation efficiency in urban agglomerations. Research has found that: 1) From a static perspective, the overall efficiency of green transformation in the three major urban agglomerations is at a high level, but from a temporal perspective, it shows a downward trend. The Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration is known for its green development, with the highest average efficiency of green transformation, followed by the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration has the lowest level of green transformation; 2) From a dynamic perspective, technological progress is the main driving factor for improving the efficiency of green transformation in the three major urban agglomerations. Therefore, the government should pay special attention to the progressiveness of technology when formulating relevant policies to promote urban green transformation; 3) From the perspective of spatiotemporal differences, there are significant differences in the spatiotemporal characteristics of green transformation among the three major urban agglomerations, and there are significant differences in green transformation strategies among different urban agglomerations. Eliminating environmental factors and random interference is necessary for accurately measuring the efficiency of green transformation in urban agglomerations; 4) From the perspective of influencing factors, factors such as industrial structure upgrading, green innovation level, and environmental regulation intensity jointly affect the efficiency of green transformation in urban agglomerations. Based on this, we should pay attention to the differences between urban agglomerations and implement policies tailored to local conditions; Strengthen the network system of urban agglomerations and avoid conflicts between cities; Encourage green technology innovation, accelerate industrial structure upgrading, and so on. This article focuses on the issue of green transformation in urban agglomerations, and conducts research from three perspectives: efficiency measurement, influencing factors, and implementation mechanisms. A relatively systematic theoretical framework for green transformation in urban agglomerations is formed, and an evaluation index system for green transformation efficiency in urban agglomerations is constructed and optimized. The composition mechanism of the five dimensional evaluation system for transformation efficiency is analyzed, and the bottleneck and breakthrough direction of the three major urban agglomerations in China in the development process are grasped. It has a good demonstration effect on the green transformation of other urban agglomerations.

Investigating factors that influence the purchase behaviour of green cosmetic products

The escalating global concerns regarding sustainable development issues have transformed the landscape of consumer behaviour, urging businesses to incorporate green practices and raise awareness among consumers. There is an ongoing debate concerning attitude-intention and product category gap. The study aims to bridge this gap by investigating the green cosmetic purchase behaviour of female consumers in South Africa by exploring factors such as awareness, product information, product availability, environmental concern, perceived barriers, perceived price, and attitude. The study employs the alphabet theory, previously utilised in qualitative research, to quantitatively examine the relationship between various factors and green cosmetic purchase intention. By applying this theory, the study contributes to its expansion and offers a unique framework for understanding consumer behaviour in the green cosmetic industry.This study collected data by conducting an online and face-to-face survey with 295 South African consumers. The results revealed that perceived price and attitude significantly influence the purchase intention of green cosmetic products amongst females in South Africa. While awareness, product information, product availability, environmental concern and perceived barriers needed a mediating variable (attitude) to influence the purchasing intention of green cosmetic products of female consumers in South Africa. The study highlights the practical implications for marketers by providing insights into designing effective green marketing strategies. The study's findings can aid marketers in tailoring their communication and developing a targeted green marketing mix that resonates with female consumers in South Africa.

More-energetic vapors of in situ plasmon-activated water as an environmentally friendly etchant

These days, environmental science and sustainable development issues are highly valued. Also, water is the most abundant and most easily recyclable substance on earth, and it is also the most environmentally friendly solvent and reactant in the fields of chemistry and physics. In this work, in situ vapor of plasmon-activated water (PAW) was first utilized to modify surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active Ag substrates by simple environmentally friendly etching. Compared to etching with conventional deionized water (DIW) vapor, higher SERS signals and lower relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the model compound, rhodamine 6G (R6G), were observed on PAW vapor-etched SERS-active Ag substrates. These developed SERS technologies were also effective for alternative detection methodologies of the pesticides tricyclazole (TC) and sulfoxaflor (SF) and for serum from patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Encouragingly, the limit of detection (LOD) of TC was determined to be extremely low at 5 ppb based on PAW vapor etching. The environmentally friendly etching strategies we developed provide innovative ideas for green science that avoid using harmful reagents.

RESEARCH ON THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF PUPILS REGARDING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

The paper studies the level of awareness of pupils regarding sustainable development issues in Tbilisi schools. The research uses a quantitative approach, descriptive statistics and regression analysis. 205 students of Tbilisi schools were interviewed, both from private and public schools. The research was carried out jointly by GrigolRobakidze University and Tbilisi City Hall. The study identified factors that influence students awareness of sustainability.

Conceptual-Methodological Issues of Sustainable Development in the Aspect of Agrotourism

Conceptual-Methodological Issues of Sustainable Development in the Aspect of Agrotourism

Does energy transition policy enhance urban green innovation capabilities?–a quasi-natural experiment based on China’s new energy demonstration city policy

As the importance of global climate change and sustainable development issues increases, the enhancement of urban green innovation capabilities is particularly crucial since cities are the main source of energy consumption and carbon emissions. This study focuses on China’s New Energy Demonstration City policy to explore how it influences urban green innovation capabilities. By employing a quasi-natural experimental method, combined with data from 282 Chinese cities from 2007 to 2021, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of the New Energy Demonstration City policy on urban green innovation capabilities. It was found that the policy significantly improves the cities’ green innovation capabilities, and this conclusion remains valid after robustness checks. The study also reveals that technological investment and public environmental awareness are two critical mechanisms through which the New Energy Demonstration City policy affects urban green innovation capabilities. Furthermore, this policy has been found to significantly enhance the green innovation capabilities of neighboring cities through spatial spillover effects. The study also examines the interaction between the national-level Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zone policy and the New Energy Demonstration City policy, discovering that the pilot policy of the national-level Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zone has to some extent promoted the effectiveness of the New Energy Demonstration City policy in driving urban green transformation. This research provides a new perspective for understanding the dynamics of urban green innovation and points the way for future research and policymaking.

Corporate Governance and the Sustainable Development

Nowadays the issues of sustainable development are everywhere around us. Everybody talks about sustainability in all aspects of our life. It is becoming also part of the agenda of the business world not only for the small and medium size companies, but also for the big corporations. Gradually environmental and social issues begin to pose new topics in the agenda for board meetings of the big corporations. The corporate governance begins to pay more and more attention not only to the return rate of the investments but also to the footprint that the company has on the society. In this framework we decided to examine the relationship and interconnectivity between corporate governance and sustainable development. The research that backed this paper encompasses literature survey and analysis, on one hand and empirical research on another. This paper present some of the results from our survey showing the changes that occur in the corporate governance and the position of the managing boards of directors due to the sustainable development policy applied worldwide.