Sustainable Development Initiatives Research Articles

Empowering Botswana’s rural communities through the Sustainable Livelihood approach: Opportunities and constraints

Governments and other development stakeholders in many countries are increasingly investing in citizen and community empowerment as a key element in improving sustainable development outcomes. This focus hinges on the belief that putting communities at the fore front of their development and livelihood creation is an effective way to push communities to develop innovative ways of solving their own community problems and creating sustainable livelihoods. Botswana adopted this approach to development and the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) was engaged as one of the strategies for community empowerment and poverty alleviation. However, the SLA has not delivered the intended results so far. Thus, this paper argues that the SLA still has the capability to empower rural communities in Botswana to fight against poverty if appropriately used. The SLA focuses on people-centered sustainable development initiatives, which acknowledge that communities have strengths that need to be recognized and reinforced. This approach accepts that a livelihood is not only about economics, but involves capabilities, assets, and activities required for a means of living to cope with stress, recover, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for present and future generations. Based on this understanding, this paper sets out to contend that the SLA, despite its weaknesses, can still contribute effectively to the development agenda in Botswana’s rural areas. This paper is informed by a desk review of the literature and relevant documents, and personal experiences of community development/extension workers. Therefore, using the SLA as a theoretical framework, the main purpose of this paper is to explore opportunities and constraints of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach in the empowerment of the rural communities of Botswana.

El capital social en el Área de Protección Ambiental «Cuenca media del Arroyo Solís Grande»

This article presents a social view of the Environmental Protection Area (EPA) implementation in Cuenca Media of Arroyo Solís Grande, Canelones Department. Based on the notion that implementing a public policy implies both understanding the territory and reaching the local actors’ engagement, this article analyzes how the owners of this rural area perceive this sustainable development initiative. Interviews with the EPA owners delve into their conception of sustainable development; the strengths found in the territory in terms of shared residents’ social capital, finally analyzing the relevance of consolidating an intersectoral group of local actors to participate in decision making, in the context of an Administrative Commission of the Area start up.  

Analysis of GRI and CSR Reports, submitted by Ukrainian Companies

Abstract. Introduction. The article investigates practical implementation of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility initiatives, based on GRI and CSR reports analysis. Purpose. The aim of this study is to analyze SD and CSR reports and based on obtained results to make conclusions regarding practical implication highlighted concepts in Ukrainian business realities. Results. Firstly, the authors elaborate an approach for analyzing given types of reports submitted by Ukrainian companies. Offered approach includes analysis of two separate samples (GRI and CSR reports) based on assessing 23 aspects which refer to SD and CSR initiatives. Secondly, main aspects and pieces of information, which are commonly used for describing SD and CSR in business practice are considered in detail and summarized. Conclusions. Conclusions are made on the general comprehension of current practical implication of SD and CSR concepts, based on sequence of actions conducted by Ukrainian companies, highlighted in the reports. Keywords: sustainable development; corporate social responsibility; reports; Ukrainian companies.

Performance benchmarking model for sustainability of aquatic centres in cold regions: Development and implementation

Aquatic Centres (ACs) in cold regions, serving thousands of visitors year-round, strive to achieve sustainability of their complex processes, e.g., safe indoor environment, water and energy efficiency, and customer satisfaction. In the absence of a structured performance benchmarking process, the facility management functions with no impetus for improving the performance of these components. A performance benchmarking model using a multilevel approach is developed to infer the performance of the key components for improving the sustainability performance of ACs. The bottom-up approach aggregated the scores of sixty-three performance indicators (PIs) using Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) to generate the performance indices for the seven key components. Sensitivity analysis identified the indicators with a significant contribution to the component's performance. Application of the model on five facilities operating in the province of British Columbia (BC) (Canada) provides a starting point towards sustainability of ACs. The results showed that two of the ACs (i.e., AC2 and AC5) outperforms the remaining participating centers. However, all the participating centres need to improve almost all of their key-components, with a particular focus on energy efficiency and socio-economic stability. The developed model provides assistance in decision-making at different levels of the ACs’ organizational hierarchy. This model holistically covers all the processes (e.g., water and air quality) and operations (e.g., energy, personnel, and customers) and will help the ACs in achieving 21st-century sustainable development initiatives in cold regions.

‘Leaving no one unscathed’ in sustainability transitions: The life purging agro-extractivism of corporate renewables

Abstract Amid the growing interest on renewables to fight back the current ecological and social crises, crops like oil palm and trees like eucalyptus, with ever-growing and flexibly interchangeable uses as carbon sinks and sources of renewable energy and biomaterials, are praised as climate stewards and vehicles of transition to sustainable development. Hence, flex crops and commodities complexes consolidate within former strongholds and set off to new territories to take down today's crises. Bridging critical and intersectional political economy, ecology and sociology perspectives, and grounded in Guatemala from 2005 onwards, I discuss the implications of the rise of the flex crops and commodities complexes in transitions to sustainability for jobs, labor regimes, and socioecological reproduction. Specifically, the operations of the flex (sugar)cane and (oil) palm complexes in Guatemala involve a predatory form of agrarian extractivism which is driving a process of ‘impairing destruction’. This works by means of a job-poor, culturally insensitive, toilsome and unpaid labor-based ‘productive’ model, and the manufacturing of environmentally and socially toxic landscapes, to fuel a purge of the countryside that leaves nothing and no one, neither friend nor foe, unscathed. However, the purge hits harder on the many working families (and especially on women) who are deemed redundant for the new renewables-led corporate model of sustainable development and climate change mitigation. Many struggle to avoid falling into this outcast condition. But the life purging agro-extractivism of the cane and palm companies both increases and stagnates the reserve army of labor, while simultaneously pushing the relative surplus population to the limits of subsistence. These findings about ‘renewable but unlivable’ futures call into question business as usual, non-transformative climate stewardship and sustainable development initiatives that constrain the (re)production of fairer and more climate-proof, culturally-sound, and youth-friendly life projects.

Exploring Demands and Consumption Processes of Green Products: The Case of Pakistani Consumers

Sustainable development and green initiatives continue to receive increased attention in the domain of business and consumers behavior. It is the liability of researchers, practitioner and policy makers to continuously identify factors that can affect the motivation and behavior of people to act in accordance with green behavior patterns. The main purpose for conducting this study is to fill in the gap in the literature by exploring demand and consumption of green consumer’s product. In this study, semi structured interviews were conducted in-depth with the Pakistani green consumers in order to discuss the prospective crucial factors including: key characteristics of green product, reasons to buy environment-friendly products, feelings on the subject of price, confidence in product, readiness to compromise, environmental awareness, considering alternatives, point of purchase, utilization and discarding. This is an exploratory study and in order to ensure objectivity the established guidelines were followed. The findings of this study are limited to the green consumers of Pakistan therefore; any potential country bias can be removed by its replication in other countries. On average most of the studies conducted in the domain of marketing failed to segment green consumers that resulted in indefinable and conflicting results. Only few studies have adopted qualitative research approaches in exploring the behavior of green consumers. It explores the demands of green consumer product, along with their consumption processes, and provides a valuable insight and sound ground for academicians who are interested in green consumption behavior in concerned emerging markets. It also presents an in depth investigation of consumer purchase and consumption patterns towards green products while providing a valuable insight for practitioners and policy makers and it has revealed important theoretical dimensions for in aforementioned context.

Mapping global forest canopy height through integration of GEDI and Landsat data

Consistent, large-scale operational monitoring of forest height is essential for estimating forest-related carbon emissions, analyzing forest degradation, and quantifying the effectiveness of forest restoration initiatives. The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar instrument onboard the International Space Station has been collecting unique data on vegetation structure since April 2019. Here, we employed global Landsat analysis-ready data to extrapolate GEDI footprint-level forest canopy height measurements, creating a 30 m spatial resolution global forest canopy height map for the year 2019. The global forest height map was compared to the GEDI validation data (RMSE = 6.6 m; MAE = 4.45 m, R2 = 0.62) and available airborne lidar data (RMSE = 9.07 m; MAE = 6.36 m, R2 = 0.61). The demonstrated integration of GEDI data with time-series optical imagery is expected to enable multidecadal historic analysis and operational forward monitoring of forest height and its dynamics. Such capability is important to support global climate and sustainable development initiatives.

EU-Latin America: Towards a Constructive Model of Partnership

The article deals with the future-oriented forms in the bi-regional partnership between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The author analyses changes in the cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean with special attention to the geo-economic and geo-strategic interests of the parties due to the signing of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. The author holds that the EU currently needs a renewed approach to its dialogue with the LAC. In this regard a promising form of cooperation is the joint implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (agenda 2030). The author argues that the official development assistance and environmental programmes might be an important component of a constructive EU-LAC partnership. The EU currently implements a wide range of initiatives in sustainable development. Thus, the members of European Union seek to move forward to a new pattern of reproduction in the world economic system, based on the SDG agenda, both within the EU and in the interregional North-South cooperation. In this context, the significance of the EU and the LAC interaction in three dimensions of sustainable development ‒ economic, social and ecological – is growing.

The Social Dimensions of Corporate Sustainability: An Integrative Framework Including COVID-19 Insights

Corporate sustainability is considered a fundamental paradigm and solution in creating a prosperous future for organizations. However, social sustainability issues and pandemic problems from COVID-19 have affected corporations and interrupted plans for sustainable development. To date, corporate sustainability frameworks have taken a relatively narrow view of this paradigm. This study highlights serious challenges to corporate sustainability while providing a framework in an attempt to enable more sustainable business practices. To fill the gap in the literature, we have developed a framework to organize and prioritize important sustainability indicators. The first phase of the study involves the classification of 45 sub-criteria of corporate sustainability under nine main categories by using a literature review and novel Fuzzy Delphi method. The resulting categories are Corporate Governance, Product Responsibility, Transparency and Communication, Economic, Environmental, Social, Natural Environment and Climate Vulnerability, Energy Consumption along with Energy Saving, and includes Pandemic COVID-19 as a new aspect of social sustainability. Next, we applied the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP) to help determine the weights and prioritizing the criteria and sub-criteria. The results revealed that the Pandemic, along with the Natural Environment and Climate Vulnerability, ranked higher among the main criteria category. Whereas, emergency response planning, social distances, modification of working hours, and just-in-time delivery are the most influencing sub-attributes among the 45 sub-barriers of different categories. Contributions of this study include new insights regarding corporate sustainability criteria and subcriteria, application of novel methods, and integrated framework for dimensions of corporate sustainability. This study is among the first of its kind to consider the COVID-19 pandemic as an essential category and social sustainability attribute of corporate sustainable business practices. Outcomes of this study can help assist scholars, corporations, and decision-makers in understanding sustainable development initiatives while simultaneously improving social sustainability practices.

Impact of industrial agglomeration on haze pollution: New evidence from Bohai Sea Economic Region in China

To comply with recent sustainable development trends and initiatives for effectively controlling air pollution problems, this paper applies spatial econometrics and extended STIRPAT model to explore the impact of the industrial agglomeration (IA) on haze pollution (HP) using panel data from critical cities of Bohai Sea economic region (BSER) in China between 2006 and 2018. Influence path characteristics, regional heterogeneity effects and development trends of three major IA on the HP are systematically investigated. The results show that: (1) IA significantly correlated to HP in the BSER. The Siphon Effect in Beijing-Tianjin-Shijiazhuang region plays an important role in the HP and IA, and it weakened with the upgrading of industrial structure and industrial transfer. (2) Both IA and HP have significant spatial autocorrelation properties, the agglomeration and diffusion properties of IA and HP in specific regions are consistent along the time series. (3) However, systematic analysis of various industries indicated that the IA of the primary industry and the secondary industry has a significant positive impact on HP. Interestingly, IA of the third industry has a significant nonlinear effect on HP. Based on the results of the empirical analysis, this study provides insights on the spatial relationship between regional HP and industrial development. This paper gives an effective reference on promoting the distribution of resources and diversified green economic development paths.

Creating Sustainable Contribution to the Environment

In the current environment, there is an increased thrust to outsource manufacturing activities to developing countries. Countries such as India are actively inviting MNCs to partner with micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). It is assumed that these initiatives would act as an incentive to increase their economic development. As most of the national, international agencies and regulatory bodies focus on the larger companies it is often ignored to account for the contribution of MSMEs towards improving sustainability. As every nation-state has a vital role to play in ensuring the successful implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), it is important to study and document the contribution of this sector towards SDGs. This article tries to document small but effective sustainable development initiatives by MSMEs. It tries to map the contribution of the four selected MSMEs towards SDGs. All these efforts are beyond the compliance requirement mandated to MSMEs in India.

Economic Rationale for the Approach to the Formation of a Mechanism for Sustainable Development of Gold Mining Enterprises

The research examines approach to the formation of a mechanism for sustainable development of gold mining enterprises. We have identified impact groups under the influence of which gold mining enterprises operate in all technological and investment redevelopments. The study proposed the structure of the sustainable development mechanism of gold mining enterprises in the form of a set of principles, methods, techniques and requirements to achieve sustainable development of the research industry by bringing the activities of gold mining enterprises in line with the principles of international initiatives for sustainable development and best industry practices.

Reviewing education for sustainable development practices in South African eco-schools

The Eco-Schools programme in South Africa is the longest-running Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiative in Africa, which aims to enhance environmental literacy amongst students. This paper reports on a qualitative study involving a focus group of environmental educators working for a non-profit organisation. Through a Rapid Appraisal Method, the environmental educators identified 44 successful eco-schools along with criteria and indicators which typified their selections. A Google search for articles on eco-schools found narrative histories of environmental learning to validate the indicators with a reflective commentary. The research identified 16 indicators including the ‘award’ achieved by schools, a supportive principal, an eco-committee, sustained eco-projects and whole-school involvement. This study develops and tentatively proposes a set of indicators that could support ‘successful’ ESD practice in South African contexts. It provides a critique of these context-specific indicators and recommends that we should use them as a reflective rather than a standardisation tool.

ANALYSIS OF THE LEVEL OF IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS FOR THE EFFICIENT USE OF ENERGY AND UNCONVENTIONAL SOURCES: CASE STUDY COLOMBIA

At the First Extraordinary Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, Johannesburg, August 2002. An initiative for sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean was presented. This proposes that the countries of the region should show in their energy distribution minimum participation of 10% of renewable energy sources in the Total Primary Energy Supply (OTEP). The mechanism of action of this initiative is not based on penalizing countries that their natural conditions are not favorable for energy sustainability, but on promoting greater participation of renewable energy sources. Through the analysis of the country's energy demand and energy sources and according to the initiative, the Colombian government, through its entities, organizes programs to improve its energy efficiency and the participation of renewable energy sources and technologies, not conventional. This paper shows the statistics of energy distribution and energy sources in Colombia. Based on this information, we seek to identify the deficient sectors with their problems to implement strategies at the national level that allows them to meet the proposed goals.Keywords: Efficiency, Energy, Renewable Sources, Sustainability, Total Primary Energy Supply.JEL Classifications: L78, L90, O31, Q20DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.9713

Contending with Sisyphus: Pursuing Sustainable Development in a Business-as-Usual World

How do organizational actors respond when their repeated efforts to embed sustainability seem futile? We use the concept of place-based sustainability to consider sustainable development initiatives within a US higher education institution where repeated efforts by actors led to nominal change. We focus on understanding how perceived change makers – administrators, faculty, staff, and students – intentionally sought over time to enact sustainable development initiatives in the face of strong pressures for the status quo, or a business-as-usual mentality. We show how an actor’s journey in attempting to embed sustainable development practices into the university was a dynamic process, where he/she experienced periods of persistence and periods of suspension in their work. Our theorizing reveals three key coping strategies that actors utilized in periods of persistence: connecting with others, being resourceful, and envisioning for the future. Our study contributes to the sustainability literature by addressing the underexplored concept of place-based sustainability, and relating this to resistance to change and individual coping mechanisms. In doing so, we explicate how actors persist in their efforts to pursue sustainable development initiatives despite strong pressures for the status quo.

Exploring the governance and implementation of sustainable development initiatives through blockchain technology

Societies at large still grapple to categorize digital space as a phenomenon. At the same time, scientists and developers are searching for innovative methods to better understand how the fundamental shifts caused by digital change will affect the future of humanity over the coming decades. Interdisciplinary governance research at the intersection of technological and environmental foresight is urgently needed to minimize the risks of technological change and explore how digitalization may support, hinder or re-shape sustainability transformations. In this article, we focus on the case of ‘blockchain’ or distributed-ledger technology (DLT) to investigate how recent digital technologies may support the implementation of sustainable development initiatives. Our investigation is centered on areas of public administration and governance which will most likely see an adoption of DLT over the next two decades, such as digital identity, social service provision, and innovative climate finance. To allow for a meaningful comparison of various use cases, we propose four guiding questions that can help researchers, decision-makers and practitioners to determine whether DLT might be an appropriate choice for the sustainability-related task at hand. Moreover, we illustrate how the initial design and subsequent implementation of DLTs may support more centralized or networked modes of governance.

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN THE SONDONDO VALLEY (PERU)

Abstract. Sondondo is an inter-Andean valley located between 3,500 and 4,500 meters above sea level. Inhabited, transformed and modelled since ancient times by the local rural communities, an extraordinary cultural landscape has been created through their particular relationship with the environment. Since the pre-Hispanic settlements (Wari 600 AD), through colonial indigenous “reductions”, to the villages of vernacular architecture, which are at the foundation of contemporary populated centres, the territory has been variously and successively settled, inhabited and transformed. Its vernacular architecture has evolved at multiple scales, from domestic architecture to urban structures. It has created spaces for agriculture and livestock herding, and the spectacular agricultural andenerías (farming platforms and terraces) that have shaped the territory for centuries. The latter simultaneously developed irrigation infrastructures and techniques. The result is a landscape of great plastic effects, in a geographical setting bordered by the apus – tutelar mountains – traditionally “sacralized” by the Andean cultures. Such enormous architectural-landscape legacy is now threatened by imported global models of false modernity disrupting the fragile balance of lifestyles and territories. The objective of this research project, ongoing since 2016, is to assess this territory, catalogue its vernacular architecture and landscape units. It also aims to propose projects and initiatives for sustainable local development. The work has been made available to the Ministry of Culture of Peru to support its request before UNESCO to include the site in its World Heritage List.

ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORT PLANNING UNDER SUSTAINABLE CITY DEVELOPMENT

This research paper devoted to the urban freight transport planning under sustainable city development. Continued urban population growth, traffic congestions, financial losses because of longer delivery times, harm-ful impact on environmental are highlighted as strong arguments for the freight traffic management in the cities. The article aims to help all stakeholders understand the challenges brought about by freight activities in an urban context, and make the planning process consistent and comprehensive for the city freight transportation system improvement. The brief overview of some recent foreign and native studies in urban transport planning and traffic engi-neering reveals main field of interests for modern researchers. The clear focus of the analysed scientific works di-rected on such aspects in sustainable urban freight transport development as energy and economic efficiency, eco-friendliness, safety, institutional and legal issues of freight transportations. Special attention is paid to the analy-sis of government initiatives in sustainable transport system development of Ukraine. Identification of the main freight transportation features in an urban area is carried out on the initial re-search stage. Each feature has an explanation for better understanding necessity of their usage in the freight transport planning process. The other focus of the research devotes to the description of the stages during urban freight transport planning process. Author attends a deep freight transport demand and supply analysis for a de-termination of the basic freight distribution regularities in an urban context. Therefore, a list of indicators for subsystem of city freight transportation evaluation is presented in the article. The whole set of indicators is divid-ed into economical, operational, environmental, social and general groups of indicators. Moreover, the compo-nents of successful measures implementation for an urban freight transport subsystem improvement are highlight-ed. Financial management, political support, institution, organisation and legal framework condition are consid-ered as the key elements of successful plans and measures implementation. Keywords: planning, sustainable development, freight transport, urban population, authorities.

Prospects for sustainable urban development in Africa – (re)viewed from a planning perspective

ABSTRACT .Since mid-15th century the epistemological foundations of imperialism is a continuing process that is responsible for the vulnerability of cities in Africa to structural adversities. The vulnerability to structural adversities is responsible for the legendary ‘urbanization without growth’ and for ‘growth without development’ in Africa since the turn of the 21st century. This vulnerability threatens the sustainable urban development initiative because it has very high potentials to impede the reversion of extant consumer cities to centres of production. This paper therefore argues that the prospect of sustainable urban development in post-2015 planning period is very low. Ideological and policy changes are required to redress this situation. To this end, the paper attempts to identify requisite development ideology and policy changes specifically to enhance the productive health of the city.

Applicable Comparative Study for Sustainable Urban Development Strategies.

Sustainable urban development strategies aim at the renascence of man and society through different aspects. This paper aims at is analyzing the different development strategies and its impact on economy, society and environment. In addition to studying the interaction between man: his needs and expectations, his habits and traditions, the surrounding environment and acceptance to the new development. And to reach some contemporary development strategies that works for such similar cases. The research starts with a descriptive approach of the two projects (Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa and Siwa’s Sustainable Development Initiative, Siwa, Egypt. Both of them used to be local community years ago with natural environment resources, people’s traditions, cultural heritage and urban fabric. Then an analytical approach for the strategies and solutions set for developing each of them. Their development over 20 years has transformed them to take a new shape. The first has been through enormous urbanization process through a comprehensive waterfront master plan, the other has been through a natural, respecting community nature development. The research ends with a predictable approach for strategies can be used in similar cases seeking for a sustainable urban development.