This paper uses a novel approach to re-examine the relationship between income inequality and pollution and shows that protecting the environment can have an added advantage of creating a just and inclusive society. Pollution threatens health and livelihoods of vulnerable groups, in turn making them even more vulnerable, creating a vicious cycle. We investigate if sustainable environmental policies can mitigate the impact of pollution on these vulnerable groups, while addressing inclusion.
With the continuous development of human society, people's over-exploitation of nature leads to frequent environmental problems. A large number of floating objects appear on lakes, rivers, reservoirs and other water surfaces. Water floats have seriously damaged the ecological environment and directly threatened the survival and development of human beings. Therefore, for the sustainable development of human beings, we must solve the problem of water pollution. The detection of floating pollutants on water surface is the primary goal of water resource management.
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a recent concept that is gaining momentum in both the scientific world and the private sector. First studies and field trials – essentially conducted in developed countries – suggest that MaaS can influence people's mobility behavior and create more efficient and sustainable transport systems for the future. We intend to contribute to the existing knowledge about MaaS by extending the scope to the context of developing countries where MaaS could be a potential strategy to address existing transport problems.
This paper cautions that the adoption of electric vehicles with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions must balance that beneficial effect against increased water consumption. It recommends battery electric vehicles charged by solar energy as the best solution.
Efficient resource management and the development of resilient societies begins with an accurate identification of strengths and weaknesses of systems involved. Conducting a holistic performance analysis considering multiple assessment criteria permits the detection of discrepancies hindering systems productivity. In this study, an integrative assessment tool, based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the energy, water, and food (EWF) nexus is used to design a decision-making scheme that guides policymakers in establishing national priorities and sectorial strategies.
In low-income and middle-income countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial implications for women's wellbeing. Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the gendered aspect of pandemics; however, addressing the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic comprehensively and effectively requires a planetary health perspective that embraces systems thinking to inequalities.
COVID-19 is disrupting and transforming the world. We argue that transformations catalysed by this pandemic should be used to improve human and planetary health and wellbeing. This paradigm shift requires decision makers and policy makers to go beyond building back better, by nesting the economic domain of sustainable development within social and environmental domains.
Tracking progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires monitoring of various social-ecological indicators over space and time, including the ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate (LCRPGR), an indicator of land-use efficiency (SDG 11.3.1). In this study, we analyzed state-of-the-art Earth observation data (1975–2015) to address three key questions. First, how has the LCRPGR varied over space and time? Second, how is built-up expansion related to population increase across regions?
Coral reefs worldwide are facing impacts from climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. The cumulative effect of these impacts on global capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services is unknown. Here, we evaluate global changes in extent of coral reef habitat, coral reef fishery catches and effort, Indigenous consumption of coral reef fishes, and coral-reef-associated biodiversity. Global coverage of living coral has declined by half since the 1950s.
