ABSTRACT Ghana consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually, yet local fisheries produce only about 410,000 metric tons on average. This leaves a shortfall of 540,000 metric tons, which is largely met through imports. To enhance domestic fish production and meet national protein needs, the Government of Ghana (GoG) has implemented premix fuel subsidies to make fishing more affordable for poor and vulnerable fishers. Within global fisheries governance, fuel subsidies are widely debated as both livelihood‐support mechanisms and capacity‐enhancing instruments with potential ecological consequences. Despite this effort, fish landings continue to dwindle, highlighting growing tensions between livelihood support and fisheries sustainability. So, for conservation purposes, some scientists in Ghana's fisheries sector are advocating the removal of the subsidies. However, fisheries subsidies are increasingly recognised as policy tools whose outcomes depend on stakeholder perceptions and governance effectiveness. It is therefore important to understand how small‐scale fisherfolk perceive premix fuel subsidies within this broader sustainability context. During the study, a total of 1151 fisherfolk from 4 fishing communities along the coast of Ghana were individually interviewed, while 10 in‐depth interviews and 12 focus group discussions involving 7–8 people in a session were also conducted. From the results, the majority of the respondents (93%) were against the total abolishment of the subsidies. The results also showed that distribution of fuel is remarkably associated with hoarding, politicisation and lack of transparency. Considering that fish stocks are declining due to overcapacity driven by premix fuel, it is recommended that the GoG implement a gradual, stakeholder‐inclusive reduction of premix fuel subsidies, with funds reallocated to essential services such as health insurance, pension schemes, soft loans, youth education programmes and alternative livelihood initiatives, thereby providing long‐term benefits to fisherfolk.
ABSTRACT This study investigates the indicators of urban ecological quality in South Africa and their interconnectedness with Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13)—climate action. As a rapidly urbanizing nation with a dynamic economy, South Africa faces complex challenges in maintaining a high level of urban environmental quality while pursuing economic growth. This research uses a multifaceted approach to analyze the roles of economic growth, energy consumption, manufacturing activities, renewable energy consumption, financial development, human capital development, and international trade in influencing the nation's environmental sustainability. The study employs the fully modified least squares (FMOLS) and canonical cointegrating regression (CCR) estimation approaches to assess the impact of these different indicators on urban environmental quality in South Africa. The results showed that energy consumption development initiatives (e.g., renewable energy enhancement) are pivotal in promoting sustainable areas and mitigating climate change effects. Furthermore, the study explored the nexus between increased manufacturing activities and international trade on urban environmental quality, offering insights into the trade‐offs and synergies among these factors. The findings provide valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders in designing strategies that harmonize economic growth, urban growth, and environmental sustainability, aligning with the global agenda of addressing climate change and promoting sustainable urban development.
ABSTRACT This study examines the determinants of environmental efficiency in Germany between 1990 and 2022, focusing on labor productivity, green R&D productivity, fossil fuel inefficiency, and energy efficiency R&D expenditures. Using the Inverse Load Capacity Factor per unit of GDP as an indicator of environmental efficiency, the analysis utilizes time series techniques, including ADF and Fourier ADF tests, which confirm the first‐difference stationarity of all variables. Cointegration relationships are identified using Fourier Engle‐Granger and Fourier ADL tests, while FMOLS and CCR estimators assess the magnitude and direction of effects, with DOLS results validating robustness. Key findings reveal that increased labor efficiency enhances environmental performance by reducing resource intensity and optimizing productivity. Similarly, green R&D efficiency improves environmental outcomes by driving renewable energy adoption and innovation. However, fossil energy inefficiency negatively impacts environmental efficiency, highlighting the misalignment in energy policies and the persistent reliance on carbon‐intensive energy sources. Energy R&D expenditures also contribute significantly to environmental efficiency by fostering technological advancements in energy optimization. These findings suggest that Germany's sustainable development goals and growth strategies should be revised to take into account environmental targets, global warming and the prevention of environmental pollution. By integrating advanced econometric approaches and exploring under‐researched variables, this study provides critical insights into Germany's environmental efficiency and its broader implications for sustainable growth.
This study aims to explore how oil and gas firms adopt two sustainability tools, namely green innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure, either separately or in combination, to mitigate financial risk. The empirical study examines a sample of 229 oil and gas firms over the 2010 to 2019 period. The results show that adopting green innovation or enhancing the CSR disclosure strategy through increasing the overall CSR score or the environmental score increases financial risk. However, enhancing social disclosure decreases financial risk. The combined effect of implementing both green innovation and CSR disclosure in oil and gas firms results in a more substantial increase in financial risk. Additional tests show that breaking down the CSR disclosure score into its individual components shows that environmental disclosure is positively linked to financial risk, while social disclosure exhibits a negative association. Moreover, integrating social or governance disclosure with green innovation serves to mitigate financial risk, whereas combining environmental disclosure with green innovation exacerbates financial risk. Notably, the combined impact of sustainability tools on financial risk is particularly pronounced in pure oil firms. For worse players (firms with high carbon intensity), the adoption of one or both sustainability tools increases financial risk more than for better players (firms with low carbon intensity), reflecting their greater exposure to regulatory and market pressures. Lastly, the results show that the overall conclusions remain consistent during pre-oil crisis and post-oil crisis periods; however, they do not hold significance during the oil crisis.
The convergence hypothesis, which emphasizes the attainment of income equality among nations, has recently gained prominence in energy studies due to its pivotal role in addressing the pressing challenges at the intersection of economic development and energy sustainability. This investigation analyzes convergence in energy intensity within ASEAN-5 countries from 1980 to 2022. To this end, the maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform is employed, offering a comprehensive analysis of the series' short-, medium-, and long-run behavior by utilizing both time- and frequency-domain information. In contrast to previous studies, this research explicitly focuses on the total energy sector of the ASEAN-5 countries and offers policy recommendations for short-, medium-, and long-term implementation. When convergence within ASEAN-5 is assessed without accounting for different time scales, the findings indicate that the convergence hypothesis-based on conventional and Fourier-based unit root and stationarity tests-holds only for Malaysia and Singapore. However, by incorporating time- and frequency-domain information through wavelet transformation and decomposing the series into short-, medium-, and long-term components, stochastic convergence is identified across all ASEAN-5 countries. This finding is crucial for policymakers, as it enables the design and implementation of appropriate strategies. The decomposition demonstrates that energy cooperation among ASEAN-5 countries yields positive outcomes over the short, medium, and long term, thereby indicating effective policy integration.
Community-based conservation (CBC) through alternative livelihood approaches (ALAs) has demonstrated efficacy in both environmental conservation and economic growth. However, its utilization remains suboptimal in the sustainable management of Indian freshwater resources and the socio-economic advancement of local communities. This review aims to synthesize existing knowledge on ALAs implemented in Indian freshwater systems and to identify gaps for improving their effectiveness. A structured literature review was conducted using major scientific databases and gray literature sources, including policy documents and reports from national and international organizations. Out of 22,969 retrieved publications, 446 studies focused on Indian freshwater systems, of which a subset was critically analyzed for livelihood interventions. The review identifies four major ALA categories in India: ecotourism, religious tourism, aquaculture, and handicrafts with uneven representation and limited integration into conservation frameworks. Overall, the findings indicate that although ALAs contribute to income diversification, their impact on long-term conservation outcomes remains constrained. The study concludes that scaling up, better integration with policy frameworks, and improved socio-economic targeting are essential to enhance effectiveness. Strengthening institutional support and expanding underutilized livelihood sectors are recommended to achieve sustainable freshwater resource management and community well-being.
This study develops a mixed‐integer nonlinear optimisation model to jointly minimise PM 10 and CO 2 emissions from urban road transport in nine of Türkiye's most densely populated provinces, aligning with the targets of the Paris Agreement. The model is novel in its integration of environmental baselines (city‐level PM 10 and CO 2 levels), economic feasibility (GDP), and urban form variables (population density and land‐use ratios), creating a realistic and context‐aware decision framework. It applies three tiers of constraints: (i) 2023 regulatory emission ceilings, (ii) GDP‐based economic capacity thresholds, and (iii) nonlinear constraints reflecting how urban morphology influences policy adoption. A composite climate impact index—capturing post‐policy PM 10 , CO 2 , and their interaction—serves as the objective function to yield granular, city‐specific mitigation scenarios. Results indicate that cities like Ankara, Bursa, and Antalya can virtually eliminate PM 10 emissions, while Istanbul achieves the highest CO 2 reduction (87%), collectively delivering nearly 20 Tg CO 2 ‐equivalent reduction. Sensitivity analysis confirms that moderate increases in GDP can enhance mitigation outcomes by expanding feasible policy space. As the first model in the Turkish context to embed both urban planning and economic structure into dual‐pollutant optimisation, this framework offers not only predictive capacity but also prescriptive guidance for policymakers. It enables comparative assessment of emission‐reduction strategies—such as fleet electrification, low‐emission zones, and transit infrastructure investment—offering a robust and transferable tool for other rapidly urbanising regions aiming to simultaneously advance air quality, public health, and climate resilience.
The purpose of this article is to speak directly to biogas failure. Over the past two decades, immense amounts of money have been spent by African governments, private individuals, and most conspicuously, international aid agencies and donors, on countless biogas projects in every country on the continent. Yet, despite the investments, biogas has not taken off, and the continent is strewn with the ruins of hundreds of failed and abandoned biogas projects. Moreover, scholarly literature contains little feedback about what actually happens on the ground, and by extension, a lack of critical reflection as to why a biogas revolution that has been perennially over the horizon has yet to arrive. Focusing on southern Malawi, and combining detailed, qualitative, narrative investigation with owners and providers, with on-site socio-technical investigation, we unpack 61 in-depth case studies of small-scale biogas provision in order to provide narrative descriptions of the practical outcomes of biogas projects from the perspective of adopters and users, in addition to analysis of project outcomes across different models of project implementation. Our findings center the importance of active, engaged owners, but also reveal a connection between the structural nature of specific biogas projects, the relationship of the user to the plant, and the project's resultant outcomes. So although owners matter, different project structures have the ability to create empowered, engaged biogas owners, or conversely, to place them in positions of limited power and influence which can exacerbate project weaknesses. As a consequence, we question the role of top-down development models within biogas provision and propose alternative pathways for international organizations, such as providing technical knowledge or through support to biogas providers installing for paying and engaged owners, which may be more successful in promoting the development and sustainability of biogas technology.
This article argues that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires a shift from conventional, top down innovation models toward more distributed and participatory forms of creativity. It develops an integrated framework linking four interrelated concepts-creativity for all, everyday creativity, creativity on demand, and the democratization of innovation-to explain how human creative capacities can be mobilized more effectively for sustainable development. The article highlights the role of everyday problem solving and structured creative processes in addressing complex sustainability challenges across sectors such as agriculture, urban governance, public health, and energy systems. It further examines how artificial intelligence (AI) functions as an enabling infrastructure that expands access to innovation, enhances collaborative problem solving, and connects local creativity to global knowledge systems. At the same time, it emphasizes the importance of inclusive governance, equitable access, and ethical safeguards to ensure that AI supported innovation contributes to sustainable and socially just development. The article concludes that unleashing distributed creativity at scale is essential for advancing the transformative ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Social sustainability in mining has received less attention in scholarly work than environmental aspects, which have been extensively studied. This paper aims to fill this gap by analysing the roles of grievance management, community engagement, access to information and community development agreements in ensuring social sustainability among mining communities. Using the case of communities living near Base Titanium mining in Kwale County, Kenya, the research employed an embedded mixed-methods design, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously. The qualitative method involved collecting data through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and a literature review, while the quantitative method used structured household questionnaires. The study's findings reveal that grievance management, community development agreement, information disclosure and community engagement empower the community to hold the company accountable and participate in the decision-making process. The use of local knowledge and the adoption of traditional grievance management mechanisms enable the community to be an integral part of the project. Nevertheless, a lack of transparency and poor information flow bring about mistrust and anxiety. The legalisation and institutionalisation of community development agreements is key to ensuring that communities benefit from the proceeds of mining. By being involved in the identification, prioritisation and implementation of their own social development programmes through community development agreements, the communities are assured of social sustainability.
Urban factors play a critical role in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. In this regard, this study aims to examine the impact of urbanization and its components (e.g., urban population growth [UPG], population in the largest city [ULC], population in urban agglomerations [UPA] of more than 1 million, and population density [UPD]) on carbon emissions in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) in the period from 1992 to 2020. To investigate the relationships among these variables, this study employs the Moments Quantile Regression method (MMQR), a novel and robust econometric technique. This study finds that all the models support the EKC hypothesis, which indicates that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and carbon emissions have a nonlinear relationship with an inverted U-shape. This study also finds that growing UPG, ULC, UPA, and REC reduce carbon emissions but increasing UPD raises CO2 emissions. Hence, the study has unequivocally illustrated the imperative for scholars and political decision-makers to consider the alterations in urbanization subsystems when formulating and implementing sustainability and climate change policies and plans. In this regard, policymakers should prioritize sustainable urban planning that incorporates renewable energy sources and takes into account the demographic and sociopolitical factors influencing urbanization in order to effectively reduce carbon emissions.
In rural Pakistan, ecologically sensitive regions must encourage rural households to use clean energy. No study has been conducted on the impact of environmental awareness on clean energy and technology adoption in rural Punjab, Pakistan. This study investigates the effect of environmental awareness on clean energy and technology adoption through CFA and SEM analysis. The study collected data from five villages in southern Punjab, Pakistan. Primary data was collected from 450 households using a structured questionnaire. We empirically analyzed 400 valid surveys using structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses. This study utilized a quantitative approach, which is considered an evaluation methodology. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used within structural equation modelling (SEM) to evaluate the research hypotheses. The results show that energy attributes, clean energy awareness, and environmental concerns positively influence households' intention to use clean energy. Attitude significantly mediates cost, understanding, and intention to use clean energy. Perceived behavioral control mediates between ecological problems and the implementation of the adoption of clean energy within local communities. This research aims to identify forthcoming strategies for the transition to clean energy in rural areas by employing human-computer interface methodologies.
The convergence of energy transition and digitalization represents two pivotal trends in the global economy that complement each other. The decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is facilitated by larger Internet access and more substantial investments in research and development. This study sheds light on the dual impact of digitalization and innovation on CO2 emissions in the eight Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and two South Caucasus countries in 2000-2020. The article reveals the nuanced role of economic growth in shaping greenhouse gas emission patterns and underscores the important role of digitalization in mitigating CO2 emissions. With the use of FMOLS and quantile panel regression methods, the study proved a positive relationship between digitalization and GDP growth, with digital solutions driving economic expansion. Economic growth shows a clear positive correlation with CO2 levels, supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis of an inverted U-shape relationship between economic development and CO2 emissions in developing and emerging economies. Digitalization and innovations, on the contrary, contribute to CO2 emissions mitigation. These results underscore the importance of policy support for research and development and digital transformation to promote sustainable, low-carbon growth.
The world's oceans are in a severe state of degradation, yet our understanding of that degradation is often based on changes observed only in the past 20-50 years. This narrow view leads to marine conservation efforts that aim to preserve already degraded ecosystems, shaped by shifted ecological baselines. Historical ecology offers a broader perspective by examining past environments and biodiversity. In this study, we analyse historical records including maps, reports, and written accounts to explore the transformation of estuarine and coastal environments in Wales, a key centre of the Industrial Revolution. Our findings reveal widespread historical modification: 33 of the 42 Welsh estuaries studied show major alterations, including land reclamation, embankment construction, and channel rerouting. Some estuaries were completely erased, and islands no longer separate from the mainland. The resulting disruption of sediment dynamics, water quality, and habitat complexity has had long-term impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. We hypothesise these changes led to the widespread loss of critical habitats such as salt marshes, oyster beds and seagrass meadows, which support marine biodiversity and ecosystem health. Wales is only at the start of a habitat restoration journey, and the nation can learn from other regions of the world where restoration has successfully improved ecosystem function. But Wales faces a legacy of degradation with few, if any, 'low-impact' baselines remaining. We argue that current restoration efforts in Wales should not aim to return ecosystems to an imagined baseline or historical state. Instead, restoration should be reimagined with modern goals focusing on enhancing biodiversity, ecosystem resilience, and human well-being through the lens of a changing climate. Wales' estuarine environments, though heavily modified, present unique opportunities. By recognising the true extent of historical change, we can move beyond outdated notions of conservation and embrace degraded ecosystems as foundations for future recovery.
This empirical study examines the impact of green finance on economic growth and renewable energy in a group of 76 developing nations in 2010-2019. Results from a cointegration analysis, vector error correction model, and Granger causality test confirm a cointegrating relationship between green finance, renewable energy, economic growth, and other control variables. Green finance has a significant and positive (increasing) impact on growth (in both the short and long run) and renewable energy (long run), whereas renewable energy also has a significant and positive impact on growth (long run). Therefore, this study recommends that policymakers promote the use of both green finance and renewable energy because both offer many benefits, including lower carbon emissions and higher economic growth, and may therefore provide practical solutions to environmental problems.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to eradicate poverty, protect the environment, and promote prosperity through 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Achieving these goals requires a multi-sectoral approach. Maritime transportation, vital to the global economy, significantly contributes to several SDGs and plays a strategic role in their implementation within the European Union. This research identifies the most relevant SDGs for the sector-particularly SDGs 7, 9, 12, 13, and 14-and explores practical strategies for their integration. Climate action (SDG 13) is a major priority, given the sector's emissions intensity. Modernizing port infrastructure, improving transport efficiency, and investing in sustainable technologies (SDG 9), along with advancing resource efficiency and environmental management (SDG 12), are key measures. SDG 14 reinforces efforts to protect marine ecosystems. Crucially, SDG 7-ensuring access to affordable and clean energy-emerges as a foundational enabler, supporting the achievement of SDGs 9, 12, 13, and 14 and driving the sector's transition toward a low-carbon and sustainable future. Beyond supporting these objectives, integrating SDGs into the sector brings benefits such as enhanced corporate reputation, cost reduction, financing opportunities, and regulatory compliance, despite persistent challenges such as high initial investments, infrastructure limitations, lack of awareness, and complexity in adopting sustainable practices. This research identifies the most relevant goals for the sector at the EU and explores practical strategies for their adoption, with an emphasis on ocean conservation, energy, and climate action. Overall, aligning maritime transport with the SDGs is essential to building a more resilient, low-carbon, and sustainable maritime economy.
The urgency to address climate change has increased global interest in renewable energy beyond solar and wind. Ocean Renewable Energy (ORE), which includes tidal, wave, and offshore wind, is particularly promising for India with its 7500-km coastline. This study adopts a foresight-driven approach, using a Delphi survey of 52 experts, to assess the potential of ORE startups and their role in building a sustainable energy ecosystem. Unlike previous studies that focus mainly on technological or policy aspects, this work uniquely combines foresight analysis with expert consensus to map the strategic pathways required for fostering ORE entrepreneurship in India. The findings highlight critical enablers, including financial support, incubators, accelerators, mentorship, and favorable policies. Over 85% of experts stressed the need for regulatory reforms, 92% emphasized financial support to overcome high capital costs, and 84% highlighted structured mentorship for navigating technical and policy challenges. Additionally, 73% identified strong market opportunities for ORE to complement India's renewable energy mix. This paper contributes a novel framework for strengthening India's ORE startup ecosystem and positioning the country as a global leader in ocean renewable energy by outlining actionable recommendations for policymakers, investors, and stakeholders.
Ecological footprint assessment (EFA) is a valuable tool for decision makers to evaluate sustainable development at multiple scales. Microlevel assessments in educational institutions are limited, and this study addresses this gap by quantifying resource consumption in selected Government Senior Secondary Schools of Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh. The study aimed to assess the impact of students and staff on school biocapacity by evaluating five components of the ecological footprint (EF): electricity, water, material, solid waste, and transportation, using a formula-based approach. Component-wise contributions to total EF were 0.92 gha for electricity, 0.76 gha for water, 79.39 gha for material, 0.03 gha for solid waste, and 191.90 gha for transportation. All schools exhibited EFs exceeding their biocapacity, with average EF values surpassing international standards, indicating unsustainable resource consumption. Strategies to reduce EF were suggested based on the component-wise analysis, including energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy adoption, water conservation, digital learning tools, waste recycling, and promotion of sustainable transportation. Such studies can inform policies that incentivize schools to adopt sustainable practices, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability at both local and broader scales while fostering responsible behaviors among students and staff. Implementing these measures can enhance long-term sustainability at the institutional level and contribute to environmental sustainability at both neighborhood and city scales.
Brazil's longstanding reliance on fossil fuels to meet its energy needs has made the country vulnerable to environmental challenges caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Despite its commitment to international environmental agreements such as the Paris Accord and the Sustainable Development Goals, Brazil has struggled to effectively protect its environment. This study explores the impact of renewable energy, economic growth, and technological innovation on ecological indicators, including CO2 emissions and load capacity factor, within Brazil. Using quarterly data from 1990Q1 to 2020Q4, the analysis applies Quantile Quantile Kernel Based Regularized Least Squares. The results highlight the critical importance of renewable energy, economic growth, economic policy uncertainty, digitalization, and natural resources in combating environmental degradation. Based on these findings, it is recommended that Brazil reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, incorporate environmental objectives into its economic development plans, and enhance technological innovation to promote sustainability and improve ecological quality.
Access to reliable electricity is essential for health clinics, particularly in arid and tropical regions, to ensure continuous medical services and improve community well-being. This study investigates the feasibility of a hybrid renewable energy system combining solar and wind resources for sustainable production and consumption of electricity in a health clinic in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. Using HOMER software, multiple configurations integrating photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, battery storage, a converter, and a backup generator were analyzed and optimized for technical and economic performance. The results revealed that the site receives sufficient solar radiation and wind speed to meet the clinic's energy demand. Among the evaluated options, the photovoltaic-wind hybrid system demonstrated the most favorable performance, achieving a net present cost of $297,688.3 and a levelized cost of energy of $0.2894/kWh, outperforming other system configurations. Considering the quest for a greener environment, the PV-WT energy system was selected as the best energy system to meet the needs of the health clinic in the city. Economic assessment further indicated that this system delivers the highest return on investment of 31.4% over its lifetime, confirming its efficiency and long-term viability. These findings establish that the photovoltaic-wind hybrid system is the most suitable and sustainable solution to provide reliable electricity for the health clinic while supporting stakeholder engagement in achieving environmentally friendly energy goals.
