In non-neuroscience-based studies, economists demonstrate that humans make suboptimal economic contributions (between zero and the theoretical maximum) in collective-action scenarios. Using a neuroeconomics experiment that integrates economics and neuroscience, this study investigates why humans make such suboptimal economic contributions. In this study, 90 adult participants, divided into 15 smaller groups, collectively participated in a computer-based public goods game while wearing electroencephalography headsets that recorded their neural activities during the game. The results show that when participants modified institutional arrangements (such as face-to-face communication), their economic contributions increased, albeit suboptimally. Furthermore, simultaneously and suboptimally in the frontal and temporal lobes, the participants' positive rationality and emotionality increased, whereas their negative rationality and emotionality decreased. We suggest that suboptimal rationality and emotionality may underlie suboptimal economic contributions. This study offers broad implications for collectively and sustainably managing local, regional, and global commons, including the atmosphere in which humans cause climate change.

Community-based tourism (CBT) focusses on the use of rural resources to enhance the socio-economic benefits of tourism for rural communities. Rural tourism serves as a mechanism for conservation and community development to alleviate poverty in rural communities. It inspires a sense of ownership while emphasizing natural environmental protection, social, and cultural sustainability. CBT provides tourists with a learning process about the community lifestyle, local culture, and customs. It gives tourists interaction opportunities with local communities on the cultural heritage and natural environment. Many rural tourism initiatives in Asia, funded by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, have yielded mixed results on the expected socio-economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability parameters. The use of Indigenous communities and cultural features to increase the quality of the touristic experience have affected the rural milieu, culture, lifestyles, and practices. The value of CBT for rural development remains debatable because not all CBT initiatives sustain the momentum. Some fail to translate significant benefits to rural communities due to the lack of proper access to markets, poor governance and planning of rural tourism programmes, which lead to higher social costs in the affected communities. CBT must generate collective benefits for the community and exceed costs for all involved. Further, the random and scattered development of rural tourism infrastructures leads to pollution and environmental degradation due to the laxity of environmental law. Theoretically, the neo-classical analysis of rural tourism is also challenged by some who argue that nature and poor communities are represented as objects for tourists to enjoy. Hence, there is a need to better understand the enablers of rural tourism to maximize its potential, which faces many challenges. This chapter examines the emergence of rural tourism in Asia, its successes and failures, and how CBT can be reoriented to create a development paradigm.

Sustainable development has attracted much attention in recent years as a globally relevant development paradigm fully supported by the United Nations (UN). In 2016, the UN accepted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a normative framework for all 193 member countries to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are complex and interlinked, and methodologies and analytical tools to achieve these goals remain a serious stumbling block for many countries, especially in the developing world. Nevertheless, many methods and tools have been developed and tested, and some measure of success has been achieved. This chapter identifies some of these methodologies and tools and explores their usefulness in evaluating the SDGs.

RiceGamini Herath Akram Hasanov Jeehye Park is the staple diet of the people in Malaysia. Nearly 70

In 2015, the UN proposed the Sustainable Development Goals; they were accepted by 193 countries. Sri Lanka faces many challenges in implementing the SDGs. The lack of reliable and recent data is a serious issue. Another issue is the weak institutional capacity of Sri Lanka, which has led to poor governance and policy incoherence. There is no strong political will, and interministerial conflicts are rampant. Unless these issues are properly addressed, the yahapalanaya (good governance) government of President Sirisena may not contribute well to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

The Asian region is the fastest growing economic region in the world but it has 2.6 billion people in poverty, 490 million people still go hungry, and 1.7 billion lack access to clean water and sanitation. The UN recently proposed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS 2030 agenda) to overcome these problems accepted by 193 countries. There are 17 SDG goals including poverty eradication (SDG 1), achieving income equality (SDG 10) and achieve women’s empowerment to sustainably manage natural resources such as water and forests (SDG 15). Developing countries in Asia face many challenges in implementing the SDGs. The lack of reliable and standardised data is a serious issue. Data are often several years old and they are inadequately disaggregated. Another issue is the weak institutional capacity of Asia which has led to poor governance problems and policy incoherence. Policy incoherence means that policies are carried out by ministers without examining conflicts with other Ministries. Unless these issues are properly addressed, Asia may not achieve the SDGs by 2030.

•Proactive and efficient management of e-waste at global-scale is compulsory.•Trans-boundary e-waste movement does not support sustainable waste management plans.•E-waste collection and management need to be strengthened in developing countries.•Techno-socio-economic based integrated e-waste recycling strategies are required.

Climate change is a globally important environmental issue that impacting our economic future and livelihoods. It can affect food security in the developing countries of south East Asia which can be further exacerbated due to increased natural disasters. Various policies are adopted in different countries to mitigate climate change. Developing countries in Asia however do not have the capacity to unilaterally mitigate climate change although there are nationally important adaptation measures. There is significant attention in developing technologies, governance mechanisms, to enhance the capacity and food security of the poor. Global environmental governance (GEG) mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are essential. The Kyoto Protocol was unsuccessful and better initiatives are imperative at the global level to mitigate climate change. These programs have not worked well due to various conflicts and disagreements. Programs must be customized to be suitable for the specific socioeconomic circumstances of developing Asia. There are however opportunities to reexamine and improve the program so that their potential can be realized.

Sustainable Tourism as a concept respects both local people, the traveler, cultural heritage and the environment. It should meet the needs of and opportunity for the future. But operationalizing sustainable tourism is problematic due to analytical weaknesses, conceptual criticisms and the need to redefine better perspectives. Asia faces many challenges in promoting sustainable tourism including political leadership, poor participation by all stakeholders, adverse environmental and social impacts. Another challenge is to ensure social sustainability and creating opportunities to transfer income to the poorer. The empirical study of island tourism in Malaysia shows that Marine Parks regulations are not adequately enforced and Malaysian coral reefs can suffer from increasing degradation. Water pollution, overfishing, beach erosion, coral bleaching and damage, fishing, snorkeling and poor recycling and sewage disposal all are still significant challenges to the Marine Park in in Tioman Island in Malaysia.

Sustainable Tourism as a concept respects both local people, the traveler, cultural heritage and the environment. It should meet the needs of and opportunity for the future. But operationalizing sustainable tourism is problematic due to analytical weaknesses, conceptual criticisms and the need to redefine better perspectives. Asia faces many challenges in promoting sustainable tourism including political leadership, poor participation by all stakeholders, adverse environmental and social impacts. Another challenge is to ensure social sustainability and creating opportunities to transfer income to the poorer. The empirical study of island tourism in Malaysia shows that Marine Parks regulations are not adequately enforced and Malaysian coral reefs can suffer from increasing degradation. Water pollution, overfishing, beach erosion, coral bleaching and damage, fishing, snorkeling and poor recycling and sewage disposal all are still significant challenges to the Marine Park in in Tioman Island in Malaysia.

Human activities, such as industrial, agricultural, and domestic pursuits, discharge effluents into riverine ecological systems that contains aquatic resources, such as fish, which are also used by humans. We conducted case studies in Malaysia to investigate the impacts of these human activities on water and fish resources, as well as on human well-being from an ergonomics perspective. This research shows that a green ergonomics approach can provide us with useful insights into sustainable relationships between humans and ecology in facilitating human well-being in consideration of the overall performance of the social-ecological system. Heavy metal concentrations contained in the effluents pollute river water and contaminate fish, eventually creating significant health risks and economic costs for residents, including the polluters. The study suggests a number of policy interventions to change human behavior and achieve greater collaboration between various levels of government, academia, civil society, and businesses to help establish sustainable relationships between humans and ecology in Malaysia.

•Complex policy design involves state, privatization and user self-governance.•Nonparticipatory state provides financial, technological, and statutory assistance.•Nonparticipatory state provides users with autonomy to self-govern their commons.•Complex policy design strengthens users’ self-governing institutional arrangements.