This book gathers and disseminates opinions, viewpoints, studies, forecasts, and practical projects which illustrate the various pathways sustainability research and practice may follow in the future, as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepares itself to the possibilities of having to cope with similar crisis, a product of the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP) https://www.haw-hamburg.de/en/ftz-nk/programmes/iusdrp.html and the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR) https://esssr.eu/. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to severe human suffering, and to substantial damages to economies around the globe, affecting both rich countries and developing ones. The aftermath of the epidemic is also expected to be felt for sometime. This will also include a wide range of impacts in the ways sustainable development is perceived, and how the principles of sustainability are practised. There is now a pressing need to generate new literature on the connections between COVID-19 and sustainability. This is so for two main reasons. Firstly, the world crisis triggered by COVID-19 has severely damaged the world economy, worsening poverty, causing hardships, and endangering livelihoods. Together, these impacts may negatively influence the implementation of sustainable development as a whole, and of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in particular. These potential and expected impacts need to be better understood and quantified, hence providing a support basis for future recovery efforts. Secondly, the shutdown caused by COVID-19 has also been having a severe impact on teaching and research, especially -but not only - on matters related to sustainability. This may also open new opportunities (e.g. less travel, more Internet-based learning), which should be explored further, especially in the case of future pandemics, a scenario which cannot be excluded. The book meets these perceived needs.

This book explores the interconnections between world politics and non-human nature to overcome the anthropocentric boundaries that characterize the field of international relations. By gathering contributions from various perspectives, ranging from post-humanism and ecological modernization, to new materialism and post-colonialism, it conceptualizes the embeddedness of world politics in non-human nature, and proposes a reorientation of political practice to better address the challenges posed by climate change and the deterioration of the Earth's ecosystems. The book is divided into two main parts, the first of which addresses new ways of theoretically conceiving the relationship between non-human nature and world politics. In turn, the second presents empirical investigations into specific case studies, including studies on state actors and international organizations and bodies. Given its scope and the new perspectives it shares, this edited volume represents a uniquely valuable contribution to the field.

This book provides significant conceptual and empirical contributions to the understanding of service science and the practices of service sectors in the wake of the fourth industrial revolution bringing together a collection of articles written by keynote and invited speakers at the 2nd Service Science Symposium held on 24 November 2019. The symposium was organised by the Serviceology Society Malaysia (SESMA), which aims to bring service researchers and practitioners under one roof to redefine service concepts and ideas and explore their application in real industrial and community settings. In their contributions, authors present multiple real-world cases of service systems to demonstrate how organisations can incorporate service science to achieve sustainable development. By re-examining the existing service science models and the value creation process using valuable insights obtained from industries and communities in Malaysia, Japan and Taiwan, the authors present a new way forward for organisations.

This book examines the manufacturing, supply chain and product-level sustainability of leather and footwear products. This book deals with the environmental and chemical sustainability aspects pertaining to the tanning supply chain and the related mitigation measures. The book also explores interesting areas of leather and footwear sustainability, such as waste & the 3R's and their certification for sustainability. At the product level, the book covers advanced topics like the circular economy and blockchain technology for leather and footwear products and addresses innovation development and eco-material use in footwear by investigating environmental sustainability and the use of bacterial cellulose, a potential sustainable alternative for footwear and leather products.

This book addresses the improvement and dissemination of knowledge on methods, policies and technologies for increasing the sustainability of development by de-coupling growth from natural resources and replacing them with knowledge-based economy, taking into account its economic, environmental and social pillars, as well as methods for assessing and measuring sustainability of development, regarding water and environment. This book gathers scholar and experts in related fields. All attendees from a vast range of companies, universities and government institutions acquire advanced technical knowledge and are introduced to new fields through discussions that focus on their own specialties as well as a variety of interdisciplinary areas. The authors hope most of scholars can find what they really need in this book.

Applying a trans-disciplinary approach, this book provides a comprehensive, research-based guide to understanding, implementing, and strengthening sustainable community health in diverse international settings. By examining the interdependence of environmental, economic, public health, community wellbeing and development factors, the authors address the systemic factors impacting health disparities, inequality and social justice issues. The book analyzes strategies based on a partnership view of health, in which communities determine their health and wellness working alongside local, state and federal health agencies. Crucially, it demonstrates that communities are themselves health systems and their wellbeing capabilities affect the health of individuals and the collective alike. It identifies health indicators and tools that communities and policy makers can utilize to sustain truly inclusive health systems. This book offers a unique resource for researchers and practitioners working across psychology, mental health, rehabilitation, public health, epidemiology, social policy, healthcare and allied health.

How can we create sustainable zero carbon communities cost-effectively at the same time as increasing the probability of people leading happy and healthy lives? Written from the perspective of practical experience gained from world-leading projects such as Beddington Zero fossil Energy Development (BedZED), One Brighton and Masdar City, this book provides a clear overview and simple insights for students, interested individuals and professionals in all areas of the property development and planning industries - including architecture, planning, engineering, surveying, development management, finance, legal, sales and marketing and estates management. It combines leading edge thinking with simple practical advice in this fast emerging field.

In the often confused realm of sustainable development, the book starts with the question of how to turn sustainability from an abstract concept into a clear framework on which to base practical design, development, long-term management and governance decisions. It describes One Planet Living, the approach which links the science of ecological footprinting to a simple framework of principles, and how the framework is being applied to create a coherent approach to projects in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, the Middle East, China and Australia, It also draws on other examples of best practice from around the world.

'Essential reading for the industry' Khaled Awad, Director of Property Development, Masdar.

'...gave us the framework to create a world-renowned sustainable community'. - Brad Baker, President and CEO, Codding Enterprises, California.

'...gives a clear analytical direction to follow ...reads like a historical detective story.' - David Nelson, Head of Design, Foster + Partners.

This book is a collection of the up-to-date experience and knowledge about the implementation of sustainable business excellence in a particular context of SMEs. The book uses empirical and practical approach to tackle this issue, which is underdeveloped in the literature. Hence, it could constitute a relevant reference for SMEs managers seeking to manage their operations sustainably, efficiently and resiliently. The book also integrates the smart component to the sustainable business excellence and proves for those who are still skeptical that SMEs could benefit from smart and digital technology in the favor of sustainability and business excellence. Overall, we build on successful initiatives we experienced in real life to guide SMEs in order to be sustainable smart and resilient in the post COVID context which is highly demanding in terms of business excellence and efficiency.

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

aAgyemanas advocacy for just sustainability effectively addresses the equity deficit of mainstream sustainability. In his conclusion, he suggests a number of strategies that could be of use to those of us in the design community. One of these is the concept of an aenvironmental space, a built on the idea of a sustainable community place. In this matrix, not only are traditional environmental resources considered but also included in the equation are social and economic entitlements. Environmental space analysis is exactly the kind of hybrid problem that design professionals commonly work with. This creative reframing of urban space and social justice issues is a strategy that might well be duplicated in rethinking our course projects and other scholarly pursuits.a
--"Journal of Architectural Education"

aA lively and thought-provoking text, with informative case study examples, which allows the reader plenty of opportunity to follow Agyemanas reasoning and analysis.a
--"Journal of the American Planning Association"

"Covering both theory and practive, environmental organizations are indexed according to their commitment to justice and/or sustainability principles as set forth in their mission statements. Examples illustrating broad issue categories of successful projects that exemplify "just sustainability" enhance the discussion."
--"Choice," recommended

aJulian Agyeman once again pushes us all to think more critically about how to integrate two important political and intellectual projects. This book is at the cutting edge of research on sustainability and environmental justice. Agyeman has set the standard forthe next generation of studies on these critical challenges.a
--David Naguib Pellow, co-author of "The Silicon Valley of Dreams"

"Worth the effort."
--"In Brief"

"Julian Agyeman has provided a theoretical and empirical foundation for making environmental justice a central focus of sustainability. He lucidly demonstrates both the rationale and the agenda for a 'just sustainability' that is not 'just' about environmental sustainability. In mapping this new territory, Agyeman has made an important contribution to scholarship that will also be valued by practitioners."
--Mark Roseland, author of "Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources for Citizens and Their Governments"

Popularized in the movies "Erin Brockovich" and "A Civil Action," aenvironmental justicea refers to any local response to a threat against community health. In this book, Julian Agyeman argues that environmental justice and the sustainable communities movement are compatible in practical ways. Yet sustainability, which focuses on meeting our needs today while not compromising the ability of our successors to meet their needs, has not always partnered with the challenges of environmental justice.

Sustainable Communities and the Challenge of Environmental Justice explores the ideological differences between these two groups and shows how they can work together. Agyeman provides concrete examples of potential model organizations that employ the types of strategies he advocates. This book is vital to the efforts of community organizers, policymakers, and everyone interested in a better environment and community health.

This contributed volume analyses and discusses how atmospheric carbon emissions can be prevented using carbon capture and removal technology and how renewable energies can be used to reduce carbon emissions. Both approaches have their disadvantages. First of all, both involve high costs. Secondly, both require the use of advanced technology. As a result, many countries continue to use fossil fuels. The book seeks to address these problems by identifying strategies to increase countries' use of clean energy. The authors discuss the dilemmas of zero emission and competition in the energy industry and illustrate cross-country applications of the current trends in the form of zero-emission business projects.

This book explores the achievements and obstacles confronting China and major Latin American countries in developing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of new changes in "The Belt and Road" Initiative. In the first three chapters, the Chinese authors elaborate on the relationship between "The Belt and Road" Initiative and globalization, as well as strategies towards forming an increasingly close bond between China and Latin America. The book ends with chapters dedicated to analyzing the BRI conditions and effects on SMEs of Latin-American countries. These country specific chapters will show the specific opportunities and challenges the countries conditions, be they political, geological, etc. may have on the development of SMEs under the BRI. The book will be useful not only to industry leaders looking to better understand how they can potentially benefit from the BRI but also by the general public, as the book will explain what this new era of globalization, and more specifically the BRI, will mean for the world's industries and society.

This book focuses on the status quo and the latest information on the water-soil-agriculture nexus in the MENA countries. It presents several case studies and applications from e.g. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan, while also sharing and discussing the latest findings. The content includes a range of agriculture-related topics that focus on: water resources management, impacts of climate change, and wastewater treatment for reuse in agriculture sectors; in addition, sustainable approaches to agricultural-based industry, organic crop production, crop water requirements, and soil environment are discussed in an updated and comprehensive review. In turn, the book discusses the applications of GIS and remote sensing as a new technology for better agriculture management, as well as its use in Egypt as a representative country. In closing, it considers the implementation of an environmental information system in data-scarce MENA countries from the standpoint of the water-food nexus, and addresses the question of climate justice in the MENA region. Exploring various dimensions of MENA country-based case studies on achieving sustainable agriculture, the book offers an invaluable source of topical information for agricultural sustainability-related stakeholders in the region, researchers and graduate students alike.

Welcome to the proceedings of the Third International Conference on Sustainability in Energy and Buildings, SEB 11, held in Marseilles in France, organised by the Laboratoire des Sciences del'Information et des Systemes (LSIS) in Marseille, France in partnership with KES International.

SEB'11 formed a welcome opportunity for researchers in subjects related to sustainability, renewable energy technology, and applications in the built environment to mix with other scientists, industrialists and stakeholders in the field.

The conference featured presentations on a range of renewable energy and sustainability related topics. In addition the conference explored two innovative themes:

the application of intelligent sensing, control, optimisation and modelling techniques to sustainability and

the technology of sustainable buildings.

These two themes combine synergetically to address issues relating to The Intelligent Building.

SEB 11 attracted a significant number of submissions from around the world. These were subjected to a two-stage blind peer-review process. With the objective of producing a high-quality conference, only the best 50 or so of these were selected for presentation at the conference and publication in the proceedings.

It is hoped that you will find this volume an interesting, informative and useful resource for your research. "

This book examines the development needs of protected areas with threatened ecological biodiversity to gain deeper understanding of the local perspective of protected area ecosystems. The study focuses on the case of Nech Sar National Park in Ethiopia, a protected area facing many development challenges due to human over-utilization of its resources and threats to wildlife. The conceptual framework developed by this research makes an academic contribution in the protection and sustainable development of national parks' natural capital, since it is designed to provide a systemic analysis of the problem by showing the extent and magnitude of human induced impacts on the natural capital of protected areas. In line with this, the application of the framework produces new and evidence-based findings which will help to improve the governance of protected areas as the research will provide park authorities with a practical tool in addressing the underlying causes of the degradation of national parks before the state of degradation of these resources reach its irreversible juncture. The book will help academicians and researchers to assess the state of biodiversity resources in protected areas using Nech Sar National Park as a representative example of a threatened area common throughout Africa, and will enable development practitioners and policy makers to devise appropriate strategies such as community participation in the governance of protected areas that could help to halt the degradation of resources in protected areas.

This book focuses on the importance and roles of seed microbiomes in sustainable agriculture by exploring the diversity of microbes vectored on and within seeds of both cultivated and non-cultivated plants. It provides essential insights into how seeds can be adapted to enhance microbiome vectoring, how damaged seed microbiomes can be assembled again and how seed microbiomes can be conserved. Plant seeds carry not only embryos and nutrients to fuel early seedling growth, but also microbes that modulate development, soil nutrient acquisition, and defense against pathogens and other stressors. Many of these microbes (bacteria and fungi) become endophytic, entering into the tissues of plants, and typically exist within plants without inducing negative effects. Although they have been reported in all plants examined to date, the extent to which plants rely on seed vectored microbiomes to enhance seedling competitiveness and survival is largely unappreciated. How microbes function to increase the fitness of seedlings is also little understood. The book is a unique and important resource for researchers and students in microbial ecology and biotechnology. Further, it appeals to applied academic and industrial agriculturists interested in increasing crop health and yield.

The 2021 Congress on Research, Development and Innovation in Renewable Energies (CIDiER 2021) aims to promote international collaboration that fosters ideas and dialogue on developing a solution to climate change through research and development that leads to clean energy innovation via renewable energies. These selected papers cover both theoretical and applied research that will strengthen the implementation of renewable energy projects between universities, research centers, and private companies.

This volume discusses a broad range of human welfare problems associated with and stemming from social issues, natural resource deficiencies, environmental hazards, vulnerability to climate change, and sustainability challenges. The chapters form a framework centered around the concept of social morphology, i.e. the role of humans in shaping society, and associated human-nature interactions which inform the ability to achieve sustainable welfare and well-being. The book is divided in six sections. Section I contains the introductory chapters where the book explores shifting interfaces between environment, society, and sustainability outcomes. Section II discusses contemporary issues of social welfare, and covers sustainable approaches in geo-heritage and ecotourism. Section III addresses the roots of various social conflicts and inequalities in relation to overpopulation, poverty, illiteracy, employment concerns, and human migration. Section IV highlights social security and areas of social deprivation, including urban affordability, gender equality, and women's health. Section V covers social issues resulting from natural hazards and disasters. Section VI concludes the book with a discussion of the way forward for social sustainability. The book will be of interest to students, researchers, policy makers, environmentalists, NGOs, and social scientists.

This book examines administrative changes and reforms carried out in the developing nations: it looks at the role of the state, various administrative reforms carried out at the behest of the West but never fully materialized, and events leading to policy failures and administrative mishaps. It is a story of failed developmental goals told through the looking glass of administration and it is about directing, managing, and controlling the means used in and by Third World countries to achieve development. In addition to a history of development administration, this volume includes an analysis of bureaucratic corruption and accountability, the issue of capability building in science and technology transfer, the new challenge of the 1990s - how to achieve environmentally sustainable development in the face of resource constraints and ever-growing public demands and expectations, and a strategy for sustainable development administration as the Third World prepares for the 21st century.

This book explores the relevance of new sources, dimensions, and characteristics of knowledge for supporting creative and cultural organizations and initiatives. Special emphasis is placed on cultural heritage, participatory approaches, and entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative sector. The role of cultural heritage and contemporary culture as a source of economically effective, socially sustainable development is also discussed. The authors examine new ways of developing and testing new and innovative models of management for cultural heritage assets. In line with the participatory approaches in culture heritage governance promoted by the EU, the authors analyze participatory approaches to cultural and creative initiatives. The role of public and private actors, as well as the way they interact with each other in order to achieve collective outcomes, is of particular interest in this section of the book. With regard to cultural and creative entrepreneurship, the book adds an innovative view of cultural ventures, offering some clues from an entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective.

Why do we readily dispose of some things, whereas we keep and maintain others for years, despite their obvious wear and tear? Can a greater understanding of aesthetic value lead to a more strategic and sustainable approach to product design? Aesthetic Sustainability: Product Design and Sustainable Usage offers guidelines for ways to reduce, rethink, and reform consumption. Its focus on aesthetics adds a new dimension to the creation, as well as the consumption, of sustainable products. The chapters offer innovative ways of working with expressional durability in the design process. Aesthetic Sustainability: Product Design and Sustainable Usage is related to emotional durability in the sense that the focus is on the psychological and sensuous bond between subject and object. But the subject-object connection is based on more than emotions: aesthetically sustainable objects continuously add nourishment to human life. This book explores the difference between sentimental value and aesthetic value, and it offers suggestions for operational approaches that can be implemented in the design process to increase aesthetic sustainability. This book also offers a thorough presentation of aesthetics, focusing on the correlation between the philosophical approach to the aesthetic experience and the durable design experience. The book is of interest to students and scholars working in the fields of design, arts, the humanities and social sciences; additionally, it will speak to designers and other professionals with an interest in sustainability and aesthetic value.

This book addresses critical issues in today's logistics operations and supply chain management, with a special focus on sustainability. In dedicated chapters the authors address aspects concerning multimode logistics operations, reverse network configuration, forward and reverse supply chain integration, improvement of the production operations and management of the recovery activities, as well as carbon footprint reduction in transportation. Selected best practices from different countries and industries are presented to aid in the implementation of sustainable policies in private enterprises and at public-sector institutions. The book offers a valuable resource for both academics and practitioners who wish to deepen their expertise in the field of logistics operations and management with regard to sustainability issues. The book examines both qualitative and qualitative aspects of sustainable supply chain and logistics operations.

This book focuses on the Earth's carrying capacity to service the needs of its human populations as well as preserve the ecosystems that provide natural resources that sustain life and support human activities in 2020 and later in the century (2050 and beyond). It addresses the two principal factors that challenge the limits of the carrying capacity: growing populations/demographic moves and global warming/climate change. It also covers the effects that these factors have on water availability, food security, sanitation and natural resources. The status of these basic needs that sustain life and societal activities with respect to population increases and global warming driven climate changes are discussed on two time frames. One with respect to the 2020 and the other with measured and computer guided projected future impacts later as the century progresses to 2050 and later, Attention is given to Africa, Asia, and somewhat for South America because of their projected increases in population. The purpose of the book is to provide those in decision-making roles and those that advise them with a sound set of facts and figures to think about to support their decisions/actions. A secondary purpose is to present data that stresses the need to act now, firmly and with investment to plan to adapt to changing conditions rather than wait until forced to do so. The book also discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world's societies and how they have reacted. The book will be of use to students in first/second year of college/university programs in Environmental Sciences/Studies, demographics, and ancillary fields such as agriculture science, urban/land use planners, political science, public health, and consultants at academic and professional levels.

Drawing on practices and theories of sustainability, Environmental policy and sustainable development in China explores the prospects for achieving environmentally benign economic and social development in China and beyond. Using the Chinese 'world city' of Hong Kong as a backdrop and case study, it introduces major conceptions of sustainability, describes historical and political contexts for environmental policymaking, and analyses key challenges related to sustainable development, including air pollution, water quality, waste, transport and climate change. The book will be a valuable and unique resource for students, teachers and readers interested in environmental policy, sustainable development and ecological governance, especially in China and Hong Kong. All of the author's royalties from sales of this book will be donated by Policy Press to Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong) and WWF (Hong Kong).

The decisions a corporation makes affect more than just its stakeholders and can have wide social, environmental, and economic consequences. The notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) describes the relationship between a business and society as a whole, considering all tangential effects of business. This facilitates a business environment built around practical regulations and transparency necessary to ensure ethical and responsible business practice. Analyzing the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Foreign Direct Investment explores the relationship between ethical and environmental standards and foreign investment on the international market. As certain jurisdictions are hesitant to comply with these standards, this publication elucidates the benefits of practicing CSR as a means of sustainable economic growth and to mitigate devastating negative consequences, especially in the developing world. This book is a key reference source for professionals, economists, students of business and finance, policy makers, and government agencies.

The emerging use of information and communication technologies has expanded the opportunities for rural development in Africa. Technology, Sustainability, and Rural Development in Africa provides research, analytical methods, techniques, and development policies in ICT adoption and diffusion in Africa and around the globe. Highlighting the major trends in ICT applications and rural development, this book is useful for scholars, academics, researchers and government policy makers.