Business, Organized Labour and Climate Policy examines the current lack of effective action in bridging the gap between climate change goals and governmental policies. With little published about the role of employers' organizations and trade unions in the climate change policy process, this book evaluates their involvement and argues that labour market considerations should be a central element of climate change policy. The study applies ecological modernization theory as a framework to guide policy development and negotiation. Application of the framework finds that employers' organizations and trade unions are effective civil society advocates, but responding to the labour market implications of climate change is neither institutionally embedded nor prioritized. Included are case studies of climate change policy in six developed and two developing economies, as well as within organizations such as the European Union and the UNFCCC. The emergence of labour issues in formal climate agreements demonstrates the impact that climate change is having on the broader economy and employment, and the need for business and labour to take concrete action. Providing an invaluable reference for policy development, this work will appeal to academics and students, as well as employers' organizations and trade unions. This book provides a unique perspective on key stakeholding organizations in climate change policy and presents a platform for engaging with government.

This book highlights cutting-edge ecodesign research, covering product and service design, smart manufacturing, and social perspectives in ecodesign. Featuring selected papers presented at EcoDesign 2019: 11th International Symposium on Environmentally Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing, it also includes diverse, interdisciplinary approaches to foster ecodesign research and activities. In the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it addresses the need for the manufacturing industry to design innovations for sustainable value creation, taking into account technological developments, legislation, and consumer lifestyles. Further, the book discusses the concept of circular economy, which originated in Europe and aims to increase resource efficiency by shifting away from the linear economy. Focusing on product life cycle design and management, smart manufacturing, circular economy, and business strategies, and providing useful approaches and solutions to these emerging concepts, this book is intended for both researchers and practitioners working in the broad field of ecodesign and sustainability.

This book highlights the need for effective water governance in India given the fact that the country has been facing serious water stress in recent years. The water management in the country needs a serious scientific understanding coupled with the cooperative approach rather than a competitive one. It looks at current water regulations and underlines the need for overhaul of some laws to ensure that high water usage efficiency is attained, groundwater depletion is arrested and management of available resources is carried out in a disciplined manner. It also looks at the role of stakeholder engagement and pricing as a mechanism to manage demand in the wake of rapid population growth and industrialization.

Through research and proven practice, the aim of the International Conference of Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS) is to foster ideas on how to reduce negative impacts on the environment while providing for the health and well-being of society. The professions and fields of research required to ensure buildings meet user demands and provide healthy enclosures are many and diverse. The SEEDS conference addresses the interdependence of people, the built and natural environments, and recognizes the interdisciplinary and international themes necessary to assemble the knowledge required for positive change.

This open access book reframes sustainable energy transitions as being a matter of resolving accountability crises. It demonstrates how the empirical study of several practices of legitimation can analytically deconstruct energy transitions, and presents a typology of these practices to help determine whether energy transitions contribute to sustainability. The real-world challenge of climate change requires sustainable energy transitions. This presents a crisis of accountability legitimated through situated practices in a wide range of cases including: solar energy transitions in Portugal, urban energy transitions in Germany, forestland conflicts in Indonesia, urban carbon emission targets in Norway, transport electrification in the Nordic region, and biodiversity conservation and energy extraction in the USA. By synthesising these cases, chapters identify various dimensions wherein practices of legitimation construct specific accountability relations. This book deftly illustrates the value of an analytical approach focused on accountable governance to enable sustainable energy transitions. It will be of great use to both academics and practitioners working in the field of energy transitions.

Central Asian countries play a geostrategic role in world economy and politics. As a result, efforts are being made to establish an effective channel of communication between academic and research institutions, policymakers, government agencies, and individuals concerned with the complexities of Asian business, information technologies, sustainable development, and globalization. Technological Solutions for Sustainable Business Practice in Asia provides an in-depth analysis on Asian economy, business, and management with a clear international and interdisciplinary approach. This comprehensive resource is beneficial for academics, PhD students, policymakers, and government officials.

This book highlights the impact of COVID-19 on environmental sustainability and SDG's, using various case studies. The year 2020 was a historical year mainly due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19 and it influenced or affected the global economy, business models and the industrial sectors, thus impacting sustainability in various ways. Given that sustainability has many faces and facets, it is worthwhile to deal with the relation (or impact) of COVID-19 on various elements of sustainability. This book presents how COVID-19 has influenced Environmental Sustainability along with the SDG's.

This book reviews recent research advances in sustainable agriculture, with focus on crop production, biodiversity and biofuels in Africa and Asia.

Green technology plays an important role in the achievement of environmental sustainability. Tax incentives, carbon taxes, and rising fossil fuel costs are motivating increased growth and development of 'green' products and services, many of which are the result of innovative discoveries in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Green Technologies and Business Practices: An IT Approach is an international platform that brings together academics, researchers, lecturers, policy makers, practitioners, and persons in decision-making positions from all backgrounds who ultimately share new theories, research findings and case studies, together enhancing understanding and collaboration of green issues in business and the role of information technologies and also analyze recent developments in theory and practice.

Current modern companies, which are also the key factors of a global economy, are subject to increasing pressures to conduct their business in an environmentally responsible manner, due to social and environmental problems. Improving long-term environmental performance can bring economic benefits to those companies that are innovative and environmentally sensitive, especially by integrating environmental information into their business strategies. Considering all the changes, sustainability reporting, management, and financial accounting becomes a powerful information tool for executives, managers, and employee teams to gain insights and make better decisions. Along with concepts such as ethical, controlling, auditing, management, and financial accounting, reporting provides value with the decision-making process. All these debates underline the major responsibility of users when configuring accounting and finance models and thereby in modelling business information. Sustainability Reporting, Ethics, and Strategic Management Strategies for Modern Organizations proposes an interdisciplinary perspective and explores various theoretical and practical approaches of ethical standards, management accounting, and their impact in the 21st century on different areas of activity. It contrasts external financial accounting for government regulators and the investment community with internal management accounting for managers to leverage for decision making. In addition, the book examines the role of management accounting and sustainability reporting from other points of view such as ethical standards, corporate social responsibility, creative accounting, green accounting, environmental indicators, e-accounting, KPI, lean accounting, controlling, auditing, reporting, etc., offering a number of new insights into management accounting. It is intended for chief financial officers, financial controllers, business analysts, financial planners, financial analysts, budgeting managers, executives, managers, academicians, researchers, and students.

The economic operating system keeps crashing. It's time to upgrade to a new one. Five decades ago, The Limits to Growth shocked the world by showing that population and industrial growth were pushing humanity towards a cliff. Today the world recognizes that we are now at the cliff edge: Earth has crossed multiple planetary boundaries while widespread inequality is causing deep instabilities in societies. There seems to be no way out. Earth For All is both an antidote to despair and a road map to a better future. Using powerful state-of-the-art computer modeling to explore policies likely to deliver the most good for the majority of people, a leading group of scientists and economists from around the world present five extraordinary turnarounds to achieve prosperity for all within planetary limits in a single generation. Coverage includes: Results of new global modeling that indicates falling well-being and rising social tensions heighten risk of regional societal collapses Two alternative scenarios - Too-Little-Too-Late vs The Giant Leap - and what they mean for our collective future Five system-shifting steps that can upend poverty and inequality, lift up marginalized people, and transform our food and energy systems by 2050 A clear pathway to reboot our global economic system so it works for all people and the planet. Written in an open, accessible, and inspirational style using clear language and high impact visuals, Earth For All is a profound vision for uncertain times and a map to a better future. This survival guide for humanity is required reading for everyone concerned about living well on a fragile planet.

This book provides detailed information on how to set up Deep Energy Retrofits (DERs) in public buildings, and shares in-depth insights into the current status of the major technologies, strategies and best practice examples of how to cost-effectively combine them. Case studies from the U.S.A. and Europe show that that Deep Energy Retrofit can be achieved with a limited core technologies bundle readily available on the market. Characteristics of some of these core technology measures depend on the technologies available on an individual nation's market, on the minimum requirements of national standards, and on economics (as determined by a life cycle cost analysis). Also, requirements to building envelope-related technologies (e.g., insulation levels, windows, vapor and water barriers, and requirements for building airtightness) depend on specific climate conditions. This Guide provides best practice examples of how to apply these technologies in different construction situations. High levels of energy use reduction using core technology bundles along with improvements in indoor climate and thermal comfort can be only achieved when a Deep Energy Retrofit adopts a quality assurance process. In addition to design, construction, commissioning, and post-occupancy phases of the quality assurance process, the Guide emphasizes the importance of clearly and concisely formulating and documenting the Owner's goals, expectations, and requirements for the renovated building during development of the statement of work. Another important component of the quality assurance process is a procurement phase, during which bidders' qualifications, their understanding of the scope of work and its requirements, and their previous experience are analyzed. The building sector holds the potential for tremendous improvements in terms of energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, and energy retrofits to the existing building stock represent a significant opportunity in the transition to a low-carbon future. Moreover, investing in highly efficient building materials and systems can replace long-term energy imports, contribute to cost cutting, and create a wealth of new jobs. Yet, while the technologies needed in order to improve energy efficiency are readily available, significant progress has not yet been made, and "best practices" for implementing building technologies and renewable energy sources are still relegated to small "niche" applications. Offering essential information on Deep Energy Retrofits, the book offers a valuable asset for architects, public authorities, project developers, and engineers alike.

Fostering inclusive green growth in Africa means addressing existing and emerging development challenges, while efficiently managing Africa's natural capital and building resilience to environmental, social and economic risks. Although this new paradigm for development has the potential to create tremendous business opportunities, there are also challenges. This book provides empirical evidence on the conditions for the emergence of green businesses in Africa. It includes 13 case studies, which identify the determinants of small and medium-size enterprises' engagement in inclusive and sustainable growth in rural Africa, and the factors that hinder eco-innovation in business and entrepreneurial activities. Furthermore it discusses appropriate regulations and policies to stimulate the development of green business in Africa. Offering insights into the relationship between eco-innovation, labor productivity and business competitiveness in rural Africa, this book appeals to scholars, policy makers and practitioners interested in a green economy for Africa.

The book addresses the vital and interwoven areas of energy, environment, and the economy within the field of sustainability research. Fundamental technical details, empirical data, and case studies taking into account local and international perspectives are included. Issues such as energy security, depleting fossil fuel reserves, global warming and climate change, as well as novel energy technologies are covered. The dynamic global response will be discussed from the perspective of policy, technology, and economics. Vital details in the form of text boxes, illustrations, graphs, tables and appendices are included. The book will serve as reference book for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, academics, policy makers, NGOs and developmental sector professionals within the field.

Environmental and energy dependency problems derived from high fossil fuels consumption have made necessary the development of new energy models to be renewable and sustainable, efficient, practical and economical, and cost effective, to meet the demand for a sustainable energy supply.Among renewable resources, biomass is destined to play an important role in these new energy models since agricultural and forestry residues are an energy resource that is produced in relatively large amounts throughout the world and regarded as a renewable and environmentally safe way of providing energy.Compiling information on the conversion of energy from biomass, the book focuses on the use of pellets as homogeneous solid biofuels. It describes all the changes that forestry and agricultural biomass undergo to be converted into thermal energy and analyses the inputs and outputs of the process.It has to be noted that the standards used as guidelines and references in all the chapters of the book are there in order to not to forget the thresholds and guidelines established and thus to ensure a proper use.This book guides the reader through the entire biomass-to-energy process, emphasising important aspects and how the quality of the biofuel can be identified. It acts as a starting point for professionals and researchers interested in working with biomass and a guide for those people interested in the implementation of the technologies described.

This book addresses, for the first time, the question of how development NGOs attempt to 'listen' to communities in linguistically diverse environments. NGOs are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that they 'listen' to the people and communities that they are trying to serve, but this can be an immensely challenging task where there are significant language and cultural differences. However, until now, there has been no systematic study of the role of foreign languages in development work. The authors present findings based on interviews with a wide range of NGO staff and government officials, NGO archives, and observations of NGO-community interaction in country case studies. They suggest ways in which NGOs can reform their language policies to listen to the recipients of aid more effectively.

Food systems involve a range of activities concerning food production, processing, distribution, marketing and trade, preparation, consumption and disposal. They encompass the path of food from the farm to the dinner table, meeting the food and nutritional needs of a nation. When such systems do so without sacrificing the needs of future generations, they are referred to as "Sustainable Food Systems." The natural and physical environment, infrastructure, institutions, society and culture, and policies and regulations within which they operate, as well as the technologies they adopt, shape these systems' outcomes. Making food systems more sustainable is a key priority for all nations, and Sri Lanka is no exception. Food systems deliver optimal performance when the policy and regulatory environment is conducive, institutions are supportive, and a combination of agricultural research investments and an efficient extension system generates the technologies and scientific evidence required for sound policymaking and agenda setting. Further, agricultural research can generate essential findings, technologies and policies for sustainable agricultural development - across disciplines, sectors and stakeholder groups. This book shares valuable insights into research conducted in the broad food and agriculture sectors in Sri Lanka. It also discusses the status quo in related disciplines, and outlines future research directions. Accordingly, it offers a valuable source of reference material for researchers, students, and stakeholders in the food and agriculture sectors, while also highlighting the types of support that policymakers and other decision-makers can provide.

This book aims to seek for the truth which connects public value and social development as basis to build a harmony community for individuals as well as society. The book tries to bridge science, technology, economics, politics, history, ethics, and environment under the concept of public values, and reveals the essentials of public policy for individual and social development. The potential audience of the book are officials and policy makers in the public sectors, as well as managers in the private sectors.

The proceedings shed light on selected topics including economic management, public administration, and green development. Featuring scholarly works from the 4th International Conference on Economic Management and Green Development (ICEMGD 2021), this volume of proceedings showcases the papers composed with regard to a diverse range of topics situated at the intersecting field of Economic Management, Public Administration and Green Development. Arising as the top concern of the global community, issues of green development impose challenges for the academia to bridge the interdisciplinary prowess in tackling the gap of knowledge within concerned fields. ICEMGD 2021 is an annual conference initiated by the year of 2017 under the goal of bringing together intellectuals from economics, business management, public administration, and otherwise related spheres for the share of research methods and theoretical breakthroughs. The aim of the proceeding volume is for the integration of social scientific research methods with research into alarming development issues. The ICEMGD 2021 seeks to promote joint initiatives among well-established fields like macro- and microeconomics, international economics, finance, agricultural economics, health economics, business management and marketing strategies, regional development studies, social governance, and sustainable development. Featuring interdisciplinary contributions, this book will be of interest to researchers, academics, professionals and policy makers in the field of economic management, public administration, and development studies.

Achieving environmental sustainability with rapid industrialization is a major challenge of current scenario worldwide. As globally evident, industries are the key economic drivers, but are also the major polluters as untreated/partially treated effluents discharged from the industries is usually thrown into the aquatic resources and also dumped unattended. Industrial effluents are considered as the major sources of environmental pollution as these contains highly toxic and hazardous pollutants, which reaches far off areas due to the medium of dispersion and thus, create ecological nuisance and health hazards in living beings. Hence, there is an urgent to find ecofriendly solution to deal with industrial waste, and develop sustainable methods for treating/detoxifying wastewater before its release into the environment. Being a low cost and eco-friendly clean technology, bioremediation can be a sustainable alternative to conventional remediation technologies for treatment and management of industrial wastes to protect public health and environment. Therefore, this book (Volume I) covers the bioremediation of different industrial wastes viz. tannery wastewater, pulp and paper mill wastewater, distillery wastewater, acid mine tailing wastes, and many more; which are lacking in a comprehensive manner in previous literature at one place. A separate chapter dedicated to major industries and type of waste produced by them is also included. This book will appeal to students, researchers, scientists, industry persons and professionals in field of microbiology, biotechnology, environmental sciences, eco-toxicology, environmental remediation and waste management and other relevant areas, who aspire to work on the biodegradation and bioremediation of industrial wastes for environmental safety.

This book highlights the latest advancements in the use of automated systems in the design, construction, operation and future of the built environment and its occupants. It considers how the use of automated decision-making frameworks, artificial intelligence and other technologies of automation are presently impacting the practice of architects, engineers, project managers and contractors, and articulates the near future changes to workflows, legal frameworks and the wider AEC industry. This book surveys and compiles the use of city apps, robots that operate buildings and fabricate structural elements, 3D printing, drones, sensors, algorithms, and advanced prefabricated modules. The book also contributes to the growing literature on smart cities, and explores the impacts on data privacy and data sovereignty that arise through the use of sensors, digital twins and intelligent transport systems. It provides a useful reference for further research and development in the area of automation in design and construction to architects, engineers, project managers, superintendents and construction lawyers, contractors, policy makers, and students.