The transport sector is supported by the continuous provision of energy and material flows and material stocks. However, most resource accounting methods do not assess the role of material accumulation in the delivery of mobility, as a service. Using a UK-based case study, we evaluate the service contribution of both resource stocks and flows in the provision of the passenger-kilometres (pkm) travelled

Methodical planning for formulating sustainability policy is needed to meet the ambitious United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper proposes an approach for such planning for low-income nations by systematically dividing the principal sustainability policy into manageable policy categories. These categories encompass all 17 SDGs, enabling policymakers to take into account the

Pollution remediation decisions in developing communities are often made with limited technical data and stakeholder engagement. Local knowledge of contamination is oftentimes neglected, resulting in efforts that fail to align with community objectives. In this work, we propose a new approach for incorporating local knowledge on contamination into remediation efforts, resulting in a community-informed

Society is already seeing the ecological and economic benefits from restoration projects. However, the challenge is much bigger than the current efforts from ecologists and economists around the world. The Economics of Restoration is the interdisciplinary research field that is believed to have the necessary tools and instruments to solve this restoration gap, yet a better use and understanding of

Solutions like Green Infrastructures can restore and maintain key regulative ecosystem services capable of mitigating disaster risk and contributing to climate change adaptation. Given the vulnerabilities that affect agriculture and its role in national economies, GI can play an important role in managing trade-offs between conflicting ecosystem services. However, their use is still lagging behind

The reservoirs of the dams and barrages are largely ignored in terms of the assessment of Ecosystem Services (ES) compared with other types of wetland. It is undoubtedly due to many adverse impacts of dam impoundment. However, stored flow into the reservoirs gradually forms a significant wetland to enrich the biodiversity and support the essential ES. This research presents a comprehensive analysis

The factors driving wetland-dependent fishers' resilience to socio-ecological challenges largely depend on social context; thus, the selection of appropriate criteria to evaluate the resilience of wetland-dependent fishermen is a major issue for both planners and researchers. Taking this into account, this study utilizes a pair-wise comparison matrix model to measure the resilience of a wetland-dependent

The Nile River Basin has received increasing attention recently as the conflict of utilizing the river's water between downstream and upstream countries have intensified. As a final downstream country, Egypt faces several challenges to improve its water use efficiency and sustainability to meet the increasing demands on water for irrigation, urban uses, and safeguarding its environmental assets. Improving

Global challenges related to energy consumption, water scarcity, deforestation, and environmental pollution have a direct impact on municipalities in Brazil and other countries around the world. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate eco-efficiency and its determinants in 41 Brazilian municipalities between 2014 and 2016 in the area covered by the Araguaia River Valley, in the Midwest of Brazil,

Using the UK Agency for International Development (DFID) sustainable livelihood framework, this paper measures the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) farmers’ capacities in adopting ecological shrimp aquaculture models against the environmental pressures. The results took note of the beneficial natural and physical aspects while underlining the farmers' financial and social limitations in achieving livelihood

The evaluation of the water footprint of goods is a good step towards the evaluation of the circularity of water. The assessment of the whole life cycle of a product allows the quantification of its actual consumption of water – including direct and indirect water usage as well as water devalued through contamination. The circular economy seeks to use resources within loops that allow their conservation

In the context of contemporary climate and environmental change, both natural and social scientists have stressed the role urban green spaces play in global warming adaptation strategies. Indeed, in recent years these spaces have become central to institutional political debates and various policies have been designed for their valorization. However, little attention has been paid to rewilded urban

The economic valuation of ecosystem services derived from Earth's critical zone has primarily concentrated on vegetation and surface waters or on a few selected aboveground services; however, the economic value of ecosystem services provided by the atmosphere and shallow lithosphere has not yet been considered substantially. In order to address this research gap, we propose a more explicit and rigorous

Rwanda, known as “the country of a thousand hills,” is subject to severe soil erosion challenges brought on by erosion-prone landforms and long-term anthropogenic forces that alter the physical landscape, cause substantial soil erosion, and adversely affect surface waters. Reverse slope bench terraces, called “radical terraces” in Rwanda, create reverse slope bench terraces with steep banks and stabilized

Building resilience at the local government level will require governance which is able to respond to the growing threats of climate-related risks, while transforming the vulnerabilities of the most marginal populations. This paper considers the influence that social networks have on knowledge exchange and adaptive governance for improving the ability of local governments to build resilience to floods

Sustainable resource use can be approached from a service perspective, via ecosystem services, energy services or material services. In this paper, we propose an overarching conceptual framework, with which to combine all three service theories and practices. To do this, we review and adapt Potschin and Haines-Young's ecosystem service cascade to create a “resource service cascade” and a classification

This paper explores place-based adaptation by women in the coastal settlements of Gabura, Bangladesh through the lens of place attachment theory in the post-cyclone Aila context (after 2009). Place attachment refers to the relationship between people, place and processes in which place-based livelihood resources may be a central consideration. Place attachment is relevant because, unlike men, Gabura

This study aims at identifying and evaluating the distinct social perspectives of stakeholders regarding the agro-ecosystem services (AESs) at different scales in Kyrenia Region of Northern Cyprus. To do so, the major objectives of the study were (i) to elicit the shared stakeholders' perspectives of AESs and (ii) to record the agro-ecosystem plant biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge

Developments in solid waste management (SWM) are challenging in low to middle-income countries. The cooperation among local and international actors can support the introduction of small-scale solutions in order to sustain the implementation of waste recycling systems. The objective of this paper is to present the steps forward in the submission of development projects focused on the execution of circular

To keep the increase in global average temperature below 2 °C the use of renewable energy sources is essential. There are various scenarios for this energy transition depending on the amounts and types of renewable energies implemented. However, the material requirements to build new renewable power systems is rarely considered. It is key to understand the impact that the increasing demand of materials

Implementation of the Grain for Green program (GGP) resulted in great changes in land use and cover in northwest China, and presumably in the region's carbon. However, accurate assessment of the effects of the GGP on carbon storage remains a challenge. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model can map and evaluate natural goods and services that sustain life and quantify

According to the key function of material stock, it constitutes valuable service infrastructure for society; however, it is also a driver for resource use, an object of technological lock-in, and a challenging waste management issue of the future. In this article, the golden rule of material accumulation is defined by confronting the ability of society to process materials–as the benefit of the capital

As a global problem, climate change requires a fast and decisive response from all nations. In order to confront the multi-faceted problem and curb its effects, each country must act boldly within its borders. In fact, addressing climate change requires a multidimensional approach that encompasses working together to mobilize climate finance, develop and implement policies, ensure the engagement of

Deforestation control is one of the major challenges worldwide. The aim of this study was to analyse deforestation under the Forest Law in the Argentine Dry Chaco ecoregion a decade after its enactment and to assess compliance with forest protection standards in this region. For this purpose, we overlapped the provincial land zoning maps with an annual plot level deforestation database and, for some

Input subsidies are a popular redistributive policy measure in many developing countries to support climate change adaptation through yield stabilization and food security in a small-farm context. Nevertheless, the evidence of the effectiveness of the programs is mixed. One main point of critique is that these programs are vulnerable to political interference leading to misuse. In this paper we assess

This study examined smallholder farmers' observation of climate change and variability, its effect on agricultural output, and the livelihood adaptive strategies being used in response to such dynamic changes. A total of 121 smallholder farmers were randomly selected from three vulnerable rural farming communities in northern Ghana through a mixed methodological approach involving household surveys

This paper reviews the emergence and development of the “smart energy city” as an academic, normative, and applied concept. An examination of the academic literature since the early 2000s reveals the unfolding of spatiotemporal trends relating to this concept. It has been emerging to represent a sector-specified version of its sister concept of smart cities, also popularized in the past decade. However

The study analyzes factors affecting climate change coping strategies and constraints experienced by smallholder farmers under root crop (cassava and yam) farming systems in derived savannah ecological zone of Nigeria. The study used data collected from 400 farmers selected through a multistage random sampling technique from two States, Ebonyi and Enugu States, in the zone. The factors affecting the

The interactions between prevailing gender gaps and climate variability and change (CVC) response strategies can intensify inequalities among farmers. Hence, this study examined implications of CVC response strategies on gender relations among farmers in Southeast Nigeria and ways of mainstreaming gender into the strategies. Specifically, it scrutinized the implications of CVC response strategies on

Discussions on the evolutionary process and mechanism of social-ecological landscape resilience play an important role in maintaining the sustainable provision of landscape services. However, studies on the evolutionary process and mechanism of social-ecological landscapes at the micro-scale have received relatively little attention. The purpose of this research is to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution

The water-climate-agriculture nexus quantifies synergies, trade-offs, advantages and disadvantages that arise between water management, food production, and climate change consequences taking into account the environmental impacts, economic conditions, and population growth. This work evaluates the water-climate-agriculture nexus in the Gharanghu basin, Iran, seeking to achieve sustainable management

In the present study, we evaluate the potential of biomass residues from sustainable forest management for electricity generation in an isolated village in the Amazon rainforest. We compared the following alternatives for electricity generation: thermoelectric diesel plant, biomass gasification and Rankine cycle system and found that biomass fuel systems (gasification and Rankine cycle) may yield up

This study identifies adaptation needs and proposes adaptation options to manage the impact of future climate change in the Australian uranium industry. The study is focussed on two mines - the Ranger and Olympic Dam sites, which represent in excess of 73% of the Australian uranium production. The study employed part of a previous vulnerability assessment from each of the mines' supply chain participants

Tourism is one of the major economic factors contributing to growth and jobs worldwide. The number of international travellers has increased more than 50-fold in the past 70 years. However, the contribution of tourism to (municipal) waste generation is also large and is increasing, accompanied by an increase in some environmental and socio-economic impacts. An average value of 1.67 kg waste is now

Siem Reap River plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability of the Angkor Temple Complex and the livelihoods of the people in the basin. Land use and land cover (LULC) have changed considerably over the last few decades, as well as climatic regime, and these, in turn, have an influence on streamflow. The objective of this study was to assess the potential impacts of future LULC and climate change

Achieving water security for humans and ecosystems is a pervasive challenge globally. Extensive areas of the Americas are at significant risk of water insecurity, resulting from global-change processes coupled with regional and local impacts. Drought, flooding, and water quality challenges pose significant threats, while at the same time, rapid urban expansion, competing water demands, river modifications

China has experienced economic boom over the last four decades, along with high greenhouse gas emissions because of the extensive application of fossil fuels, especially coal. To mitigate global warming, China, as one of the fastest developing economies, made decisions of peak carbon emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. These decisions are particularly challenging for China to keep

Land-use systems are among the leading sources of anthropogenic GHG into the atmosphere; driving global warming, climate change, and associated extreme weather events. To estimate GHGs from the land-use systems, we measured fluxes (positive/negative emissions per unit of time) of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) from the cropping and adjacent non-cropping systems in Wakiso

Transdisciplinarity (TD) is now recognized as one of several core approaches to sustainability science. Efforts over the last decade have led to the conceptualization of transdisciplinary endeavors and the definition of practices that define the fundamental ambition and aspiration of TD. Nevertheless, while the principles defining transdisciplinary research are increasingly clear, the practice and

Reactive nitrogen has both positive and negative effects on environment and human health. The use of nitrogen fertilization enabled raising crops and livestock to feed an increasing world population, but at the same time resulted in a succession of unwanted impacts occurring through air, soil, and water, with detrimental consequences for all mankind. Nitrogen pollution is one of Latin America's most

Metrics of the spatiotemporal variability of the physical and biological properties of Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) are critical indices of the trends and changes in these coastal systems. Given that the world's oceans, including coastal systems, are undergoing substantial changes as reported by a range of global assessments, the variability of these changes in space and time is important to understand

Twenty years (1993–2012) of satellite altimetry dataset, through maps of absolute dynamic topography and their derived geostrophic velocities, as well as monthly climatological maps of windstress and windstress-curl have been used to assess the oceanic variability in the western Indian Ocean region (WIO). We have performed a comparative study between the Agulhas Current Large Marine Ecosystem (ACLME)

Coastal fishing communities who depend on marine resources for food and livelihood are particularly vulnerable to the risks and impacts associated with climate variability and change. Countries in the BCLME region have responded to international calls to develop national climate change policies, adaptation strategies and plans to respond to these threats. These high-level documents recognize the need

Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) captures continue to increase. They are now reaching 3.5. million tonnes compared to 2.5 million tonnes 20 years ago. While demersal resources reached a plateau by the end of the 1990s, small pelagic resources continue to increase due to the quality of the up-welling in recent years and now represent 80% of the total catches. Distant water fleets have considerably

The first diamonds from the sea floor were recovered in shallow waters off the Namibian coast some 110 years ago. However, it took 50 more years, before some systematic sea floor diamond mining with purpose-built barges occurred in Namibian waters in the early 1960s. This was followed by a period of detailed exploration and mining tool development, which saw Namibia emerge as the leading nation in

The African coastline is bordered by highly valuable marine ecosystems, but the environmental degradation due to anthropogenic pressure alter the benefits that they render to people. Our paper aims at assessing the value of ecosystem services provided by mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and kelp forests present in the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of Africa. After the mapping of coastal marine

In 2006, ministers of 16 countries bordering the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem (GCLME) formed an Interim Guinea Current Commission (IGCC). Actions are now underway to establish a permanent Guinea Current Commission (GCC) to oversee the sustainable development of the goods and services of the GCLME. The movement towards establishment of the GCC is provided with financial support from the Global

African scientists were introduced to the ecosystem-based approach through professional interaction with scientists from NOAA's East Coast Fisheries Science Centers. In the mid-1990s, scientists from six African countries successfully implemented an ecosystem-based assessment and management project in the Gulf of Guinea that was expanded into a full scale 16 country ecosystem-based project encompassing

The achievements of the Benguela Current Convention (BCC) in the implementation of ecosystem-based management (EBM) for the sustainable development of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) are highlighted. Ecosystem-based natural science and social science assessments are providing a solid foundation for the management of goods and services in the BCLME through the implementation of the

In this commentary, I reflect on the achievements of the African Union in providing the vision and strategic leadership for the promotion of sustainable development within the African LMEs through the adoption of legal frameworks and relevant instruments as well as institutions.

Climate change threatens global sustainability, especially in rural communities of developing countries. In Pakistan, severe impacts of climate change have become evident in the recent past. Large-scale floods in the Indus river system have caused massive damages in the past decade. Also, frequent droughts and heatwaves are among other consequences of the changing climate in the country. Understanding

The Uruguay River Basin (URB) that extends along Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay has been the hub of increasing pressures caused by the expansion of industrial agriculture, forestry and infrastructure projects in hydroenergy and transportation. There are growing concerns that the fragmented institutional framework is inadequate to address the growing challenges. Interdisciplinary research networks can

In a move toward the integration of social and ecological goals in land management, landscape approaches are now a part of mainstream conservation and development policy discourses worldwide. Policies for integrated landscape management in Mesoamerica have long promoted biological corridors as a way to enhance biodiversity conservation and habitat connectivity while improving livelihoods in the surrounding