scholarly journals How the Implementation of BREEAM in Hotels Could Help to Achieve the SDGs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 11131
Author(s):  
Maria M. Serrano-Baena ◽  
Rafael E. Hidalgo Fernández ◽  
Pilar Carranza-Cañadas ◽  
Paula Triviño-Tarradas

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was approved in 2015 by the United Nations. It is a call of action to protect our planet, end poverty and improve the lives and prospects of all. Sustainable development has been fundamental in the tourism and construction sectors in the past few decades. Nowadays, developing countries are leaders in green engineering procedures, and progressively, hotels are including sustainable standards in their designs, architecture and management. In places where tourism is the main contributor to the Gross Domestic Product, the incorporation of energy certifications is crucial. In this context, this article explores the positive implications of the application of the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) on hotels in relation to the achievement of SDGs. The study analyses the influence of BREEAM on hotel design using six case studies and examines the sustainable modifications incorporated. Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews and by the analysis of the documentation provided. The results revealed that a BREEAM approach in the initial stage of a project will optimize the sustainability of the hotel and can help with the achievement of several of the SDGs.

Author(s):  
Farzana Quoquab ◽  
Fong Teng ◽  
Jihad Mohammad ◽  
Ramayah Thurasamy

There is a great difference between developed and developing nations' perception about sustainability development values. As such, it is expected that the current sustainable development value facets might not represent the developing country needs as well. Therefore, there is a necessity to define sustainable development value and its dimension based on developing country perspective. The present study is such an attempt to fill this gap in the literature. 16 in-depth interviews were carried out to gain in-depth understanding about the phenomenon. Transcriptions were made and thematic analysis was utilized to analyse the qualitative data. It is crucial in order to achieve the nations' vision and its future sustainable development goals according to the nations need and demand.


2019 ◽  
Vol 227 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Sandro Gomes Pessoa ◽  
Linda Liebenberg ◽  
Dorothy Bottrell ◽  
Silvia Helena Koller

Abstract. Economic changes in the context of globalization have left adolescents from Latin American contexts with few opportunities to make satisfactory transitions into adulthood. Recent studies indicate that there is a protracted period between the end of schooling and entering into formal working activities. While in this “limbo,” illicit activities, such as drug trafficking may emerge as an alternative for young people to ensure their social participation. This article aims to deepen the understanding of Brazilian youth’s involvement in drug trafficking and its intersection with their schooling, work, and aspirations, connecting with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 16 as proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015 .


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Dickens ◽  
Vladimir Smakhtin ◽  
Matthew McCartney ◽  
Gordon O’Brien ◽  
Lula Dahir

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are high on the agenda for most countries of the world. In its publication of the SDGs, the UN has provided the goals and target descriptions that, if implemented at a country level, would lead towards a sustainable future. The IAEG (InterAgency Expert Group of the SDGs) was tasked with disseminating indicators and methods to countries that can be used to gather data describing the global progress towards sustainability. However, 2030 Agenda leaves it to countries to adopt the targets with each government setting its own national targets guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances. At present, guidance on how to go about this is scant but it is clear that the responsibility is with countries to implement and that it is actions at a country level that will determine the success of the SDGs. Reporting on SDGs by country takes on two forms: i) global reporting using prescribed indicator methods and data; ii) National Voluntary Reviews where a country reports on its own progress in more detail but is also able to present data that are more appropriate for the country. For the latter, countries need to be able to adapt the global indicators to fit national priorities and context, thus the global description of an indicator could be reduced to describe only what is relevant to the country. Countries may also, for the National Voluntary Review, use indicators that are unique to the country but nevertheless contribute to measurement of progress towards the global SDG target. Importantly, for those indicators that relate to the security of natural resources security (e.g., water) indicators, there are no prescribed numerical targets/standards or benchmarks. Rather countries will need to set their own benchmarks or standards against which performance can be evaluated. This paper presents a procedure that would enable a country to describe national targets with associated benchmarks that are appropriate for the country. The procedure builds on precedent set in other countries but in particular on a procedure developed for the setting of Resource Quality Objectives in South Africa. The procedure focusses on those SDG targets that are natural resource-security focused, for example, extent of water-related ecosystems (6.6), desertification (15.3) and so forth, because the selection of indicator methods and benchmarks is based on the location of natural resources, their use and present state and how they fit into national strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7738
Author(s):  
Nicolás Gambetta ◽  
Fernando Azcárate-Llanes ◽  
Laura Sierra-García ◽  
María Antonia García-Benau

This study analyses the impact of Spanish financial institutions’ risk profile on their contribution to the 2030 Agenda. Financial institutions play a significant role in ensuring financial inclusion and sustainable economic growth and usually incorporate environmental and social considerations into their risk management systems. The results show that financial institutions with less capital risk, with lower management efficiency and with higher market risk usually make higher contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to their sustainability reports. The novel aspect of the present study is that it identifies the risk profile of financial institutions that incorporate sustainability into their business operations and measure the impact generated in the environment and in society. The study findings have important implications for shareholders, investors and analysts, according to the view that sustainability reporting is a vehicle that financial institutions use to express their commitment to the 2030 Agenda and to higher quality corporate reporting.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110055
Author(s):  
Clare Thorpe ◽  
Lyndelle Gunton

The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identifies 17 goals as a shared blueprint for peace, prosperity, people and the planet. Australian academic libraries have started documenting and planning how academic libraries contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the identification of assessment frameworks and key performance indicators. In 2019, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Library stepped through an exercise of understanding how our day-to-day work and annual planning targets mapped to the SDGs. The article is a case study. The authors outline how an academic library’s services, projects and action plans were mapped to the SDGs and how the mapping exercise was communicated to the community. The article will situate this activity among the broader approaches being taken by the Australian library community, including the 2030 stretch targets for Australian libraries. USQ Library staff found that existing services, collections and projects correlated to eight of the 17 SDGs. Activities were mapped to these eight goals and reported to senior executive of the University. The mapping exercise increased the awareness of library staff about the broader cultural and societal implications of their roles. The communication strategy led to conversations that increased university leaders’ awareness of the SDGs and the value and impact of USQ Library in improving access to information as well as the library’s role in transforming the lives of USQ students and community. By undertaking an exercise to map collections, services and projects to the SDGs, USQ Library has been able to demonstrate how their knowledge and information infrastructures which enable student achievement and research excellence. The SDGs can be used by university libraries as a benchmarking tool and as a challenge to set stretch targets aligned with the United Nation’s 2030 agenda.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bola Fajemirokun

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development incorporates 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 15 (SDG 15) focuses on terrestrial ecosystems. Regarding forests, it sets targets requiring signatories to promote the implementation of the sustainable management of all types of forests by 2020 and further mobilize significant resources from all sources to achieve sustainable forest management. The United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017 – 2030 advances the vision of SDG 15. Nigeria’s high demographic growth rate has led to the surging demand for land to support settlements and farming. Coupled with extensive illegal or uncontrolled logging, the annual forest net loss of 5% is one of the highest rates globally in percentage terms. This paper is a critical analysis of the policy-law interface of the forestry sector in Nigeria. It examines the country’s trajectory or state of preparedness for sustainable forest management, and it concludes that forestry policy and law in Nigeria must undergo urgent reforms so that the forest commitments such as those under SDG 15 and other regional and global instruments can be ultimately achieved.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4129
Author(s):  
Manuel Sousa ◽  
Maria Fatima Almeida ◽  
Rodrigo Calili

Multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods have been widely employed in various fields and disciplines, including decision problems regarding Sustainable Development (SD) issues. The main objective of this paper is to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on MCDM methods supporting decisions focusing on the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in regional, national, or local contexts. In this regard, 143 published scientific articles from 2016 to 2020 were retrieved from the Scopus database, selected and reviewed. They were categorized according to the decision problem associated with SDGs issues, the MCDM methodological approach, including the use (or not) of fuzzy set theory, sensitivity analysis, and multistakeholder approaches, the context of MCDM applications, and the MCDM classification (if utility-based, compromise, multi-objective, outranking, or other MCDM methods). The widespread adoption of MCDM methods in complex contexts confirms that they can help decision-makers solve multidimensional problems associated with key issues within the 2030 Agenda framework. Besides, the state-of-art review provides an improved understanding of this research field and directions for building a research agenda for those interested in advancing the research on MCDM applications in issues associated with the 2030 Agenda framework.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6382
Author(s):  
Harald Heinrichs ◽  
Norman Laws

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was agreed upon by 193 member states of the United Nations in September 2015 [...]


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3417
Author(s):  
Alberto Dello Strologo ◽  
Edoardo D’Andrassi ◽  
Niccolò Paoloni ◽  
Giorgia Mattei

The topic of sustainable development has become increasingly central to the international community. In 2015, the UN approved the 2030 Agenda, an action plan aimed at pursuing sustainable development. The founding elements of the 2030 Agenda are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that refer to different areas of development. The objective of this study is to determine the state of implementation of the SDGs in Italy and to understand to what extent the country will be able to reach European standards in 2030 under current policies. To this end, a quantitative analysis was carried out which, thanks to the use of official statistics and the FORECAST.ETS function, made it possible to identify the value that the indicators will have in 2030. In addition, the dynamic index methodology was applied to measure the degree of implementation of the SDGs between two different historical periods: 2018 and 2030. The analyses carried out shows that Italy needs to take urgent measures to meet its commitment to the 2030 Agenda. The study offers one of the first insights into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda as, in addition to analyzing the country’s performance, it examines the pursuit of the SDGs within the country itself. It is therefore believed that the results may be of interest to governments, experts, and academics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Iheanacho Okike ◽  

The “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (also known as Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs), has 17 goals [1], to which the Federal Republic of Nigeria committed to achieving in September 2015


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