scholarly journals Twice Is Nice: The Benefits of Two Ground Measures for Evaluating the Accuracy of Satellite-Based Sustainability Estimates

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3160
Author(s):  
David B. Lobell ◽  
Stefania Di Tommaso ◽  
Marshall Burke ◽  
Talip Kilic
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Household Consumption ◽  
The Other ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Asset Ownership ◽  
Household Asset ◽  
Consumption Expenditures ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Agricultural Yields

Satellite data offer great promise for improving measures related to sustainable development goals. However, assessing satellite estimates is complicated by the fact that traditional ground-based measures of these same outcomes are often very noisy, leading to underestimation of satellite performance. Here, we quantify the amount of noise in traditional measures for three commonly studied outcomes in prior work—agricultural yields, household asset ownership, and household consumption expenditures—and present a theoretical basis for properly characterizing satellite performance in the presence of noisy ground data. We find that for both yield and consumption, repeated ground measures often disagree with each other, with less than half of the variability in one ground measure captured by the other. Estimates of the performance of satellite measures, in terms of squared correlation (r2), which account for this noise in ground data are accordingly higher, and occasionally even double, the apparent performance based on a naïve comparison of satellite and ground measures. Our results caution against evaluating satellite measures without accounting for noise in ground data and emphasize the benefit of estimating that noise by collecting at least two independent ground measures.

scholarly journals Higher Education and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)—Potential Contribution of the Undergraduate Courses of the School of Social Sciences of the University of Évora

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1828
Author(s):  
Elisa Chaleta ◽  
Margarida Saraiva ◽  
Fátima Leal ◽  
Isabel Fialho ◽  
António Borralho
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
The Other ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The University

In this work we analyzed the mapping of Sustainable Development Goals in the curricular units of the undergraduate courses of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Évora. Of a total of 449 curricular units, only 374 had students enrolled in 2020/2021. The data presented refer to the 187 course units that had Sustainable Development Goals in addition to SDG4 (Quality Education) assigned to all the course units. Considering the set of curricular units, the results showed that the most mentioned objectives were those related to Gender Equality (SDG 5), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). Regarding the differences between the departments, which are also distinct scientific areas, we have observed that the Departments of Economics and Management had more objectives related to labor and economic growth, while the other departments mentioned more objectives related to inequalities, gender or other.

scholarly journals UNDERSTANDING ASSAM’S SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES

2021 ◽  
pp. 90-96
Author(s):  
Pratyush Paras Sarma ◽  
Sagarmoy Phukan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Performance Index ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Government

Assam was the first state in India to have undertaken the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a long-term guiding strategy for development. At the end of five years, before the state election, evaluating the work on SDGs in Assam is essential to follow up on the commitment of the government. But before we start evaluating the SDGs it is important to understand the development road Assam has taken over the last 100-150 years and why we must make a new turn. This study has tried to understand certain loopholes which have hampered the progress of SDGs in Assam along with how much Assam has been able to address its sustainability issues and how we can progress. We have reviewed the performance of the state based upon the official performance index released by NITI Aayog, Government of India. Our review of the index reflects that Assam has performed relatively poorer than the other states of the country. However, the ethnic culture of the region was deeply rooted in nature which the state can now adopt and harness to achieve its SDGs. KEYWORDS: Sustainable Development Goals; Assam Election; Indigenous Knowledge; Citizen Science; Polycentric Governance

scholarly journals The role of the leading exporters in the global soybean trade

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 277-285
Author(s):  
Claudia V. Montanía ◽  
Teresa Fernández-Núñez ◽  
Miguel A. Márquez
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The Other ◽  
Global Context ◽  
International Prices ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Market Leader ◽  
Government Involvement ◽  
Main Factors

This paper examines the global soybean market in a holistic way, analyses the land use and other historical determinants of soybean exports, such as labour and capital endowments, soybean productivity, international prices and demand conditions through an empirical model. In addition, it pays particular attention to the role of leading exporters in the export changes and the nature of the connections between them in an interrelated system. The results suggest that the productivity per hectare and the land used to harvest soybeans are the main factors explaining soybean exports in a global context. The analysis also reveals that Brazil, the current market leader, positively influences the other exporters. On the contrary, minor exporters such as Ukraine, Paraguay, or Canada present competitive relationships with the major exporters. The nature of the relationships between the exporters and the pressure on natural resources highlight the importance of government involvement in developing joint strategies that ensure the growth of this sector and the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

scholarly journals Megatrends and Disruptors and Their Postulated Impact on Organizations

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8740
Author(s):  
Julie Linthorst ◽  
André de Waal
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The Other ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The One

The coming decades are expected to be extremely challenging for organizations. On the one hand, there are the United Nations Sustainable Development goals to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone. On the other hand, organizations are expected to have to deal with an increasing number of megatrends and disruptors, many of which are already having an impact. To help organizations in their priority setting and decision-making so they can contribute to the development goals (specifically Goal 8: decent work and economic growth), a descriptive literature review was undertaken to identify which megatrends and disruptors will impact the future of organizations and in what ways they are expected do this. From the literature, thirteen megatrends and one disruptor emerged, and for each of these their postulated impact and consequences for organizations as described in the literature were gathered. The study reveals that there is ample attention given to megatrends in the academic literature but that not much can be found about dealing with disruptors. As a consequence, academic literature currently falls short in suggesting ways in which organizations can deal with disruptors. Managerial literature offers more suggestions in this respect.

scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability and Libraries: What do the Students Think?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Andreja Radaković ◽  
Nataša Petrović ◽  
Aleksandra Kručičan ◽  
Marko Ćirović ◽  
Andrija Tomić
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Future Generation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Development Goals

Nowadays, great attention is paid to the role of libraries in sustainability. Their role is especially given in promoting not only sustainable development goals (SDGs) but their achievements, too. The reason for this is in their part in necessary promotion of literacy and offering free access to information about environment, environmental protection, sustainability, and SDGs. This is easily understandable bearing in mind that libraries must have their task in providing indispensably knowledge for current and future generation about these crucial issues for survival of mankind. In addition, it is generally known that current and future generation represent the foundation of sustainable development and all of the SDGs. On the other hand, higher education is a crucial mean for creating globally competent students for a more sustainable future. Bearing this in mind, we have conducted a survey on the students’ opinion about the role of libraries in providing environmental sustainability and SDGs goals knowledge. Results of the survey were analyzed using SPSS 24 software for statistical analysis and they are presented in final parts of this paper.

scholarly journals Staying within planetary boundaries as a premise for sustainability: On the responsibility to address counteracting sustainable development goals

2020 ◽  
pp. 29-44
Author(s):  
Heidi Rapp Nilsen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The Other ◽  
Planetary Boundaries ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Operating Space ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Safe Operating

Sustainable development, as explained through the three pillars of environment, society and economy, is a well-known concept and has been used extensively in recent decades. There is finally a growing acknowledgement that environmental sustainability is the prerequisite for achieving the other two pillars of societal and economic sustainability. Nevertheless, there is a tendency to not explicate the negative interactions between the pillars of sustainability, as in the interlinkages between the UN’s sustainable development goals. In this paper, we draw attention to a method for explicating both reinforcing and counteracting goals. This is a conceptual paper but with short, illustrative examples from different levels of the R&D sphere on how this method can be used: one example is at the project level, two are from financiers of R&D projects, and the other is at the UN level. Finally, a longer discussion on relevant ethical guidelines is presented. This paper addresses the responsibility to recognize when and how sustainability goals counteract each other through two key actions. The first action is to identify transgressions of global ecological system boundaries and the resulting serious consequences for trading on environmental sustainability. The second involves bringing to the fore relevant ethical guidelines from the Norwegian National Research Ethics Committee. An update of these guidelines is suggested to reflect recent research on the transgression of planetary boundaries and the consequences for a safe operating space for humans on Earth. Keywords: Environmental sustainability, ethical guidelines for research, UN sustainable development goals, counteracting goals

scholarly journals Governance for Sustainability of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Schemes (RWSS): Case from NAPA WASH

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 26-40
Author(s):  
Keshab Prasad Adhikari
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
The Other ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Priority Ranking ◽  
Rural Water ◽  
The Status ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Rural Context ◽  
Operation And Management

Water and sanitation are taken at the heart of achieving a number of goals and critical targets of sustainable development goals. But achieving sustained water and sanitation service in a rural context is problematic from the viewpoint of technical, financial, environmental, and social, and governance aspects of functionality. Therefore, good governance in the operation and management of rural water and sanitation schemes are a key component to determine the other aspects of functioning and longer-term sustainability. The study sees the working of five indicators of functionality, five layers of priority ranking indicators, four service indicators of quantity, accessibility, reliability, and quality (QARQ), and ten indicators of assessing governance level sustainability. In all aspects of assessment, most RWSS found to stand at the level of partial sustainability. This urged for giving higher priority to upgrading such schemes in the status of full sustainability.

scholarly journals Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Are we successful in turning trade-offs into synergies?

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Kroll ◽  
Anne Warchold ◽  
Prajal Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The Other ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Virtuous Cycle

Abstract The Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides the framework that all United Nations (UN) member states have pledged to fulfill. The achievement of this agenda crucially depends on whether humankind will be able to maximize synergies and resolve existing trade-offs between the SDGs. We provide the first analysis of future interactions for projected SDG trends until 2030 within and between goals, and we analyze how trade-offs and synergies have evolved in the recent past globally. For certain goals, we find positive developments with notable synergies in our projections, especially for SDGs 1, 3, 7, 8, and 9: Poverty alleviation and strengthening the economy, rooted in innovation, and modern infrastructure, therefore continue to be the basis upon which many of the other SDGs can be achieved. However, especially SDGs 11, 13, 14, 16, and 17 will continue to have notable trade-offs, as well as non-associations with the other goals in the future, which emphasizes the need to foster innovations and policies that can make our cities and communities more sustainable, as well as strengthen institutions and spur climate action. We show examples of a successful transformation of trade-offs into synergies that should be emulated in other areas to create a virtuous cycle of SDG progress. The alarming inability to overcome certain persistent trade-offs we have found, and indeed the deterioration for some SDGs, can seriously threaten the achievement of the Agenda 2030.

scholarly journals Inequality of household consumption and PM2.5 footprint across socioeconomic groups in China

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhan Zhu ◽  
Guangwu Chen ◽  
Lixiao Xu ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yafei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Household Consumption ◽  
Urban Resident ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Socioeconomic Groups ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Pm2.5 Emissions

Abstract The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have highlighted the challenge posed by increasing air pollution. This study allocates PM2.5 footprint to household consumption expenditure based on multi-regional input-output model and survey data collected from 30 thousand households. The household indirect PM2.5 footprint related to spending on food, hospital, electricity, and education rank as the top four items, plus direct PM2.5 emissions, which in combination contribute more than 55% of total air pollution. Compared with the poor, the responsibilities for air pollution on the wealthy are more sensitive to changes in income, especially for high-end consumption categories, such as luxury goods and services, education and healthcare. Further, the wealthiest 20% of households cause 1.5 times PM2.5 footprint per capita than exposure to PM2.5 emissions. The high-footprint household samples are concentrated in high-exposure areas. It is recommended that mitigation policies address inequality of PM2.5 footprint by targeting the top 20% footprint groups with tags of wealthy, urban resident, well-educated, small family, and apartment living.

scholarly journals Sustainability and urban development - Córdoba city (Spain): BE.D Primary. Student´s perception

Podium ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Rafael Guerrero Elecalde ◽  
Miguel Jesús López Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Primary Student ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The City

One of the fundamental educational challenges in teacher training is to work the Sustainable Development Goals set by the 2030 Agenda. In this sense, the objective of the article is to analyze sustainability in the city of Córdoba: on one hand, considering the urban development of the last decades and on the other hand, the perception of the Primary Education Bachelor Degree students about this city as a sustainable community. With the aim of fostering meaningful learning, a series of activities were designed to work, through a constructivist methodology, the concept of sustainability through the local sphere. This line shows that the pedagogical experience carried out by the students, must still be deepened in many aspects so that we can talk about there being an effective and practical knowledge of what sustainability means for today in the educational reality of the most schools in the city of Córdoba.

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