scholarly journals Unpacking the WEF Nexus Index: A Regional and Sub-Regional Analysis of Northern Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13338
Author(s):  
Shawn Ingram ◽  
Ana-Maria Bogdan ◽  
Tayyab Shah ◽  
Xiaojing Lu ◽  
Meng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Northern Canada ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Canadian Population ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Northern Territories ◽  
Aid Decision

The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus has emerged as a leading tool for assessing integrated resource management strategies and for monitoring progress towards the WEF-related Sustainable Development Goals. A notable outcome of WEF nexus research has been the calculation of the global WEF Nexus Index, which provides a quantitative ranking of country-level WEF security for 170 nations. As valuable as this ranking is, the aggregation of country-level WEF data obscures regional differences, particularly in remote regions that are sparsely populated and differ in geography, economy, and climate. This has proven to be the case for northern Canada, which despite representing 40% of Canada’s total land area, accounts for less than 1% of the Canadian population, most of whom are Indigenous. Whereas Canada ranks 5th globally in their WEF security, northern Canada, if treated independently, would rank 67th on the global WEF Nexus Index rankings. Evaluating each WEF sector independently, northern Canada would rank 22nd in water security, 90th in energy security, and 113th in food security. Our results further reveal that considerable inter-regional variability exists between northern territories and provinces, where Nunavik would rank 54th, Northwest Territories 67th, Yukon 69th, Labrador 80th, and Nunavut 107th on the global index. By highlighting these differences, we hope that this research can aid decision-makers in developing informed, regionally specific, and integrative resource policy responses that remedy rather than amplify existing WEF-related inequalities.

scholarly journals A Review of the 21st Century Challenges in the Food-Energy-Water Security in the Middle East

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maysoun Hameed ◽  
Hamid Moradkhani ◽  
Ali Ahmadalipour ◽  
Hamed Moftakhari ◽  
Peyman Abbaszadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Food Energy ◽  
Country Level

Developing countries have experienced significant challenges in meeting their needs for food, energy, and water security. This paper presents a country-level review of the current issues associated with Food-Energy-Water (FEW) security in the Middle East. In this study, sixteen countries in the Middle East are studied, namely Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, and the Arabian Peninsula (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen). Here, we conduct a comprehensive assessment to study and evaluate the emerging drivers of FEW systems in the region. The investigated drivers include water security, extreme events, economic growth, urbanization, population growth, poverty, and political stability. The results suggest that most of the studied countries are facing FEW resource insecurity or weak planning/management strategies. Our evaluation further revealed the current status of each country with respect to each factor, and suggested that climatic and socioeconomic factors have contributed to the subsequent stress on FEW resources, specifically on the water sector. In general, and with respect to the water-energy security, it was found that energy production in the Middle East is highly constrained by water deficiency, drought, and/or economic growth. The water-food security in the region is mainly affected by drought, water scarcity, population growth, urbanization, and/or political unrest.

scholarly journals Defining and Quantifying National-Level Targets, Indicators and Benchmarks for Management of Natural Resources to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Dickens ◽  
Vladimir Smakhtin ◽  
Matthew McCartney ◽  
Gordon O’Brien ◽  
Lula Dahir
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
National Level ◽  
Resource Quality ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Country Level ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Global Indicators

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.

Long-Term Orientation and Earnings Management Strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Haga ◽  
Fredrik Huhtamäki ◽  
Dennis Sundvik
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Earnings Benchmarks ◽  
Jel Classifications

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigate how country-level long-term orientation affects managers' willingness to engage in earnings management and choice of earnings management strategy. Using a comprehensive dataset of 47 countries for the period from 2003 to 2015, we find that firms in long-term-oriented cultures rely relatively more on earnings management through accruals, while firms in short-term-oriented cultures engage in relatively more real earnings management. Furthermore, we find a larger discontinuity around earnings benchmarks in long-term-oriented cultures suggesting that manipulation of accruals enables benchmark beating with high precision. JEL Classifications: M14; M16; M21; M41.

scholarly journals Is Governmentality the Missing Link for Greening the Economic Growth?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janaka Siyambalapitiya ◽  
Xu Zhang ◽  
Xiaobing Liu
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Green Growth ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Environment Sustainability

The new concept of “green growth” appears to be an economic growth model, which balances environment sustainability and fostering of economic growth. Yet, much of the green growth research has failed to address the real extent of interconnections and complexity of the relationship between governance and economic, social, and environmental structures. Furthermore, current green growth research tends to focus on the country level, such as the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development indices, which risks ignoring the additional impacts on micro industrial economies. The lack of connection between green growth and good governance—known as environmental governance—is a crucial gap in practical adoption. Therefore, this study uses Foucault’s governmentality lens to view green growth as a technique of government, seeking an environmentally focused eco-governmentality. We examine the transformation, differential definitions, and critical dimensions of green growth in relation to particular case studies taken from China and South Korea and frame them for future sustainable studies. The findings of this study highlight the significant role of interdisciplinary research, as well both bottom-up and top-down initiatives, on enabling the transition to green growth. The proposed research framework and implementation strategy also identifies new avenues for future research and practices in the field of sustainable development, making it one of the study’s key contributions to the literature.

scholarly journals Risk Assessment of Additional Works in Railway Construction Investments Using the Bayes Network

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Leśniak ◽  
Filip Janowiec
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Bayes Network ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Significant Extension ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Mitigation Methods

The implementation of railway infrastructure construction projects including sustainable development goals is a complex process characterized by a significant extension of individual investment stages. The need for additional works has a big impact on construction railway projects, representing a risk which is the result of many different factors. During the execution of works, both the design assumptions and the conditions of the project’s implementation can be changed. An attempt to eliminate potential risks is a key element of construction projects. The article proposes a proprietary management method for the risk of additional works in railway projects. A methodology for creating risk management strategies using a standard algorithm that includes risk identification, risk analysis, and risk assessment is presented. The original elements of the work include risk identification followed by analysis using Bayesian networks. Using the example of a scenario of events, it is shown that a well-programmed network can be used to implement risk mitigation methods. Using the network, it is possible to compare different ways to reduce risk, check the effect of reducing the risk factors, and determine a satisfactory level of effects, e.g., increased financial resources as a result of additional works.

Integrating legacy soil phosphorus into sustainable nutrient management strategies for future food, bioenergy and water security

2015 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Rowe ◽  
Paul J. A. Withers ◽  
Peter Baas ◽  
Neng Iong Chan ◽  
Donnacha Doody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Sustainable Nutrient Management

scholarly journals To Blend or Not to Blend? A Framework for Nationwide Landsat–MODIS Data Selection for Crop Yield Prediction

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1653
Author(s):  
Yang Chen ◽  
Tim R. McVicar ◽  
Randall J. Donohue ◽  
Nikhil Garg ◽  
François Waldner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Prediction ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Pixel Resolution ◽  
Country Level

The onus for monitoring crop growth from space is its ability to be applied anytime and anywhere, to produce crop yield estimates that are consistent at both the subfield scale for farming management strategies and the country level for national crop yield assessment. Historically, the requirements for satellites to successfully monitor crop growth and yield differed depending on the extent of the area being monitored. Diverging imaging capabilities can be reconciled by blending images from high-temporal-frequency (HTF) and high-spatial-resolution (HSR) sensors to produce images that possess both HTF and HSR characteristics across large areas. We evaluated the relative performance of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Landsat, and blended imagery for crop yield estimates (2009–2015) using a carbon-turnover yield model deployed across the Australian cropping area. Based on the fraction of missing Landsat observations, we further developed a parsimonious framework to inform when and where blending is beneficial for nationwide crop yield prediction at a finer scale (i.e., the 25-m pixel resolution). Landsat provided the best yield predictions when no observations were missing, which occurred in 17% of the cropping area of Australia. Blending was preferred when <42% of Landsat observations were missing, which occurred in 33% of the cropping area of Australia. MODIS produced a lower prediction error when ≥42% of the Landsat images were missing (~50% of the cropping area). By identifying when and where blending outperforms predictions from either Landsat or MODIS, the proposed framework enables more accurate monitoring of biophysical processes and yields, while keeping computational costs low.

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