Corporate Environmental Sustainability and Ecosystem Services: A 21st Century Solution?

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
pp. 12858
Author(s):  
Angela Small ◽  
Sally V. Russell ◽  
Jouni Paavola
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Corporate Environmental Sustainability

What’s Next for a National Infrastructure Policy: An Encore or a Requiem?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1087724X2110146
Author(s):  
Richard G. Little
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Infrastructure Systems ◽  
Infrastructure Policy ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
The Many ◽  
National Infrastructure ◽  
Roll Out

In an essay almost 30 years ago, Professor Dick Netzer of NYU asked the question “Do We Really Need a National Infrastructure Policy?” and came to the conclusion that we did not. As the Biden Administration prepares to roll out a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure package, the nation is faced with numerous questions regarding the infrastructure systems necessary to support continued economic growth and environmental sustainability. The purpose of this essay is to look to recent history for guidance for how to proceed by revisiting the underlying premises of the Netzer essay and reconsider whether a National Infrastructure Policy is needed. Because linking infrastructure to broader public policy objectives could both unite the nation and position it to address the many challenges that the 21st century will present, I believe the idea of a National Infrastructure Policy definitely deserves a second look.

scholarly journals Sustainability-oriented cross-functional collaboration to manage trade-offs and interdependencies

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Szalavetz
Keyword(s):  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Corporate Environmental Performance ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Corporate Environmental Sustainability

Abstract Despite a consensus view in the literature about the importance of cross-functional collaboration (CFC) for corporate environmental performance improvement, there is a dearth of studies that explain how exactly sustainability-oriented CFC can foster this objective. The purpose of this paper is to explain the role of CFC in corporate environmental performance improvement. We do this by undertaking two rounds of literature review, developing a proposition after the first round and by collecting illuminative real-life examples that illustrate our arguments in the second round. We propose and illustrate that CFC can effectively address two systemic properties of corporate environmental performance: trade-offs and interdependencies among different aspects of corporate environmental sustainability. If left unaddressed, these systemic specifics would result in organizational, managerial, and behavioral outcomes, such as inertia, opposition to change, lack of information, and so on, which would turn into effective barriers to corporate environmental performance improvement. put CFC addresses these barriers through information sharing, knowledge building, and interest reconciliation.

What Can the Stock-Flow-Service Nexus Offer to Corporate Environmental Sustainability?

2021 ◽  
pp. 50-69
Author(s):  
Luis Gabriel Carmona ◽  
Kai Whiting ◽  
Angeles Carrasco ◽  
Edward Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Corporate Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Stock Flow

Contributions of Urban Agro Ecological Agriculture to Ecosystem Services

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
José G. Vargas-Hernández ◽  
Olga E. Domené-Painenao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Social Equity ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Environmental Services ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Social

This paper has the aim to analyze the implications of the transition of ecosystem services based on urban agro ecology. It advances on the debate over the negative effects of the traditional and industrial oriented agricultural production on the ecosystem services, food systems, climate change, etc. and analyses the principles, methods, and some practices that support the transition to urban agro ecology. The method employed is the analytical of the theoretical and empirical literature review. It concludes that a transition from traditional and industrial-oriented agriculture towards more urban agro ecology is inevitable to improve the ecological and environmental services, the economic efficiency, the social equity and justice, and the environmental sustainability of cities.

scholarly journals Reviewing the interface of bioeconomy and ecosystem service research

AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 1878-1896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia D’Amato ◽  
Bartosz Bartkowski ◽  
Nils Droste
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Societal Actors

Abstract The bioeconomy is currently being globally promoted as a sustainability avenue involving several societal actors. While the bioeconomy is broadly about the substitution of fossil resources with bio-based ones, three main (competing or complementary) bioeconomy visions are emerging in scientific literature: resource, biotechnology, and agroecology. The implementation of one or more of these visions into strategies implies changes to land use and thus ecosystem services delivery, with notable trade-offs. This review aims to explore the interdisciplinary space at the interface of these two concepts. We reviewed scientific publications explicitly referring to bioeconomy and ecosystem services in their title, abstract, or keywords, with 45 documents identified as relevant. The literature appeared to be emerging and fragmented but eight themes were discernible (in order of decreasing occurrence frequency in the literature): a. technical and economic feasibility of biomass extraction and use; b. potential and challenges of the bioeconomy; c. frameworks and tools; d. sustainability of bio-based processes, products, and services; e. environmental sustainability of the bioeconomy; f. governance of the bioeconomy; g. biosecurity; h. bioremediation. Approximately half of the documents aligned to a resource vision of the bioeconomy, with emphasis on biomass production. Agroecology and biotechnology visions were less frequently found, but multiple visions generally tended to occur in each document. The discussion highlights gaps in the current research on the topic and argues for communication between the ecosystem services and bioeconomy communities to forward both research areas in the context of sustainability science.

scholarly journals Perennial Energy Grasses: Resilient Crops in a Changing European Agriculture

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Scordia ◽  
Salvatore Cosentino
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Giant Reed ◽  
Biomass Composition ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Multifunctional Agriculture ◽  
Land Type

This review describes the multiple utilization of perennial grasses as resilient crops for a multifunctional agriculture. Beyond its role of producing food, feed and fiber, the concept of multifunctional agriculture includes many other functions, such as ecosystem services, renewable energy production and a contribution to the socio-economic viability of rural areas. Traditionally used for feed, some perennial grasses—known as perennial energy grasses (e.g., miscanthus—Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deuter, giant reed—Arundo donax L., switchgrass—Panicun virgatum L., reed canary grass—Phalaris arundinacea L.)—have been recommended as a biomass source for both energy and non-energy applications, and ecosystem services. Perennial grasses are lignocellulosic, low-cost feedstock, able to grow in variable environments including marginal lands. Due to their high yield, resilient traits, biomass composition, energy and environmental sustainability, perennial grasses are a candidate feedstock to foster the bio-based economy and adapt to a changing agriculture. However, perennial grasses for biomass production are largely undomesticated crops, or are at early stages of development. Hence, a great potential for improvements is expected, provided that research on breeding, agronomy, post-harvest logistic and bioconversion is undertaken in order to deliver resilient genotypes growing and performing well across a broad range of environmental conditions, climatic uncertainty, marginal land type and end-use destinations.

Environmental sustainability of conventional and organic farming: Accounting for ecosystem services in life cycle assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 695 ◽  
pp. 133841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieselot Boone ◽  
Isabel Roldán-Ruiz ◽  
Veerle Van linden ◽  
Hilde Muylle ◽  
Jo Dewulf
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Environmental Sustainability
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