• Energy Research
• social sciences close
• ES close
• PT close

(1) The amount of plastic discharges in the environment has drastically increased in the last decades negatively affecting aquatic ecosystems, societies, and the world economy. The policies initiated to deal with this problem are insufficient and there is an urgency to initiate local actions based on a deep understanding of the factors involved. (2) This paper investigates the potential of massive open online courses (MOOCs) to spread environmental education. Therefore, the conclusions drawn from the implementation of a MOOC to combat the problem of marine litter in the world are presented. (3) This work describes the activity of 3632 participants from 64 countries taking an active role presenting useful tools, connecting them with the main world associations, and defining applied action plans in their local area. Pre- and post-questionnaires explore behavioral changes regarding the actions of participants to combat marine litter. The role of MOOCs is contrasted with social media, formal education, and informal education. (4) Findings suggest that MOOCs are useful instruments to promote environmental activism, and to develop local solutions to global problems, for example, clean beaches, supplanting plastic bottles, educational initiatives, and prohibition of single-use plastic.

Abstract Energy use strongly contributes to CO 2 emissions. Since low-carbon technologies help reducing those emissions, attention should be addressed to technological knowledge. Therefore, this paper develops a dynamic general equilibrium growth model with endogenous skill-biased technological change to study the contributions of environmental policies in producing more ecological goods. By solving the transitional dynamics, it is shown that when green firms and green research are supported by policy and/or dirty activities are taxed, technological progress leads to more ecological goods production and environmental quality improvements. Furthermore, a positive change in green environmental quality fosters R&D on ecological goods, increasing their production.

This paper explores to what extent moving towards the 30% GHG emission reductions by 2020 with respect to 1990 in the EU can be considered a transformative target. To do so, we first define the concept of transformative targets from a complex systems perspective and show a novel approach and original results using an extended application of the GEM-E3 model. Traditional macroeconomic models cannot easily handle key synergetic system effects derived from green growth and sustainability policies, and thus require additional features. We analyse the role of semi-endogenous growth driven by learning-by-doing and low-carbon investment expectations following a long-term transformative trajectory.

This paper investigates the behavior of children from low socioeconomic status families and examines the effects of a socioemotional education program on aggression in children. The results of the program are compared according to the children’s gender and age, the family structure, the parents’ educational attainment, and social status. The results show that applying socioemotional education programs reduces children’s aggression and encourages positive development during adolescence. This positive development fosters open, expressive behavior.

In recent years, a ban on short-haul flights for which alternative, more environmentally friendly transportation is available has been on European regulatory agendas, particularly in countries like Germany, with its well-developed high-speed rail (HSR) and a dense network of low-cost, point-to-point airline traffic. This study aims to quantify the potential impact on CO2 emissions of substituting short-haul flights with rail frequencies in 87 German air travel corridors. Using OAG data on passenger bookings and airline schedules for 2019, as well as current rail travel times, we determine the target flights by looking at the actual proportion of connecting passengers per frequency. We estimate a potential reduction in CO2 emissions of between 2.7% and 22%, depending on how strict the flight substitution is. However, the social benefits of those carbon emissions might fall short of the travel time losses experienced by the passengers. Increased investment to improve rail speeds and intermodal accessibility appears necessary before the substitution policies can be implemented.

The integration of young immigrants in the societies that host them highlights the need for the intervention of social workers to facilitate their adaptation and inclusion from an individualized diagnosis of their needs. The development of social skills in the immigrants is one of the main ways to make that integration happen, and therefore its diagnosis is fundamental. However, at present, there are no valid and reliable instruments that take into account the sociocultural factors that surround young immigrants for the evaluation of their social skills. It is for this reason that the purpose of this study was to adapt and validate a current and useful instrument for the diagnosis of such social skills to young immigrants welcomed in Spain. To do this, it was started on the choice and adaptation of The Social Skills Scale (Escala de Habilidades Sociales). Subsequently, the questionnaire was submitted to concurrent, predictive, and nomological validation processes. The construct validity was carried out by factor analysis first and second order to confirm the hierarchical structure of the scale. After validation with Exploratory Factor Analysis (n = 330), the structure was checked, and the model was later adjusted with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (n = 568) by means of structural equations. The reliability and internal consistency of the instrument was also tested with values in all dimensions above 0.8. It is concluded that this new instrument has 29 items and 6 dimensions, has acceptable validity and reliability, and can be used for the diagnosis of Social Skills in Young Immigrants.