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This paper evaluated the environmental effects of socially responsible investments (SRIs) in European countries and analyzed the differentiation between them in terms of SRIs and selected features in the environmental dimension. The first section of the paper discusses contemporary trends in Europe and in certain European countries, whilst the second compares SR environmental investments and environmental factors in selected European countries from a multidimensional perspective. The aim of the study was to identify and evaluate these trends as well as to find similarities and differences between European countries, and subsequently to indicate groups of countries with similar approaches to pro-ecological investments. In order to solve the problem, descriptive and multidimensional statistical methods were used, namely correspondence analysis (CA). Although the research results clearly revealed upward tendencies in the volume of SR environmental investments in the analyzed period, they nonetheless represent a relatively low share in the total number of socially responsible investments. The overall growth in SRIs in Europe may have resulted from the more intense activities of policymakers in some countries as a consequence of concluding agreements reached during the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in 2015. The results of the study also revealed no significant correlations between SR environmental investments and environmental variables among the European countries analyzed; hence, there is no substantial evidence that investors’ assets contribute to the improvement of the environment.

This study focuses on formulating the most sustainable concrete by incorporating recycled concrete aggregates and other products retrieved from construction and demolition (C&D) activities. Both recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) and recycled fine aggregates (RFA) are firstly used to fully replace the natural coarse and fine aggregates in the concrete mix design. Later, the cement rich ultrafine particles, recycled glass powder and mineral fibres recovered from construction and demolition wastes (CDW) are further incorporated at a smaller rate either as cement substituent or as supplementary additives. Remarkable properties are noticed when the RCA (4–12 mm) and RFA (0.25–4 mm) are fully used to replace the natural aggregates in a new concrete mix. The addition of recycled cement rich ultrafines (RCU), Recycled glass ultrafines (RGU) and recycled mineral fibres (RMF) into recycled concrete improves the modulus of elasticity. The final concrete, which comprises more than 75% (wt.) of recycled components/materials, is believed to be the most sustainable and green concrete mix. Mechanical properties and durability of this concrete have been studied and found to be within acceptable limits, indicating the potential of recycled aggregates and other CDW components in shaping sustainable and circular construction practices. The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from EU Horizon 2020 Project VEEP ‘‘Cost-Effective Recycling of C&DW in High Added Value Energy Efficient Prefabricated Concrete Compo-nents for Massive Retrofitting of our Built Environment” (No.723582).

The problems of environmental pollution in the conditions of high dust content in the air during the development of coal mines in the territory of the Czech Republic are considered. A mechanism for making managerial decisions was developed using an integrated approach using the new technological process Nastup Tušimice (DNT) aimed at eliminating pollutant emissions and managing workers in dusty conditions in mining operations. The recommendations of active and passive measures aimed at reducing dustiness in the process of coal mining have also been developed.

It is important to reduce the amount of municipal waste deposited in landfills, Czech Republic, therefore, puts more emphasis on the recovery of mixed municipal waste, which oblige and EU regulations. Production of solid alternative fuel that is suitable also due to less consumption of fossil fuels, is one of the uses of mixed municipal waste (Waste to Energy). A relatively high proportion of glass in mixed municipal waste is a major problem in the production of solid alternative fuel. The glass contained in the solid alternative fuel can be the cause of formation incrusts on heat transfer surfaces in combustion plants. For all examined types of glass, it was found that the melting temperature of the muffle furnace was 750 ° C. When using the method (ISO 540) for determining the temperature of softening , melting and flow showed no effect of the amount of glass in the ash, but the melting point was significantly higher (around 1,200 °C).

The assessment of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollutants emitted to and removed from the atmosphere ranks high on international political and scientific agendas. Growing international concern and cooperation regarding the climate change problem have increased the need to consider the uncertainty in inventories of GHG emissions. The approaches to address uncertainty discussed in this special issue reflect attempts to improve national inventories, not only for their own sake but also from a wider, system analytic perspective. They seek to strengthen the usefulness of national emission inventories under a compliance and/or global monitoring and reporting framework. The papers in this special issue demonstrate the benefits of including inventory uncertainty in policy analyses. The issues raised by the authors and featured in their papers, along with the role that uncertainty analysis plays in many of their arguments, highlight the challenges and the importance of dealing with uncertainty. While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly stresses the value of conducting uncertainty analyses and offers guidance on executing them, the arguments made here in favor of performing these studies go well beyond any suggestions made by the IPCC to date. Improving and conducting uncertainty analyses are needed to develop a clear understanding and informed policy. Uncertainty matters and is key to many issues related to inventorying and reducing emissions. Considering uncertainty helps to avoid situations that can create a false sense of certainty or lead to invalid views of subsystems. Dealing proactively with uncertainty allows for the generation of useful knowledge that the international community should have to hand while strengthening the 2015 Paris Agreement, which had been agreed at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, considering uncertainty does not come free. Proper treatment of uncertainty is demanding because it forces us to take the step from “simple to complex” and to grasp a holistic system view. Only, thereafter, can we consider potential simplifications. That is, comprehensive treatment of uncertainty does not necessarily offer quick or easy solutions for policymakers. This special issue brings together 13 papers that resulted from the 2015 (4th) International Workshop on Uncertainty in Atmospheric Emissions, in Cracow, Poland. While they deal with many different aspects of the uncertainty in emission estimates, they are guided by the same principal question: “What GHGs shall be verified at what spatio-temporal scale to support conducive legislation at local and national scales, while ensuring effective governance at the global scale?” This question is at the heart of mitigation and adaptation. It requires an understanding of the entire system of GHG sources and sinks, their spatial characteristics and the temporal scales at which they react and interact, the uncertainty (accuracy and/or precision) with which fluxes can be measured, and last but not least, the consequences that follow from all of the aforementioned aspects, for policy actors to frame compliance and/or global monitoring and reporting agreements. This bigger system context serves as a reference for the papers in the special issue, irrespective of their spatio-temporal focus, and is used as a guide for the reader.

Nowadays about 60% of world production and consumption of plastics are polyolefines. They are used as packaging, in building engineering, automotive industry or electronic engineering. High calorific value and proper Chemical composition of polyolefines (based on carbon and hydrogen) make them ideal for use in a wide range of applications. The polyolefines can be used as a substitute for coke in blast-furnace processes. This paper outlines thermal decomposition of PE-LD, PE-HD, PP which are used in agriculture and packaging from household. Thermogravimetry (TG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were used as analytical methods.

Abstract Worldwide the search for new raw materials that are suitable for the production of energy pellets is increasing. Each new raw material undergoes evaluation through various analytical processes and quality assessments before being considered for use as energy pellet. In recent times, the raw materials such as agricultural, forestry, and food waste, as well as the surpluses originating from the agri-food production have become very popular for the production of energy pellets. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using lignocellulosic raw materials such as chamomile waste, birch sawdust, pea waste, and soybean waste for the production of pellets. In this study, we focused on the production of thermal energy from pellets by assessing the pellets in accordance with the required standards. The results have shown that lignocellulosic raw materials can be used to produce good quality energy pellets. The proportion of individual raw materials determines the individual strength characteristics of pellets and the suitability of pellets to produce thermal energy.

The activity of enterprises in the energy sector is complicated by the complexity and capital intensity of the resources and processes used. In the current market conditions, an additional challenge is the implementation of sustainable development, including, in particular, environmental and social goals. These circumstances require efficient and effective management, and this is possible, inter alia, thanks to the use of the project management. However, this approach requires not only implementation, but also professional monitoring and control, which is considered and diagnosed in this article. The purpose of this article is to: (a) verify the programme management areas subject to the monitoring and control process; (b) identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the most frequently used methods in the process of monitoring and control of the programme implementation. A qualitative study using a structured interview was conducted among 21 experts involved in the implementation of programmes from the energy sector. The authors found that energy companies monitor and control programmes in key, but traditional areas such as lead times, costs, risks and benefits. They less often refer to ‘soft’ areas of management, such as: work, communication or quality. In terms of the monitoring and control methodology used, significant discrepancies were found between the methods considered effective and those that are most often used in practice. This requires decisive improvement actions. At the same time, it is worth emphasising that the majority of managers prefer compact and quantifiable forms of monitoring and control, such as: earned value method, Gantt chart and comparing plans to results in individual areas. The sector also lacks a systemic approach to programme management, which should be distinguished from single project management, which is why the authors presented their own approach to solving this problem.