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With the fast growth of the global economy, energy supply and demand have a strong impact on social, economic, and environmental aspects. As a consequence, this has pushed the decision-makers to formulate objectives, guiding economic policies toward sustainable goals. The process is known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have been proposed by the United Nations. This being said, the energy sector is a vital domain with a vast potential for improvments in terms of technologies and ligistalations. Solar energy is among the most efficient solutions proposed to reduce the economic and environmental footprints of energy. In this frame, the current paper aims to localize solar energy within SDGs and analyze the contribution of the solar energy towards the achievement of the SDGs. Moreover, the current work highlights the contributions of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) Solar Park in the United Arab Emirates to achieving the SDGs. Indeed, the MBR Solar Park concept offers valuable insights of environmental impacts by deploying clean and affordable energy sources in place of conventional fossil fuel power plants that are still heavily used in the region. The MBR Solar Park operation has already mitigated 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and this number will likely rise when all phases are installed and operational. Moreover, it has been shown that MBR Solar Park achieve several SDGs such SDG 8: decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 11: sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 15: life on land.

Achieving carbon-neutrality has become a global agenda following the ratification of the Paris Agreement. For the developing countries, in particular, attaining a low-carbon economy is particularly important since these economies are predominantly fossil-fuel dependent, to which Bangladesh is no exception. Therefore, this study specifically aimed at evaluating the environmental impacts associated with energy consumption and other key macroeconomic variables in the context of Bangladesh over the 1975-2016 period. As opposed to the conventional practice of using carbon dioxide emissions to proxy environmental quality, this study makes a novel attempt to use the carbon footprints to measure environmental welfare in Bangldesh. The outcomes from this study are expected to facilitate the carbon-neutrality objective of Bangladesh and, therefore, enable the nation to comply with its commitments concerning the attainment of the targets enlisted under the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals declarations. The econometric analysis involved the application of methods that are suitable for handling the structural break issues in the data. The overall findings from empirical exercises reveal that aggregate energy consumption, fossil fuel consumption, and natural gas consumption boost the carbon footprint figures of Bangladesh. In contrast, nonfossil fuel consumption and hydroelectricity consumption are witnessed to abate the carbon footprint levels. Besides, economic growth and international trade are also evidenced to further increase the carbon footprints. Hence, these findings suggest that a clean energy transition within the Bangladesh economy can be the panacea to the nation's persitently aggravating environmental hardships. Furthermore, the causality analysis confirmed the presence of unidirectional causalities stemming from total energy consumption, fossil fuel consumption, natural gas consumption, hydroelectricity consumption, economic growth, and international trade to the carbon footprints. On the other hand, nonfossil fuel consumption is found to be bidirectionally associated with carbon footprints. In line with these aforementioned findings, several key policy suggestions are put forward regarding the facilitation of the carbon-neutrality agenda in Bangladesh.

La movilidad eléctrica parece traer un cambio de paradigma en el sector del transporte por carretera en todo el mundo. El enorme consumo de combustibles fósiles y la creciente congestión del tráfico han causado preocupaciones sobre el consumo futuro de energía, el crecimiento de la economía y las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero en los países miembros del Consejo de Cooperación del Golfo. La introducción de vehículos eléctricos (VE) en los dos países más poblados de la región, es decir, el Reino de Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, se considera una opción prometedora para abordar la contaminación ambiental y los futuros temores relacionados con la economía de la región. Este documento presenta los impulsores clave para que los países adopten el transporte eléctrico. Este estudio de investigación investiga el impacto de la penetración de los vehículos eléctricos en la energía, la economía y el medio ambiente de Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos a través del pronóstico de existencias de vehículos eléctricos mediante el análisis de regresión lineal. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que el crecimiento esperado en el sector eléctrico de Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos les permitirá mantener una penetración de vehículos eléctricos del 5% y el 30% para 2030, respectivamente. En este sentido, se propone un conjunto de políticas que permitirán a los países acelerar sus esfuerzos para alcanzar los objetivos previstos de reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI). Aunque la investigación presentada se centra en el estudio de caso de Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, los hallazgos de la investigación son lo suficientemente generalizados como para aplicarse a todas las demás regiones de la región. El conjunto de políticas sugerido servirá como guía para las partes interesadas pertinentes sobre las medidas necesarias para la electrificación sostenible del transporte por carretera en Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. La mobilité électrique semble apporter un changement de paradigme dans le secteur du transport routier dans le monde entier. L'énorme consommation de combustibles fossiles et la congestion croissante du trafic ont suscité des inquiétudes quant à la consommation d'énergie future, à la croissance économique et aux émissions de gaz à effet de serre dans les pays membres de la région du Conseil de coopération du Golfe. L'introduction de véhicules électriques (VE) dans les deux pays les plus peuplés de la région, à savoir le Royaume d'Arabie saoudite et les Émirats arabes unis, est considérée comme une option prometteuse pour lutter contre la pollution de l'environnement et les craintes liées à l'économie future. Ce document présente les principaux facteurs incitant les pays à adopter le transport électrique. Cette étude de recherche étudie l'impact de la pénétration des véhicules électriques sur l'énergie, l'économie et l'environnement de l'Arabie saoudite et des Émirats arabes unis grâce à la prévision des stocks de véhicules électriques à l'aide d'une analyse de régression linéaire. Les résultats obtenus suggèrent que la croissance attendue dans le secteur de l'électricité en Arabie saoudite et aux Émirats arabes unis leur permettra de maintenir une pénétration de 5 % et de 30 % des véhicules électriques d'ici 2030, respectivement. À cet égard, un ensemble de politiques est proposé, qui permettra aux pays d'accélérer leurs efforts pour atteindre les objectifs de réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES). Bien que la recherche présentée se concentre sur l'étude de cas de l'Arabie saoudite et des Émirats arabes unis, les résultats de la recherche sont suffisamment généralisés pour être appliqués à toutes les autres régions de la région. L'ensemble de politiques suggéré servira de lignes directrices aux parties prenantes concernées sur les mesures nécessaires à l'électrification durable du transport routier en Arabie saoudite et aux Émirats arabes unis. Electric mobility seems to bring a paradigm shift in the road transport sector worldwide. Huge consumption of fossil fuels and ever-increasing traffic congestion have caused concerns over future energy consumption, economy growth, and greenhouse gas emissions in the Gulf Cooperation Council region's member countries. The introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) in the two most populous countries of the region, i.e., the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and UAE is considered a promising option to address environmental pollution and future economy-related fears region. This paper presents key drivers for the countries to adopt electric transportation. This research study investigates the impact of EVs penetration on energy, economy, and environment of KSA and UAE through EV stockpile forecasting using linear regression analysis. The obtained results suggest that expected growth in KSA and UAE's power sector will enable them to keep up 5% and 30% EVs penetration by 2030, respectively. In this regard, a set of policies are proposed, which will enable the countries to pace up their efforts to achieve the intended greenhouse gases (GHG) emission reduction goals. Though the presented research is focused on the case study of KSA and UAE, the research findings are generalized enough to be applied to all other regions of the region. The suggested set of policies will serve as guidelines for the relevant stakeholders about the necessary measures required for sustainable road transport electrification in KSA and UAE. يبدو أن التنقل الكهربائي يجلب نقلة نوعية في قطاع النقل البري في جميع أنحاء العالم. تسبب الاستهلاك الهائل للوقود الأحفوري والازدحام المروري المتزايد باستمرار في مخاوف بشأن استهلاك الطاقة في المستقبل ونمو الاقتصاد وانبعاثات غازات الدفيئة في البلدان الأعضاء في مجلس التعاون الخليجي. يعتبر إدخال المركبات الكهربائية (EVs) في البلدين الأكثر اكتظاظًا بالسكان في المنطقة، أي المملكة العربية السعودية والإمارات العربية المتحدة، خيارًا واعدًا لمعالجة التلوث البيئي ومنطقة المخاوف المتعلقة بالاقتصاد المستقبلي. تعرض هذه الورقة الدوافع الرئيسية للبلدان لتبني النقل الكهربائي. تبحث هذه الدراسة البحثية في تأثير تغلغل المركبات الكهربائية على الطاقة والاقتصاد والبيئة في المملكة العربية السعودية والإمارات العربية المتحدة من خلال التنبؤ بمخزون المركبات الكهربائية باستخدام تحليل الانحدار الخطي. تشير النتائج التي تم الحصول عليها إلى أن النمو المتوقع في قطاع الطاقة في المملكة العربية السعودية والإمارات العربية المتحدة سيمكنهما من الحفاظ على انتشار السيارات الكهربائية بنسبة 5 ٪ و 30 ٪ بحلول عام 2030، على التوالي. وفي هذا الصدد، تُقترح مجموعة من السياسات التي ستمكن البلدان من تسريع جهودها لتحقيق الأهداف المنشودة لخفض انبعاثات غازات الدفيئة. على الرغم من أن البحث المقدم يركز على دراسة حالة المملكة العربية السعودية والإمارات العربية المتحدة، إلا أن نتائج البحث معممة بما يكفي لتطبيقها على جميع المناطق الأخرى في المنطقة. ستكون مجموعة السياسات المقترحة بمثابة إرشادات لأصحاب المصلحة المعنيين حول التدابير اللازمة لكهربة النقل البري المستدام في المملكة العربية السعودية والإمارات العربية المتحدة.

The demand and supply gap in local fish production provides opportunities for investment in fish production and processing that are non-artisanal. Accordingly, this paper uses the Qatar Semi-Annual Survey, a nationally representative repeated cross-sectional dataset, to analyze consumers’ willingness to consume processed fish and the consumption intensity. Given the ordinal nature of the main outcome variable, namely processed fish consumption intensity, we use the ordered probit model with sample selection. The first part of our analytical strategy helps us to examine determinants of processed fish consumption, while the second part establishes factors associated with processed fish consumption intensity. The findings suggest that the majority of the respondents have a low interest in consuming processed fish. Nonetheless, we find that demographic and socioeconomic factors influence the intensity of consuming processed fish in Qatar. Specifically, consuming processed fish sometimes or very often is positively associated with age, living in a household with no children, and labor force participation. In comparison, Qatari households, tertiary education, and living in a middle-income household are factors that are likely to reduce consuming processed fish sometimes or very often. Our findings have important implications for investment in processed fish in Qatar. Specifically, the results help in targeting different consumer segments given a better understanding of factors associated with processed fish and fishery product consumption and the intensity of consumption among consumers in Qatar. The insights drawn from this study are a fundamental precondition for advancing the processed fish and fishery product industry in Qatar, an industry with the potential to generate by-products with benefits, such as energy and animal feed, prolonging fish and fishery product shelf life and convenience for consumers. Moreover, other countries in the region are likely to benefit from the insights drawn from this study.

Abstract Environmental innovations are key enablers of transition towards greener economies. Despite their importance, empirical studies examining the effect of green technologies on CO2 emissions are still limited. Using an autoregressive distributed-lag model (ARDL), we analyze the impact of environmental innovations, the consumption of renewable energies, GDP per capita, and degree of economic openness on CO2 emissions for 15 European countries over 23 years. Our results indicate that, in the long-term, environmental innovations tend to lower CO2 emissions, whereas in the short-term the observed effect is the opposite, suggesting the existence of a rebound effect. This study recommends introducing new policies that combine tools of environmental economics with those of ecological economy to integrate economic incentives with regulatory changes and encourage individuals to consume differently by favouring products and/or services with a less negative impact on the environment.

Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar, has seen rapid growth in recent years, resulting in challenges that can be addressed through sustainable urban design strategies. Such approaches, including Transit-Oriented Development, aim to provide compact urban forms with mixed-use development enabling easy access to the city’s transit services. In light of such objectives, and with the 2022 World Cup being hosted in Qatar, the government has invested heavily in its public transportation system and in implementing Transit-Oriented Development. This work presents an analysis of the current status of Transit-Oriented Development in the knowledge hub in Doha known as Education City. A case study methodology was used, which included site observation, photographic documentation, mapping, and statistical analysis based on recent census data. The analysis shows that the use of public transportation throughout the site is relatively low, largely due to the region’s hot climate and the local mobility culture, in which there is a general preference for private vehicle use. The culmination of this investigation is a master plan for the study area, which foresees further enhancement of the area while still holding to the aims of Transit-Oriented Development. To this end, key recommendations for modifying the prevailing mobility culture are suggested, such as increasing the availability of multimodal transportation in order to improve public transportation functionality and modifying certain aspects of the public transportation system so that it is convenient and comfortable, even during periods of very hot weather. The findings of this study highlight the potential of urban design to change people’s behavior and increase awareness of multimodal transport options.

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the moderation influence of CG regulatory compliance on the relationship between board diversity and voluntary disclosure (VD) of Nigerian listed firms since the literature on disclosure studies has concentrated principally on examining a direct relationship between internal governance mechanisms, neglecting the external regulations. Being an ex post facto design, a sample of 67 firms listed in the Nigerian stock exchange for the period 2012–2017 is used. A system GMM approach (being the best and most contemporary panel approach) is employed. The study revealed that the interaction of regulatory code compliance with board gender and ethnic diversity has a significant positive impact on the firms’ voluntary disclosure. The result also indicates that ethnic diversity shows a positive and significant association with voluntary disclosure. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this study is among the few attempts at explicitly examining the effect of CG regulatory compliance on board diversity and VD in CG studies, especially in a developing economy such as that of Nigeria. Additionally, it is among the few attempts that provide empirical results using superior dynamic panel models. This study provides a strong practical implication for business firms, policymakers, future research, and society. For instance, the findings have direct implications for Nigerian firms in the selection of directors in order to comprise well-educated people of different ethnic backgrounds and be inclusive of females.

Climate change is a rapidly evolving public health problem warranting global attention in the 21st century. The World Health Organization declared that climate illiteracy is highly prevalent among older adults, especially in lower- and middle-income nations.To determine the effect of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model-based intervention for climate change management practices among older adults.A quasi-experimental employed a pre-posttest, two-group research design.The studied sample comprised 80 older adults (aged 60 years and above), assigned to study and control groups (n = 40 each) after completing a baseline survey of six validated measures.The study group of proposed intervention based on IMB model demonstrated significant improvement in the mean scores of information (98.62 ± 3.56), motivation (90.14 ± 3.02), actual skills (84.13 ± 8.76), and practices (85.80 ± 3.94), p = 0.001.The intervention based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model has demonstrated credible feasibility in significantly improving the climate change-related information, motivation, skills, and management practices of older adults immediately after the posttest. It should be emphasized that this improvement showed a significant decline at the six-week mark; albeit the study participants' scores remained significantly higher than their pre-test values, there is clearly a need for reinforcement to maintain positive outcomes over the long term. The existing outcomes call for replication of this intervention in other cohorts, such as uneducated older adults and those residing in assisted-living facilities.