• Energy Research

Sustainable interdisciplinarity focuses on human–nature relations and a multitude of contemporary overlapping research between society and the environment. A variety of disciplines have played a large part in better understanding sustainable development since its high-profile emergence approximately a quarter century ago. At present, the forefront of sustainability research is an array of methods, techniques, and growing knowledge-base that considers past, present, and future pathways. Specific multi-disciplinary concentrations within the scope of societal changes, urban landscape transformations, international environmental comparative studies as well as key theories and dynamics relating to sustainable performance are explored. Specializations in complex sustainability issues address international governance arrangements, rules, and organizations—both public and private—within the scope of four themes: sustainability, human geography, environment, and interdisciplinary societal studies. This book contains eleven thoroughly refereed contributions concerning pressing issues that interlink sustainable interdisciplinarity with the presented themes in respect of the human–nature interface.

This essay considers the rural-to-urban transition and correlates it with urban energy demands. Three distinct themes are inspected and interrelated to develop awareness for an urbanizing world: internal urban design and innovation, technical transition, and geopolitical change. Data were collected on the use of energy in cities and, by extension, nation states over the last 30 years. The urban population boom continues to pressure the energy dimension with heavily weighted impacts on less developed regions. Sustainable urban energy will need to reduce resource inputs and environmental impacts and decouple economic growth from energy consumption. Fossil fuels continue to be the preferred method of energy for cities; however, an increased understanding is emerging that sustainable energy forms can be implemented as alternatives. Key to this transition will be the will to invest in renewables (i.e., solar, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass), efficient infrastructure, and smart eco-city designs. This essay elucidates how the technical transition of energy-friendly technologies focuses on understanding the changes in the energy mix from non-renewable to renewable. Smart electricity storage grids with artificial intelligence can operate internationally and alleviate some geopolitical barriers. Energy politics is shown to be a problematic hurdle with case research examples specific to Central and Eastern Europe. The energy re-shift stressed is a philosophical re-thinking of modern cities as well as a new approach to the human-energy relationship.

This paper focuses on the economic dimension of sustainability by examining the stock exchange interface of financial markets, the influence of capital market stakeholders, and the instruments that contribute to a supportive fiscal framework. Only mature stock exchanges are present in sustainability indices; hence, comparative assessment of stock exchanges is limited and contributes to the complexity of conducting such a study. Utilizing multivariate analysis, this study investigates the potential for African stock exchanges to support sustainability. An empirical study was conducted on a selected sample of 15 African stock exchanges at the end of 2020 using collected 5-year interval data from Q1 of 2021. A total of 22 variables were selected based on their legitimacy to support sustainability. Using exploratory factor analysis, two key sustainability drivers of differentiation and classified exchanges were identified, i.e., hard and soft. K-means classification method verified the results and found that of the four identified homogeneous groups, one—the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Nigerian Stock Exchange, and the Egyptian Exchange—emerged on top. Two smaller groups had the potential to be strengthened, and the majority group lagged behind. The research demonstrated the importance of identifying key sustainability drivers and examined the materiality of the drivers within an African context.

Roseau commun (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.) est largement distribué dans le monde entier avec divers écotypes. Cette recherche compare les traits fonctionnels et les modèles d'allocation de la biomasse de deux écotypes de roseaux contrastés. Douze paires d'échantillons de roseaux aquatiques et terrestres ont été prélevées dans le nord de la Chine. Des différences significatives dans les traits fonctionnels entre les deux écotypes de roseaux ont été observées, tandis que les modèles d'allocation de la biomasse des organes de roseaux ne différaient pas significativement, sauf à la racine. La teneur en matière sèche (DMC) dans l'ensemble de la plante de roseau, de la feuille, de la racine et du rhizome était plus élevée ; tandis que la surface foliaire spécifique (SLA) et la longueur racinaire spécifique (SRL) étaient plus faibles chez le roseau terrestre que chez le roseau aquatique. L'allocation de la biomasse dans les organes des deux formes de roseaux était isométrique, seule la racine dans l'habitat terrestre augmentait plus rapidement avec une augmentation de la biomasse végétale totale. On peut affirmer que les roseaux aquatiques et terrestres qui s'adaptent à différents environnements ont généralement des traits fonctionnels distincts des feuilles et des racines, mais des modèles isométriques d'allocation de la biomasse. Cela suggère différentes stratégies d'acquisition de ressources : (1) le roseau aquatique croît plus rapidement avec un SLA et un SRL élevés et est plus sensible à l'environnement, tandis que (2) le roseau terrestre avec un DMC élevé croît plus lentement et est moins sensible à l'environnement défavorable (par exemple, conditions de sol sec). Caña común (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.) se distribuye ampliamente en todo el mundo con varios ecotipos. Esta investigación compara los rasgos funcionales y los patrones de asignación de biomasa de dos ecotipos de caña contrastantes. Se recogieron doce pares de muestras de juncos acuáticos y terrestres en el norte de China. Se observaron diferencias significativas en los rasgos funcionales entre los dos ecotipos de caña, mientras que los patrones de asignación de biomasa de los órganos de caña no difirieron significativamente, excepto en la raíz. El contenido de materia seca (DMC) en toda la planta de caña, hoja, raíz y rizoma fue mayor; mientras que el área específica de la hoja (SLA) y la longitud específica de la raíz (SRL) fueron menores en la caña terrestre en comparación con la acuática. La asignación de biomasa en órganos de las dos formas de caña fue isométrica, solo la raíz en el hábitat terrestre aumentó más rápido con un aumento en toda la biomasa vegetal. Se puede afirmar que las cañas acuáticas y terrestres que se adaptan a diferentes ambientes generalmente tienen rasgos funcionales distintivos de hojas y raíces, pero patrones isométricos de asignación de biomasa. Esto sugiere diferentes estrategias de adquisición de recursos: (1) la caña acuática crece más rápido con un alto SLA y SRL y es más sensible al medio ambiente, mientras que (2) la caña terrestre con alto DMC crece más lentamente y es menos sensible al entorno adverso (por ejemplo, condiciones de suelo seco). Common reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.) is distributed widely throughout the world with various ecotypes. This research compares the functional traits and biomass allocation patterns of two contrasting reed ecotypes. Twelve pairs of aquatic and terrestrial reed samples were collected in northern China. Significant differences in functional traits between the two reed ecotypes were observed, while biomass allocation patterns of reed organs did not differ significantly except for at the root. The dry matter content (DMC) in the whole of the reed plant, leaf, root, and rhizome was higher; while the specific leaf area (SLA) and specific root length (SRL) were lower in terrestrial versus aquatic reed. The biomass allocation in organs of the two forms of reed was isometric, only root in the terrestrial habitat increased faster with an increase in the whole plant biomass. It can be affirmed that aquatic and terrestrial reed that adapt to different environments generally has distinct leaf and root functional traits but isometric biomass allocation patterns. This suggests different resource acquisition strategies: (1) aquatic reed grows faster with high SLA and SRL and is more responsive to the environment, while (2) terrestrial reed with high DMC grows slower and is less responsive to the adverse environment (e.g. dry soil conditions). قصبة مشتركة (مجوفة) Trin. ex Steud.) موزعة على نطاق واسع في جميع أنحاء العالم بأنماط بيئية مختلفة. يقارن هذا البحث السمات الوظيفية وأنماط تخصيص الكتلة الحيوية لنمطين بيئيين متباينين من القصب. تم جمع اثني عشر زوجًا من عينات القصب المائية والأرضية في شمال الصين. لوحظت اختلافات كبيرة في السمات الوظيفية بين النمطين الإيكولوجيين للقصب، في حين أن أنماط تخصيص الكتلة الحيوية لأعضاء القصب لم تختلف اختلافًا كبيرًا باستثناء الجذر. كان محتوى المادة الجافة (DMC) في نبات القصب والأوراق والجذور والجذور أعلى ؛ في حين كانت منطقة الأوراق المحددة (SLA) وطول الجذر المحدد (SRL) أقل في القصب الأرضي مقابل القصب المائي. كان تخصيص الكتلة الحيوية في أعضاء شكلي القصب متساوي القياس، وزاد الجذر فقط في الموائل الأرضية بشكل أسرع مع زيادة في الكتلة الحيوية النباتية بأكملها. يمكن التأكيد على أن القصب المائي والأرضي الذي يتكيف مع البيئات المختلفة له عمومًا سمات وظيفية مميزة للأوراق والجذور ولكن أنماط تخصيص الكتلة الحيوية متساوية القياس. يشير هذا إلى استراتيجيات مختلفة للحصول على الموارد: (1) القصب المائي ينمو بشكل أسرع مع ارتفاع مستوى جودة الحياة و SRL وهو أكثر استجابة للبيئة، في حين أن (2) القصب الأرضي مع ارتفاع DMC ينمو بشكل أبطأ وأقل استجابة للبيئة المعاكسة (مثل ظروف التربة الجافة).

Container shipping is the largest producer of emissions within the maritime shipping industry. Hence, measures have been designed and implemented to reduce ship emission levels. IMO’s MARPOL Annex VI, with its future plan of applying Tier III requirements, the Energy Efficiency Design Index for new ships, and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan for all ships. To assist policy formulation and follow-up, this study applies an energy consumption approach to estimate container ship emissions. The volumes of sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrous oxide (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from container ships are estimated using 2018 datasets on container shipping and average vessel speed records generated via AIS. Furthermore, the estimated reductions in SOx, NOx, PM, and CO2 are mapped for 2020. The empirical analysis demonstrates that the energy consumption approach is a valuable method to estimate ongoing emission reductions on a continuous basis and to fill data gaps where needed, as the latest worldwide container shipping emissions records date back to 2015. The presented analysis supports early-stage detection of environmental impacts in container shipping and helps to determine in which areas the greatest potential for emission reductions can be found.

Green development is a solution to achieve sustainable development, while tourism development is one of the best approaches to realize a green economy. As the most rapid economic development region in China, the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA) has also witnessed rapid changes in its tourism economy during 2001–2019. Here, we analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of its tourism revenue, and further identified contributions from multiple socio-economic factors using spatial analysis tools and regression models. The total tourism revenue increased 14.35 fold, with an annual increase rate of 79.73% during 2001–2019. The proportion of tourism revenue to the GDP continuously increased from 11.57% in 2001 to 18.89% in 2019. Tourism revenue increased for all cities, with the least increasing rates in the metropolitan cities including Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou and Hangzhou, and the largest increase rates in Ma’anshan, Hefei, Huzhou and Zhoushan. A regression and causality test indicated that different socioeconomic factors controlled the spatiotemporal variation patterns in different cities. The economic structure in the YRDUA has undergone significant shifts, with an increasing importance of tourism revenue in the GDP for most cities and a reducing discrepancy of tourism revenue among cities. Our study can enable the policy makers to be aware of the magnitude, temporal variation patterns, differences among cities and controlling factors for tourism development, and thus take suitable measures to further promote green tourism development in the YRDUA region.

In light of designing healthy, efficient, and safe human settlements, this chapter looks at the important aspect of developing a complete solution to public transport systems, i.e., to build them sustainably within the context of transport needs that are accessible, affordable, available, and acceptable. An examination of sustainable transport is reviewed with emphasis on environmental sustainability, stressing some of the current difficulties, i.e., congestion and its related costs via wasted time, impaired reliability, and exacerbated air pollution; environmental impacts, both at the global and local level; and health costs arising from air emissions and noise. Case research from Vietnam and Ukraine is investigated and elucidate public transportation trends as well as important needs facing these countries. Traffic congestion, environmental pollution, energy consumption, and the problem of people in traffic are major concerns that urban transport faces. To minimize the risks of vehicle emissions as well as to build green, clean, and sound settlements, important steps are needed in research and development within public transport systems. This chapter is a knowledge-based effort with recommendations to developing comprehensive public transport strategy and structure.