Search Results (353)

The dissemination of sustainable knowledge within the domain of higher education has grown exponentially since the implementation of the UN’s SDGs; however, the body of evidence is currently fragmented across various institutional and educational sectors. This research synthesizes review-level evidence on how institutions of higher education provide for the dissemination of sustainable knowledge and develop the competencies necessary to support it, through a narrative literature review with a supporting structured Web of Science search, transparent narrowing, and interpretive thematic synthesis. An evidence set of focused relevance (2015–2025) was established from an initial total of 6604 records and through the subsequent full-text analysis yielded a final corpus of 63 review articles. Two dominant theme categories were identified: (i) Institutional Embedding and Governance Level Integration and (ii) Educational Level Implementation. A third area of investigation mapped the development of the discipline through both bibliometric and narrative reviews. A common cross-cutting constraint is that specific links between mechanisms/outcomes, as well as comparative analyses of student outcome metrics across studies, are not uniformly documented, which limits cumulative inferences about effective practices. Thus, greater clarity is needed regarding linkages between competence objectives, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and measurable outcomes. Additionally, the governance conditions are frequently referenced as enabling factors. Full article

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMs) in industrial wastewater present significant environmental and public health challenges due to their persistence and radiotoxic effects. This comprehensive review analyzes 108 peer-reviewed publications from 2014 to 2025 on NORM treatment technologies for industrial wastewater. While previous reviews have focused on individual treatment methods or laboratory-scale studies, this work provides comparative performance analysis across multiple technologies under realistic industrial conditions, including high-salinity environments and competing ions. We emphasize membrane filtration, electrocoagulation (EC), ion exchange, and advanced oxidation processes, evaluating both their economic feasibility and environmental sustainability for practical industrial implementation. The review discusses the advantages and limitations of existing techniques, highlighting the need for integrated strategies that combine physical, chemical, and biological processes for enhanced remediation. Hybrid systems combining multiple technologies outperform individual approaches by 15–25% in removal efficiency. These advances are critical for ensuring safe water reuse and protecting water resources from radioactive contamination. Additionally, regulatory frameworks governing NORM management are examined, underscoring the importance of standardized disposal and treatment protocols. The review concludes by identifying research gaps and future directions. Priority areas include developing standardized treatment protocols and strengthening academia–industry collaboration to achieve scalable solutions aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. Full article

The complexity of the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus demands a comprehensive framework for its implementation, particularly concerning place-based governance and sustainable transitions. In this work, the WEF Nexus is conceptualized through the lens of Socio-Technical Systems Transition Theory and its interconnections with geo-ecological system components, enabling its recognition as a place-based Socio-Technical–Ecological meta-System (STES). The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are introduced as landscape drivers of the WEF Nexus, as they acknowledge the crucial role of society, technology and ecological systems in its interconnected domains. A novel integrated methodology to develop the WEF Nexus as a STES transition is presented, encompassing literature review, qualitative analysis, conceptual mapping, and multi-stakeholder co-creation. This theoretical framework was empirically tested and improved across selected case studies on hydrological basins in Africa within the ONEPlanET Horizon Europe Project. Both leverageable subsystems and promising transitional innovation assets were identified. The transitional X-Curve assisted in the discussion in the empirical context of ONEPlanET to generalise the findings and the visual presentation of the identified pathways. The methodology that resulted is suitable for supporting a concrete exploration of systemic mapping, analysis, and planning towards a sustainable WEF Nexus in complex geographies, facilitated through multi-stakeholder engagement and co-creation. Full article

This study addresses a critical gap in the operationalization of sustainability frameworks at the project level by developing and validating an empirically grounded measurement instrument for assessing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance in manufacturing industry projects. While the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) articulate sustainability aspirations at the national and global level, and ESG frameworks capture organizational-level sustainability performance, no validated instrument exists for measuring ESG integration at the project level where sustainability commitments are ultimately operationalized. Drawing on the theoretical foundations of sustainable project management, stakeholder theory, and the ESG governance literature, the authors developed a 30-item survey instrument capturing six conceptual dimensions of ESG-aligned project performance. Data were collected from 2231 project sponsors and decision-makers in North American goods manufacturing firms classified under NAICS codes 31–33, which collectively encompass the entire manufacturing sector in North America. Through a sequential analytical approach employing principal component analysis (PCA) for initial item reduction, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for dimensionality assessment, and structural equation modelling (SEM) for confirmatory validation, a parsimonious two-factor model emerged with excellent fit indices (CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.052, SRMR < 0.035). The first factor captures ESG planning activities undertaken during project initiation and planning phases, while the second factor represents ESG monitoring and controlling functions during project execution. The reduction from six theoretical dimensions to two empirical factors reflects lifecycle governance theory, where planning-phase governance and execution-phase control emerge as functionally distinct but correlated constructs. The validated instrument offers practical utility for project managers, organizational sustainability officers, and policy-makers seeking standardized benchmarks for ESG compliance at the operational project level. The validated instrument and complete survey are shared for replication and testing across different industries and countries. Full article

This study investigated the relationship between digital governance and sustainable development across the European Union (EU-27) during the period 2015–2023. Although digital transformation has become a central policy priority, empirical evidence on how e-government adoption contributes to sustainability performance remains limited. Using panel data from Eurostat and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the analysis employed advanced econometric techniques, including Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), and Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), to explore both long-run relationships and heterogeneous effects across countries. The model incorporates key indicators such as the percentage of individuals using e-government services, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita growth, and Research and Development (R&D) expenditure, capturing, respectively, digital governance adoption, innovation potential, and economic capacity, as essential drivers of sustainable development. Results indicate a strong and statistically significant positive association between digital governance adoption and sustainable development outcomes. The quantile regression analysis reveals that this effect is more pronounced in countries with higher innovation intensity and stronger economic capacity, suggesting that digital governance amplifies sustainability benefits in countries with more advanced institutional and technological infrastructures. Robustness checks confirm the stability of the findings across multiple estimation techniques. The results underscore the need for inclusive and innovation-driven digital strategies to ensure that the benefits of digital governance are equitably distributed, ultimately enhancing the EU’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

The UN General Assembly (2015) emphasizes sustainable pathways to enhance resilience for people and nature, with future development driven by data and evidence. Sustainable development frameworks (e.g., the UN 2030 Agenda and the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement) highlight the importance of data and evidence in assessment and decision-making that respects national policies and priorities. Global advances in Earth observation (EO) data provision and digital solutions that increase efficiencies, timeliness, and affordability are making major contributions. However, many existing platforms rely on externally hosted cloud infrastructures and generic global classifications of environments that may not align with domestic statutory definitions, limiting national control over data governance, methodological standards, and regulatory reporting. These constraints have raised growing concerns regarding data and technological sovereignty for countries seeking authoritative, policy-ready environmental information. Using Wales (United Kingdom; UK) as an exemplar, this study showcases the design and implementation of a flexible, sovereign National Digital Infrastructure (NDI) that uses the Open Data Cube (ODC) to apply Living Earth, a novel and customizable approach for EO-focused environmental monitoring. Outputs are time series of land cover and habitat maps and change products, including post-event (e.g., fire, flood) management, which address key policy requirements and support land and water resource management (from freshwater to marine environments), while ensuring public dissemination. Major advantages include the sharing of consistent datasets across governments and partner organizations, minimizing duplication of effort, improving transparency, traceability, and reproducibility, fostering collaboration between diverse stakeholders and communities, promoting inclusivity in environmental management decision-making, and supporting sustainable outcomes. Full article

Public cultural services are traditionally viewed as welfare provisions. However, this perspective overlooks their productive externalities as critical social infrastructure. This study treats China’s National Public Cultural Service System Demonstration Zone program as a quasi-natural experiment to examine its economic performance. The analysis utilizes panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities between 2008 and 2021 and employs a multi-period difference-in-differences model. Results show that the policy successfully increased employment in the cultural sector. This was achieved by enabling flexible labor opportunities through digital platforms and government procurement, rather than through significant growth in formal enterprises. We term this structural divergence De-organized Growth. Mechanism analysis confirms that Fiscal-Digital Synergy drives this phenomenon. Effective collaboration between government funding and digital technology activates cultural consumption on the demand side and facilitates disintermediation on the supply side. Crucially, we identify a nonlinear Digital Exclusion Trap. In this trap, fiscal support is ineffective or even counterproductive in regions falling below a critical digital infrastructure threshold. The findings suggest that the equalized provision of public culture serves as a productive input for achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 8 regarding decent work. We advocate for a shift in governance paradigms from traditional administration to a strategic purchaser role. This role leverages digital platforms to foster a more inclusive labor market. Full article

Reliable communications, accurate localization, and efficient safety monitoring remain critical bottlenecks for sustainable development in remote high-altitude regions. On the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, harsh topography and sparse infrastructure create a persistent “digital divide” that threatens human safety and limits field governance efficiency. This study aims to design, implement, and evaluate an integrated communication and navigation security assurance platform to bridge this gap. The specific research objectives are (i) to develop a hybrid high-precision positioning model integrating PPP-B2b, RTK, and MEMS inertial constraints; (ii) to implement an adaptive multi-link communication strategy combining BeiDou-3 short message communication (SMC), 4G LTE, and VHF; (iii) to design a lightweight SM1/SM2 security-and-compression framework optimized for bandwidth-constrained satellite messaging; and (iv) to conduct a mixed-methods field evaluation of technical performance and user-level impacts. A six-month field evaluation was conducted in Qinghai Province to validate the platform. Results show that the platform achieves sub-metre positioning accuracy across representative plateau scenarios (horizontal RMSE: 0.06–0.45 m). While terrestrial cellular links in marginal-coverage areas frequently failed (<15%), the BeiDou-3 SMC maintained stable message delivery (87.5–94.7%). Sustainability-oriented indicators suggest marked improvements in disaster resilience: the 95th-percentile emergency notification time was reduced from >180 min to <2 min, and effective route coverage increased from ~15% to ~95%. User surveys (n = 112) indicate high acceptance, with 91.1% of respondents reporting improved perceived safety, though usability gaps persist among non-professional groups. Overall, this indigenous satellite-based platform functions as a practical “social safety net,” narrowing digital exclusion and supporting UN sustainable development goals (SDG 9, 10, and 11). Full article

Progress toward achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has largely failed to meet initial ambitions and is often associated with increased ecological footprints and spillovers, pointing to inherent tensions within the SDG framework and governance gaps. Applying the 2030 Agenda’s principles places new demands on policy and scientific systems, underscoring the need for enhanced domestic capacities. Drawing on the understanding that addressing the SDGs’ problem characteristics requires moving beyond rational decision-making toward reflexive governance, the paper outlines implications for key cross-cutting capacities. The empirical analysis uses qualitative data from expert interviews and document analysis (2015–2025) to examine the responses of two EU Eastern enlargement countries to the global agenda, complemented by performance assessments. The comparison reveals uneven progress, with some advances in socioeconomic goals contrasted by slower, stagnant, or declining trends in environmental goal achievement. This underscores the need to prioritize environmental sustainability while addressing interdependencies and trade-offs with other goals to realize the transformative purpose of the 2030 Agenda and beyond. However, capacity shortcomings for pursuing such an integrated approach highlight the importance of continued capacity-building within public administration. Bulgaria shows limited SDG steering effects amid ongoing political instability, whereas Romania has emerged as a regional frontrunner through its innovative governance framework and capacity-building program, demonstrating a transformative political impact. Full article

This article advances EcoTechnoPolitics as a transformational conceptual and policy recommendation framework for hybridizing digital–green twin transitions under conditions of planetary polycrises. It responds to growing concerns that dominant policy approaches by supranational institutions—including the EU, UN, OECD, World Bank Group, WEF, and G20—remain institutionally siloed, technologically reductionist, and insufficiently attentive to ecological constraints. Moving beyond the prevailing digital–green twin transitions paradigm, the article coins EcoTechnoPolitics around three hypotheses: the need for planetary thinking grounded in (i) anticipatory governance, (ii) hybridization, and (iii) a transformational agenda beyond cosmetic digital–green alignment. The research question asks how EcoTechnoPolitics can enable planetary thinking beyond digital–green twin transitions under ecological and technological constraints. Methodologically, the study triangulates (i) an interdisciplinary literature review with (ii) a place-based analysis of two socially cohesive city-regions—the Basque Country and Portland (Oregon)—and (iii) a macro-level policy analysis of supranational digital and green governance frameworks. The results show that, despite planetary rhetoric around sustainability and digitalization, prevailing policy architectures largely externalize ecological costs and consolidate technological power. Building on this analysis, the discussion formulates transformational policy recommendations. The conclusion argues that governing planetary-scale ecotechnopolitical systems requires embedding ecological responsibility within technological governance. Full article

Diverse institutional analyses in natural resource settings highlight the dominance of exogenous institutions over endogenous ones with sub-(optimal) outcomes. The continued search for optimality signals the need for a theoretical approach to understand the alignment of endogenous and exogenous institutions. To contribute to this theoretical perspective, this paper uses seven community-based forest management settings in the Tsumkwe, East Kavango and West Kavango Regions of Namibia to (i) identify and assess the remnant endogenous cultural institutions (ECIs) and their levels of compliance; (ii) analyze the functioning of key exogenous institutional arrangements governing community-based forest resource use and management; and (iii) explore the potential for a jelled institutional arrangement to shape the future of community-based natural resource management. Data for this study were collected by reviewing policy documents, conducting key informant interviews (n = 10), having focus group discussions (n = 6), and conducting expert interviews (n = 6). Content and thematic analyses of the data yielded several key findings. First, although ECIs remain an integral component of community-based forest management in Namibia, levels of compliance with these institutions vary according to age, gender, and resource characteristics. Older community members exhibit higher levels of compliance with ECIs than younger members. In addition, compliance is significant for subsistence-oriented resources than for market-oriented ones. Second, exogenous institutional arrangements experience weak enforcement, largely due to high transaction costs. Third, institutional jelling, when steered from an endogenous rule-based standpoint, is likely to shape positive outcomes in subsistence-based resource use, whereas those steered from an exogenous rule-based position may shape such outcomes in commercialized resource settings. The insights from Namibia contribute to the ongoing empirical substantiation of institutional jelling as a novel theoretical approach with emphasis on endogenous institution-led roles in shaping subsistence-based resource use systems, and exogenous institution-led roles in steering commercialized resource use and management processes. Policy-wise, emphasis on the jelling of endogenous and exogenous rule-based systems is required to reduce transaction costs linked to sustainable community-based forest resource management in Namibia. As the evidence provided is qualitatively derived, future mixed-methods investigation is needed to empirically ground this theoretical approach in the frame of resource typology and salience, geographical variations in the outcomes linked to (un)jelled institutions, and actor constellations in jelling. Full article

To achieve an optimal balance of mechanical properties in low-cost alloy systems, this study tailored a heterogeneous bimodal structure in dilute Mg-0.4Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-xSn alloys (x = 0, 0.1 wt.%) and systematically investigated the critical role of trace Sn microalloying during hot extrusion. Mg-0.4Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-xSn alloys were fabricated via melting, homogenization, and subsequent hot extrusion at 320 °C. Trace Sn addition induced the formation of uniformly distributed CaMgSn phases within the homogenized matrix, facilitating a synergistic enhancement of strength and ductility. Specifically, the extruded alloys exhibited a characteristic bimodal grain structure consisting of coarse un-dynamic recrystallized (unDRXed) grains and fine dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains. Sn microalloying effectively refined the DRXed grains from 2.66 μm to 2.11 μm and significantly boosted the elongation (EL) from 12.9% to 26.3% while maintaining an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 274 MPa. The Sn-containing secondary phases served as potent sites for particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN), thereby promoting the DRX process and reducing the texture intensity from 20.89 to 9.99. Overall, the superior strength-ductility synergy is primarily governed by the formation of the heterogeneous bimodal structure, where trace Sn facilitates grain refinement and texture weakening through PSN mechanisms, providing a robust strategy for the design of high-performance dilute magnesium alloys. Full article

Current ML lifecycle frameworks provide limited support for continuous stakeholder alignment and infrastructure evolution, particularly in sensor-based AI systems. We present CAPTURE, a seven-phase framework (Consult, Articulate, Protocol, Terraform, Utilize, Reify, Evolve) that integrates stakeholder-centered requirements engineering with MLOps practices to address these gaps. The framework was synthesized from four established standards (ISO/IEC 22989, ISO 9241-210, CRISP-ML(Q), SE4ML) and validated through a longitudinal five-year case study of a psychomotor skill learning system alongside semi-structured interviews with ten domain experts. The evaluation demonstrates that CAPTURE supports governance of iterative development and strategic evolution through explicit decision gates. Expert assessments confirm the necessity of the intermediate stakeholder-alignment layer and substantiate the participatory modeling approach. By connecting technical MLOps with human-centered design, CAPTURE reduces the risk that sensor-based AI systems become ungoverned, non-compliant, or misaligned with user needs over time. Full article

This study introduces the Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Measurement Framework (SDG-AMF), a novel analytical tool used to systematically evaluate the relationships between digitalization and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unlike the United Nations (UN) E-Government Development Index (EGDI) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Digital Government Indicators (DGIs) frameworks, the proposed SDG-AMF links digitalization indicators to specific SDG outcomes using proxy-based time-series analysis. The SDG-AMF provides a unified, statistically grounded approach that connects digital development with measurable sustainability outcomes. Using direct, high-quality time-series data (2010–2024) from internationally recognized sources, the framework maps key digitalization indicators such as Internet penetration, e-government maturity, research and development (RD) expenditure, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and gender participation in information and communication technology (ICT) to the selected SDG targets (SDGs 4, 5, 8, 9, and 16). Through correlation and regression analyses, the study identifies enabling and inhibiting relationships, highlighting Saudi Arabia’s strengths in digital infrastructure and e-government maturity while emphasizing areas for improvement, such as civic participation and RD intensity. Comparative benchmarking with digitally advanced economies underscores Saudi Arabia’s strengths in Internet penetration and e-government maturity, while gaps in RD investment are identified. The SDG-AMF provides policymakers with a replicable roadmap and scalable model to align foundational connectivity and governance reforms with advanced digital transformation, facilitating progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals worldwide. This research contributes original methodological insights and equips stakeholders with practical tools to monitor, compare, and accelerate SDG progress in the digital era. Full article

This study explores how governance acts as a critical mediator between key environmental Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land)—and overall sustainability performance. Leveraging global datasets from the UN SDG framework and World Bank Governance Indicators, we construct a composite governance index using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to capture institutional quality. Through mediation and path analysis, we reveal striking patterns: governance amplifies the positive impact of SDG 15 on the overall SDG Index, underscoring its role in biodiversity and land management. Conversely, governance introduces an adverse indirect effect for SDG 13, highlighting institutional and regulatory gaps that weaken climate policy outcomes. No significant mediation is observed for SDG 14, indicating strong contextual dependencies in marine governance. These findings confirm governance as a pivotal driver—either reinforcing or constraining environmental progress. Strengthening governance frameworks through transparency, accountability, and regulatory quality can accelerate progress toward the SDGs and advance the 2030 Agenda. This study provides empirical evidence on governance as a mediator and deepens understanding of institutional mechanisms shaping sustainability trajectories. Full article